The Organized Bride (Billionaire Marriage Brokers Book 2)

by McConnell, Lucy

  MaKayla met a few new people and had lunch at a trendy restaurant with Susan, head of the fundraising department for St. Anthony’s Hospital. Every year, the hospital held a Christmas ball to raise funds for new equipment and research, and Gabe was always heavily involved. This year the task fell to MaKayla, and she found that she was looking forward to it. A ball was a grand affair and the budget had plenty of room for her imagination to run wild.

  The theme, Winter Wonderland, had been selected back in April, but only the preliminary work, like arranging for the venue, caterers, and the band, had been done.

  “To tell you the truth, I was overwhelmed with the haunted house we did to raise money for the children’s wing, and I haven’t given this much thought.”

  MaKayla waved away Susan’s concern. “We should have this knocked out before dessert arrives.”

  Susan blinked. “There’s more to it than just throwing up some streamers and blowing up balloons.”

  “I didn’t mean to minimize the importance of the evening. I just meant that with your understanding of the hospital’s goals and the image they want to portray and my experience with these types of events, we should be able to take care of this in no time.”

  Susan gave her an icy stare as the waiter deposited their salads. “Where does Gabe find his event planners?”

  MaKayla’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth. “Excuse me?”

  “First he sends in Natasha, a woman who wouldn’t know a ball from a barn dance, and now you come along thinking this will be as easy as prom.” She pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. “If he wasn’t such a huge contributor to the hospital, I’d ask to just plan the thing myself instead of babysitting Gabe’s latest girlfriend.”

  MaKayla felt like the waiter had poured her water glass over her head. Several questions screamed for attention, not the least of which was, who was Natasha? Did Gabe always have his girlfriends do this job? If so, why had he bothered to marry her; why not just get another girlfriend? A strange sensation rose up from deep inside. Jealousy? On a conscious level, MaKayla had no reason to be jealous of this Natasha person. On an only slightly subconscious level, she wanted to tear through the woman and send her screaming. Her reaction was completely unjustified based on the sparse information available and MaKayla shook with the effort to control it.

  Instead of pressing for information about Gabe’s personal life, she focused on the other issues. Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she pasted on her professional smile. “I assure you I will not need babysitting. I have five years’ experience coordinating large events, some of them much more detailed than the hospital’s ball, not to mention a degree in public relations and a minor in business.”

  Susan smirked. “But you are sleeping with him, aren’t you.”

  MaKayla ground her teeth together. “I married him.”

  Susan laughed. “Good job landing that one. Natasha tried for years to get a ring. How long did it take you?”

  “That is none of your business.” MaKayla pushed aside her salad plate, still full, and pulled her iPad closer. “Now, if we want to create a true winter wonderland, we will need ice sculptures.” She pulled out a floor plan on the space they were using for the ball. She’d sketched in the band, the food tables, the bar, and seating for those who weren’t dancing. “I think we should have at least three: one here, here, and here.”

  Susan leaned over her salad to inspect the schematic. “Aren’t ice sculptures expensive?”

  “Some are. I have a contact who may be willing to do them pro bono for this event.” Had Susan been at all friendly, MaKayla would have told her that the man had undergone open heart surgery and two months later was able to hold his first grandchild thanks to the surgeons at the hospital, but she didn’t feel at all chummy toward the highbrow drama queen and decided to keep her contacts to herself.

  “Then I guess it would be all right,” Susan conceded.

  “Good. Next, I’d like to do backdrops behind the food tables. This particular location has tan walls and icy blue backdrops will bring in the colors of winter. We should put up old-fashioned street lamps along with the snow-covered trees; maybe go with a Narnia type of wonderland with all the magical feelings instead of the traditional eighteenth century look.”

  “Do you want us to have centaurs for waiters?”

  MaKayla completely ignored Susan’s sarcastic tone. “It’s a good idea, but I couldn’t justify the costume expense. Fairy wings would be too juvenile. Let’s think on that one, shall we?”

  She continued to take control, pushing each new thought forward and not letting Susan catch up. When they were done, she handed Susan a to-do list and pointed to her own. “Let’s have these done by next Monday. We should meet again for lunch, don’t you think?”

  Susan gave her a guarded look as the waiter appeared.

  MaKayla gave him the only genuine smile she’d used since lunch started and said, “We’d like separate checks, please.”

  Chapter 17

  When the elevator doors slid open, MaKayla found David waiting for her with a cup of mint tea and a stack of checks from accounting that she needed to sign. Taking the tea, she asked, “How did you know?”

  “Na— I mean, some people have a hard time with Susan. She’s efficient—and a total—” He looked at her and clapped his hands. She could see the moment he decided not to finish that thought. “How’d it go?”

  MaKayla’s hands had started shaking the minute she slid into the back seat of her hired car. Dealing with hostile clients was one thing, but she was used to the people she worked with being cooperative—the personality trait usually went with the job.

  The whole Natasha thing had thrown her off too. Whatever had happened between her and Gabe was between the two of them. Just because MaKayla and Gabe were married didn’t mean they had to disclose their past relationships. If they’d married for love, sure, that information would and should be shared. But they didn’t marry for love, they married for opportunity.

  Tonight was her and Gabe’s standing date night. He’d recommended they go out, and MaKayla quickly agreed. There would be much less opportunity for slipping up while in public. Once she got home, she would barricade herself in her room and devour one of the books on her shelf. In the meantime, she should review the checks and make sure they went out with the five o’clock mail.

  “It went fine. I have a list of general to-dos I need to go over with you when you have a minute. Nothing big.”

  “I live to serve.” David bowed.

  MaKayla rolled her eyes before settling in at her desk, and pulled out the files she’d need to verify the check amounts and recipients. As she popped the lid off her highlighter, she noticed David hesitating in her doorway. She looked beyond him to Gabe’s closed door and wondered whether he was in a meeting or out. “Was there something else?”

  David ran his thumb down the doorjamb and wouldn’t look at her. “Have you talked to Brooke lately?”

  MaKayla hid her smile and logged in to her computer. “We spent some time together on Sunday. Why?”

  “I just wondered if she said anything about anything.”

  Guys were so cute when they were trying to act tough. “I forgot to ask her, but I wondered how studying went.”

  “It was good.” He walked a few feet into the office. “I mean the studying was intense, but she’s super smart.” Scratching the back of his head, he muttered, “Maybe too smart.”

  MaKayla’s heart went out to David. He must really like Brooke if he was willing to embarrass himself like this. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, she’s going to be this awesome lawyer and I … I’m nothing to look down on, I’m just not a lawyer.”

  MaKayla laughed. “David, she’s been surrounded by men who want to be lawyers for years. I would think that if she wanted a lawyer, she’d have one by now.”

  David cocked his head to the side. “You think?”

  “Yep.”

  He went
to leave, but stopped at the door. “By the way, I didn’t think of the tea. Gabe did. He would have been there, but his meeting is running long. He texted me with instructions to have it ready for you when you got back. The jerk made me stand by the elevator for ten minutes to make sure I was there when you got off.”

  MaKayla’s heart did a funny little hop-skip. Even in the middle of his hectic day, Gabe had found a way to take care of her. She decided she liked his form of micromanaging. “Thanks.”

  “Yeah.” David left with a skip in his step.

  Sipping her tea, MaKayla pulled out her phone to send a text to Gabe. She didn’t want to bother him, but had a strange need to connect on some level. She’d keep it business. Nothing mushy or flirty. Five drafts later, she hit send. Thanks for the tea—just what I needed.

  There. Done. Now she could get to work. Setting her phone on her desk, she picked up the first check in the stack. She had just found the charity on the recipient’s list when her phone beeped. Dropping both papers, she scrambled to press the green button.

  You’re welcome.

  It wasn’t much, but the fact that he answered so quickly meant that he dropped what he was doing, or who he was talking to, so he could answer her. She wanted to send another one, but held back. She couldn’t be a distraction for Gabe; she’d promised. Instead of texting, she sipped her tea and dived into her work.

  A couple minutes later, she leaned back and threw down her pen in frustration. She couldn’t focus. Who was this Natasha woman and why did a couple of offhanded comments about her get under MaKayla’s skin?

  It was obvious that Gabe had a history with this woman. Was it unrequited love? A quick romance? Or had they been together for years, and she broke Gabe’s heart? Is that why he signed up with BMB? To get over Natasha?

  MaKayla pressed her lips together. Gabe hadn’t kissed her like a man in love with someone else. She pushed thoughts of their kiss away with all her might. If she started down that road, she could not be held accountable for her actions. She needed to keep her mind focused. Snatching her highlighter, she forced herself to think about checks and signatures and donations and not about ex-girlfriends and gravity-shifting kisses.

  Chapter 18

  Gabe finished his order and handed his menu to the server. The restaurant was a simple one, family-owned and -operated. They served burgers of all kinds along with oversized salads and fries.

  Gabe could have taken MaKayla to an expensive restaurant with candlelight and a live pianist. But those places were for romantic couples celebrating anniversaries or getting engaged, and Gabe’s thoughts didn’t need any romantic encouragement. He could honestly say he was doing everything in his power to stick to their bargain, including picking the most unromantic restaurant in town.

  For her part, MaKayla didn’t seem to mind. She’d ordered a burger slathered in horseradish, which surprised Gabe. Didn’t most women enjoy salads? Of course, MaKayla wasn’t like most women. In fact, she wasn’t like any other woman he’d ever met, and it was killing him not to reach across the table and take her hand. Especially since she seemed to have withdrawn into a shell. She’d hardly spoken to him on the ride over and had only offered brief smiles as they decided what to order. There was no flirting, laughing, or playfulness about MaKayla tonight. Gabe decided it was somehow his fault. Maybe he could pull her out of that shell.

  Taking a large gulp of ice water helped shock his system so he could think clearly. Change your thoughts, change your focus. What’s important? The Center and the race. Relieved to find something safe to discuss, Gabe asked, “We’ve only got a couple weeks until Thanksgiving. What’s going on with the race?”

  MaKayla brightened a bit, and Gabe felt his shoulders relax. They were on safe ground.

  “We are on our way to a record number of participants.”

  “That’s fantastic. How did you do that?”

  “The additional advertising with local business helped. I’ve lined up a few radio interviews for next week. The shows are already talking about it, so that helps. And I’ve pulled a few strings to get some of my old contacts from the hotel to sponsor their employees.”

  Gabe shifted in his seat. He’d worked so hard to avoid a scandal with Natasha that the thought of one with MaKayla and the hotel terrified him. “I thought you couldn’t contact hotel clients?”

  “I can’t contact them for event planning. There’s nothing prohibiting me from using my email list for a charity event.”

  “So it’s on the up-and-up.”

  MaKayla scowled. “Of course.”

  Their food arrived, and they took a moment to get situated. “What about that list I sent you for corporate sponsors who would match donations?”

  MaKayla finished chewing and set her burger down. Gabe regretted asking her. He should have let her eat before jumping back into work. If he kept pestering her, she’d never finish her meal.

  “Three of them agreed—with a cap.”

  “What does that mean?”

  MaKayla sighed. “It means they’ll match donations up to a certain point. It’s a safety measure on their part.”

  “You don’t seem happy about it.”

  “It makes it hard to use it as an encouragement for people to sign up. If Downton Inc. will only match up to five-thousand dollars, people think their entrance fee doesn’t count.”

  “Then you’ll have to find someone to match it all.”

  MaKayla pushed her plate away. “I’m working on it.”

  “You’ll have to schmooze more.” He lifted his glass. “You know how to schmooze, don’t you?”

  MaKayla rolled her eyes. “I think I can figure it out.”

  He set his glass down without taking a drink. “This is important, MaKayla.”

  “I know,” she said quietly.

  Gabe crumpled his paper napkin. “I’m not sure you understand.” MaKayla’s jaw clenched, but Gabe continued on, his voice rising. “If we can get the funds, The Center will be able to help hundreds of kids who have suffered from abuse. They’re victims! Forced to struggle through the hardest years of development with a horrible secret. It needs to stop. I’ve worked my tail off to get this charity off the ground, and this race is essential. It needs one hundred percent of your efforts. You don’t ‘try.’ You don’t ‘figure it out.’ You do, and you do it well. I can’t have another failure on my hands; it’s too important.”

  MaKayla’s hands clenched into fists. “I don’t know what failure you’re talking about, but it wasn’t mine, and I don’t appreciate getting yelled at for something I didn’t do. I’ve given nothing but one hundred percent since the day I started.” She stood up and grabbed her purse off the back of her chair.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Home. I have work to do.”

  “I drove.” Gabe had the keys in his pocket.

  “Brooke’s apartment isn’t far. I’ll get a ride.” She left without looking back.

  Gabe, stranded at the table by himself, rubbed his face with his hands. Once again, his past had overwhelmed his better judgment. MaKayla was right. She’d given nothing but her best, and it was always excellent. If she said she tried, it meant she went ten steps beyond what anyone else would do. He should have given her more credit. He shouldn’t have yelled.

  He glanced at her hamburger. And he should have let her finish eating.

  “Can I get this to go?” Gabe asked the server. MaKayla might be hungry later, and he’d need a peace offering.

  ***

  MaKayla swiped the moisture from her eyes as she crossed the street. Brooke’s apartment was only a block away. Hopefully she was home.

  After half a block, her angry tears dried up, though her frustration stayed. She knocked on Brooke’s door and stepped back.

  The door swung open. Brooke took one look at MaKayla’s watery eyes and pulled her in for a hug. “What did he do?” she asked.

  For just a moment, MaKayla regretted coming. Brooke was as overprotective as
sisters come, and she’d hate Gabe forever if he broke MaKayla’s heart.

  “Stupid guy stuff,” answered MaKayla.

  Brook pulled her into the apartment and shut the door. “Spill.”

  MaKayla let the story tumble out, her hands shaking. “It just makes me so mad. I’ve done nothing to warrant that kind of treatment.”

  Brooke took MaKayla’s hand and smoothed out her tight fingers. “Anger is an emotion that covers other emotions. What are you really feeling?”

  MaKayla glared at Brooke. “Sometimes I hate that you’re so smart. Can’t I just be angry?”

  Brooke smirked. “You’ll feel better when you deal with the real thing.”

  MaKayla folded her arms and sat on the bed. With a sigh, she explained as much as she could about Natasha.

  Brooke nodded. “Ah, so it’s jealousy, which stems from insecurities. Why do you feel insecure with Gabe?”

  MaKayla squeezed her eyes shut. “Are you sure you’re going for a law degree? You’d make a great shrink.”

  “Avoiding the question.”

  “Yep.” MaKayla jumped to her feet. “And I’m going to avoid it all the way home. I need a ride.”

  Brooke shook her head but grabbed her keys. “When you’re ready to face it, let me know.”

  Makayla brooded in the passenger seat. Brooke turned the radio up and let her stew. She was such a great sister.

  The only explanation for Gabe’s outburst could be his past with Natasha. What had that woman done to the man? Whatever it was, it left behind some serious scars. Still, MaKayla felt like she was missing something else. There was more to this than an ex-girlfriend. It irked her that Gabe wouldn’t confide in her.

  Brooke dropped her off with a hug and a “you can get through this.” Entering through the front door, MaKayla was surprised to see Gabe sitting in the entryway. “Hi,” she said.

  “Hey.” He held up a white box. “You didn’t finish and I thought you might be hungry.”