Page 10 of The Grumpy Billionaire
Even if he’d been just an ordinary guy, he would have been unforgettable… to me.
But he was far from ordinary, and he’d spent the past eleven years proving he wasnotsomeone to be overlooked, taken lightly, or easily left behind.
“Can that Senator Caine talk or what?” Sheldon asked across the small pizza parlor table. “Did you see that Mancini dude’s face? Why’d they even ask him to talk at the State House if Caine never shuts up to let him get a word in?”
“I don’t know,” I mumbled, watching my favorite photographer inhale the last few bites of his lunch. I really didn’t want to talk about Reid’s face.
Or his body—long and lean and powerful in the perfectly-fitted, obviously expensive suit he’d worn during the legislative hearing this morning.
Our news director had assigned us to do a package on the hearing for the six and eleven p.m. newscasts. Its purpose was to advise the lawmakers about policy changes that might attract more businesses to set up shop in our tiny state, and as one of Rhode Island’s shining stars of industry, Reid had been invited to share his input.
The press releases had started flying fast and furious as soon as the media-shy internet entrepreneur agreed to speak at the hearing. All four stations in Providence and seemingly every newspaper in the state had responded by sending crews to cover the rare event.
A couple of Boston TV crews had made the hour drive, too, just to get a glimpse of the creator of the web’s hottest social media site, StillYours.com.
“I mean, the guynevertalks on-camera,” Sheldon continued, making the enthusiastic hand gestures he couldn’t seem to speak without.
“That was our best chance at a sound bite. And you know all Rob is gonna want in the package tonight is words of wisdom from the Tech Titan. I’m gonna have to scroll through about two hours ofblah blah blahfrom the senator to get to the good stuff.”
He leaned back in his chair, satisfied with his enormous lunch, and wiped his fingers on a paper napkin before balling it up and tossing it onto the red-and-white-checkered tablecloth.
“I can edit it, if you want,” I offered.
“Dude—would you? I have two more shoots today before I could even start editing. That would be awesome.”
“No problem,” I said.
The two of us gathered our paper plates and greasy napkins and stood, preparing to leave the mom-and-pop restaurant and get back to work. I snatched the ticket off the table before Sheldon could reach it.
“No, Mara. Come on. I think I owe you, like, four lunches by now.” But he was smiling.
“No. I oweyou. Do you have any idea how great it is to go out on stories and not be the reporterandthe photog? You make my job easy. Besides, I’m arichreporter.”
I winked at him, and we both laughed at the absurdity of my statement. Television news did not pay well—not until you made it to the top of the ladder at the network or in a big city like LA or New York anyway.
Like everyone at my new television station, Sheldon was unaware of my family history—which was how I hoped it would stay.
I’d supported myself since high school graduation, and I had no intention of using my parents’ money or connections to get ahead at work. There was no reason anyone had to know I was part ofthatNeely family.
“You’ve got a wife and three kids. All I’ve got is me,” I reasoned.
“It wouldn’thaveto be just you if you’d go out with aniceguy instead of those himbos you date. I bet you’d like my buddy Ray, or Jason—” Sheldon made another attempt to grab the ticket, which I hid behind my back.
“Hey, leave your buddies—and my himbos—out of it. And you can get the next one,” I said.
The photographer sighed and threw his hands up in defeat. “Okay. Thanks. Did I ever mention that you’re my favorite reporter?”
“Maybe a couple of times.” I grinned at him. “When your belly was nice and full.”
Sheldon looked up, over my head toward the front of the pizza joint. The smile on his bearded face grew wider.
“You are not gonna believe who just walked in.”
I whipped around to see the restaurant’s entrance, and all the air left my lungs in an audible whoosh.
Reid Mancini was standing just inside the front door.
I turned back to Sheldon, my body stiff and suddenly chilled. He was still looking in Reid’s direction.
