“Never been a fan of women who sail around on their parents’ dime, no.?
?
Kallie furrowed her brow as she took another sip of her drink.
“So what do you like to do for fun here in the Hamptons?” Kallie asked.
“Honestly? There isn’t much to do. There’s swimming. Surfing, which I do none of. There’s partying and drinking. Then there’s my comic books.”
“Do you collect them or something?”
“Or something,” Stanley said with a grin. “I don’t collect them to show them off. I actually enjoy reading them, if you can believe that.”
“Plenty of people read comic books. My best friend, Eris, is one of them.”
“That the friend with the man-friend?” he asked.
“Yes,” Kallie said with a giggle. “That’s the friend.”
“I take it they ditched you for a room upstairs?”
“What’s upstairs?” she asked.
“Never mind,” he said quickly. “Do you read comic books?”
“Not really. I’m more of a beach novel kind of reader.”
“Ah, so the romances and the dirty mysteries.”
“More like the crime novels.”
“Ah, so you like the suspense,” he said.
“The suspense is the best part. If it’s good enough, it keeps me up all night.”
“I can think of a few things that would keep a woman of your caliber up all night.”
Kallie’s eyebrows hiked up and a shocked giggle fell from her lips. He was refreshing to talk with, even if it would only be a one-shot, platonic conversation. And it was nice to talk with a man she had no regard for other than a temporary conversation. They continued to talk about the things they enjoyed reading. Stanley described some of his favorite comic book twists and Kallie recommended some crime mystery novels for him to read. She felt relaxed for the first time since stepping into the house.
Then, a familiar voice interrupted their conversation.
“You better watch out, Stanley. You’ll end up married and broke before you finish your junior year of college if you keep this up.”
Kallie whipped her head around and frowned at Ash.
“What in the world does that mean?” Kallie asked.
“This is Stanley Edwards!” Ash exclaimed. “His dad owns several sports teams. He’s also the manager of a hedge fund worth several billion dollars. But I’m sure you knew that, didn’t you?”
“No, actually. I didn’t,” Kallie said. “I’m really sorry, Stanley. It was very nice meeting you.”
“Likewise, Kallie. Despite what Ash might think of you,” he said.
“You mean you didn’t know you were talking to the second richest person at this party?” Ash asked. “Hard to believe with your reputation.”
“No,” Kallie said. “I had no idea. Really, I didn’t, Stanley.”
“I believe you,” Stanley said. “Trust me, I’m very good at reading people, despite my young age.”