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“By all means.” I smiled at her one last time, turning to push the cart away from her room. But before I could leave, I was going to bruise her ego one last time. “And you know what else, Maddison Chambers?”
“What?”
“I have over four-hundred and fifty-thousand Instagram followers,” I stated, and she gasped. “And I’m not even an influencer, as you would say. I suggest you start partnering up with brands and maybe collaborate with a few people.”
I heard her grunt, stomping her ugly heels on the floor as she slammed the door shut.
That was worth it.
Chapter five
Matthew
“We would like to stay and chat some more, maybe even have dinner, but I’m afraid it’s getting kind of late, and we have a flight to catch in an hour and a half.”
Mother and father had been in Florida for eleven hours, and already, I knew I was behind on a week's worth of work just by clearing my schedule for the day and touring them around the hotel and the city.
Thankfully, they insisted on not staying even though I told them they could have the presidential suite for the night. Father said he didn’t want to leave Percy, his seven-year-old German Shepherd, alone for the night.
“You know, son,” my father added. “I would have to say that I was disappointed.”
“In what?”
“Well,” my mother chirped in. “We were kind of hoping to meet this girlfriend of yours. But both of you seemed too busy to make sure we met her today.”
“I’m telling you, Lucille. Matthew is faking it just so he can take my hotels,” Father accused.
“Believe whatever you want to believe,” I said nonchalantly. I should probably be freaking out that they were doubting me, but I knew that if I remained calm, they’d believe my bluff. I had known that this was going to bite me in the ass eventually, but I didn’t realize that it would be this soon. “She’s a woman with her own hobbies, and she’s busy with work.”
“Which is?”
“She’s in business like me. Running her father’s real estate company.”
“What—”
Before Father could finish his question, a knock interrupted us. Like muscle memory, my mind immediately ran through my schedule for the day. But then I remembered I had cleared my entire day because of my parents.
“Are you expecting someone, son?”
I glanced at my wristwatch and saw that it was seven sharp, and I realized that I had asked Clair to send Reagan to my office after her shift.
A guest had reported to Clair that staff had been rude to her, and the former was asked who it was. She said she didn’t get her name except that she was a blonde, beautiful, and had a mouth on her, which—and I quote—would be the death of her.
Another knock came before Clair complained. “C’mon, Matthew. I don’t have all night.”
The idea came when I was walking towards the door, and while I turned the knob, I knew that I was digging my own grave right now. But I needed to make my parents believe.
Reagan St. James didn’t look like she just finished an eleven-hour shift. I was stunned at how beautiful she looked. Her hair looked like she had just come from the salon, and her light green, long-sleeved cashmere top made her look classy, especially when paired with her white floral skirt. She wore little to no makeup, yet she radiated natural beauty and confidence.
“Can we get this—”
“Oh!” Mother exclaimed, clasping the pearls around her neck.
“Shit,” Reagan cursed, low enough for me to hear. “I’m sorry. Did I interrupt something?”
“No, darling, you’re fine.” Reagan gasped quietly at my endearment. But I didn’t give her enough time to complain before I grabbed her waist and pulled her towards my side.
“This is Reagan, my girlfriend. Reagan, meet my parents.”
