Page 21 of Baby For The Billionaire Silver Fox

I sighed and got up, throwing on a t-shirt and making my way to the Nespresso machine. While waiting for the coffee to brew, I grabbed my phone to check for messages.

Reminder: Park clean up 11:00 am.

Charlie: Have you seen my baseball hat? The one my sister gave me with the flag? She’s coming to town and I figured I should wear it. But I can’t find it.

Nana: What’s a 7 letter word for jerk? This dang crossword is giving me fits. Lexi, Matt, and Nicole are no help.

Nicole: I have the day off. Got plans? I was thinking about going for a hike, and I need a hiking buddy. This outdoor nature stuff is all new to me, but a hike sounds like something I might like.

They all made me smile, but I liked Nicole’s text the best. I answered them in the order received.

To Charlie: The last time I saw that hat was when you fell off Matt’s boat last summer. Maybe it was lost at sea? Sorry brother.

To Nana: The first 7 letter word for jerk that comes to mind is asshole. I’m not sure if that’s what you’re looking for.

To Nicole: I’m heading up the park clean up gig today now that the music festival is over. You could come help—free lunch is included—and then we could go for a hike. It shouldn’t take long.

Nicole: Sounds like loads of fun. I’ll bring my rubber gloves just in case there are sharp needles lying around. Don’t worry, I’m a trained needle-handling professional.

Me: God, I hope there aren’t any. I think this town has more class than that. I hope. I can swing by at 10:45 to get you.

Nicole: No need. I’ll walk.

Oh, right. We were friends. I didn’t need to pick her up. But I smiled again because a hike with Nicole sounded fun. Good thing there was still decent weather at this time of year. Cooperstown was situated in a big valley, and there were lots of forested hills surrounding it. We could take the trail above the lake. It was a moderate hike with some gorgeous views.

I whistled as I made my way to the gym. Today would be a short workout because I had stuff to do to prepare for the park clean-up. One thing I wanted to do was double-check my lunch order from Santana’s. It was the least I could do—feed the volunteers—to thank them for bagging up any trash in the park area and streets surrounding it.

By the time I got to the park, the sun had burned away the low-hanging clouds. We had a good turnout. I organized people into groups and gave them gloves, bags, and specific areas to cover.

I kept looking to the corner of the park where I knew Nicole would be coming from and finally spotted her. She waved as she approached. Her hair was in a high ponytail that swung as she walked. She looked young and fresh and full of energy, and she pulled me in like a magnet.

“Hi there, Big Dan. See? I brought my gloves. Just hand me a bag and tell me where to go. Or is there a proper technique for picking up garbage that I should know about?”

I chuckled. “Nope, no technique that I know of. And I’m not going to give you the hazardous materials speech. I’m sure you’re well-versed. You can take the street and sidewalks on the west border of the park. I’ll send the next few comers to help.”

“Sure, chief. I’m on it. By the way, what’s for lunch?” she asked. “I want to know if this is going to be worth it.”

I took her by the shoulders, turned her towards her designated street, and gave her a slight push. “You’re a pain, you know that?” I said, laughing.

“So I’ve been told a time or two,” Nicole grinned.

I watched her walk away, my eyes settling on her curvy ass. Just as she almost reached the street, I saw a figure running after her, yelling, “Wait for me, Miss Nicole! I’ll help you with this street!”

I frowned. It was Cyrus, that reporter who tried to flirt with her that night at the music festival. I felt the urge to stomp over there and send him in a different direction, but I stopped myself. I was sure Nicole could handle herself around over-eager guys.

There were enough volunteers that we were done in about an hour. The food arrived right on time, with Matt doing the delivery himself. He even helped me hand everything out—sandwiches, chips, apples, cookies, and bottled water.

“And don’t anyone litter!” I yelled after the volunteers sat down at the picnic tables to eat.

I squeezed in beside Nicole at a full table. “Have you all met Nicole?” I asked.

“I just finished introducing myself,” Nicole said. “And Betty and I just swapped chip bags. She prefers Sour Cream and Vinegar, and I’d sell my mother for Cool Ranch Doritos. So now we’re both happy.” She smiled at Betty like the older woman was her new best friend.

“This was a nice thing to do for the volunteers. I felt like I hardly earned it. This is from Matt’s deli, right? Did he spring for it? They make a mean sandwich.”

“I bought, and Matt took the time to deliver it,” I said quietly for her ears only.

She looked puzzled, but I just shrugged. It wasn’t anyone’s business that I had money. Lots of money.

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