Alpha Billionaire Series

KAYLA

“It's moving day, pack up." Was all that the text message from Isaac said.

I looked at it with some confusion. As far as I knew, none of the apartments I had looked at had been rented. The past few days I had been staying with Nick more than I was staying at the hotel.

“Ym not moving in with Nick. I can't” I hit send,

There were so many reasons I couldn't live in Nick's house. That would kill my mother. I enjoyed being free of her control, it didn't mean I wanted her out of my life. And I couldn't risk the blackmailer discovering that there really was something going on between us.

“You aren't moving in with Nick. He's coming to pick you up. This has something to do with your Christmas present. But you didn't hear that from me"

Nick had promised me a real present, but that I had to wait a few days. Five days after Christmas wasn't too bad. I seriously hadn't thought he had gotten me anything. It wasn't going to take me very long to pack. I only had two suitcases. I shoved all of my belongings into whichever case had the most available room and zipped them shut.

“Ill be ready." I texted back.

Fortunately, I didn't have to sit around nervously for too long. Isaac must have texted me after Nick had left his place. The hotel, on a good day, was about twenty-five minutes from his house. On a bad day, it was more like forty-five minutes or an hour. One thing I learned quickly in my time in LA, distance was measured in traffic, not miles. It didn’t matter if something was only a mile or two away if the traffic there was always really bad.

Nick and a bellhop arrived at my door. As the bellhop took my bags away, Nick handed me one of the cookie tins we had assembled on Christmas day.

“Merry Christmas. I'm sorry this is a bit late."

I took the tin of cookies. “You're giving me my own cookies?”

“Open the box, Kayla,” Nick said with a chuckle.

I opened the tin, and to my surprise it was filled with cookies and fudge. I snagged out a piece of fudge and popped it in my mouth. “I do make good fudge”

I didn't make short cut fudge, I boiled the sugar and milk, and used a candy thermometer. It always turned out smooth and creamy. I didn't take shortcuts with marshmallow fluff. I opened the tin and popped a second piece into my mouth as I followed Nick out through the lobby.

“Open the tin all the way."

When I did, Nick reached in and grabbed a cookie. He then pointed into the top of the lid. A red envelope had been wedged in.

“Oh, you're sneaky,” I teased.

I climbed into the car when the valet opened the door for me. Nick jumped over the closed door on the driver's side. I think it was a requirement for looking super cool while getting into old convertibles,

“Where to?” Nick asked.

I shrugged and shook my head.

“The envelope, what's the address?"

I had looked at the front of the Christmas card inside the envelope, but I hadn't opened the card, assuming it had a gift card or a check inside. I scrambled to open the card. A key fell out, and inside all it said was “Merry Christmas’ and listed an address.

I read it off.

“What are you up to?" I asked.

Nick just smiled and reached over, taking another cookie from the open tin on my lap.

I didn't know the neighborhoods, or how close or how far we were from his place. He stopped the car in front of what could best be described as a bungalow. At least I think that was the right word for it. It wasn't a big house. It was quite small, but quaint, with a small porch and nineteen twenties meets Spanish revival style.

“We're here," Nick announced.

“nd what is here?” I asked.

He pointed to the card and the key that I had been holding onto.

“This is your new home." He opened the door this time, as he climbed out of the car. The trunk popped up and he pulled out my bags.

“Are you serious?”

“Go open the door,” he told me.

With shaking hands, I walked up to the small house and opened the door. Inside was perfectly decorated, and full of furniture.

“I can't believe this,” I said, turning to Nick as he followed me inside.

“Isaac took care of the decorations; I hope you like it”

He carried my bags through the living room and turned into a small hall. I followed him into a bedroom that was mostly filled with a large bed.

“I get a whole house and not just an apartment?”

“As you pointed out, rent is ridiculous right now. It made more sense to buy. Check out your kitchen”

I was halfway out the door when I turned around.

“You bought a house for me to live in?"

“Yes, I bought you a house. This is yours. Merry Christmas”

“Nick, you can't buy me a house. This is too much? I didn't want to tell him I had been researching rentals online and had seen the price of housing in the area.

He shook his head as he approached me. His arms slipped around my waist, and he held me. “You need a decent place to live. This is a better investment for my money than paying rent. It's yours as long as you want it"

He kissed me. I loved it when he kissed me.

“AllI got you for Christmas was a box of condoms” I muttered.

“And dinner. Don't forget you owe me dinner. Come on, let's check out your kitchen. I made sure you got a place with a big up-to-date kitchen”

The kitchen had been renovated in the past ten years with all stainless big appliances, and white cabinets. It was minimalist. A stark comparison to the natural wood and sunflowers and kitschy farm animals in Mom's kitchen.

I began opening cabinets, seeing what kind of pots and pans I had. I was going to need everything. The house was furnished, but the kitchen had not been stocked.

“I thought we could spend the day doing the shopping you needed. You can buy whatever pots and pans and dishes you need.”

“So, if I say I want to get an entire collection of Le Creuset, you're okay with that?”

“I take it, Le Creuset is expensive?”

I nodded. “But it's the best. 'm also going to need a good cast iron skillet”

The Creuset was easy enough, the cast iron skillet not so much. I made Nick take me to a bunch of thrift stores.

“Can't you just buy a new one?”

I scoffed at him. “New cast iron is an abomination”

I scored a stack of three skillets of different sizes at the last thrift shot. And one lady also shopping scored a selfie and an autograph from Nick.

“somehow I thought you would be more recognizable,” I said as we loaded my purchases into the back of his car.

“Ever since I cut my hair to film Captain Wonder—"

“But that's just it. You're the new Captain Wonder”

He shook his head. “The movie hasn't been released yet. Once that happens, I'm sure my recognizability will go up. Do you remember that party where we met?"

I wanted to forget that night. “Yeah!”

“You were the only person who recognized me. The entire night people kept telling me the real Nick Sadler was there and I should have my picture taken with him. This’— he gestured back at the store, indicating the lady who had squealed and been super nervous around him— “doesn’t happen very often.”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“50 you get the best of both worlds. Super star actor roles and anonymity."

“Exactly.” He closed the trunk with a thunk. “Where to next?"

“If I'm making you dinner, the grocery store."

Nick didn't let me make dinner alone. He didn't sit in the living room and watch a football game while I did the work the way my father always had. Maybe that's why Mom always hung around in the kitchen, the living room still had too much of Dad's ghost in there. Or maybe she just liked her kitchen better.

Nick insisted on helping me. He hand washed all of the new cooking wear while I loaded up the dishwasher and ran the new plates and flatware through.

“You know, I never thought about washing new dishes” he said with his arms covered in soap bubbles.

“I don't think most people think about having new dishes. I know I never have. And I might not have thought about it if it weren't for that woman at the Le Creuset store. She kept wiping her nose and then touching the pots. All could think of was her germs getting baked into someone's dinner”

“Well, that's gross” He started scrubbing harder.

“I know, right?”

With the dishes washed we started the cooking process. He still hung out in the kitchen and helped me by cleaning off vegetables and chopping onions. By the time dinner was ready, we were both ready for it after a long day of shopping and cleaning the kitchen.

I made one of my favorites, apple chicken. It wasn't particularly fancy, but it was comfort food with chicken breasts and baked potatoes. The onions and the apples gave it a sweet and tangy flavor.

“This is really good,” Nick said around a mouthful of food. “Do you cook like this every night?”

I shook my head. “No, I wanted to make something I knew I wouldn't mess up”

His smile over my cooking did thrilling things to my insides.

“I have a shoot starting next week. I want you to come with me.”

“So I can cook for you?" I teased.

Nick's smile turned into an almost pout. “Unfortunately, no. 'm going to have to get back on my diet. I want you to come see what work looks like?

“sounds like fun. And, you know, if you give me your food requirements, I can make sure the next time I cook for you it's within your restrictions." I knew he ate a certain way to maintain his body. He had to, it was part of his job.

“You're willing to do that?"

I nodded.