Page 61 of The Billionaire Bodyguard Next Door
Luna walked past me, my nerves all but crackling at her proximity and my mind reeling.
Where the hell do we go from here?
CHAPTER22
Luna
“Please tellme you have good news,” had basically become my mantra since the beginning of this damn casino project.
Turns out my dream was riddled with roadblocks.
Parvati and I fell in sync with each other as she walked me around the project site. “The good news is the city officially issued most of our permits. There is one outstanding one we need to resolve. I’m finding out more information about the specific official holding it up so we can have an informed meeting with them.”
“Excellent.” I waved at some workers nearby who were clearly taking a lunch break. “I assume that good news comes with a side of bad news I should brace for.”
Parvati’s face fell. “Unfortunately, it does, and not for lack of trying.”
“I would never assume.”
“Well, turns out there is a small hiccup.”
“What’s that? Rip off the Band-Aid,” I said, bracing myself.
“Drew quit this morning. Said it was too big of a project and that she bit off more than she can chew,” explained Parvati.
Fuck. I’d gone out on a limb for Drew, and I liked her style. It just took some coaxing to get her style and my vision to match. I needed to handle it delicately. Hence the reason why I brought in Faith from time to time to help me articulate my feedback.
“She wants to quit mid-project? We’ve finished half the designs.” I should have focused on this more. I kept getting distracted.
Parvati consulted her clipboard. “We still need to finalize the room designs and decor as well as the hallway style for the hotel room tower.”
“It’s essential to get that right. People are drawn in by the glitzy casino but want to stay there because of the chic rooms. That’s always been the plan. Make them luxurious and lovely and different from what the rest of Atlantic City has to offer. It’s the hook.” And I couldn’t afford to get it wrong.
“It could be a case of cold feet or imposter syndrome. I recommend you talk to her. She might respond better to hearing from you since you engaged her at the beginning of the build.”
I nodded, knowing Parvati was right. Sometimes it took some coaxing. “I’ll schedule a coffee. Something casual.”
“Good. Report back. In the meanwhile, I’m getting recommendations for other designers that we could engage if we can’t figure things out with Drew.”
“Perfect. Send me their portfolios as you get them so I can review and vet them.”
She jotted down some notes. “You got it. Next we have…” Parvati started, running through the usual list of things we had to account for. Luckily, nothing else big, just small problems that she easily handled or she needed my input on.
Before I left, I asked one more question. “With all the setbacks, are we still on schedule?”
Parvati tucked her clipboard under her arm. “Pending we finalize the designs for the room tower and can source the materials, then yes. If there are issues with that, it might delay us. I’m optimistic.”
“Appreciate you,” I said as I waved goodbye. “And send me the details on the final permit. I'll see what additional info Sebastian can dig up for me.”
I slid into the black sedan that would take me back to the city. Rather than staring at my phone the entire drive, I forced myself to put my air pods in so I could listen to calming ocean sounds while I closed my eyes.
It lasted five minutes.Better than last time.
Maybe this meditation thing wasn’t fully for me, but I’d keep trying anything that had the potential to give me relief.
After finding Sebastian’s name, I pressed the call button.
“It better be a fucking emergency,” he grumbled.
