Page 74 of The Hero + Vegas = No Regrets

She nods, and I show where the glasses are while I get a bottle of red from the wine fridge. “This Argentinian malbecis gorgeous,” I say. “Efa says her brother-in-law owns the vineyard.”

“Really?”

“Efa has a brother-in-law for every occasion.”

“I like her,” Sophia says.

“I do too. She’s good for Bennett.”

“You’re lucky to have such wonderful people around you, Worth.”

I pour the wine. “I know. I’m a very lucky man.” My eyes slice to hers and she offers me a half-smile.

“How’s Avril?” she asks. “Have you decided on the hotel yet?”

I pull out a chair and take a seat. “Not yet. I think Avril’s committed and it would really give her a focus. A challenge. Apparently Poppy is interested in getting involved, too.”

“Wow. A family affair.” Sophia takes a seat at the end of the table and our legs intertwine.

“She’s got it in her head that the hotel would be a family legacy. Something positive to work on together, rather than something negative binding us together.”

Sophia nods but doesn’t offer an opinion.

“I think it’s a good idea,” I say.

“For them,” Sophia says. “Or for you? Is it what you want?”

“I want Avril and Poppy to be happy.”

“But beyond that, what do you want? You’re so good at caring for everyone else, it worries me that you don’t take time to figure out what you want.”

“Well, I’d like to beat Bennett in Hotel Games.”

“Hotel Games?” Sophia asks, frowning.

Have I never explained to her that the six of us all have hotels, which we use to compete against each other? “It’s like the Hunger Games, but nobody dies and all the competitors own luxury hotels.”

“So not at all like the Hunger Games,” Sophia says. “Whatever keeps a billionaire feeling alive, I guess.”

I chuckle. “That’s why we all have hotels. We compete against each other for whose property is the most successful. It was a way of keeping a connection between us after business school. The criteria gets more and more complicated, but somehow Bennett seems to win more often than not. Having a hotel in New York City rather than Boston would mean I could pay it more attention. It would give me a better chance at winning.”

Sophia’s gaze falls to my mouth, then the wineglass I’m holding, then back up to my eyes. “So your goals in life are to keep everyone else happy and beat Bennett at the Hotel Games?”

“That’s not all,” I say. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot. You’re right that I tend to prioritize the needs of the people I love before my own. When I was a kid, I did it because I knew it would keep my family together, and that’s what I wanted more than anything. Not to lose anything or anyone else after my dad died. Since then, I’ve built a successful career by helping other people achieve their dreams. And while you’re right—those dreams aren’t mine—my work isn’t just for them. It’s also for me. Say, for example, I’m a math teacher, or a dance teacher at a high school for the arts.”

She raises her eyebrows with a smile.

“It could happen.”

“If anyone could make it happen, it’s you,” she says. She’s being funny, but she wouldn’t say it if she didn’t believe it.

“Isn’t that the same thing? If I’m a teacher, aren’t I helping kids achieve their dreams and their potential? If I’m a nurse or a doctor, aren’t my achievements linked to positive outcomes for my patients?”

“Yeah,” she replies. “It’s a good point. But are you getting whatyouneed by turning the Ninth Street building into a hotel?”

“Maybe,” I say. “Maybe like Avril said, I need a family legacy that isn’t about grief. Something positive to keep me close with my sisters.”

“If that’s really how you feel, Worth, that’s wonderful. You should do something to make yourself happy.”

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