Page 62 of The Billionaire Is Back

I am squealing.

We’re both jumping up and down.

We hug and continue jumping and squealing.

I pull away from her, still holding her hands. “When did you get here?!”

“Last night. Yourboyfriendflew me here early in that jet because he knows I’m a night owl. I saw some bands in Brooklyn, went to a rave in Queens, ended up at an after-party for some Kristen Stewart movie premiere, and then I went for an early breakfast with some randos on the roof deck of a hotel in Times Square.”

An elderly lady clears her throat. She looks like Cruella de Vil but slightly friendlier.

Behind her, Grady is watching me, amused.

“Claire,” the lady in the Chanel outfit says, “I am Alice Strout.” She holds out a silver credit-card holder. “This is for you.”

“Oh, hi. It’s so nice to finally meet you. Thank you.” I take the card holder from her and flip it open. Inside is a shiny black American Express card with my name on it.

“This is a secondary card for Grady’s account. You are now authorized to use it. You may use it for any and all of your expenses.”

“Today, you mean?”

Alice glances over her shoulder at Grady, who coolly shakes his head.

“Whenever,” she says. “Wherever. If you have any trouble using it, you call me.” She holds out her hand, and I give her my phone. “I am programming my numbers underAliceand all of Grady’s numbers underGrady. Ted, your driver, is listed underNew York Driver. You call me if you or your friend need anything.” She squints at Vera, suppressing a grin, as she returns my phone to me.

Vera bumps her hip against Alice’s. “Alice and I have already met,” she says. “Alice is the shit.”

“You stay out of trouble,” Alice says to Vera. Then she winks at her. “But if you get into trouble, you call me.” She hands me an envelope. “Here’s some per diem cash too. If you need more, you call me.”

I take a peek inside the envelope and try not to gulp too loudly. I could have paid an entire month’s rent and all my bills with this back when I had my own apartment. “This will do for today, I think.”

I give Alice a hug, which I guess she wasn’t expecting because she says “Oh, shit” under her breath. “Okay.” She gives me a pat on the back. “Okay. Enjoy your stay, my dears. Ted will take you wherever you want to go. He has been instructed to return you to Grady’s penthouse by six, Claire. Your bags will be there waiting for you.”

“Where are you staying?” I ask Vera.

“I’m heading back to Beacon Harbor tonight,” she says, “but Alice hooked me up with a flight back, right, Alice?”

Alice gives her a nod andretreats to the back seat of the other Lincoln Town Car, muttering to Grady that they have a meeting in forty minutes.

I just stare at him from about six feet away, shaking my head.

I feel my best friend’s hand against my back, pushing me toward him. “Say thank you and goodbye to your boyfriend so we can all get going.”

I go over to my not-real boyfriend and give him a real hug this time. The kind of hug a grateful fake girlfriend gives a really generous guy with an assistant who’s thought of everything. “Thank you,” I say. “For everything. Have a good day.”

“You too,” he says, waiting for me to pull away first. “I look forward to seeing you tonight.”

I nod. “As do I.” And then I curtsy because it feels like the right thing to do.

“Use that credit card,” he says. “For anything you want. I mean it. Anything.”

I’m about to tell him I really only want a hot dog from a street vendor and to eat a donut on the park bench in Washington Square Park where Rory found Jess in that episode ofGilmore Girls. But he’d just tell me they shot it on a studio set in LA, and anyway, Vera calls out before I can say anything.

“Question! Hi. What if, say, one or both of us purchases items that are too cumbersome to carry to or from this lovely car or a fine airplane? Is there an alternative manner of transporting said items home to Beacon Harbor?”

“Why are you talking like a cartoon rich lady?” I ask her.

“Allow me to rephrase. Are you going to pay for my shit to be shipped home or not?”

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