I love my childhood bestie, and it’s been great to reconnect with her these past six months, but she’s just as lovingly pushy as she was when we were kids. She was always like the mini mom of our group, organizing activities for all of us and checking in on the weekends. Harping on us to get our college applications in. Honestly, it’s kind of shocking she has such a hip little business now. I swore she was going to go the young motherhood route with her high school sweetheart and have two or three kids by now. But she’s single and a boss ass bitch of her own graphic tee shop downtown. She sells the cutest little slogan shirts and does a lot of mail-order business internationally because she teamed up with one of her college friends, who turned out to be this huge plus-sized designer in Aspen.
Tatianna Ashley kind of blew up when she was featured on an episode of Project Runway. She specializes in formal wear but has designed a line of size-inclusive tees for Dakota’s store that really helped elevate her business from an Etsy shop to a legitimate storefront that has so much inventory she can’t run it out of her home anymore. It’s amazing.
I’m currently wearing a powder-blue sweatshirt from Tatianna’s line that says Aspen Bae. All Dakota’s stuff is cozy and chic with lots of retro styles and designs. I want my entire wardrobe to be from her shop. It’s like…unpretentious loungewear with a sense of humor. She even has these fun tie-dye classes every week, which is where I made the orange set that I wore to my job interview a few days ago.
The job interview that I surprisingly nailed…with Everly, at least, who seems like a cool kid. Her dad, on the other hand…
“So what do you get paid for this nanny gig?” Dakota asks, chewing on another worm. “Is it a huge pay cut from your previous job?”
A small tremor runs through me at her mention of my past job. “I never asked what it pays.”
“Are you serious?” Dakota gapes at me like I have two heads. “Does your sister know?”
I shrug and move over to my dresser to begin emptying its contents. “Probably.”
“Your ‘do less’ vibe is going to be the death of me, Cozy.” She sits up and pulls her phone out of her back pocket. “It has to be good. Max Fletcher is like…the only Boulder billionaire in existence.”
“He’s a billionaire?” I ask, turning to look at her. “No billionaire I ever met interviewed their own staff.”
“Met a lot of billionaires, have you?” Dakota quirks a brow at me.
“Just a couple…at the old job.” I swallow a knot in my throat. “But it was obvious. They walked around with staff and security. Didn’t drive themselves. I’m sure they don’t even know their kids. Plus, they’re all old. Max doesn’t look old enough to be a billionaire. How old is he?”
“I’m internet stalking as we speak.” Dakota focuses on her phone intently. “He’s thirty-four. Born and raised in Boulder. Net worth is one hundred million. So you’re right, he’s not a billionaire. What a slacker.”
“Yeah…total loser.” I force out a laugh.
“Jesus, he’s even hotter than I thought!” Dakota’s jaw drops as she stares accusingly at me.
“You think?” My voice is weak as my palms start to sweat. Unfortunately, I know firsthand how good-looking Max is, which is why I’m trying not to think about it. He’s about to be my boss.
She turns her phone to reveal a photo of him in a suit crossing his arms in front of the building where I had the interview at. It’s the cover photo of some business magazine. “That dirty-blond scruffy jaw? Come to mama.”
Yeah, okay, there’s no way I can’t not think about him now.
“He had really nice lips too,” I muse, my voice getting weirdly breathy as I think back to the way he kept angrily pursing them every time I said something he didn’t like. They were like perfectly full. Not too big, not too thin. Just…annoyingly kissable. “His daughter is eleven, though. He must have had her young if he’s only thirty-four. Does it say anything about his ex-wife?” I’m dying to see a picture of her, but I can’t tell Dakota that.
Dakota shakes her head. “Not that I can find. He has three brothers though.”
“Shit, there’s more like him?” I feel hot all of a sudden.
“Um…yeah…check it out.” She holds her phone up to me again and there’s a photo of three burly, Brawny man-type dudes and then Max in a perfectly tailored suit.
“What a gene pool,” I deadpan.
“Right!” Dakota confirms and then narrows her eyes at me. “Why were you acting like he’s not hot as fuck before?”
“’Cuz it’s weird.” I look down as my cheeks begin to heat. “And like…perfect, blond model looking dudes with lush, full lips aren’t really my type. He looks like an uptight Ken doll. His arms and legs probably don’t even bend. He told me to call him Mr. Fletcher. Can you believe that?”
Dakota’s brows lift. “That’s kinda hot.”
“I guess it’s better than calling him Zaddy, which is what I thought when I first saw him.” I cover my eyes and try not to groan with frustration. It’s almost not fair that the first job I land has to be with a man I couldn’t have even conjured in my dreams.
“What’s a Zaddy?” Dakota asks with a wicked smile on her face. “And why did you say it with your nose wrinkled like that?” She giggles, her shoulders hunching up under her ears.
“’Cuz you gotta say it like that for the full effect.” I inhale and close my eyes before adding, “A Zaddy is a hot, intelligent older man who knows how to handle business inside and outside the bedroom. A little dominant. A little naughty. Makes you wet just thinking about him, and you low-key want to have his baby.”
“That’s really specific,” Dakota sputters, and my eyes pop open to see her face contorting with hysterics.
I swallow thickly. “Sorry, I’ve been reading straight smut the past six months, and he checks a lot of Zaddy boxes. Did you know we have a famous erotic romance author who lives in Boulder? Her name is Mercedes Lee Loveletter. You need to read her books.”
“Cozy…focus! You’re calling your new boss Zaddy!” Dakota exclaims and throws a pillow at me, laughing. “You are so screwed!”
“I know!” I say, shoving my face into the pillow to scream. “I basically felt like a pervert during the entire interview. I don’t even know what I said. I think I said…why do more when you can do less?”
“You used your new life philosophy in an interview?” Dakota looks horrified.
My cheeks flame with mortification. “It just stumbled out, okay? I could feel his hot, blue eyes staring at me the whole time I was talking to his daughter.”
“My God…what are you going to do around him all summer?”
“Nothing, obviously,” I snap defensively. “He’s rich, so I’m sure he’ll be busy and gone most of the time. Also, he looks like a guy who only bags size zero hot models who look like you. I bet he took one look at me and was like, she looks more like a cart horse than a racehorse…she’s hired!”