Kent didn’t have any of this. When they all went home, they had their partners, husbands and wives to wrap up warm to. What did he have? A beeping phone where he could call any woman and a black book filled with numbers of women he didn’t want.
His life was meaningless.
“Kent, why don’t you show Lana your old room?” Penny said.
Nodding, Kent took Lana’s hand and escorted her to his room. He had slept on the top floor.
“Wow, your family is huge,” Lana said.
“They’re a great bunch. Were you struggling to keep up?” he asked.
“I was getting there. It was pretty hectic.” She smiled. He kept a firm grip on her hand as they made their way up to his room.
He opened the door. The only other woman in his childhood bedroom was Tonya.
“You’ve got a lot of trophies,” Lana said. “You’ve gone all silent on me.”
“I’m just thinking.” He sat down on his bed, picking up the ball his mother had left there on his last day of college.
“What are you thinking about?” Lana tucked some stray strands of hair behind her ear. The glasses she wore made her look adorable.
Kent let out a sigh. “I’ve not come to a family dinner in some time. I’ve always made an excuse not to be here. Work, dates, my friends.”
“You were hiding from Tonya,” Lana said.
“I thought I was hiding from her. It’s insane how I’ve built this wall up between myself and my family,” he said.
She waited for him to speak. He tried to find the right words to say. “I was pissed at Seth and Tonya. I felt they’d betrayed me, but you can’t control the person you fall in love with. They’re in love.”
“I can see that.”
“I didn’t. I thought she wanted the older brother, the guy who’d inherit the real fortune from our dad. I’ve always wanted to go my own way. Dad let me do what I wanted.” He laughed thinking how silly his past thoughts have been. “When I came here, alone, I used to feel sorry for them all. They had family, responsibility. They weren’t free. I thought I had the good life.”
“You don’t think that?” she asked.
“I thought they were jealous of me because I didn’t have any responsibilities. They felt sorry for me because I have nothing.”
“You have something, Kent.” Lana nudged his arm.
Tears filled his eyes as the truth hit him square in the chest. “No, I don’t. What exactly do I have?” He stared down at the ball in his hand. “I’ve got a successful company and a lonely big penthouse fucking apartment. I’ve got friends who’ve settled down with a family.”
He wiped under his eyes as the real loneliness started to set in. “Like I said to you, I don’t have female friends I don’t fuck. I’ve got nothing. When I go home tonight I won’t be going back with a wife or girlfriend. I’ll be going home to an empty apartment. I’ve got a big fuck-off television to keep me company. Man, I’ve got a phone filled with lots of available women who’ll come and sleep with me. But what do I really have? I’ve got nothing.”
She wrapped her arms around him. Tears were streaming down her face. “You’ve not got nothing, Kent.”
“No? Then what do I have? Because right now I feel like a fucking waste of time.” Lana cupped his cheek and turned him to face her. “You’ve got me. I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter Ten
One month later
Lana placed the food down in front of her regular customer. She waited for them to ask for something else. When they ignored her, she walked toward the next customer. She checked the clock on the far wall to see how long she had left before it was time to start heading for her other job. Her time with Kent was the best part of her day. Their time at his family’s home had really cemented their friendship. After she’d promised to always be in his life, Kent had held her close, and their friendship deepened. They were no longer the billionaire business man and the cleaner in her mind. They were simply Kent and Lana, two friends who enjoyed spending time together. He was her first real friend, and she adored him. She checked the clock again to see if the hands had moved faster. This was how her life had become, clock watching.
She grabbed the cloth and started wiping down surfaces while also taking used plates and trays back into the kitchen. The other two waitresses were giggling over a story in the newspaper. A quick glance at the paper and she saw Kent’s face on the front cover. He’d warned her of another story coming out about his exploits in the bedroom.
Shaking her head, she grabbed the pot and coffee and made her rounds. She filled cups and took extra orders while also thinking about the weekend ahead. Christmas was fast approaching, and Penny had phoned her inviting her to their house for Christmas.