Page 62 of Beauty
“So if you see her,” War says, his head lowered, his body angled in, “just congratulate her on the job. There will be more than enough haters out there calling her a nepo-baby. Don’t be one of them. She built that company of hers from the ground up. I have no doubt she can handle the business side of things. And she’s got Gavin and Beckett to help her along the way.”
With that, he strides away. Apparently the conversation is over. What more is there to say anyway, since he has no clue who she is to me?
Correction: who she was.
Now she’s my boss. My friends’ sister.Nothing else.
With her new role, she can’t be anything more.
“Do either of you have change for a twenty?” Aiden asks. “I want to get a soda.”
I reach into my pocket, but before I can pull out the ones I shoved in there earlier, the attendant behind the counter says, “I can break change.”
Aiden whips around and hands her the twenty.
As if my mind and body have been taken over, I edge closer to the counter, my eyes zeroed in on the money in the attendant’s hand. When she hits number eleven and the ink on the dollar bill catches my attention, I reach across the desk and pull it from her grasp.
“Hey!” she yells, stepping back on instinct.
War waves his hand. “He’s got a weird thing with writing on bills. Just keep counting. He’ll give it back.”
His voice fades out, along with the rest of the sounds around me, as I hold the dollar bill with shaking hands. There’s no way in hell she’s getting this back.
Because I’m staring at a one-dollar bill with the nameSiennascrawled across the front of it, complete with a heart above theiand a ten-digit number beneath it.
At the top of the bill is another message. One that sends me reeling back and changes everything.
For Noah.
Don’t forget to come back for me. Until then, I’ll soar.
TWENTY
SIENNA
Aiden: Big night tonight.
Gavin: Yeah. You have a game. That I expect you to win.
Aiden: Okay, COACH. I was talking about Sienna’s first official game day as CEO! Boss-bitch level.
Brooks: LOL. Congrats, Sienna.
Beckett: Sorry I can’t be there. Enjoy the game.
Gavin: Stop by the ice when you get here.
Gavin: And don’t be nervous. You’ll do great.
Me: I wasn’t nervous until you said that. I thought I was just watching a hockey game tonight.
Beckett: Sure. Right. Of course. Enjoy the game.
Me: Beckett. What did you do?
“This is wild, right?”I ask Millie as she steps out of the black town car. If she hadn’t shown up with the driver, I wouldn’t have gotten in the car. I still can’t believe I’ve agreed to do this. Also, my stomach is tangled in knots. It’s nerves, yes, but it’s more than that. I’m excited. For the first time in almost two years, I’m truly looking forward to something.
Millie holds out a hand to Vivi, who has already maneuvered out of her car seat and is waiting patiently. She looks totally adorable with her brown curls in pigtails and her own Bolts jersey, with an eleven on her back andLangfieldin bold letters across her shoulders. Millie’s wearing a matching one.
