Page 13 of Triplet Babies for the Billionaire
It’s been a long day, and my mind keeps drifting back to work,andto Blossom.
Nicole doesn’t miss a beat. She studies me for a moment, setting down her drink and tilting her head. “Okay, spill. You’ve been acting weird all night.”
I look at her, trying to keep my face neutral. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re distracted, Noah,” she says, her voice soft but pointed. “You’re not the type to let a game get to you. So...what’s on your mind? Found a special girl?”
The question hits me like a punch to the gut, but I force myself to smile. “No,” I say quickly, maybe too quickly. “There’s nothing. It’s nothing to worry about.”
But Nicole’s not fooled. She leans in a little, a knowing glint in her eyes. “Come on. You’re not that good at hiding things. What’s really going on?”
I hesitate. “I don’t know. But I don’t want to talk about it.”
She raises an eyebrow, sensing something deeper, but she lets it go. For now.
Nicole’s gaze softens, and she sighs as she takes a sip of her drink. “You know, Whittney was one of the most incredible women I’ve ever known. She was kind, smart, soalive. And she made youbetterjust by being in your life.”
I swallow hard. Here it comes, the one thing she always seems to circle back to.
“Yeah,” I murmur. “She was.”
I feel my chest tighten as the memory of Whittney flashes before me: her smile, the way she always knew just what to say when things got tough. Shewasamazing.
But Nicole’s words have a different undertone. “I think...I think you’re still holding on to her,” she says softly. “You’ve been stuck for years, Noah. You’re not really moving on. I can see it. I’m worried you’re holding onto a ghost.”
I don’t respond right away. I can’t. I want to deny it, to tell her she’s wrong, but it’s too complicated, and I’m not ready to deal with it.
Nicole’s voice softens again, and she leans forward, her eyes full of concern. “I’m just worried about you, Noah. I love you, but I need you to start living again.”
I meet her gaze, but my thoughts are far away. Nicole’s right. But I’m not ready to hear it. “I’m fine,” I finally say, though I know she doesn’t believe me. Heck, I don’t know if I believe me.
She sighs, but then shifts the conversation. “Anyway, enough of me playing therapist. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
I nod, still a little distracted, though her sudden change in tone catches my attention. “What’s up?”
Nicole doesn’t waste any time. “It’s about the hotel. I want to improve the accessibility here. It’s not great right now, and I think we can do a lot better.”
I sit up straighter. “We don’t need another set of hands on that. Our contractor is going to handle it.”
Nicole looks at me like I’ve just said something outrageous. “Noah, I’m not talking about just any contractor. I’ve already found someone who specializes in accessibility. This is important.”
I rub my hand over my face, exasperated. “We’ve been over this. I’m not bringing in someone else. We’ve got a team, we don’t need a third-party expert.”
She crosses her arms, looking at me like I’m the one being unreasonable. “Your team is great, but they don’t have the expertise to handle the level of accessibility we need. We’re talking about improving the experience for all of our guests, not just ticking off boxes.”
I shift uncomfortably, but my mind keeps drifting back to the game. "I get it, but I still think we’re fine. We don’t need another expert. We can handle it ourselves.”
Nicole’s topaz eyes narrow, a playful challenge behind them. “Well, that’sconvenient, Noah. You know, it’s not like disabled people like to do things, right?”
I wince at her sarcasm, but I also feel a little guilty. “I never said that,” I reply quickly, my voice defensive. “You know you have my full permission to do anything you think will make the guests happy. You don’t have to argue with me.”
Nicole raises an eyebrow. “That’s more like it.”
She pushes rolls back away from the table, grinning. “Good. I’ll be bringing someone in this week, then. They’ll go over the site with me and see where we can improve.”
I nod absently, still watching the game. “Fine, just...do whatever you think is best.”
Nicole gives me one last look. “I’m serious, Noah. Don’t shut everyone out. If you keep pushing people away, eventually no one’s going to knock on your door anymore.”
