Page 3 of Ezra the Billionaire

I don’t know why I had Keisha bring her here. It was obvious from her shock in the atrium that she didn’t purposely drop her drink, so there’s not much for me to do.

She’s a lodge guest, and it wouldn’t look good for the owner to scold her anyway.

“Next time, be more careful,” I grumble, ushering both women out of my office. Hopefully, the photographer I’m meeting in one of the conference rooms won’t be too pissed to be kept waiting for so long.

“Crap, don’t you have that appointment with Jean Marcelle?” Kennedy asks as if reading my thoughts on my face.

“It started a quarter of an hour ago. Let’s hope your tenuous connection to an influencer friend of Nora’s is enough for him to overlook my tardiness.”

Lauren stutter-steps and pitches forward on the carpet runner. Instinctively, my hands reach out to stop her fall—landing on her soft waist to squeeze gently—and a blast of something sweet tickles my nose.

Floral, not fruity.

Her shampoo?

“Sorry…again…” Lauren’s grip on my arm tightens before she finds her footing and lets go. “Is Hearthstone Lodge a magnet for influencers? Or other high-profile guests? The lodge and town websites didn’t mention being a hub like Aspen or Jackson Hole for celebrities.”

“Don’t worry; you won’t run into anyone you know here. Nora Olson is a body-positive influencer, but she’s also a local…ish. She lives in High Ridge,” Kennedy explains. “The point is, one of her social media friends hosted an event at the lodge a few months ago, and over the course of organizing that event, we got on the subject of marketing and—” My sister stops to take a breath as we enter the atrium. She must realize she’s running out of time to tell this story and jumps to the end. “She put me in contact with a photographer friend of hers. That’s who Ezra is meeting with.”

“Oh… Because you’re the marketing director?” Curious violet eyes peek up at me. I didn’t even know purple eyes were a real thing.

Are they real? They could be contacts.

Kennedy answers for me while I’m contemplating if Lauren is wearing contacts or not—something I shouldn’t give a damn about.

“Ezra is my brother and manages Hearthstone for our family.”

“I see. Now, I’m even sorrier for ruining your morning. I can pay for dry cleaning. Just send me the bill.”

“Forget about it. Our laundry services will suffice. Ken, are you joining me?” The conference room is a few more steps. This little chat needs to end, so I can focus.

“Why don’t we all go?” Kennedy snakes an arm through Lauren’s to hold her in place.

“What?”

“Why?”

A mischievous grin forms as Kennedy drags her hostage forward while I tail behind them. “This isn’t the paparazzi, Lauren. This is a professional whose purpose is to make Hearthstone Lodge look good to potential guests, and I think it’d be amazing if you posed for some shots. It’ll be good for your image—representing a small-town resort—and we could use the heightened exposure for business.”

My sister is talking out of her ass.

Never mind the bullshit about us fixing Lauren’s public image, our finances are fine. We’re not desperate for a celebrity endorsement to keep the lights on. Even if Hearthstone Lodge wasn’t solvent on its own, I’m a fucking billionaire after starting my hedge fund over a decade ago.

“This is ridiculous. You’re not—”

“Good morning, Mr. Marcelle. Apologies for our late arrival, but there was an accident that needed our immediate attention. Do you need anything before we get started? Water, coffee?” I swear Kennedy looks at me at that last part.

Ever since she fell in love with a military man she wrote letters to when he was thousands of miles away, she’s been bolder, more outspoken—more like the rest of us Caldwells.

Which is good.

I’m happy to see my baby sister come out of her shell.

But damn… Does it have to mean bulldozing her way through my perfectly scheduled days?

And dragging the woman my body has an inconvenient attraction to along for the ride?

CHAPTER THREE

---