Page 5 of Now and Forever
Me: I already told you I'm working in the lounge at your family's hotel. Besides we talked about this, friends don't leech off each other. And public transport is actually damn nice here in Stardust.
Gaige: You're family to me. You could never be a leech. And working in the lounge won't be enough.
His typing stopped and she thought he was done before the little dots started moving again letting her know he was typing again. A full minute passed before his text finally came through.
Gaige: Apply at my dad's company. Apply as an intern. I'll call HR, I'll tell them not to tell Dad.
Golden sucked in a breath as she read the text.
Another text came through as her mind reeled.
Gaige: Don't overthink it. You like to read just as much as you like to sing. You said your new major will either be English or Journalism. You need a job + Mydad has a publishing company = solution. Do what I say and apply.
Golden coughed out a small laugh at that last part. The boy was so pretentious, so used to getting his way, it was unreal.
But applying for Grayson's company? Golden shivered. No, it would be too much. Far too much. Just getting the card from him the other night nearly sent her into a tailspin, but working at Rosebank Publishing?! That was out of the question. Hurt and embarrassment still coursed through her from the last time they interacted with each other two years ago, she couldn't face him—she didn't want to.
"Now that's a lie," she whispered to herself. A part of her desperately wanted to see him again, if anything to appease her curiosity.
The bus dinged and Golden blinked and looked out the window, shocked to see the pristine campus of Oakes University just outside. Biting her lip until it hurt, she forced herself to focus and grabbed her lamp. This was the new chapter of her life, no focusing on the past.
Chapter five
Grayson sat on the private balcony of Le Palais and looked down at the stage. Thanks to the bright spotlight mounted just beneath the balcony, anyone sitting here could watch the performance with complete anonymity. Below the crowd clapped as they welcomed the next performer and Grayson's eyes cut to the curtain movement to the right of the stage.
A figure swathed in white stepped out from the dark curtains and smiled as she carefully stepped onto the stage. Grayson leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his wine. She was—stunning.
Wrapped in a beautiful white dress dusted with sparkling jewels that caught the light, the fabric clung to her curves and hung off her shoulders. Her short black curls framed her face perfectly and he thought of the Betty Boop keychain that used to dangle off her backpack years ago.
The lights in the lounge lowered and the spotlights brightened as she grabbed the mic and began to sing,Your Soul Is as Black as Night.
Your gaze may be complete
Yet the tale I repeat
Says your soul is as dark as night
Your words may be kind
Beyond what I can find
Yet your soul is as dark as night
Golden Ray, a name he thought beautiful albeit odd when his son first mentioned the girl his freshman year. Yet, upon meeting her, the girl proved to be even more striking and peculiar than he could have imagined. He had followed the beautiful notes of her singing down the hall of his house fully prepared to commend his son on his improvement in music taste. What Grayson hadn't anticipated was finding a girl singing instead of the sound system. A girl who was standing wrapped in a towel actually singing the old jazz song beautifully. Immediately, he knew she simply had to be one of Gaige's many flings.
Grayson smirked at the thought even now. He couldn't have been more wrong. Probably for the first and last time in his son's life Gaige actually viewed a girl—a beautiful girl—as a friend. No one could have been more shocked than him at the fact. Letting his gaze fall onto Golden's face now, Grayson observed how her eyes closed at the song's crescendo, the perfect notes rising into the air surrounding every listener.
The buzz of his phone disturbed the moment and Grayson reluctantly pulled it from his pocket. Speaking of his son—his name flashed on the screen. Grayson let the phone ring threemore times as Golden sang her last note and the applause rose and fell. Finally, he swiped the screen.
"Son," he answered.
"Father," Gaige replied matching his deadpan tone. Grayson smirked as Gaige continued. "I take it your professional stalker informed you of Golden's new address?"
Grayson's eyes flicked back down to the stage and watched as Golden spoke to the band behind her. "He did," he replied smoothly.
There was a moment's pause and Grayson could imagine his son's eyes narrowing in annoyance. "Just do me a favor and don't run her off again."
It was his turn to be annoyed. Grayson took in a long breath before smiling coldly, letting the frost slip into his tone. "And do me a favor, son, remember that a ninety-nine on a test is no better than a zero in your International Law class."
