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cherished and protected. She knew that much from watching him interact with Caroline and Gemma. Everyone knew that although the women were his half sisters, Geoff would do anything for them.
    “Auggie and I are almost twins—only eleven months apart—so I don’t really think of him as my older brother.”
    “He should,” Geoff said.
    She smiled at him. “I guess the rumors about you are true.”
    He arched one eyebrow at her. “Which rumors?”
    “The ones about you putting your family first,” she said. As much as she knew that many people would say she had a better family situation, Geoff had the real family, something that her parents had never managed to create.
    Amelia had realized early on that having parents who were married but couldn’t stand each other was hardly an advantage. And her parents’ public fights had often managed to feed the fire of tabloid gossip about them.
    What would it have been like to grow up with someone looking out for her?
    And would that really have been any better. Because if her childhood had been different she wouldn’t be the woman she was today.
    And as Sandra Bullock said…“I complete me.” Those words could definitely be applied to her. And she needed to remember that.
    “What are you thinking?” he asked.
    “I’m sorry. Let’s stop talking about this. I don’t need you to solve my problems.”
    “I don’t recall offering anything more than a shoulder.”
    “Touché.”
    “I have an idea that will be beneficial to both of us,” he said.
    “What?” she asked.
    “A venture between Munroe Hotels and Everest Air. It will give you something to take to your board of directors and it will give me a new line of revenue at Everest Air.”
    “Why do you need a new line of revenue?” she asked. She’d heard rumors there was a competition between the Devonshire heirs, but the details had been kept close to the brothers. Would Geoff trust her enough to tell her what was going on?
    “I need an edge to make sure that my business unit outperforms Steven’s and Henry’s. We’re competing with each other—did you know that?”
    “I did. I don’t know the details… You could use the paparazzi to help your cause….”
    “I can’t. That’s not my way, but what do you think about my offer?”
    “I’ll think about it,” she said.
    There was a commotion at the front of the restaurant and she turned to see Tommy and some of his paparazzi friends scuffling with the maitre d’.
    “I hope you don’t mind seeing yourself in the papers,” she said.
    He tipped his head to the side and studied her carefully. “Why do you think they follow you around the way they do?”
    “Probably because I invited their attention. When I was younger I didn’t realize how my actions were goading them on. And now it’s too late to get rid of them.”
    “Why did you court them?”
    She didn’t really want Geoff to know how shallow she had been. He couldn’t understand that she went from being a gawky, awkward teen to a beautiful woman overnight. And the attention was heady. Once she realized that it also garnered her father’s attention, she’d been unable to resist.
    “I thought—that’s a lie. I didn’t think at all. I just lapped it up like anyone else who gets some fame after years of being overlooked. It was like a drug and I was addicted. But then things got out of control.”
    She thought about that YouTube video—she was topless on her yacht with several of her mother’s male models. It practically looked like she was orchestrating an orgy.
    After that incident, she’d known she was going to have to take control of the media. She’d learned how to use them. They wanted something salacious so they’d get paid, and she needed her name in the headlines so that when she wanted to shine a spotlight on a cause, she could get the attention she needed.
    “It’s very convenient to have my little media hounds with me. They follow me to Africa when I go, and Iget some