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“He loves me, Dad. And I love him.”
He shakes his head. “No, sweetheart, you don’t. You’re suffering from Stockholm syndrome.”
“Stockholm—? Dad, I wasn’t his hostage. He saved my life and took care of me the entire time we were on that island.”
&nbs
p; “I’ll say,” my mom chimes in. She’s opted for a mimosa instead of the coffee.
My cheeks flush at the thought of what they saw.
My mom’s cell phone rings and she hands it to me. “Look, it’s Rick calling for you! He’s been very concerned the entire time you were missing.”
I roll my eyes and answer the phone. “Hi Rick.”
“Paige, baby, is that really you?” he asks.
Baby? Really? He’s never called me that before. Which is good because he’s my boss. “It’s really me.”
“You came back from the dead! I can’t believe it. You okay? I hope you’re okay and ready to get back to work because the phone is ringing off the hook! Everyone in the entire universe has seen your story on the news and they’re calling. They all want to list with us.”
“How do they know—?”
“I went to the press to beg people to help find you.”
Of course, he did. Anything for P.R., right?
“Listen, I’d love to hear all about it when you get back, but right now, I’ve got clients waiting. When you get here tomorrow, you can fill me in. Be here at seven a.m. because there is a shit-ton of stuff for you to take care of. And I have some good news for you—I’ve decided to cut you in on the commission from now on. Zero-point-two percent for you on all sales you close. Gotta run, babe! See you tomorrow!”
He hangs up, leaving me a little dizzy.
A week ago, that offer would have had me jumping up and running to pack, but now, I see it for what it is. Bullshit.
“What’s the matter, Paige? You look angry.” My mom says, then she reaches up with her thumb to rub the tension out from between my eyebrows. “Relax, you’ll give yourself wrinkles.”
I brush her hand away. “Maybe I want wrinkles.”
I get up and walk away, out of the restaurant, out of the hotel, and down to the beach. Maybe I want wrinkles. It doesn’t even make sense. Or maybe it does. Maybe I just want the choice. Maybe I want to wake up each day and do what I want to do where I want to do it with the man of my choosing. Maybe I want wrinkles so I’ll catch up with Mac and we can look like a couple.
I stand on the beach, staring out, wishing I could be back on our little island again. Back where the only decisions were what are we going to eat and what position are we going to try next. But I’m here, and I don’t even know how to find Mac.
I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn to see my dad looking down at me. “Your mother was just trying to be nice.”
“I know, I just get…a little tired of being mothered sometimes.”
“Me, too.” He grins down at me. “Listen, Peanut, I know Rick is a little asshole, and I can tell that you don’t want to go back to work for him, and I think you should quit. I’ll fund you so you can start your own agency. With all the publicity, you’ll easily double my money in the first year.”
“What?” I’m shocked because my father has never once showed any faith in me. The fact that he’s willing to put some money into my career means that he must actually believe that I’ve got some potential.
“Take this whole helicopter crash thing and really run with it.”
I stare at him for a minute. “Start my own agency?”
“Yes, Peanut. We can find you the perfect location for your office and I’ll back the whole thing.”
“Anywhere I want?”
“Of course. Your mother and I would love you to come back to New Hampshire, but if New York is where you want to be, that’s fine, too.”
