“If you’re going to be with one of the richest men in world, you really will have to accept that a huge gift to you is a little thing for him. He doesn’t know anything else. But I could live with making that kind of adjustment. Stuart is a millionaire, and even that feels uncomfortable sometimes. I didn’t grow up in that world, either.”
“Did he give you a new car?” I questioned curiously.
She rolled her eyes. “I wish.”
Honestly, I was starting to think that Stuart wasn’t the guy for Lia. After watching the way Zeke’s eyes seemed to follow her around a room, I had to wonder if my new friend was marrying the wrong guy.
But no, it had to be my overactive imagination. Lia didn’t seem like the type of woman to choose the wrong man.
“I’ll try to get used to it,” I said unhappily.
Lia shot me a mischievous smile. “There’s a lot worse things you could have to adjust to than enormous wealth.”
“I’m in counseling,” I shared. “But I guess I’m still trying to accept that I’m worthy of a man like Jett.”
“Hey, stop that!” Lia exclaimed. “Don’t base who you are on money. It’s all irrelevant when you’re talking about a relationship. Nobody is worthy of having a fortune. It just happens. What makes Jett a good man is that he cares what’s going on with people who are less fortunate than he is. Has he ever treated you like you’re beneath him because of your circumstances?”
“Never,” I said emphatically.
“And I already know Lawson is incredibly philanthropic when it comes to local and world issues.”
“Jett does things that never make the news, too. He doesn’t give to get attention. He does it because he…cares.”
Lia crossed her arms. “I swear, if you don’t snap that man up and just enjoy your life, I’m going to break up with Stuart and marry Jett myself.”
I giggled because her statement was so over-the-top. “I am enjoying him. A lot, actually.”
Jett and I had pretty much had sex on every surface in his condo, and it seemed like every experience was better than the one before.
“I won’t touch that comment,” Lia said with a laugh. “It could go one of several ways if I do, and they’re all a little scary. But don’t let money get in the way of your happiness, Ruby. It’s just something that buys things. And none of those things can truly make you happy.”
“I know. Maybe I’m just nervous because we’re getting ready to take off for Colorado to attend Jett’s sister’s wedding. That’s a whole lot of billionaires to handle at one time,” I told her in a joking tone.
“None of them are any different than you,” Lia assured me.
“Jett’s sister is wonderful,” I said. “I’ve met her. She’s the one who sent Jett to get me out of a bad situation in Miami. She’s one of the reasons I’m not homeless anymore.”
“Don’t be nervous, Ruby,” Lia said sincerely. “You’re a wonderful, intelligent, and strong woman who has some incredible talents. Don’t ever let anybody intimidate you into thinking that you’re anything else.”
A lump formed in my throat. I knew that I needed to internalize my self-worth, and I was working on it. But it helped to start making friends like Lia. “Thank you.”
I saw the guys get up from their table across the room.
“I think everything has been consumed,” Lia said with humor in her voice.
“Knowing Jett, it was gone a long time ago and they’ve just been trading stories.”
“How do two guys look that gorgeous when both of them can easily consume a ton of high-calorie stuff? Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat, but it shows on my hips or my butt almost immediately,” Lia bemoaned.
“Jett works out every day,” I shared.
“Zeke loves sports, and he’s really active, but still, it’s just not right.”
I laughed. Personally, I’d never had a problem with my weight, and when I was homeless, I’d gotten too thin from lack of available food. But sooner or later, I was going to have to watch what I ate or I’d be piling on pounds with all the baking I was going to be doing. Right now, I felt like I was making up for lost time, but my body was filling out pretty quickly.