My heart breaks for Archer and Mason and a little for Oliver too.
“Where’s my coffee?” Oliver yells.
But he’s still a total ass.
ChapterTwenty-Six
Archer
Icall Mason as soon as we land.
He procured a room for Piper at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey, which is only five miles away from the airport. He returned this morning to meet us all there.
“They’re already in the lobby. They just ate breakfast,” I tell Finley as we slide into Oliver’s limo only minutes after landing.
It’s only ten in the morning LA time.
“I’m so glad Mason was able to get to her. Tell me more about him.” She turns to me. “You met him at camp too, right?”
“Yes. Now he owns a few gyms here in LA and teaches self-defense and various martial arts classes.”
“Wow. You guys turned into quite the success stories.”
“Yes, yes, we dug ourselves out of poverty to become the thriving men you see before you.” Oliver leans back, adjusting his suit jacket. “It’s all very Disney Princess. Can we talk about something else?”
“Like what?” Finley asks him.
His eyes are speculative. “This boyfriend, Ben?”
Finley nods.
“He was also her manager, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Will she be requiring new representation now that he is apparently no longer in the picture?”
She shrugs. “I think so, but I don’t know how any of that works. You’d have to talk to Piper about it.”
His lips purse, and he nods.
Finley leans back in the seat, her gaze drifting to the streets and palm trees flying by.
I take her hand and put it in my lap.
Within minutes, we’re pulling up at the hotel. My shoes squeak against the marble floor, and I hear voices echoing around the lavish lobby.
We find Mason and Piper sitting on a plush purple sofa smack in the center under a sparkling chandelier glittering in the bright morning light. Other guests mill about the area, heading to the attached restaurant or checking in at the counter.
Piper and Finley hug. Oliver and I shake Mason’s hand in greeting.
“This is Archer and Oliver,” Finley introduces us.
We shake hands. Her grip is delicate, but her hands are calloused—an artist’s hands.
Piper is petite, like Finley, but more fine-boned. Finley is a hawk, and Piper is more like a hummingbird.
I clap Mason on the back. “Thanks for everything.”