The Billionaire's Fake Fiancee - Lauren Wood Page 0,29

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12

Ben

The guys and I stood around the lobby of our building, which had recently gone through another round of renovations. We were there to celebrate the grand opening of our newest addition, a strip of refreshment kiosks which offered coffee, pastries and sweets, sandwiches and salads, some fancier gourmet lunch options, and even a small bar.

Myself, Damon, and Joey stood along the front lines of the small crowd we had invited, while Nick faced us, the impressive line of checkout points and menus behind him. The bar workers handed out little glasses of champagne to the group of clients and employees as he prepared to cut the ribbon.

“I want to thank everyone for coming today,” he started, looking very proud. “As most of you know, I am Nick Ransom, the head of the company you are standing in today, Ransom Realty. We’re partnered with Wilder Properties, which is run by the handsome stud you see in the front row here … Ben Wilder.”

I gave a little head bow as the assembled group clapped and cheered.

“When we first opened this building, our goal was to get it renovated as quickly as possible so we could hit the ground running and start our work on transforming Cherry Falls into all that it is today. With the help and inspiration of my beautiful wife, Del … who is a well-known and loved native here in your beloved city.” He tipped his glass, pausing again so everyone could clap for her. She blushed a little but offered a gracious smile.

“We managed to go above and beyond just swooping in and taking over Cherry Falls. We have successfully managed to aid in the inevitable growth and development of this small town while avoiding many of the harmful side effects of gentrification with business models and practices that are now being recruited for use in places all over the country. We’ve set an example that allows for small towns to prosper with more jobs and a higher quality of life for residents.”

The whole crowd cheered again while Nick beamed with pride. “And now it’s time for our headquarters to offer a higher level of comfort and luxury by bringing you these kiosks for the enjoyment of our potential and existing clients, our employees, and anyone else who may have business in the Ransom Realty and Wilder Properties offices. With everything from alcoholic beverages to coffee to a wide range of meals, we look forward to enjoying this space with you for gathering, discussing new ideas and projects, and plotting the next stages of success for this city. Thank you … and enjoy!”

In the final round of applause, Nick snipped the big red satin ribbon suspended behind him, and we all lifted our glasses into the air with cheers. I stood alone in the crowd, watching as Del walked over to Nick’s side and hugged him. Lizzy stood on her tip-toes to kiss Damon’s cheek, and Angel made her way out from behind her own checkout counter to hug Joey. This was Angel’s second location to offer her delicious food in town, which everyone was very excited about.

I had a weird feeling all week leading up to the opening where I kept fighting the urge to invite Kate to join us. If she couldn’t even stand to hang out with me and watch a movie, she definitely wouldn’t want to accompany me to a work thing. Why would she? We both made our mistakes. I offered my help in getting her out of a jam to make up for it. That was over, and now so were we.

While everyone lined up to get their free samples of food and drink, I hung back and sipped on my champagne. After the initial buzz, Damon made his way over to me with a small plate of food.

“There you are. Where have you been? I haven’t seen you since that night you flew out of my club in a hurry.”

It hurt a little to be reminded of how much excitement I felt that night, rushing back over to Kate’s place. While it was more than worth it, I had felt empty and lonely ever since.

“Sorry, man. I’ve been busy. And hanging out at home a lot more than usual,” I explained.

He nodded with a skeptical look just as Nick and Joey popped up around us.

“This place looks amazing,” I noted. “We really have brought it a long way.”

“This was all your idea,” Nick reminded me. “I have to admit, I thought it was a waste of