“That’s not your problem!” Del insisted. “Half the point of me having a successful business is so my friends can work for me! Not so you can keep juggling your waitressing shifts and being here too!”
“Sorry, Del! I’ll be back tomorrow!” I flew out the door, feeling them both glaring into me with their arms crossed.
I may not have been quite the way my friends wished I would be, and I definitely wasn’t the way modern dating and romance told me I needed to be. But at least people like Mr. Harold knew I wouldn’t let them down.
1
Damon
I strolled across the marble flooring of our newly renovated building in my newest Armani suit and took the elevator down to our basement loft hangout. The new headquarters of Ransom Realty and Wilder Properties was looking sharp now that everything had finally come together. After moving all the way from New York down to Cherry Falls, North Carolina, we had months of renovations to oversee. Finally, the old beat-down warehouse had been upgraded to a luxurious office suite fit for a king – or rather, four of them. We each had our own private floor with corner offices and a whole staff working under us, along with the bar, gym, and lounge we had built in the basement.
Ben and Joey were sitting on the black leather couches, sipping bourbon when I walked in. As I poured my own drink at the bar cart, I made a point to flash the Versace watch on my wrist.
“Whoa, big money! Nice watch,” Ben exclaimed.
I shrugged it off like it was no big deal. “Ah, you know. I figured I’d treat myself to a little somethin’-somethin’ for surviving the move and everything falling into place.”
“It didn’t just fall into place,” Joey argued. “We carefully constructed everything.”
“All the more reason to buy myself a present.”
Ben dropped his chin and glared at me. “You say that as if you don’t buy yourself presents all the time. Even without a good reason for rewarding yourself.”
“Hey, we are four broke kids from the ghetto who have built a billion-dollar empire for ourselves,” I reminded him. “We always have a reason to celebrate. And to buy ourselves whatever the hell we want to.”
As soon as I said it, Nick walked in. He was usually the strong, silent type, especially in comparison to Ben’s flamboyant persona, but lately had been walking around with a stupid grin plastered on his face. Ever since he got together with one of the local boutique owners who we originally feared would try to turn the town against us and destroy all of our plans for Cherry Falls.
“Money looks better in the bank than on your feet,” he offered, having caught the tail end of our conversation.
I looked down at my shiny black leather shoes, tilting one foot up to the light. “I don’t know. My feet are looking pretty damn dope in these Louboutins. I’ve tried walking around in nothing but stacks of cash, but it’s not a very breathable material.”
Nick didn’t look so amused. He had always been our ringleader of sorts, and even though it was his surprise trust fund from his estranged dad that gave us the leg-up on everything we had, we were already well on our way to being millionaires before his extra investment funds came into the picture. Even still, he acted as if we had no financial certainty. As if we could be penniless all over again tomorrow.
“Well, anyway, I came here to tell you guys about the show tonight. Del’s putting on this fashion thing with some other store owners,” he said, specifically looking at me. “I figured it’d be right up your alley, Damon.”
“I doubt any of these local shops carry the caliber of labels I’m into,” I quipped, plopping down on the free couch across from Joey and Ben.
“Maybe not, but they’ll still have some good stuff. And anyway, aren’t you always going on about fashion being an art form?”
Ben started laughing. “That’s just another one of his excuses for justifying his extravagant shopping sprees.”
Joey nodded and chuckled. “He’s always the first one to say material things don’t matter, but only buys the most lavish shit money can afford.”
“Alright, alright. Stop talking about me like I’m not in the room. And what’s the deal with this thing tonight, Nick? You’re all cuffed up and getting dragged out to these events… Now you want to rope us into it with you. Only we’re not getting any action out of going.”
“Speak for yourself,” Ben smirked. “I could go to McDonald’s for the evening and end up finding some girl to take home with me at the end of the night. You should know that, Damon. You taught me most of my game. If you’ve got the looks and confidence, it doesn’t matter where you go. The women will follow.”
Nick raked his hands over his face. “I swear. You guys act like you’re still in high school sometimes. It’s not just about Del, you know. It’s good for our reputations and our business for us to be involved in the community. This fashion show is a way for local boutiques to drum up business for the Fall merchandise. Boutiques that we own the leases for. We need them to be successful so their bills get paid...meaning we get paid. Plus, need I remind you that we’re basically the poster boys for gentrification in this town. We walk a real thin line with everyone hating us for sweeping in and raising the costs of living and running a business around here.”
“Oh hell, not this speech again,” I huffed as a collective groan rolled between me and the others.
We had been relatively free of guilt when we first moved here. It wasn’t like we were the ones who pointed to Cherry Falls on the map and declared it to be the next “it” town. A few celebrities bought houses here and started bragging about it to everyone they could. Next thing you knew, everyone decided this place was the next New York or LA. If we weren’t the ones profiting from its rise, someone else would have been. And we decided it was better to be big fish in a small pond rather than dealing with all the competition back in the big city. In just a few months, we were already well on our way to practically owning damn near every corner of Cherry Falls.
But Del was one of a few who weren’t too keen on all the changes happening in their town. And ever since she and Nick got together, she made sure he’d never forget the position he was in. So, he wouldn’t let us forget either.
“It does us no good to own everything if everyone around here hates us,” Nick defended.
“Actually the money still spends the same whether they like us or not,” I pointed out.
“Having a successful business is about much more than just making money,” he replied. “Isn’t that right, Ben? You’ve always got big ideas for collaboration. None of that happens unless people like us enough to actually want to work with us.”
“He’s got a point,” Ben nodded.
“Anyways, Damon...as much as you try to act like the sweet guy that every girl wants to take home to mom, we all know you play the field more than anyone. You said so yourself, you only seem to see the value in going if it means you’re getting laid at the end of the night. So, it might interest you to know that Lizzy will be at the show.”
Joey smiled wide. “That poor girl looks at you like a lost puppy. Are you sure you didn’t hook up with her at some point? Slept with her and then never called again?”