Page 3 of The Don's Hidden Heir
“Should I?” I tease, chuckling. “Send in a request and we’ll work something out.”
Moira clamps a hand over her mouth to mute her squeal. “Really?”
I wink at her. “Absolutely.”
She throws her arms around me and pulls me in for a tight hug. “You’re so sweet, Elena. You’re the best girlfriend ever. I don’t regret the day I met you.”
“You will if you don’t let me go right now. I can’t breathe,” I joke. Moira is a six-foot-tall beauty. She goes to the gym five times in a week and takes karate classes. Then there is me, a five-foot-five goddess who goes to the gym only on the days I feel like it. Moira can literally squish me to a pulp with her body.
She laughs as she pulls away. “How about we celebrate, maybe go out for a drink or something?”
“Trust me, I want to.” But being a mother means I have to sacrifice girls’ night out for a dinner date with my son. “I’m staying in with Lucas tonight. I promised him we’d watch a movie together.”
Moira shakes her head. “I can’t believe I’m sharing my best friend with a seven-year-old.” She rolls her eyes, then pouts. “I’m jealous.”
I pat her shoulder in consolation. “I’ll make it up to you some other time, okay?”
“Alright, but you have to promise,” she insists, crooking her pinkie finger towards me.
Looping my pinky finger with hers, I say the words she wants to hear. “I promise.”
Her giggles echo in the hallway as we stroll to my office. I draw in a deep inhale as the scent of lavender essential oil hits my nose the second we saunter into the office.
I have an obsession with good scents and minimalistic white and black decors. I believe less is always better.
Moira grabs a white mesh chair in front of my black desk and nestles in it. “How about we go on a blind date on a night of your choosing, see if we find a guy who meets your standards?”
I sit across from her, setting my iPad and folders on the desk. “I’m not sure about that, Moira. I don’t think the whole love thing is for me.”
I doubt a guy who meets my standards exists. I’ve been on several dates since Dominic, and most of them were either walking red flags or pretended to be the kind of men I like, until they weren’t.
To be honest, I would rather stay tucked in on a sofa with Lucas, eating cheese and crackers, and watching a full season of SpongeBob SquarePants. I’ve long given up on finding a partner, but Moira hasn’t.
She has set me up on several blind dates and it doesn’t seem like she’ll be giving up on finding me a lover anytime soon.
“Don’t say that.” She shakes her head disapprovingly. “No one is fated to become a single mother.”
“Maybe I am.”
“Maybe you’re not believing in yourself as much as you should.” She props her elbow on the desk. “Listen, you’re not going to spend the rest of your life as a single mother. You’re only twenty-seven. What will you do when Lucas goes to college?”
“I’ll think of it then,” I protest. I’m the kind of girl to face my problems when I have to, not before.
“No, you won’t,” she argues, her tone authoritative. “We’ll find you a lover while your ass is still firm and your breasts perky. End of discussion.”
I laugh. “My boobs and ass aren’t a problem. I can just buy new ones when they get saggy.”
She rolls her eyes. “Of course, you can afford to. You’re worth millions and millions of dollars.”
“See who’s talking?” Moira isn’t as rich as I am, but she’s doing well for herself. She owns a mansion downtown and a Ferrari that cost millions.
The air goes silent between us for a moment as I shift my focus to my computer. When I glance at Moira again, I notice she’s staring at me.
“What?” I ask, staring at my reflection through the computer screen to make sure I haven’t grown a pair of horns.
“You’re still not over him, are you?”
Her question causes my stomach to churn. I want to lie to her and pretend I’m over Dominic, but Moira is the only person I trust enough to confide in. She’s the only person who knows about Dominic and my past relationship with him.