Page 16 of Confusing Cade
Kyra turned down the corners of her mouth. “Sure. That’s what it was.”Got it. Kyra was definitely Team Bella.Although...I could possibly use that to my advantage.
“Listen, do you have a moment to chat?” I jerked my head in the direction of the reception area of the gym and the pair of four-person tables to the right of the check-in counter. “I’d like to run something by you.”
“Sure.” Kyra shrugged, and I led her to the table farthest away from reception. We took seats across from each other, and I considered one more time how much I wanted to reveal to her.Screw it. Why not just tell her?
“Bella and I had a meeting this morning,” I said. This was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was also close enough. “At her father’s old headquarters.”
Kyra laughed, and I figured she had several ideas on how that went.
“She didn’t want to hear what I had to say,” I added.
Kyra nodded, a knowing smile on her lips.
“Maybe you can get through to her,” I added. “Please?”
“I don’t know. I’d say it low-key depends on what it’s about.”
I glanced around the reception area to make sure we were alone. We were. Nobody was about to come through the thick glass front doors, and the lone desk attendant seemed preoccupied with whatever was happening on their phone. I could tell Kyra everything if I wanted to.
Maybe I should.
It wasn’t like this dilemma was confidential. Not with how many people were in the room the other day from the city commission. Like so many politicians, they leaked like a sieve, and I had every confidence that it wouldn’t be long before they’d let a friendly media outlet know they wanted Bella to be part of the opening of the Palm Beach Promenade.
Might as well control the narrative while I still could.
“We’re almost finished with the Palm Beach Promenade,” I told Kyra. “And the city commission would like Bella to be part of the opening ceremony.”
Kyra sat back in her chair, and I wondered if that information had floored her. “You’re joking.”
“Nope. They think it would be advantageous for the ceremony to include a nod to the Moretti family, consideringhow much Gino did for the county before all his...problems... took over.”
“What did Bella say?”
“We didn’t get off on the right foot.” I chuckled under my breath. “Let’s just say I mentioned something I shouldn’t have.”
Kyra raised her eyebrow. “Let me guess. You brought up FanZone.”
Now it was my turn to sit back in my chair. It hadn’t occurred to me that other people in Bella’s life would be aware of her online activities. “How did you know?”
“She’s very sensitive about it, and someone like you would do your homework before a meeting.”
“I wish she hadn’t signed up,” I admitted. “She’s better than that.”
“A lot of people do FanZone these days, and it isn’t a big deal, old man.”
Old man. She said it casually, but it was probably true. Iwasan old man—forty now, and a lot of days, I felt it. Running the family business hadn’t made me feel any younger, and neither did the fact that most of my friends and acquaintances were married and in the thick of raising children by now. I, on the other hand, was alone and had no idea when I might ever settle down. Every day seemed to have hundreds of reminders that I was out of step with the current culture. Even FanZone was one. Twenty years ago, people would have been ashamed to post on that app and mortified if anyone found their content on it. But now, society was so...loose.
“She’s still better than that,” I reiterated.
“I’ll tell her.”
But there was nothing in Kyra’s tone that told me she would do that. And if this was going to work, I needed allies. A good word or two from a self-proclaimed “bestie” wouldn’t hurt.Bracing my elbows on the wobbly table, I leaned forward and said, “I really want Bella to be part of the opening.”
Kyra lifted both her eyebrows.
“Will you help me get her to do it?” I added.
Bella’s best friend took a long time to reply, her eyes narrowing as she studied me, like she was weighing whether I was worth the effort. Finally, she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “Why should I bother? You pop up out of the blue, acting all invested, but we both know the messy history between your families. Bella’s been through straight-up chaos because of what went down with her dad, and now you want her to flex at some bougie ribbon cutting?”
