Page 82 of The Hero + Vegas = No Regrets

Jack goes up to the counter and speaks to the assistant. We’re escorted to the back, where there’s a small room with a heavy table filled with foliage and stools either side of it.

What the fuck are we doing here?

“Take a seat, gentlemen.” A woman about the same age as my mom, with tight red curls and a round, smiling face, greets us. “My name is Rose. We’ll come around and get your coffee orders when you’re seated, then we can get started.”

I glance between my friends, but all of them avoid my gaze.

“Can’t wait,” Leo says, as if trying to match the smiling woman’s energy.

Bennett is the first to sit and I take the stool next to him.

“We’ve put some materials on the counter in front of you, but there’s plenty more around the room. Use what you like.” Rose points to the worktables set up against the walls, piled with green blocks of stuff florists use to stick flowers into, vases, wreaths, and greenery. “While we’re taking your coffee orders, pick out a wreath size you think you’ll want to work with.” Rose smooths her green apron before leaving us.

“What do you call five billionaires attending a Christmas-wreath-making class?” Byron asks.

“Unusual,” Bennett replies, and I can’t hold back my chuckle.

“Anyone want to tell me why we’re doing this? Of all things?” I ask.

Leo shrugs. “It’s a chance to hang out. Chew the fat.”

I know that’s not the only reason. These guys are trying to keep my mind off Sophia. It won’t work—it’s impossible. But I really appreciate that they’re trying.

I glance around the room at these four super-successful guys who I get to call my best friends. “Thanks,” I say. “This is unbelievably weird, but… yeah, thanks.”

I don’t know if I’ve ever felt like I can lean on people. I’ve just always let people lean on me, because I’m strong enough to carry them. This is the first time I feel like I’m not shouldering everything alone.

I pick out a large rattan wreath big enough to fill the door of the brownstone. I give my coffee order to Rose, the woman with the rosy cheeks. Her name suits her personality and her job. Floristry was clearly her destiny.

My phone buzzes. It’s Avril asking me to meet her at Ninth Street tomorrow afternoon. I have a feeling that’s less about trying to keep me occupied and more about trying to get me to change my plans for the building.

“Tomorrow we thought bowling rather than the usual brunch,” Fisher says.

“Bowling?” I ask in case I misheard him. “I’m meeting my sister in the afternoon.”

“She still want to make Ninth Street a hotel?” Bennett asks.

I nod, turning my wreath in my hands, trying to figure out if I should find one that’s less haphazard or if they’ll all look like this.

“You want my advice?” Bennett asks.

I set my wreath on the bench in front of me. “Sure.”

“Take out all the arguments she’s making about family legacy and ask yourself if buying the hotel will make you happy.”

It’s not the advice I expected from Bennett. I thought he’d talk about break-even points or projected inflation over the next five years. “Happy?”

“Yeah, with something like that, you’ve got to put business aside. Do you want to work with your sisters? If so, is it the hotel business you want to get into? Not for profitability reasons, but because that’s what you’ll enjoy doing.”

“I don’t think I’ll be involved on a day-to-day basis,” I say.

“But you’ll still be the owner,” Bennett says. “Only say yes if you think you’ll enjoy it.”

I’ve never made business decisions based on personal enjoyment. “Really?” I ask, and even I can hear the skepticism in my voice.

“We’ve all got more than we could possibly ever want. You’ve secured your family’s future, Worth. No matter what happens, you and your sisters and your mom—you’re all okay. Do what makes you happy, not what you think you should do, or what will make someone else’s life better. Forget about the money and whether youshoulddo it. Just ask yourself if youwantto do it.”

I don’t get a chance to let his question marinate before Fisher pulls out a wreath from the center of the counter. “We can do bowling early,” he says, almost out of nowhere. “If you have to go to Ninth Street in the afternoon, I mean.”

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