Page 43 of Beach Bum Billion-Heiress
19
Jax
The power suit hid the fact that I was sweating down the back of my neck, nervous that Mr. and Mrs. Vanderman wouldn't pull through to be the parents they should be for the woman I loved. Nervous too, for the soft opening to be everything that Sage envisioned. I knew her heart and soul had gone into this thing and I wanted to see her succeed more than I wanted my next breath. I couldn't wait to see her eyes shine with unshed tears, the pride in the way she held her head up high, the way the whole room would light up at her presence. She was like this big, sparkling beacon of happiness, doing things her own unique way and making everyone around her smile.
I still wasn't sure what she was doing with an asshole like me, but I thanked my father every single day for sending me this woman. There was no other explanation for it.
The nerves still weren't enough to erase every last lustful thought I had looking at Sage in that damn dress. It showed off her long legs, the ones that had wrapped around my waist enough times to wrap around my heart. She was so beautiful and it wasn't so much that she didn't know it, it was more that she just didn't care. To her, her beauty was just there, neither bad nor good, just something that she got in the genetic spin of the wheel. She'd go to the store right out of bed, her hair a tangled mess and not one swipe of make-up on her face. Yet she could rock a designer dress and heels with the west coast socialites who were sure to show up tonight. Her confidence came from within, which I was finding was the sexiest kind of confidence there was.
I kept my hand on her back while we walked up the lit pathway to the restaurant, reaching out to open the door for her. She was strung tight, our conversation quiet and sparse, both of us lost in our own heads. We were early, Sage wanting to be there to make last minute checks, every napkin in its place, every server's apron pressed to perfection. Plus, her parents were set to arrive at seven, and I knew she needed some time to collect herself before she presented her finished masterpiece.
Before she did anything though, I force-fed her some hors d'oeuvres the chef had prepared already. I figured the girl hadn't even eaten today, so stressed with the opening. When she slammed them down without a fight, I knew I'd been right. I left her to do her thing, knowing she at least had some food on board, while I sought out the bar.
Sitting at the long bar, nursing a beer poured by the new bartender, I watched her buzz around the room, in her element. I reached down and fingered the cold band of metal in my pocket, running through various scenarios of how I'd present it to her. My mom had shipped it down to me a few weeks ago at my request, along with a note for Sage, and a scathing letter that only a mom can write, berating me for not bringing Sage up to meet her yet. In the end, she'd still given me the wedding band, along with her blessing.
I had second-guessed my decision about a million times, not about wanting to marry Sage, but about giving a plain gold ring to a billionaire, the offering less than she should settle for. In the end, it was all I had to offer, and if she'd taught me anything over these last few months, she was anything but typical. I remained hopeful that she'd see it for what it was: a sentimental offering of the ring my father had given my mother, leading to twenty-nine years of married bliss. I wanted that and a thousand more years with her.
"Sage!" A voice bellowed from the front door, the relaxed atmosphere dissolving instantly. I swiveled on my stool, seeing Mr. Vanderman filling the doorway, his eyes already taking in every detail of the restaurant.
Sage rushed out from the kitchen, not to her father, but to my side, holding her hand out for me. I stood quickly, took her hand, and walked her over to her father. He eyed our hands clasped between us, but didn't say anything. Sage leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. His simple pat on the shoulder in return didn't give me the warm and fuzzies, but it was too early to judge how tonight would go. When Sage pulled back, I wrapped an arm around her, bringing her against my side before stretching out my hand to Mr. Vanderman.
"Nice to see you again, sir."
Head nod and a hand shake later, I was apparently dismissed.
"Where's mo--" Sage's voice was drowned out before the question was asked.
"Show me around, Sage." If it bothered Sage that he only gave orders, never phrasing his demands as a polite request, she didn't show it. She'd obviously grown up with this kind of behavior, probably used to it by now. I shook my head, amazed that Sage had developed into the warm, happy person she was today.
I trailed behind them as Sage showed him the features of the restaurant, the layout, the menus, the kitchen, the waitstaff, and finally the head chef. I'd heard the Beach Squad girls squealing over how hot the chef was a few nights ago. I'd laughed it off, but could acknowledge what they were talking about. He was as tall as me, not quite as muscular, but I could see how the girls would find him attractive. Plus he could cook like one of those guys on the Cooking Channel. He smiled at Sage while she introduced him to her father and to myself, and I could see they were friendly toward each other.
Stepping closer to Sage while we chatted, I slipped my arm around her waist, pulling her in a little tighter than necessary. It was a dick move, but I couldn't help myself. I was just making it clear how things were, that's all.
"Shall we get seated?" Sage looked up at me, her smile nervous and hopeful.
Here I was pissing on her leg in front of another male and this was her big night. Nice move, asshole.
I kissed her forehead and steered her back to the dining area. "Absolutely, I'm famished."
We were led to our reserved table and I was pleasantly surprised to see all the other tables filled already. I spotted Kai across the room with the rest of our friends and he gave me an encouraging smile and head nod. I pulled out Sage's chair, waiting till she settled, and then took the chair to her right. Her father slipped into the chair on the left, leaving one seat empty at our table for four.
"Your mother gives her apologies for missing dinner tonight. She had her girls weekend, you know." Her father smoothed a black napkin over his lap, unaware or simply not caring that he'd delivered hurtful news.
"Oh, I thought she was coming with you." Sage's face drooped.
Mr. Vanderman waved the server over. "Well, they had to move their weekend and this was the only one available." Then he went over the wine list with the server, needing to pair the exact right wine with the filet he intended to order later on.
I squeezed Sage's hand under the table, hoping to imbue my support. She gave me a shaky smile and I decided to step up my game, for her sake.
"So Mr. Vanderman, we have a reporter here tonight who's done a fantastic write-up on the effect this restaurant is already having on the community. Everyone is quite excited to support Sage."
"Well, I should hope so. We've just pumped a lot of money into a small community. If they didn't support Stem2Stern, I'd pull up stakes and relocate." He chuckled, like throwing his money around wasn't a huge deal to 'regular' people.
"Mr. Vanderman?" A tall, dark-haired guy approached our table.
"Oh, Paul, great to see you. Have a seat." Mr. Vanderman stood and shook the guy's hand, tilting his head to the empty seat left at our table for four.
Sage and I shook hands with Paul, unclear on who exactly he was and why we were sharing a table with him.
