"My grandmother is Celeste Arnaud."
Once I announce that, most people get it right away. Reese doesn't. He stares at me like I've babbled in another language.
"She's the founder of Bonsoir Beauty Inc.," I tell him. "The second-largest cosmetics company in the world."
"Oh." His brows crinkle with the cutest confusion. "I'm a man. Why would I know what you're talking about?"
"Because my grandmother is famous. Bonsoir is huge, and she's an icon."
He glances at a big orange butterfly, shoves his hands in his pants pockets, and sighs. "Afraid I've never heard of her. She's your mother's mother, right? Her last name is different, so I assume---"
"Nope. Grams kept her maiden name when she married Granddad because her company was already making a name for itself. She's also very proud of her French heritage. She's American, though. No accent."
"She's your father's mother, then."
"That's right. My dad is Marcel Pesti. My mom's name is Tally."
He watches me with a strange expression for a few seconds, then asks the question he's obviously been working up the nerve to ask. "I know it's a cheeky question, but how rich is your grandmother?"
"She's the number three female billionaire in the world. There are over two hundred of them, you know."
"No, I didn't know that." He scrunches his lips and hunches his shoulders. "Your grandmother is a billionaire?"
"Yeah, but she's not super stuffy or anything. Grams is pretty cool, when she's not butting into my life."
His mouth opens, but he seems incapable of speaking.
Yeah, talking about my grandmother often has that effect on people.
Desperate for something to say to break the tension, I announce out of absolutely nowhere, "I don't have any brothers or sisters."
At least his blank expression has disappeared.
He seems genuinely interested when he asks, "None at all? I can't imagine not having brothers."
"You guys are close, aren't you?"
"Always have been. Chance, as the oldest, thinks it's his job to keep the rest of us in line. Dane is the intellectual, the one who invents things. I'm the youngest, and the biggest disappointment."
"You are not a disappointment."
"If you knew me, you wouldn't say that."
"Does your family say that?"
"No. They're always supportive." He scrunches his mouth up again. "Well, except for one time. When Chance found out I'd shagged a girl and run away while she was asleep, he gave me a lecture about respecting women. The girl in question was best friends with Chance's girlfriend, so that's how he found out."
"You don't run out on women anymore."
"No. I did that three times, but never again after my brother's lecture." Reese glances at me, his mouth twisted into a wryly crooked smile. "Chance will call me an arsehole and a complete fuck-up when he finds out what I've done to you."
"You haven't done anything to me. We did it together." I move closer, leaning into him. "From what Elena says about Chance, he would never call you anything nasty."
Reese leans into me. "You're right. I'm feeling sorry for myself, that's all."
"Because you slept with me after promising not to."
"Not only that. I also lost my job."