Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
“Your house, your rules, baby. We’ll do this on your timeline.”
Selena sighs with relief. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.” She pauses. “There’s something I should tell you, Grayson. Something I probably should have mentioned a long time ago.”
I wait with my heart thrumming.
Selena pauses. And then, “I don’t work at a design company. I own the company where I work.”
My shoulders soften. That’s it? I can’t fathom why she felt the need to keep this from me all this time, since it only accentuates what a brilliant, high-achieving, kick-ass woman she is. Did she think this information would negatively affect my opinion of her? The very notion is preposterous. I say, “That doesn’t surprise me at all. I already knew you’re a badass. Do you have any employees, or are you a one-woman show?”
“I have over thirty employees spread out over two offices in Seattle and Portland. We provide design services throughout the Pacific Northwest.”
“You’re a mogul!”
Selena laughs. She’s lit up like a Christmas tree. “I started my company on a wing and a prayer after my divorce. And to my surprise, within six months, I had more clients and jobs than I could handle on my own. I had to keep hiring people to service all the work pouring in.”
“Why were you surprised? You’re always going to succeed at whatever you try, Selena. That’s who you are.”
She looks sheepish. “In the beginning, I think a lot of jobs came from powerful people who’d found out I was divorcing Andre De La Torre. He’s got a lot of enemies in this town. That’s been good for business.”
“Even so,” I say, “that’s not why people continued to hire you, and refer you, and love your work.”
Selena’s chest visibly swells. “I’m proud to say the vast majority of jobs these days come from repeat clients and referrals.”
“See? I know what I’m talking about. What kinds of design services does your company provide?”
“Interior design for luxury commercial brands and properties. Our bread-and-butter is staging luxury model homes, but we also do a lot of work for hotels, offices, restaurants, VIP boxes at stadiums, nightclubs.”
“No wonder your house looks like a model home. You’re a pro. Will you take me to see some of the model homes you’ve worked on? And anything else you’ve done, too. I want to see it all.”
Selena’s practically glowing with excitement. “I’d be thrilled to show you. Thank you for wanting to see my work.”
“I want to know everything there is to know about you, Selena.”
She blushes. “I want to know everything about you, too.”
I laugh. “You already do. That’s the difference between you and me.”
She doesn’t deny it.
“What made you decide to start your own design company?”
“It was thanks to my father. After the divorce, I was at my lowest, not knowing quite what to do with myself, if I wasn’t Mrs. Andre De La Torre. I was thinking about applying for a job as an interior designer, but my father said, ‘Nah, don’t work for someone else. Start your own thing.’ He offered me money to get started, which I wouldn’t accept. I told him I wanted to build my company on my own, the same way he’d done with his first business. But I did accept his encouragement and invaluable business advice.”
“Your father owns a business?”
She nods. “Several. He started out owning a single home goods store when he first came to America. That one store ultimately became two, and then ten, and then twenty, until a huge national chain bought him out.” Selena names the chain—a household name—and I suddenly realize what she’s actually telling me. She’s loaded. Or at least, her father is. She continues, “After the sale, my father invested the proceeds in real estate and several businesses, and it was like he’s got a Midas Touch.”
I now understand why Selena didn’t tell me any of this before now. She wanted to be sure I’d like her for her. I can’t fathom Selena ever thinking I’m some kind of money-grubber or sweetheart swindler. So, that’s not it. But she clearly wanted to give me the chance to get to know her without the risk of me feeling insecure about my humble lifestyle and upbringing compared to hers. “I’d love to meet your father,” I blurt, and then instantly wish I could stuff the words back into my mouth.
It took Selena six months to invite me to her house, after all. And if Drew hadn’t unexpectedly been here tonight, she wouldn’t have introduced me to him until our one-year anniversary. How could I possibly think she’d be willing to introduce me, her twenty-six-year-old boyfriend with a small start-up, to her beloved mogul of a father? She’s told me their bond has always been especially tight, ever since the death of Selena’s mother when she was small. And that her father was always a strict, protective father, so much so that he didn’t let her date till she was eighteen. Enter Andre. So how could I possibly think Selena would even consider introducing me to her father on a timeline any shorter than the one she was planning for my introduction to her kid?