Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Oh. The billionaire thing. It wasn’t just about Michaela; it was also about her mother.
“But Walter’s a great guy.”
She sipped her wine, then asked almost nonchalantly, as if his answer didn’t matter, “Do you know him well?”
“He’s had a lot more dealings with Dane than me, since Dane’s in the resort business. But I know him well enough. And I’m considering that new deal with him, too, involving Matt Tremont. Walter is very interested in the new exercise machine. I talked to him about it the Monday after Gareth’s show.” Walter had said how much he’d enjoyed meeting Flo and Michaela.
“But that’s business,” Michaela said. “This is personal. It’s my mother.”
He cocked his head, considering her. “Are you afraid she’s going to get hurt?”
She sighed and sipped her chardonnay, staring at her plate, worry lines creasing her pretty brow. Until finally she admitted, “Quite frankly, yes. Not that Walter would do anything intentionally, I’m sure. But my mother hasn’t been in the dating game since I was born.”
Troy felt his eyes widen. “Never?”
She shook her head, her beautiful eyes locked on his. “Never.”
“But she’s one of the loveliest ladies I’ve ever seen.” Michaela had inherited her beauty. “How could she not have guys hitting on her?”
“She’s very good at the cold shoulder.”
“But she didn’t give Walter the cold shoulder. In fact, they seemed very interested in each other at the gallery.”
Without a word, she shoved her plate aside and laid her head on the table.
Good God, was she crying? “I can have a talk with Walter. Ask him his intentions.” But they had an overnight date. “Are they staying in the same hotel room?”
Her hair muffled her voice. “It’s the penthouse suite in his San Francisco hotel. I think that means she’ll have her own room.”
At least there was that.
She sat up then, the imprint of the placemat on her cheek. “I can’t believe I’m getting worked up because my mother has a date. Do you know—” She pointed a finger at him as if he didn’t know. “—I’ve been trying to match her for years. I want her to be happy. And I’m letting my own fears get me worked up.” When she paused, he felt a confession coming on. “I might be a matchmaker, but I’ve kissed a lot of frogs. That’s the matchmaker’s curse—they can match anyone else, but not themselves.”
Thank God none of those frogs had turned into princes she could have fallen for. And that he wasn’t a frog. At least he hoped not.
“I’m sorry.” He wasn’t. Because they’d met each other at just the right time.
She smoothed the placemat she’d mussed. “What I’d love for my mother is a modest, hardworking man who’s educated himself and made something of his life.”
He cocked his head. “But not a billionaire?”
She sighed. “Not a billionaire.”
“You think that someone from a relatively similar background—hardworking, with a good education—would fit better into your mother’s world?” He understood they weren’t talking only about Flo, but about Michaela too. But it was the other way around. Not that this fictional man would fit better into her world, but that she would fit better into his. It came down to this: She didn’t think she was good enough for a billionaire.
But did she think Flo wasn’t good enough for Walter Braedon? He couldn’t imagine Michaela would believe that. Rather than hitting the thought straight on the head, he asked again, “Because Walter’s a hotel magnate, you’re afraid your mother will get hurt in the end?”
She shrugged and pulled her plate back in front of her, taking another bite of enchilada and chewing it thoughtfully. “It’s just that billionaires are all about galas and big events and flying off to New York to go to a show or to Paris for the weekend. They want to be seen, to be noticed, to be on the front pages. But Mom and I are simple people. Our Saturday night galas take place in front of the TV with popcorn and a sappy movie. We’re homebodies. I don’t think Mom would like the lifestyle of the rich and famous.”
He chuckled at the reference to the old TV show. “You might find that Walter likes being a homebody too.”
She laughed, short and sharp. “Seriously? He’s taking her to dinner and a show and a night in the penthouse suite of a luxury hotel that probably costs five thousand dollars a night. Except that he owns it.”
He thought for a long moment before he replied. She didn’t want extravagant displays. Maybe she didn’t think she even deserved them. But maybe she needed to hear something simpler. “A lot of couples go to dinner and a show, especially on a first date. He didn’t fly her to New York, right?”
“Well, no, but—”
He held up a finger to stop her. Thank God he hadn’t flown her down to LA or rented the dining car on a train to impress her. “Maybe your mom wants to have an enjoyable time with a nice man. Doesn’t she deserve that?”