Dinner Meeting

Anna's POV

The next day, Michael, Ridley's brother, asked both of us to dinner to talk about the trip and Jason Stryker. I had yet to meet the guy who hired us, and we had a week to decide on the menu and make the necessary purchases for the stag party.

She stated, "Michael said Jason is going to try and meet us for dinner," earlier in the day while we were both enjoying coffee in my kitchen. Wear that black cocktail dress you have, please.

I hadn't worn that specific dress in months, but John had chosen it. It was close-fitting, flirtatious, and eye-catching, none of which I really desired. I had taken a vacation from the other sex since we broke up, and I still wasn't ready to start dating again.

"Why?" Narrowing my gaze, I questioned. "Hold on a second. Are you sure you're not attempting to set me up with this guy?

She seemed innocent to me. "Of course not. No."

I gave her a stern look. "Ridley..."

She tried to maintain a straight expression as she said, "What?" Even I am aware that it would be extremely improper and offensive.

"You're damn right, it would."

She took the binder off her wrist and put her blonde hair back into a ponytail. "I mean, it may not necessarily be a negative thing if he thinks you are attractive and chooses to ask you out. Rich and readily accessible, he is.

"Is he single?" I answered, without even knowing why I had asked. I had no desire to date anybody and had no idea what this man looked like or, more significantly, how he treated women.

She responded, "He just got divorced." Michael stated, "From what he said, it was pretty messy."

I sarcastically said, "Let me guess... he had an affair," aware that I was being cynical but with good cause.

"No. In fact, I believe she was solely to blame. She sounds like a terrible mother, yet they have a boy together.

I moaned. "Really? That's a shame.

Nodding, Ridley. He must travel often, and she must party like a rock star. There must be more to it than that since Michael informed me Jason ultimately received exclusive custody of their baby. Stupid child. To lose in court, the lady must have actually been careless. Rarely do cases proceed in that manner.

I said, taking a drink of coffee, "Or the judge is a huge baseball fan."

Ridley gave a shrug. There's always that, I suppose. Even judges have unusual effects from fame and wealth. In any case, you have to feel bad for their kid. He's just eight, I believe.

"Damn," I said, envisioning a little youngster who was dejected and undoubtedly mourning his mother terribly. He still loved her despite the fact that she was a party animal. So, if Jason has exclusive custody, does he bring his kid on trips with him?

"I don't know. He must have a nanny or something, I think.

The bottom line is that he presumably doesn't visit his parents very much.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. However, because his father is a well-known baseball star, he probably spoils the hell out of him.

Even yet, I said, recalling the time my parents had separated, "Money can't replace someone you love." I had just turned eleven at the time. After spending a lot of time trying to convince my father to stop drinking, my mother finally had enough. She ejected him from the home one morning after he damaged the vehicle due to drinking and wouldn't allow him to return unless he got therapy. Unfortunately, neither my father nor dad liked ultimatums though he had a drinking problem. Eventually, he was able to move out on his own, and I was able to see him every other weekend. Fortunately, he typically remained sober at such times, but I had a sneaking suspicion it hadn't been simple for him. Tragically, five years later he ended up passing out while driving home from a Christmas celebration. It was said that he passed away after his automobile collided with a tree. After receiving the news, my heart ached. Despite his issues, I was always aware of my father's affection for me, and I never stopped loving him.

The eyes of Ridley became softer. "I know. You're correct, and I'm certain that no one knows it better than you. Just letting you know that Jason Stryker may not be such a horrible find.

"I'm certain he wouldn't, but I have no desire to cast any lines. at least not right now.

"Fine. I understand. except since John perpetrated that prank on you about a year ago, your social life has resembled that of a cat lady's, except without the cats. Your hobbit lifestyle may be preventing you from meeting the guy of your dreams. And no, I'm not always referring to Jason.

I realize that you may find it difficult to understand, but a guy or my pursuit of the ideal one need not be the focal point of my existence. I'm content to be by myself.

"You're quite content to spend every weekend at home by yourself?" She smiled slightly and questioned.

I'll admit that there were moments when I became bored and even missed John. I sometimes had to force myself to refrain from returning his calls or texts. He had texted me only last week.

I'm sorry, Anna. But I still love you, and we can still be in this together.

I had, as usual, chosen to ignore him, though it had not been simple.

"My life is going well right now. And most of the weekends are taken up by work anyhow, I said. I don't recall many of them being ones when I'm unhappy and bored to tears at home.

"Whatever. Still time. It's with Adam, I think. You seem to have lost the ability to be single, I guess.

I remarked dryly, "Believe me, that's certainly not the case. Every morning when I woke up and discovered that I was alone myself in bed, I was reminded of it.

You should have some enjoyment in your life, however.

"I enjoy it," I pointed to my dependable camera that was resting on the counter. "When I'm bored, I take that out."

And take photos of yourself naked?" she mocked.

"No. Obviously not.

Ridley took it in his hands and switched it on. She started looking at my most recent images, which I'd shot just before sunset at the beach.

She gave me an aside. I must confess that you take beautiful images.

I said, "Thank you."

After leaving home, my father gave me my first camera. I quickly became passionate about photography, although more as a pastime. My mother first taught me to cook when I was old enough to see over the kitchen counter, and it was still my greatest passion today. On the other hand, the camera gave me a different type of pleasure. It preserved fleeting moments in time that you could still look back on with nostalgia.

She continued to browse them and said, "You know, Anna, you could probably sell a lot of these photos online." You can do it on websites, according to them.

"Why on earth would I want to sell them?"

She seemed astonished at me. "For cash?! Just have a look at this picture. This dog belongs to who? He's cute enough, and you managed to snag him just as he was about to go off. And have a look at this one; it resembles a photograph from National Geographic.

I strolled over and grinned as I looked at my Cocoa Beach photos. Near the ocean, a guy had abandoned his Golden Retriever dog. He had let me fire a few rounds while the animal mocked a ghost crab that was moving along the beach.

Without a model release form, "I doubt I'm allowed to sell most of the pictures I've taken."

She jokingly said, "Something tells me that this one would have given you a "ruff" time."

I chuckled. "Exactly. Anyway, this is simply a pastime. opposed to cooking.

I received the camera back from her. "I suppose I should be pleased that you aren't spending a lot of time on this or turning it into a profession. Without you, I don't know what I would do.

Despite the fact that Ridley was an excellent chef and we had both graduated from culinary school at the same time, she lacked patience, particularly when it came to cooking. It wasn't uncommon for her to go into hysterics if anything went wrong. Normally, it was my responsibility to defuse the situation and refocus our efforts.

I concurred, "We definitely form a terrific team. "However, it would be good to start making enough cash so that we could employ one or two helpers. After that, we could have much bigger parties.

We were now operating out of Ridley's mother's fine dining establishment in Miami. Her wealthy parents had three houses, one each in Florida, Hawaii, and New York. They were visiting Maui for business purposes and her father was some kind of real estate developer. We had been talking about the prospect of asking for a loan to do precisely that, but we really wanted our own facility to operate from even if it was saving us a ton of money.

"I'm telling you, this gig we've got coming up might just let us do that,"

"What does he pay us? Before sipping the last of my coffee, I said, "You didn't actually give me an actual number yet.

Enough to buy the Jimmy Choo shoes I saw at Saks yesterday, please.

"Which one is?"

"Twenty million. Additionally, the price of food," she said, grinning.

I gaped at her in disbelief. Is that what I heard her say? "How much is it? $20,000?"

She bowed.

I was aware that she had said that the money would be fantastic, but I had no clue.

That's crazy. how many visitors? I asked, now overjoyed.

"About fifteen. We'll have our hands full, I mean. From Friday through Sunday, breakfast, lunch, and supper must be made. And that excludes the party itself.

"Twenty million. I responded, feeling a surge of exhilaration and relief, particularly knowing that the bills will really be paid for the next several months. "I can't believe it," I said. I even had enough money to hire someone to examine my vehicle, which was clunking loudly every time I rounded a bend. Are you certain that he said "grand"?

"I am certain. Since he may join us for dinner today, we'll confirm it with him. I'm so excited to really meet this man. She remarked, snatching her phone, "Maybe I'll swing by Sak's on the way home and check if they still have those sandals in my size. I wish I could put them on tonight.

I had to confess that I had been eager to meet Jason Stryker ever since I first heard his name.