Billionaire Wolf's MateDate - Serena Meadows Page 0,1
why he didn’t want to go out with Janice again, couldn’t tell him that as badly as their first date had gone, he’d been thinking about her since then. Couldn’t tell any of them that after two long years of denying himself the one thing he knew could bring him some peace, after days and nights of pushing her out of his thoughts, nothing had stopped the craving deep inside him.
“We’ve been over this a million times,” he finally said. “I don’t want to date your wife’s best friend, I don’t want to date someone so much younger than me, and finally, I don’t really want to date anyone period. I like my freedom too much.”
His friends exchanged another glance, but no one said anything, and to his relief, he saw Samantha pull up. “There’s Samantha. I’m going to go meet her,” he said, looking at each of them one at a time. “That is if you’re done messing with my life.”
“We’re just worried about you, Reggie,” Ryan finally said. “We want you to be as happy as we are.”
He felt his frustration drain away. “Thanks, you guys, but I really am just fine,” he said. “Stop acting like a bunch of busybodies and quit worrying about me. I’m just as happy as you are.”
***Janice***
Janice sat staring at the envelope Heather had just set down in front of her, then looked up at her friend. “Is this it?” she asked, knowing the answer before she asked.
“That’s everything,” Heather said, sitting down next to her. “The board of trustees won’t be able to refuse you when they see this.”
She looked back down but didn’t still didn’t move. “Thank you for spending so much time helping me with this. I don’t think I could have done it without you.”
Heather shrugged. “You did all the work, Janice, found the loophole, did all the research; I just put it all together for you,” she said. “Go on, open it.”
Flipping open the flap, she slid the stack of papers out on the table, her heart pounding in her chest, her future staring her in the face. After flipping slowly through each page, she looked over at Heather, relief flooding her system. “For the first time, I think I really believe that this might work, that I’ll be able to buy the salon after all.”
Heather grinned at her. “You have a sound business plan, lots of room for expansion, and profitability on your side. I’m sure they’ll see that.”
“Then I just have to get Molly to agree to sell me the salon,” Janice said, suddenly sure that her boss wouldn’t.
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, and you know it,” Heather said. “Just sign the papers and put them in the mail, Janice; the worst that can happen is that they’ll say no, and you’ll have to find the funding somewhere else. The trust isn’t your only option.”
Janice took a deep breath. “I know you’re right, but this is such a big step. I can’t help but second guess myself every step of the way,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many times that money from the trust kept me from starving. Spending years of it all at once makes me feel kind of sick.”
“What’s making you feel sick?” Melanie asked, plopping down on her other side.
“Janice is just second-guessing herself for the millionth time,” Heather said, gathering up the papers. “I want you to put these away and stop thinking about it for just one day. We’re here to celebrate and have some fun, not obsess about something that’s a sure thing.”
She took the envelope from Heather and stuffed it into her purse. “You’re more confident than I am, but just to make you happy, I’ll read those later.”
Heather shook her head. “Nope, sign them and put them in the mail on your way home tonight,” she said.
“I can’t believe my attorney is suggesting that I sign something without reading it,” Janice said, grinning at Heather.
“It’s not a suggestion; it’s an order,” Heather said, grinning back at her. “Now, if you’re done freaking out, I’m going to go find my husband.”
“He’s on the front porch,” Melanie said. “They’re all up there watching the party like they’re kings or something.”
Janice looked over at the front porch, her heart leaping with excitement when she saw Reggie standing between Derek and Sam. But in the next instant, she remembered what a jerk he’d been on the one date she’d agreed to, and the feeling faded,