Why didn’t she try eating a pizza, gaining five pounds and noticing that no one cares?
“Oh, my love. We’ll file lawsuits.”
She chuckled. “You can’t sue people on social media for writing insulting things.”
“It’s defamation of character.”
“You want to hear the strangest thing? I don’t even care about the response to what I said.”
“You don’t?”
“I really don’t. I’ve spent so many years trying to please everyone and racing to stay on top. Like everything is some mountain you have to claw your way to the top of.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the top of it. “I’m just done.”
“What does that mean?”
Good question. She thought out loud. “I’m done being perfect. Done caring what other people think.” And done coming up with reasons why she couldn’t have what most people dream of. “And I’m done with a life you’re not in. I love you, Charlie.”
Without letting go of her hand, he stood, bringing her up with him so they could embrace under the moon. “And I’ll tell you something else,” she continued, fired up. “A year wasn’t long enough away from Hollywood for me to really get my health back. Might you have a spare room at your mansion?” Their lips met in a joining that Luna now knew was her home.
* * *
Charlie swung his hips with the abandon he remembered from when they were here last time. The groove got under Luna’s skin, too, and she flitted the ruffles of her skirt while she fixed a seductive gaze on him until he thought he’d melt like hot candle wax. He wanted nothing more than to dance this night away with her in Viejo San Juan. No, that wasn’t true. What he wanted was to dance with her every night.
“You haven’t told me what you think about my idea,” she said after they cooled down with piraguas—shaved ice with flavored syrups. “I can base myself in the UK, at least for a while.”
“What I think is that you’ll like my estate in Buckinghamshire. It’s serene and private.” While for all these years it had felt gloomy and isolating, with Luna inhabiting the property it would be as alive as the dancing was in this plaza. He’d never believed that he’d fling open his doors again. The entry to his home. And to his heart. But now he couldn’t wait.
He added, “And, if you’re not comfortable there, we’ll get a place in London.”
“I’ve never been in a real relationship.”
“I know. We’ll figure it out.”
“I don’t even know if I want to be in show business anymore.”
“We’ll figure that out, too. You and I. We’ll be able to face anything as long as we’re together.”
* * *
Their joyous dancing lasted until the wee hours, then they fell asleep on the beach on a blanket in the sand in front of the villa. Charlie slept soundly, waking surprised when slumber had come so easily again with her in his arms.
Over morning coffee, Luna checked her phone and had a message from Paris. She excused herself to return the call inside the villa. He wondered whom she knew in Paris and realized he had much to learn about the woman he planned to spend the rest of his life with.
“Well, well,” she said as she returned to the front patio after quite a while. “The universe must be tuned in to our master plan.”
“What do you mean?” He gestured for her to sit beside him on a lounger on the sand and have some spicy café con leche.
“That was Bernice Dubois.”
“The film director?” One of France’s best-known directors, she had been consistently wowing at film festivals and winning awards lately.
“Yes. She saw my interview with Blick Jenson. She’s struggled with an eating disorder herself.”
“Interesting.”
“She’s written a script about a woman whose life is almost ruined by it until she’s able to get the proper treatment. She just offered me the role.”
Joy swelled in him. “You’ve said you wanted to start making films that were important to you. What did you tell her?”
“That I had to read the script first, of course. But that I was very interested.” As the news set in, she added, “Oh, my gosh. Do you know what this could mean for me?”
“I’m so happy for you.”
“She asked if I thought my schedule would allow me to spend some time in Paris once I finish the shoot I’m on.”
“I love Paris. Which, by the way, is a very short distance from Buckinghamshire,” he said with a wily smile.
“I owe so much of it to you. If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to open up in that interview. You’ve become a new mirror to see myself in.”
“I could say the same about you.” He leaned over and cupped her velvety cheek with his hand, brought his lips to hers, both of them giddy with anticipation about the future. “You pulled me out of the darkness. I never expected to shine in the light again. You made my life worth living again. You are simply magical, my love.”
“No one has ever loved me just for me. I don’t have to prove myself to you. You have no idea how much you’ve changed my whole being in the blink of an eye. You’ve given me myself back.”
“And I always will, my Luna, my beloved.”
They held hands and looked outward, watching the morning sparkle over the Caribbean.
“I’m going to miss Puerto Rico,” she said wistfully.
“We’ll come back,” he said as he went down on one knee in the sand and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a sun-glinted diamond ring. “On our honeymoon. Will you marry me?”
Luna’s smile told him everything he needed to know. “I will, Charlie. I will.”
EPILOGUE
FRIENDS AND WORK colleagues congregated in the garden until they were told to take their seats because the ceremony was to begin. Luna’s family and her Hollywood team were there. Anush was a lovely maid of honor in her pewter-colored dress. And Charlie’s COO, Tom, made a dignified best man in his grey suit. Bernice Dubois and Luna’s new French friends were in attendance, as well. In the back row, Madison Morgan of the M Dating Agency looked on, the results of her handiwork earning her a well-deserved smile of pride.
Charlie waited at the altar as he watched his future father-in-law walk his magnificent bride down the aisle. She approached in her slinky champagne-colored dress holding a bouquet of flowers she’d requested be picked from this very garden—from the monument that Charlie had planted in his mourning so many years ago.
The memorial garden had become a happy place, where Charlie and Luna came to walk and talk frequently. So much had happened in the months since Luna accepted the acting role with Bernice. The two women had already formed a production company to make films about women’s issues and several projects were underway, with others planned. Luna was easily able to base herself in Buckinghamshire. In fact, she had nothing short of a corporate office set up in an unused wing of the mansion. Charlie was delighted that those floors were being used for something important.
As the officiant pronounced them husband and wife, Charlie could not have been more in love with the woman who was now his wife. Their kiss was met with cheers and applause. They had the good wishes of everyone in attendance, most of them knowing what challenging paths Charlie and Luna had had to follow in order to get to this moment.
The sun was out, the flowers were vibrant and the bees were buzzing. Looking up to the light blue sky, he could hardly believe what he saw. A rainbow-striped kite soared up toward the clouds. Where on earth could it have come from? A neighboring property, perhaps? A child at a party having accidentally let go of the line?
A strong feeling of warmth filled Charlie on the inside. He knew what the kite meant. Thank you, Amelia, he mouthed.
At the luncheon following the ceremony Charlie and Luna made the rounds, visiting guests at eve
ry table. One of his employees asked, “Where are you going on your honeymoon?”
The bride and groom beamed enormous smiles to each other, then answered in unison, “Puerto Rico, of course.”
* * *
If you missed the previous stories in the Billion-Dollar Matches quartet, then check out
The Princess and the Rebel Billionaire
by Sophie Pembroke
Surprise Reunion with His Cinderella
by Rachael Stewart
And look out for the next book
Indonesian Date with the Single Dad
by Jessica Gilmore
Available next month!
And if you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Andrea Bolter
Wedding Date with the Billionare
Captivated by Her Parisian Billionaire
Available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Falling for Her Convenient Groom by Jennifer Faye.
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Falling for Her Convenient Groom
by Jennifer Faye
PROLOGUE
Verona, Italy
SHE WAS IN CHARGE.
It hadn’t been her goal. She had been satisfied with working in the background.
Still, Carla Falco now sat in the CEO’s chair, and it was time to sign off on the payroll for the Falco Fresco Ristorante empire. Her gaze moved down over the sizable disbursement requisition, making sure everything looked in order—
The office door burst open. She glanced up to see her father stride into the room with a frown on his face. For a man who’d had two heart attacks in less than a year with the most recent one barely two weeks ago, he certainly didn’t look feeble. In fact, he reminded her of a charging bull with steam emanating from his nostrils.
He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was supposed to be at home, following the doctor’s orders of modest exercise and a lean, wholesome diet. More importantly, he was supposed to be relaxing instead of stressing over the family business. That was her job now.
“How could you do it?” His voice boomed through the large office.
She stood and moved to the door. She caught her assistant, Rosa’s, surprised look and sent her a reassuring smile before closing the door so they could have this conversation in private instead of having the whole office hear them. Then she turned to him. “I suppose you’re referring to halting the expansion into Sicily.”
“Yes! We talked about this. I told you I wanted to build there.”
“And after looking at the numbers, as well as consulting with department heads, I have to disagree with you. We need to focus on our current properties. Many are now older and in need of updating.”
His face filled with color. He was so worked up he couldn’t speak. She’d known he wouldn’t be happy about the decision, but she was hoping he wouldn’t hear about it for a while. In fact, she’d gone to great lengths to keep this information under wraps, but it appeared her father had a mole in the company. Why didn’t that surprise her?
She moved to his side and then gestured to one of the two black leather armchairs facing her desk. “Sit down.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he moved to the other side of the desk and sat down in her chair. “I think sitting down is exactly what I should do.”
“Papa, what are you doing?”
“I’m taking over my position as CEO once more. Your services are no longer needed.”
Her mouth gaped as her mind struggled to make sense of what had just happened. “You’re firing me?”
His gaze narrowed in on her. “I’m giving you time to concentrate on your life.”
“This is my life.”
“No. This is my life. You need to go find your own.” His voice was firm.
“But you’re in no condition to return to work. You should be at home resting.”
“I’ve rested. All I do is rest. I’m done resting.”
His definition of rest and hers were two different things. He showed up at the office every day, looking over her shoulder and questioning everything. If she didn’t do something quickly to change things, she would never win the respect of the employees now reporting to her. She would be ineffectual as the CEO, and her father’s beloved company would flounder.
Not to mention that every time her father visited the office, he got worked up over something. These were the details he didn’t need to concern himself with at the moment. His focus should be on his precarious health and how to strengthen his body.
Her mind raced for a way to fix the situation. She knew what her father wanted more than anything—for her to marry. It was an idea she’d been toying with lately. Maybe she could make a deal of sorts.
“What would you say if I was willing to make you a deal?” She knew her father thrived on wheeling and dealing—the higher the stakes, the more he enjoyed it.
He paused for a moment as though he was trying to figure out her angle. Then, in a more normal tone of voice, he asked, “What sort of deal?”
“What if I agree to get married?”
His eyes lit up with interest. “I’d say it was about time. Who is it? Fernando from dinner last night?” He rubbed his chin. “Or perhaps it is Edwardo that caught your eye.”
“You’re rushing ahead.” She had him on the hook. Now she just had to keep him there.
His gaze narrowed. “I know that look in your eyes. You’re up to something.”
“I’m just being a businesswoman.”
He grunted. “Leave the business up to me. You have other matters to worry about.”
“Ah, yes, marriage. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to see me married?”
“Sacrifice?” His shocked tone reverberated off the tall walls with their floor-to-ceiling windows and various watercolor paintings of Italian life. “What is it you want in exchange?”
“I want you to hand over the reins of the company for—” she rushed to think of an appropriate length of time “—a year.”
He didn’t move. He didn’t even blink. He just stared at her. Though she knew him well enough to know the wheels in his mind were turning. He was trying to figure out how to work this in his favor—how he could get everything he wanted. But it wouldn’t work. Not this time.
He shook his head. “Not a year. A month.”
She pressed her hands to her hips. She could be just as stubborn as him. “A month isn’t enough time to rearrange the furniture in this office.”
His silver brows rose high on his forehead. “You’re going to change the office? But I love it the way it is—”
“No, I’m not.” She sighed. “That was just a figure of speech. But you know exactly what I mean. I need more than a month. You need more time to recuperate.”
He shook his head. “When you get married, you’re supposed to concentrate on your husband. Not spend all your time in the office.”
“You let me worry about my marriage and my office hours. But since you aren’t interested in negotiating, let’s forget it. I have work to do in my office. It’s time you went home.” She turned for the door, all the while hoping he would stop her. “After all, the doctor hasn’t released you for work.”
She took slow, measured steps to the door. She thought of stopping and speaking to him, but she knew her father was a shrewd poker player. He would see a bluff from a long way off if she wasn’t careful. And it wasn’t truly a bluff. If he went for this deal, she would be getting married. The thought sent dread skittering down her spine. But she would deal with that if or when the time came.
“Okay.�
�� The resigned tone of his voice said that she had won. “Three months.”
She didn’t immediately turn; she hesitated just for a second or two, just like any good negotiator would do. Because he might be her father, but he was a businessman first, last and always.
She needed time to implement her plan to modernize the restaurant chain. She’d already been in talks with various department heads. But it was going to take a long time to give hundreds of restaurants makeovers.
When she faced him, she said, “Six months.” It would give her enough time to firm up a plan and start the renovations on a couple of restaurants—enough to show her father what a difference it would make to their patrons and eventually their bottom line. When he went to negotiate further, she cut him off. “Six months, not a day less, or the deal is null and void. And I want this in writing.”
And then her father smiled. “You do have your father in you. Nicely played. Now who is the man you’ve chosen to marry?”
“All in due time. First, we have a contract to draw up. The rest will follow.”
It was only then that she let the reality of this deal sink in. She was getting married. She was about to marry someone she didn’t love. She was in so much trouble.
Copyright © 2021 by Jennifer F. Stroka
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Caribbean Nights with the Tycoon Page 15