Page 29 of Billionaire and the Barista

NATHAN

“Good news, boss man,” Gavin announced as he entered my office.

“Tell me.”

“One of the real estate agents has the property owner next door to the Lake Moore project interested in an offer.”

I processed what he said. That was Gabriella’s property. She hadn’t said anything about selling. Then again, she hadn’t said much of anything beyond ‘schedule an appointment.’ Appointment? No, I wanted a date. Appointments were for doctors and tax accountants. If she was selling, this would change things.

“What about the other property?” I asked. “The strip mall?”

“I think this one is the strip mall.” He looked down at his tablet. “Yeah, this is the strip mall, four retail locations plus parking.”

My shoulders relaxed. I still had time to get Gabriella to go out with me before she sold off and moved away.

“Have you heard anything regarding the other lot?”

Gavin shook his head. “I still have agents willing to see if they can work a deal. With the sale of the properties on either side, we should be able to apply pressure and squeeze that owner to sell. We should celebrate,” Gavin suggested.

He just wanted an excuse to go have drinks. He didn’t need an excuse to drink, but it seemed more reasonable when there was one. I didn’t drink, but I could use the relaxed atmosphere that could only be found in a bar, and as flimsy as an excuse as this was, it was enough to get me considering heading out.

I stood and rolled down the sleeves of my dress shirt. My clothes had arrived from Amsterdam, and I had managed to get a good portion of them unpacked. I had taken a lease in an executive apartment complex downtown. I had beautiful views of the city, and a new bed, but not much else.

My personal assistant in Europe was still packing up the belongings that I wanted shipped over and selling off the rest.

I needed furniture, I needed a cooking and cleaning service. I still needed a personal assistant to handle my dry cleaning, and it wasn’t going to be my mother.

“You have a room here,” she pointed when I announced I had located a place to live.

“Mother, I can’t live here,” I told her.

“You lived here without any problems before you moved away to work for your uncle. You can live here now,” she insisted.

She and my father had kicked me out and shipped me off. I used the argument she used against me back then against her now.

“I had to leave to become the man you knew I could be. This man doesn’t live at home. I love you and I will come to visit, but as soon as I get some furniture delivered, I will be moving.”

Maybe if I had been more decisive, I wouldn't have spent the past six years living in Europe. I wouldn’t be fighting an uphill battle to get Gabriella to go out with me. Leaving her was the biggest regret in my life, shadowed only by the stupidity that cost Fredrick his life.

Moving out of my parents' house once and for all would never be a regret.

“Let’s go,” I said as I grabbed my suit coat. I needed a change of scenery, a mocktail would suit me at the moment.

“Seriously?” Gavin scrambled out of my office. “This is great, I know the perfect place. I’ll be right back.”

While he grabbed his jacket, I stopped in front of Cameron’s desk.

“Taking Gavin out for a job well done. How are we on the personal assistant project?” I asked.

“I have three candidates coming in for first-round interviews with you on Thursday. I’m hoping to have a fourth. I have an initial phone interview with him tomorrow.

“Can he cook?”

“That wasn’t one of your original requirements,” she pointed out.

It still wasn’t, but I was getting tired of delivery. I swear I could feel my veins complain about the amount of sodium in American food.

“I’ll ask. Is cooking a deal-breaker?” she asked.

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