by C. D. Gill
Maddox told him to stay tuned, because they might want to move quickly now that they were considering settling. State of Colorado gave a regulated allowance of $50,000 for each year he was in prison, but the university had deeper pockets which could mean bigger payout in addition to that stipend from the state.
Two hundred and fifty thousand would be enough to give him some savings and take the edge off his money stress for a bit. He couldn’t get his hopes up yet that the university was finally taking him seriously.
Just how intentional had Ronaldo been about getting him into the spotlight yesterday? He’d ask next time he saw him. The man was a genius and knew how to work the system.
Arms full of water and snacks, he jogged up the stairs to Joey’s corporate office, but he got stopped at the reception desk. Gia had asked for calls and visits to be held unless it was an absolute emergency. He wanted to insist that her love life and her need to be awake in order to work was an emergency, but this wasn’t a trivial deadline to her. So he left the six-pack, snacks, and a note so she’d get it when she surfaced.
Tonight was the girls’ night at the country club. Sophia had insisted on writing him a signed note of permission so property managers would allow him to raid all their business dumpsters for things to upcycle. They were bringing drinks of their choice, so the project needed to be something simple but pretty.
Women wanted to go home with a pretty decoration that they could brag about or regift without embarrassment.
The pressure for tonight to go well felt astronomically high since everyone coming knew Sophia which by default meant they knew Gia. If they knew he was her boyfriend, they’d be assessing his potential as a husband all night long.
A husband, fresh out of jail that went dumpster diving and polished up trash for a living.
He already wanted to call tonight off, but that would be more humiliating than actually pulling off a fun night for some women who just wanted something new and fun to do.
Trendsetters, Sophia had called them. Always the first to try something new and brag about it if they loved it. They could make or break his idea.
By the time seven forty-five rolled around, he had everything in place at the country club for ten women to flip and sip, including cheap aprons he’d found at the craft store while he was buying cheap paint brushes and glue.
The entire day had passed without a word from Gia. She had warned him. He’d hoped for a laughing emoji or funny gif to the joking texts he’d sent her as he collected trash.
As the women started to trickle in, he stuffed his phone in his pocket and turned on the charm. Sophia came in second, donned an apron with a wink, and insisted on doing the introduction.
By eight o’clock, nine well-dressed women with black aprons tied around their waist sat in their seats with a drink in hand.
“Girls, welcome,” Sophia said about the chattering and loud laughter. They quieted down quickly. “How long have we been talking about doing another girls’ night? Thanks for coming tonight. I know how much you all love being on the front-end of trends and this is one. We are upcycling ordinary items to make them as fabulous as we are.” The group laughed. There wasn’t a frown in the group. They were eating this up. “We have Founder and CEO of Reclaim That with us tonight to teach us how. Let me introduce our talented and charming host, Xander Reinerman.”
Everyone clapped as he stood and walked to the front. “Good evening, ladies. Thank you for coming out tonight. Keep those glasses full for our Flip and Sip. We are going to work our magic and make the extraordinary out of the ordinary.”
Inside his pocket, his phone vibrated briefly. Here’s hoping it was Gia texting him back finally.
“Four lucky women will be turning these coffee cans into chic planters.” He held up the picture of what the end result could look like, and the women began to buzz. “Three of you will be turning these boring plastic bins into pretty vases.” Again, he held up a picture. “One will be turning this small mirror into a sunburst mirror with these paint stirrers. And the final two will be turning two paint cans into fancy ice buckets.”
At this point, he expected a group revolution when they clearly had the money to buy much nicer items at the store. Instead, their faces beamed with sheer delight. It was a miracle.
“I assured Sophia that no ages would be revealed tonight. So, all you twenty-nine-year-olds, check your apron pocket for a slip of paper with a number on it. And since bigger numbers always get a bad rap, we’re going to let number ten come choose her preferred project first.”
One of the ladies squealed and danced her way to the front while the others laughed. The other nine didn’t waste any time forming a line behind her in their number order. He handed out pictures and supplies and reassured each of them that he’d stop by to help.
While they got settled, he pulled out his phone and checked the screen.
The random Colorado number from before had texted him again. You’ll be getting a gift soon.
He deleted the text and blocked the number. Probably someone’s grandma who got a digit wrong.
Another text sat unread in his inbox. Mm you look good tonight. You fit right in at this country club.
Gia was here. Smiling, he pushed his phone into his pocket and headed for the first table of women who already had questions. As he helped them, he glanced around the room. She wasn’t standing in the wings or in the hall that he could see.
When the sunburst mirror lady finally stopped talking, he excused himself to check on the others. As he turned, he caught a glimpse of someone walking out the door that looked a lot like Gia. He maneuvered through the table and out the door. She turned down the hallway to the right. He snagged her arm and backed her into a dark alcove as she giggled.
Her kisses washed away his anxiety of the evening. Her love burned his fear to ashes.
Gia pulled away far too soon. “You have a bunch of cougars eagerly awaiting your return.”
He moved back in with a grunt. “The only woman I’m worried about is the hard-working, fun-loving spitfire in front of me.” Nevertheless, he stopped kissing her and slid his arms around her in a tight hug, as her head rested against his chest. “Busy day, huh?”
She groaned. “Your gift was a lifesaver. I had to drink three to jumpstart me.” With a sigh, she moved him into the hall. “I need to go before I fall asleep standing up. I’m headed to bed. Good night. I love you.”
“Hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave.” He winked.
Her nose scrunched. “Work on your lines, cowboy.”
They laughed as she waved goodbye and sashayed out the front doors. No one had seemed to miss him in the room. Many of them were almost finished with the painting. The quick-dry paint took a mere fifteen minutes to dry, so they would have plenty of time left to decorate their projects.
A few minutes, he stepped to the front of the room again. “Ladies, while we wait for the paint to cure for a few minutes. I’ve got a quick video for you to watch on my non-profit project called The Upcycled Life.” He dimmed the lights above the screen—another perk of the country club meeting space. While they watched, he refilled drinks, removed painting materials, and cleaned up spaces.
When they finished, the ladies gathered their projects, thanking him profusely for his time and promising to tell their friends about how much fun it was. His video must have left an impression, too, because quite a few dropped donations into his Upcycled Life donation bucket that was—of course—upcycled on their way out.
Sophia walked past with a friend. “I’ll drive you home. Meet you at the car?”
He nodded. The clean-up was easy. The drop cloths balled up into bags. The plastic table coverings went in the trash. And the rest of his resources went back with him. He’d need to find a place to store everything if he planned to move back and do this more often.
With everything packed up, he stopped by the bathroom which was tucked away in a nook so the members didn’t have to see the doors.
When he came back out, he had lifted the bags when he heard hushed giggles nearby.
“She said Gia is dating him seriously. Can you believe that?”
“The man is gorgeous and smart, but I’d never let my daughter date an ex-convict no matter how innocent he claimed to be.”
Xander’s stomach had plummeted to his feet. His chest hurt from holding his breath.
“Gia’s always been a bit of a wild card with men. You heard about that last boyfriend who got arrested—”
“My son was at the party and saw the whole thing go down.” She laughed. “She likes her bad boys to be really bad.”
Their laughter faded out as they walked out the front door. His jaw ticked as he struggled to keep his temper in check. A string of colorful words slipped from his mouth.
Their opinion didn’t matter.
They had no bearing on his life. Their words could reflect everyone’s thoughts of him tonight, and it still didn’t change the decisions he made.
In the parking lot, Sophia stood talking to her friend. She unlocked her SUV and popped the trunk open for him. The contrast hit him in the chest as he slid the supplies into the back.
What if Gia’s parents merely tolerated him and this embarrassed them?
Sophia waved goodbye and ducked into the driver’s seat by the time Xander got in. She beamed at him. “Well, tonight was a hit. Congratulations.”
Was it though? “Your friends liked it okay?”
Sophia laughed. “Oh, those aren’t my friends. Those were NOLA’s top female influencers that you hosted tonight. They are catty sharks who thrive on drama. Businesses have skyrocketed or been nuked by their opinions.” She waved her hand. “I would never actually affirm that to their faces, because if they knew their power, they’d run away with it. Right now, they just suspect it.”
His temples ached from the tension in his clenched jaw. Her genius was admittedly astounding. What better way to test his new business idea than launch it into the stratosphere or pronounce it dead on arrival. No need to waste time. “Well, that explains it.”
“Uh oh. What happened?” Sophia glanced at him, the street lights reflecting the worry in her expression.
“A couple of them seemed to think Gia has a thing for jailbirds which reflects poorly on you and Burley in society. It doesn’t help that I’m digging through trash for a living.”
A soft snort took Xander by surprise. “That’s rich coming from them. They’re all talk. Sadly, half of their husbands should be in prison from scams they’ve pulled or insider trading, but they’ve bought their way out of trouble. Sooner or later, someone will blow the whistle and the things they’ve done in secret will strip them of everything.” Her hands were in full-blown Brazilian sass mode as she spoke. “Yeah, so you dumpster-dive for a living. It’s almost non-existent overhead. The real difference between you and them is that you have integrity which is an extremely rare commodity.”
Sophia let the silence rest between them for a second. “You and Gia make a really solid couple. Not to scare you away, but I think you are exactly what she needs. Burley and I both do.”
Done with delicacy, he pushed forward with brutal honesty. “I’ve only been out of prison for half a year. I have goals emotionally, financially, and with my businesses that I’m not close to making yet. When I ask her to marry me, I want her to know without a doubt that she’ll be taken care of by me. Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t want to be depending on you in those ways when we should be standing on our own feet.”
“That’s as it should be. You need to be self-sufficient for the good of your relationship and your general wellbeing. Just make sure Gia knows your goals. I almost walked away from Burley because he thought I’d love him more if he had more to offer me. When we were dating, he was a poor businessman taking risks and trying to make an idea stick. He couldn’t see that he was enough. When he finally realized it, we got married and built our empire together way better than if he’d done it alone.”
“So your daughter marrying an ex-convict wouldn’t destroy your reputations with a scandal?”
Sophia recoiled. “Scandal? Burley and my wedding was a scandal. Interracial marriages were not approved of back when we met. We know all about creating a scene. Know this. You are not a harm to our reputation in any way. You can make peace with that fear right now. We support you. We believe in you. But what matters most is that Gia does.”
Her words soothed the ache in his chest, but he still wanted to prove he was worthy of her, to be the guy who had it together for her. When that day came, he’d propose.
Chapter 7
Gia didn’t want anything but to soak in her tub with a hot dinner and go to bed. And yet, when she opened her mouth to tell Judita she couldn’t model tonight because she was tired and mentally drained, it came out as “be there in a minute.” No one was more surprised than she was.
Putting her desires aside was part of being there for her family.
She pasted on a smile, took the fruit-laden drink offered to her, and joined the party in the living room. The furniture hugged the walls to make an open space in the center, bordered by racks of hanging clothes. How had Judita fit this stuff in her suitcases? Judita stood in the middle with her glasses perched low on her nose, pins clenched between her teeth, and a measuring tape dangling around her neck.
“Gia, anjo. This rack is for you. Grab an outfit and get changed,” Judita said, waving toward a rack nearby but focusing on a shirt in her hands.
Gia set her drink down to sort through the clothes. A pair of trousers caught her eye. She laid them over her arm when the whole room went up in squeals for Tia Neves’s entrance. A strong pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, lifting her off her feet. Her squeak didn’t register amongst the others’ fawning over Neves. She didn’t get put down until they’d reached the kitchen where a full plate of food sat on the kitchen island. Her whole body sagged in relief.
Dinner.
Xander pulled back her chair. “Sit, anjo. Eat.” He winked.
A marriage proposal almost escaped her lips. What had she done to deserve this man? “Oh, bilingual now.”
He nipped her neck on his way to get her water. “Long day?”
The noise that came from her throat that was supposed to be a laugh sounded like a strangled cry. “A non-profit client moved their deadline forward two weeks because the board meeting had to move, so the space I had to do this resort became much narrower. Then, some files I needed disappeared off my computer. Thankfully, Joey is part old-school and likes to have paper copies on hand. Angelo’s influence. I have been carrying them with me so that they can’t disappear, too.”
“Did you check with IT?” His hand ran the length of her back, easing some of the tension. “Maybe they could restore them. There’s no way that Joey runs a business with such vital documents on every computer and doesn’t have a virtual backup system for it. He was neurotic about making several copies of my press release with the Coach Randall thing.”
She looked at Xander as he spoke. Really looked at him. His short hair was a bit longer. His skin was tanned and flawless. Slight crows’ feet had creased next to his eyes. The beginnings of a beard had sprouted. Her fingertips reached out to touch it. He stopped talking about Joey’s storage system and leaned into her hand. His smile wasn’t quite as ready as usual.
“You seem sad,” she whispered as her fingers brushed over his jaw.
His response was to kiss her. “My lawyer called again and said Monday morning we’re going to start the preliminaries of discussing a settlement with University of Colorado, so I bought my return ticket for Sunday night.”
Another goodbye. Her heart sank as the corner of her mouth tipped upward. “I wish you could stay, but that’s great news that they are entertaining settling, instead of drawing this out in court.”
Xander snorted. “The evidence is pretty clear cut. The university would be fools to try to deny it. Tommy and Joey could be investigative report
ers if they ever need fallback jobs.”
“Giovanna Sophia. You’d better not be hiding from the camera,” Judita called. “Bring that ardente boyfriend of yours if he’s with you. I have many things for him to model that my boys are too short for.”
Xander’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell her I’m available. I’ve been hiding. She’s scary.” He glanced over his shoulder and whispered. “She wanted to put me in these shiny leather pants with an elastic waistband and crocodile-skin loafers.” He shivered. “It was horrible. Can you imagine if I fell and broke a leg and, God forbid, had to go out in public like that?”
Gia laughed into her food. She needed that to be in photo evidence. “Baby, she is a world-famous designer. People pay thousands to get her clothes. And she clearly thinks you’ll fit the stuff she brought. Maybe you should put them on and then tell her how you feel.” It was bad advice from top to bottom. No one told Judita they didn’t like her designs and escaped without a tongue-lashing, but Gia absolutely needed to see Xander in the crazy things Judita cooked up.
She set her dishes in the dishwasher and grabbed Xander’s hand to pull him into the fray. He hid behind the door frame as soon as she let go, so she strode over to the rack and picked out a flowy, short melon dress. Pressing it to her body, she twirled so Xander could see it. His eyebrows raised.
She pointed to him and to his rack, then to her and her dress. His shoulders sagged. He read her loud and clear. He’d only get to see her in the dress if he put something on from his rack. Huffing, he trudged to his rack and made pained faces as he looked through the clothes.
“There’s nothing gray in here,” he said loud enough for Judita to hear. “I thought rich people loved wearing neutrals.”
“No, just tech giant CEOs,” Judita said. “And they don’t shop with me.”
Gia changed in the bathroom, stopping to tame a stray curl. When was the last time she’d gotten her hair cut? She’d treat herself after the resort was finished. Every spare moment she wasn’t working on the plans left her with lingering guilt. What if she couldn’t finish on time?