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And this is why she is my best friend. She gets down and dirty in the trenches when I need her. “No bitch gets in our way. Once you have them in your hand, you don’t let go.”
Laughing at each other, it’s exactly what I needed. For her to tell me it’s okay. No matter how messy this is, it’s still worth it. Nicholas is worth it, and for once, I understand that I’m worth it too.
Besides, no matter how much I tried to tell Lou it was still an option, it’s not. I can’t let go. It’s too late.
I belong to Nicholas, heart and soul.
ChapterTwenty
NICHOLAS
“Ilove when I don’t have to cook,” Flynn announces, walking into the kitchen with Forrest and Rem.
“You mean you love eating my food because it’s better than when you cook.” I lean over the counter where I give the last few touches to the lunch spread I’m about to serve.
Victoria disappeared upstairs with Elouise as soon as she arrived, which didn’t surprise me. I know she will need her to navigate through all that has happened. I’m a lot to handle, I know that, and I’m sure I can feel my ears burning at the amount my name and the word asshole are being thrown around up there.
“You wouldn’t be half the chef you are without me. Who do you think taught you everything you know!” Flynn takes a spoon and tastes the creamy garlic sauce for the seafood pasta I’ve been preparing.
“Bullshit,” I cough into my hand as we both laugh a little, and he gives me a slap on the back as we share a man hug.
“It’ll do.” His comment on the sauce has me flipping him the bird because I know it’s good, and if it wasn’t, he seriously wouldn’t let me serve it. No chef wants to eat crap food.
I give Rem and Forrest the same man hug. I don’t say it out loud, but damn, it’s good to see them.
“Where is the lovely Tori?” Flynn asks, taking a seat on one of the stools and raising his eyebrows up and down just to piss me off.
“Can we at least make it through the first ten minutes of you being here before I want to kill you?” I throw the tea towel in my hand across the island at him.
“Probably not,” Forrest replies as he sits next to Flynn.
“You know what will help? If you shut him up with a beer.” Rem opens the fridge like he lives here and slides the first bottle across the counter toward Flynn.
“Now we are talking, but you didn’t answer my question. Where’s Tori?” Flynn twists the top off the bottle and takes his first mouthful.
“Upstairs giving Elouise a tour, which is girl code for hiding away so they can bitch about me.” I roll my eyes at them.
“Show me the way, I love a good bitch session. Plus, let me see this friend of hers. I mean, I’ve seen the security pictures, and damn, she’s hot.” Flynn’s words make the hair on the back of my neck stand up, which is nothing unusual with him.
“Don’t even think about it and shut your mouth about the security. Fuck me. I haven’t told Victoria everything. I just don’t want to freak her out so she panics and runs.” And before I can do it myself, Rem hits him around the back of the head.
“Why do I tell you anything? You know the big red letters that are usually plastered all over the files that I send you, that say strictly confidential? Well, that means it stays in this square of silence, dickhead, remember?”
Flynn is still scowling at Rem for the slap on his head and rubbing where it hit. “In case your eyesight is failing you in your old age, this is the square of silence, you twat!” Flynn waves his hand around the kitchen between the four of us.
Forrest cuts him off. “Yes, but with your loud booming voice, the girls are bound to hear you, idiot. I doubt Nic wants Tori or her friend to know we are watching Elouise as well. She doesn’t deserve to be pulled into the ridiculousness that is our lives. Tori, maybe because she is attached to him, but Elouise is an innocent bystander.” Forrest is always the sensible one.
“Whatever,” Flynn grumbles. “Anyway, we need to talk about something.” I should be worried when he says those words, but what makes me more concerned is that his face has turned serious, and he gets straight into it before Victoria comes back.
“Let’s eat first,” I say, trying to delay any bad news, but he won’t hear of it.
“You need to take Victoria to the Kindness before Violence charity dinner on Saturday night. The legal and PR department think you are better off continuing as normal to show that you aren’t concerned about the investigation. You know, like you have nothing to hide.” I can see he is ready for the backlash as I open my mouth.
“Not a chance. No fucking way!” I growl at him as I stand straight upright. I want to pace the room, but I try so hard to hold it together. One, just one day, that’s all I wanted for all of us to have a nice peaceful lunch and for everyone to get to know each other.
“I’m not putting her in that position to be talked about and glared at, interrogated and eaten alive by the socialite sharks, and then her face plastered all over the internet. Not happening!” I can’t believe he even bothered bringing this up.
There is a reason we are out here and that is to lie low and away from all that drama.
