CHAPTER 3
Joshua
I pat my face down and hang the towel over the top of the door. I flip off the light and lay down in bed flat on my back, but I know I won’t be going to sleep anytime soon.
I finally have someone who might be interested in buying the business, but they’re on a very tight timeline. They’re flying into town and can only meet tomorrow evening.
In my world anonymity is of the utmost importance, but the potential buyer wants a face-to-face. I could detect a Japanese accent on the phone, and based on the times he was interested in meeting I think he’s flying in from Tokyo. All the times he asked for were within two hours of the landing times of the flights from Tokyo to LAX. It’s a solid hour plus drive to where I live, far away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, but close enough to enjoy it when I want to.
I prefer my privacy, so I’ve got the best of all worlds.
But when I think of privacy, all I can think about right now is what Diana might have whispered into Brianna’s ear.
What did she say that changed her so quickly? How did she get her to smile like it was the easiest thing in the world, when I’ve been striking out left and right since day one?
Maybe she’s just good with kids.
No, it can’t be that. Even if I really am that bad with children, at some point I’d get out of my own way and say or do something that would resonate with Brianna.
But nothing. Nothing from me at least. This evening was all Diana.
It was like they had a natural bond, an instant connection.
My mind wanders back to tomorrow night’s meeting.
There’s no way I can take Brianna. There are hundreds of millions of dollars on the line here, and if the buyer goes all in we’re talking a couple billion. Billion with a b. Plus, what little I know about Japanese culture tells me that you just can’t conduct business this way. Presentation is very important and if his first impression of me is showing up with a kid in tow, what does that say about how serious I respect his taking the time to meet with me?
He’ll just perceive that I’m too lazy to get a babysitter or something fishy is up. How can someone who planned ahead so far and bought Bitcoin when it wasn’t popular, not have the foresight or resources to hire a babysitter for the evening?
This is business. He won’t want to hear a sob story, nor do I plan on giving him one.
But what about Brianna? She’s not ready to be left with someone she doesn’t know. She might not be ready to be left with anyone, for that matter.
But the way she took to Diana today. It was unbelievable. The way Diana connected with her so quickly blew me away. And that’s not the only thing.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to get that image of her from behind out of my mind, and I’m right. I roll over on my side and stare at the wall.
The way she swung her hips. That low cut top she had on…the one my eyes were fighting a battle with, trying to stay focused on her eyes and not her…well…other assets.
And what beautiful brown eyes she has. When I was speaking with her, even thought it was brief, I could just feel her presence. How she’s so there. No distractions. No eyes wandering to a cell phone, or checking out the walls of my house or anything other than me. She’s really in the moment, and that’s not something you see often these days.
I still haven’t adapted to this youth culture yet, and probably never will. When someone says, “One second, I have to check something on my phone,” it drives me crazy. A few times is okay, but it just seems so constant now. And it’s not like my previous dates had something better to do than to be out with me. They were taking selfies with me, and calling me when we weren’t together. And I never let them in on my business. I want a woman who wants me for me, not my money. I have to know her intentions are pure and true, and only after that do I really open up and spoil her like I can.
I’ve been fortunate in my life, and I want nothing more than to share that with someone. Not anyone. Someone…someone special..very, very special.
I’ve known Diana her entire life, or at least known her from a distance. She’s a good girl. Her parents raised her right. It’s really a pity her mom can’t see her now. Cancer took her way too young, when Diana was in high school. I gave all the support I could to her father, but in that moment he really just needed to be with his daughter. They needed each other more than ever.
I don’t want to connect dots that aren’t there, but maybe that’s it. Maybe Diana can relate to Brianna because they’ve both lost their mothers. I don’t know…maybe it’s me looking for a link that doesn’t exist.
I’ve got a lot on my plate right now, and suddenly Diana comes into my life, as an adult, and I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s only been since this evening but there’s just something in my gut feeling about this that tells me she’s special.
But I have to focus right now, no matter how hard it is.
I have to figure out how to handle this meeting. It’s not just for me. It’s for Brianna. With the sale of the business Brianna will be set for life. I’ll follow her parent’s wishes and put her money in a trust. She won’t know anything about it, as her parents wished. She just needs to be a kid now, but it will be nice to know that she’ll never have to work a day in her life, if she doesn’t want to.
But if she’s anything like her dad, she’ll want to work. She’ll be ambitious, curious, and will want to use that money to build something…to fulfill her own dreams. I can’t wait to see what those are.
But first I have to come up with a plan to make this all work.