My Ex is a Billionaire

Plans for the Weekend?

Myles

I can tell she’s looking at me, and I want to look back. I want to see if her eyes are twinkling as she’s looking at me, or if she’s still looking with that confused, and not amused look. I turned my attention to my emails, as soon as she said she didn’t want to know what happened in the past. I know I can’t tell her everything even if she said yes. However, I didn’t expect her to just say no. Did she really not care about me anymore? The second I saw her I wanted to know everything about her. I have so many questions, but I guess she didn’t feel the same about me. 

Once we got to the place she suggested we walk in, and I gave her some files to hold. We ordered, and she tried to protest about me paying for her, to which I answered that this is a work lunch, so I have to pay for her. I don’t know why she’s fighting me so much. Yes, I want to be around her, and that’s why I asked Ethan for her to be my assistance, but also I did trust her. If there was anyone that I knew that would not have any ulterior motives behind the case I’m working on alone, it would be Bea. Even if she did know something I didn’t, the Bea I knew could never hurt anyone. 

Our food gets there and Bea starts to eat without making eye contact. She’s so cute. I clear my throat to get her to look at me before I say, “So Beatrice, I need you to contact all the people on my list here, and set up meetings with them. Over the phone meetings only. I’ll have Amanda transfer my scheduling calendar, so you can see what I have booked already. I’m also going to need you to call the people on this other list, and ask them all these series of questions I’m going to give you. I’m going to rent an apartment for the next month, maybe two, depending on how long it’ll take to help Ethan, so I’ll give you the address, and you can meet me there after to give me the breakdown of each person's answer.”

I can see the gears in her head shifting, so I quickly add, “It’s just for work Bea. Um Beatrice. I’m not expecting anything. I just know that Ethan closes his office at 5. I need the answers as soon as possible, and it helps to hear it instead of you emailing it, because I can work though it quicker, to decide who I want to meet with from that list. I know this is odd for you, just trust me. If you’re ever really uncomfortable just tell me. I know I’m pushy, so don’t be afraid to tell me. So, if you really don’t want to meet me at the apartment, it’s okay. If you could meet me at Ethan’s office early tomorrow, we can do that too.”

Her face softens. She looks down at her hands, then finally back at me. She nods, “I can meet you at your apartment, just text me the address.”

I can’t hide my happiness, I smile and say, “Great. Well, if you don’t mind Beatrice, I’ll need your number.”

I hold out my hand with my phone in it, for her to take. She sighs, and takes the phone, and starts to type in her number. I really don’t want to make her uncomfortable, but I really can’t hide that having her number in my phone once again, makes me feel so good. 

Beatrice

I’m supposed to go to Myles’ apartment. That is going to happen. I had to keep telling myself that, because it just seemed so idiotic. Why did I agree? We went back to the law firm, and he went into Mr. Finch’s office. I stayed at the front, and leaned on the desk that Lauren was at, covering for me. I have my face covered in my hands, wondering what I was going to do. I had started on the assignment at the sandwich shop, but I still have more to do, so I know I need to finish. It just seems impossible to focus. I hear Lauren’s high heels walk close to me, so I take my face out of my hands to look at her. She’s blinking hard, she points at the hallway that Myles just walked through.

“I’m sorry sweetie, but you were talking about hanging out with s*x on legs over there like it was a chore. How could you ever have a problem with staring at that? Are you sure he and Mr. Finch didn’t meet at like a chip and dales thing? How do two extremely hot guys just both become lawyers like that?”

I groan, “You’re missing the point. I don’t care what he looks like. He ruined years of my life. He doesn’t just get a pass because he’s hot.”

Lauren waves her hand, “Yeah, yeah I know. But you have to admit, when he looks like that it isn’t that bad.”

I consider if I should tell the truth, but it’s Lauren, I know she’ll always keep things between us. “I think that’s what makes it harder. I do think he’s hot, but I also know that it’s not all about looks,because again, he ruined years of my life.”

Lauren sighs and shakes her head, “Yes I know sweetie. I’m sorry. Do you need help with anything? Mr. Finch pleased me not only with talking to me, but by giving all my work to Rachel and telling me to do your job for now, but you already picked up the dry cleaning earlier, and you scheduled all his meetings, so I’m just here at the front to look pretty now.”

I turn to her and smile, “Would you pleeaaasse! That would be so much help.”

“Of course. That’s why I asked dork. So tell me what we have to do.”

I tell Lauren what our job is. I also tell her that I have to go to Myles’ apartment once I finish, and she ends up gasping, and stops helping me for a few minutes, because she’s jealous. She does come back after five minutes saying she cooled down, and forgave me, which made me laugh. I love her, but she’s so dramatic. Soom, Myles came out of Mr. Finch’s office. He looks at Lauren and I at the front desk, and smiles directly at me. Amanda and Mr. Finch is right behind him, talking to each other. 

Myles is ignoring them as he leans on the desk and starts to talk to me, “So I hate to give you so much work, but I have more lists of people for you to call with questions. I also need you to go over this list of misdemeanors and mark each location on this map here with these red pins. If you can have these ready for tonight as well. Thanks Beatrice.”

He winks. He actually winks at me. I don’t know why, but it simultaneously makes me angry, and flushed. I can feel Lauren’s eyes on us, watching the whole thing go down, and I can only imagine what she’s thinking. 

“Sure thing.” I say with a fake smile. He nods at me, then looks at Lauren, and nods at her too. Before he walks outside he drops the extra papers on top of the desk for me. I start to shift through them and sigh. He really was throwing a lot at me for my first day. I wasn’t going to have Lauren to help me with these because she had to leave in five minutes. I know she has a date today with someone she met off an app, so there was no way she would miss that just to help me with this dumb assignment. 

Amanda says bye to Mr. Finch, with a twirl of her hair, and she follows Myles outside. I can tell Lauren is dying to bring up the wink, but because Mr. Finch is still in the room she just starts to get her things ready to leave. Mr. Finch turns to me and says, “Come with me to my office, and bring all the things Myles gave you.” 

Why does he want me in his office? I felt my nerves start to grow, and to make it worse he was waiting for me there to follow him. I wanted time to at least talk to Lauren, but I wasn’t going to get that. So all I can do is nod, and gather together all the papers. I make two stacks, and before I can pick both up, Mr. Finch grabs one to help me. It’s a small gesture, but it’s enough to make me wonder what was making him so different. 

I turn back to Lauren before I follow Mr. Finch and say, “I’ll text you later.”

She smiles at me, still on her best behavior since he hasn’t left, “Okay sounds good, bye.”

I hold onto the stack of papers that I have tightly, and start to follow Mr. Finch to his office. I can’t help but notice how confident he was everywhere he went. Myles seemed to have that essence to him. I don’t know how either one of them gets that kind of confidence. Maybe it’s graduating from law school while I’m here stuck as a receptionist for who knows how long. 

When we enter his office he sits by the table where he, Myles, and Amanda were earlier today. He places the papers on the table. He leans back on the chair and stretches, and I can feel my breathing getting slightly heavy seeing him so casual. 

“You can sit Beatrice.” He says.

I nod and sit down next to him, placing my stack of papers adjacent to his. “So what did you need me for Mr. Finch?” I ask.

He lets out a yawn and quickly says, “Sorry about that. It’s been a long day. But actually, I’m here to help you. I know Myles gave you a bunch of stuff, and he wants it done right away. Amanda was telling me he does that a lot. I thought I’d help you out to give you a chance to settle into whatever else he’ll be giving you.”

My eyes widened. He’s never asked to help me. It was such a new feeling, I had to remind myself to calm down and act normal. “Oh no, that’s okay. I can do it myself. I don't want to make you stay up longer than you need to. Thank you for the offer though Mr. Finch.”

Mr. Finch rubs his face and chuckles. “You know Myles was getting on me all day for that. Now it feels so weird.”

I raise an eyebrow, “What feels weird?”

He removes his hands from his face and he looks at me. He’s smiling, and his green eyes are looking directly at me. I think it’s the first time since my interview to work here that he’s looking at me with a smile like that. I feel my heart leap. Does he even know what his smile does?

He leans forward so he’s closer to me as he says, “You calling me Mr. Finch. Of course to me it always seemed fine. I know we’re almost the same age, but I just never felt odd about it. Until Myles brought it up. He kept saying that he couldn’t imagine Amanda calling him Mr. Ashford.”

Of course Myles had to bring it up. He must have known that Mr. Finch would bring it up. He wanted me to be embarrassed, he just had to know. He wasn’t even here, but he was still ruining my day. 

I smile as best as I could, hiding my current annoyance with Myles, as I say, “Oh don’t worry. I don’t mind. I always found it as a way to show I respect you.”

Mr. Finch shrugs, “Sure, I get that. But I also don’t want to hear anything else from Myles complaining about that, so while they’re here it’s okay to call me Ethan. Rachael calls me Ethan too, so you wouldn’t be the only one.”

I nod. “If that’s what you’d prefer. Ethan.” The word feels so forigen coming from my mouth, but it also feels nice. 

Mr. Finch, I mean Ethan’s smile brightens and he chuckles again, “There, so we got that handled. Now, back to the assignment Myles gave you. I’m okay with helping you. I don’t want to go home anyway. It’s Friday night, and I don’t have anything planned. Might as well do something.”

“Is working really what you usually do on weekends.”

He looks down a little ashamed, “Unfortunately yes.”

I can tell he’s embarrassed, and I quickly try to change that, “That’s okay, I think having something you’re passionate about is good.”

He nods like he’s thinking, then out of nowhere Ethan Finch asks the question I never thought he’d ask me, “Well sure, but not all the time. Would you like to go out with me tomorrow Beatrice?”

I almost passed out at the words. I hesitate and he adds, “Just as friends you know. Maybe you can help me remember what it’s like to go out on weekends and not just stay at home working?”

I can hear Lauren in my head telling me to hurry up and say something before he changes his mind. So without another thought I say, “I would love to.”

He’s smiling. Ethan Finch is smiling because I just agreed to go out with him. I made him smile. What is happening, oh my god!