The Belated Billionaire

by Elana Johnson

  And this was a very hard thing for him.

  “Oh,” she said, pure surprise in her voice. “I wasn’t expecting any of that.”

  “I know,” he said. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I’m so glad you answered this time.” He wasn’t accusing her of anything, but he realized how his sentence sounded after he’d said it. “Anyway, can I maybe stop by later and tell you more?”

  “Yes,” she said quietly, and more relief than Theo had ever felt moved through him. “We’re not going anywhere today.”

  “Great,” he said, feeling like he could end the call with I love you and be speaking the truth. Instead, he said, “I’ll be in touch.”

  With his coffee brewed and full of sugar, he headed back upstairs with five minutes to spare before the announcement, hoping he wasn’t about to lose everything in a thirty-second press conference.

  Fifteen

  Katie sat on the couch, looking at Theo’s handsome face and silver hair in a photo as the reporter talked about him. It felt surreal to hear his name and what he’d accomplished from the television when she knew so much more of the man behind the app, behind the face.

  She exhaled, and her breath came out shaky, testifying of her nerves. Claire sat right beside her, and her hand around Katie’s tightened.

  “Let’s go live to Boston now,” the female reporter said. “Where the Chief of Police, Lars Wisehour, is ready with a statement.”

  A burly, broad-shouldered man who looked like he’d dealt with more than his fair share of criminals filled the screen. He wore his full uniform, the hat included, and looked directly at the camera with his dark brown eyes.

  “Good evening,” he said. “On behalf of the entire police department here in Boston, we want everyone to know that we take every complaint brought to our officers very seriously. We have an entire unit devoted to Internet and web-based crimes, and we follow every lead until an appropriate decision can be made. Several days ago, on Monday, November twelfth, a complaint was logged about an assault. We will not give the details of any open case, but we quickly learned that this alleged assault happened as a result of two people of appropriate age using an app called Boston People & Singles.”

  He paused and looked down at the podium. A moment later, he focused on the crowd again. “We’re currently in the course of investigating and expect all citizens to cooperate fully. We contacted the developer of the app and have a statement from Theodore Fleming, who currently resides in Getaway Bay, Hawaii.” He cleared his throat and looked to his side, then stepped away from the mic so another tall, wide man could take his place.

  “Good evening,” he said, purely professional. Katie wondered if police officers had to take public relations courses. “This is the statement we received from Mister Fleming, less than an hour ago.” He lifted a paper but didn’t really look at it before starting to speak again.

  “Singles Network and any of its variations have never condoned or encouraged inappropriate behavior by any user. Those who choose to use the app should understand that it only operates based on what it’s given, and that other users could potentially lie about who they are, where they live, how old they are, or any number of other items. Singles Network hopes, encourages, and has warning statements at the signup of the app that all users will be honest in all things, and use the app for its true purpose: to find a relationship worth living in for the rest of your life. Any use of the app for anything other than that, or to commit any type of crime, is illegal and will not be tolerated by our company or police departments across the globe. We express our condolences in this case and hope a resolution can be reached without further damage to any party.”

  The man stopped talking, and Katie realized she hadn’t blinked in quite a long time. “That sounded so official.”

  “So smart,” Claire agreed.

  “Thank you,” the man said. “There will be no questions, as this is an active case.”

  Reporters began to shout anyway, and the feed continued as the female reporter started talking over the video. “Theodore Fleming, owner and CEO of Singles Network, as well as two other web development companies, is said to be worth eight-point-two billion dollars, and his popular app bringing people and places together to make a love connection is used in two hundred and four cities across the country, by over twelve million people.”

  Claire said, “Wow. This could be bad for him.”

  Katie’s insides felt like someone had encased them in gelatin and then kept flicking them, making them quake and shake. “He’s coming over later.” Her voice sounded like she’d swallowed something too big and had scraped her throat. “I feel so bad for him.”

  “Eight-point-two billion dollars,” Claire said. “What does that much money even look like?”

  Katie swung her head toward her best friend, who clicked off the TV before meeting Katie’s eye. She dissolved into giggles, and Katie couldn’t help joining her. She wasn’t happily laughing, but it did release some of her pent-up nerves.

  “I haven’t been responding to him,” she said, sudden guilt gutting her. “He’s called and texted a bunch of times since Wednesday.”

  “You’ve always been so stubborn.” Claire stood up. “Does he have any brothers? Friends?”

  Katie got up and followed her into the kitchen. “What about you and Chuck?”

  “He seems to care more about deep sea fishing than me.” Claire shrugged, but her eyes were bright and a bit nervous. “Or he’s at work. It just…it wasn’t working. I broke up with him last night.”

  “Oh, honey.” Katie went around the counter and wrapped her friend in a hug. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Oh, you know.” Claire sniffed and held on tight to Katie’s shoulders. “I feel kind of stupid. We’ve been together for a long time, and I guess I just thought maybe we’d get back together.”

  “Do you want to get back together with Chuck?”

  Claire thought about it for a moment. “No. Not really.”

  “Well, Theo does have a friend. His name’s Ben, and I guess he’s like CEO number two or something.”

  “What does he look like?”

  “I haven’t met him.” Katie opened the fridge though she wasn’t hungry. She closed it again and got out ice cream. “This is what we need. Then we can plot how I’m going to deal with Theo tonight, and how you’re going to charm Ben until he walks you down the aisle.”

  Claire rolled her eyes, but Katie got out two spoons and handed on to her friend. Nothing was established, though, except the fact that she ate more calories in that hour than she had all week.

  When Theo texted to ask if now was a good time for him to come, Katie still had no solutions for her feelings. And when he showed up on her front porch and Heather launched herself at him and hugged him around the waist for a full minute, Katie simply watched, knowing if things didn’t work out with Theo, she’d be dealing with two broken hearts.

  “I have a painting in an art show soon,” Heather said, looking up at him. “Will you come?”

  “Yeah, sure,” he said, grinning down at her.

  She ran off with, “Thanks, Theo! I’m going to watch videos in my room.”

  “Hey,” he said once he and Katie were alone. He looked exhausted, his suit more rumpled than usual, and a lock of hair completely out of place.

  “Come in,” Katie said. “When’s the last time you ate?”

  “I don’t know, honestly.” He stepped into her house, and then right into her arms. “I’ve missed you so much,” he said into her neck, and she simply held him for a few moments.

  She stepped back and cleared her throat. “Well, we ordered pizza tonight, and there’s plenty still sitting on the counter.” She led the way down the hall and sat at the bar with him while he picked up four slices of pizza.

  He ate through one before asking, “Did you watch it?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “No charges have been filed,” he said. “Maybe nothing else wil
l come of it. How was our statement?”

  “Brilliant,” she said. “Very official.”

  “Thanks. I wrote some of it. Ben polished it up.”

  Katie thought about mentioning Claire but decided it wasn’t a good time. She just nodded while he took another bite of pizza.

  When the tension between them felt like it might break, she said, “I’m sorry I haven’t been responding. I…I got my feelings hurt when you didn’t show up for our meeting.”

  He swung his attention toward her. “Is that what it was? I’ve been racking my brain all week, trying to figure out what I did wrong.”

  “I don’t think you have time to work on my website and app.”

  He sighed, regret filling those beautiful eyes. “I probably don’t.”

  “Then don’t,” she said. “And just say so. I asked you a bunch of times. You said it was okay.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, the apology she’d wanted on Wednesday finally coming out. “I should’ve said so. Things just got messed up this week, and….” He gazed at her, tipping forward. “I’m sorry.” His last apology came out in a whisper, and it completely melted Katie’s heart.

  She leaned forward to close the distance between them, giving him a quick kiss. “Okay, so, are you too busy to come to Thanksgiving dinner next week?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Katie, it’s Thanksgiving.” He looked at her, those blue eyes firing with emotion now. “I’ll be here. Ben will be here. He’s even bringing that potato casserole of his mother’s.”

  “Okay,” she said, wanting to put all her faith and trust in the two of them. “We’re eating at one o’clock. Come any time.”

  “What’s Heather making?”

  “The mashed potatoes and gravy,” Katie said, glad they’d moved on to a safer conversation topic. “And the yams. Claire’s making the rolls. I’m doing the turkey—very American, I know. And one of my ladies is bringing some traditional Hawaiian poi and poke. And another one is bringing sushi as an appetizer.”

  “How many of us will be there?”

  “Uh, Claire just broke up with Chuck, so he’s not coming. Opens the door for Ben,” Katie sing-songed and nudged Theo, who finally smiled like he was alive. “Eight, I think. Me and Heather. You and Ben. Claire. And three ladies from work: Rhonda, Cicily, and Lace.”

  “Sounds nice,” he said, and he left the rest of his pizza on the counter and headed for the back door. She went with him, glancing behind her as she left the house to make sure Heather wasn’t following. She’d gone into her bedroom when Theo had opted for the pizza.

  She sat with Theo in the swing, feeling cherished when he laid his head on her shoulder and fell asleep. It was the perfect evening, with the almost-perfect man, and Katie was glad she’d confessed to him why she’d gone silent.

  Now she could focus on the upcoming meal and making sure everyone had a good Thanksgiving.

  The timer went off on the oven, indicating the rolls were done. “Can you grab that?” Heather asked, shifting to the side so Katie could open the oven and she could keep whisking the gravy. “This is almost done, and I don’t want it to burn.”

  Katie pulled the rolls out and set them on a couple of counter savers on the island. “Claire, you can butter these.”

  Everyone had arrived for the feast and now it was just a matter of getting all the pieces in place. Theo had carved the turkey, and it waited covered with aluminum foil, for everything else to be finished.

  The sushi appetizers had been a big hit—not with Katie, as she didn’t particularly enjoy raw fish, but with everyone else. Theo and Ben had arrived about ten, and Ben and Claire had been making eyes at each other for hours.

  Katie wouldn’t be surprised if her best friend got the man’s number before the day was over, and a rush of gratitude for her life and happiness that she could afford to have people over for this meal had been surging all morning.

  “Yams are done,” she said, ticking things off on her fingers. “Rolls, potatoes, turkey, the casserole Ben brought, poke, poi, and the salad.” She turned back to the stove, where four dirty pots were stacked. “We’re just waiting on the gravy.”

  “It’s done,” Heather announced, and she moved the gravy boat closer to the stove. “I need you to pour it.”

  Katie did, then put it on the counter with all the other food, grabbed a plate with butter on it, and put the salt and pepper shakers beside all of that. “Okay,” she called. “We’re ready. Can someone go grab the people outside?”

  Cicily moved over to the door and motioned for those that had gone out there to come in. Theo, Ben, Lace, and Rhonda squeezed their way inside, and Katie’s eyes caught on Theo’s. She’d never in a million years thought she’d be celebrating another holiday with him. Thought that opportunity had sailed many years ago.

  He smiled at her, seemingly thinking the same thing, and tucked his hands in his pockets. He wore a pair of khaki shorts and a festive, pumpkin-colored polo, making himself look relaxed and delicious at the same time.

  “Okay,” she said, pulling her gaze from him. “Thank you all for coming. It’s so good to have you here.” Her voice caught on the last word. “I know what it’s like to be far from family at special times, and I just want you to know I think of all of you as family.” She looked at every one of them, even Ben who she’d just met hours before.

  She could see why he and Theo got along so well. Ben had a quick smile and he’d obviously interacted with a lot of people in his lifetime. He was much younger than Theo, and Theo claimed he kept him relevant.

  How much younger? Katie had been allowed to text Theo while he stood five feet from her, and he’d said Ben was thirty-four. Katie had spent the next couple of hours while bread rose and turkey roasted whispering to Claire every time she passed her that forty-one was not too old for a thirty-four-year-old boyfriend.

  Lace had agreed, and she’d promised she’d start feeling Ben out to see if he was looking for a date.

  “Claire is going to say grace,” Katie said. “And then I’ll go over the food.” She folded her arms and smiled at Heather as her daughter stepped beside her. Claire said a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving, and then Katie pointed to the end of the counter.

  “Take whatever you want. There’s a big table outside, and we can all fit there.” She smiled. “The turkey was stuffed with sausage stuffing, and that’s here.” She pointed to the mixture Lace had brought over early that morning and helped her stuff into the bird before Katie had slid it into the oven. “And there’s cans of soda in the cooler on the deck. And bottles of lemonade. And a big jug of ice water.” She beamed around at everyone, glad they’d gotten all the details done and it was barely after one o’clock.

  “All right,” she said when no one moved. “Don’t be shy.”

  Lace walked forward with, “I’m starving, I’ll go first,” which broke the ice. Everyone fell into line after that, and Katie stayed back to watch them. She twisted into Theo’s body when he put his arm around her, and she went with him when it was finally their turn to get food.

  “This all looks great,” he said. “Last year, I ate at the Sweet Breeze buffet.”

  “Oh, I’ve heard of that,” Katie said. “Is it good?”

  “Yeah, it was really great.” Theo glanced at her for a long moment, clearly deciding something. “I’m friends with the owner. They let me sit with their family.”

  Of course he knew Fisher DuPont. It seemed the man was surrounded by wealth at every turn, and besides, everyone in Getaway Bay knew who Fisher was. He’d come to Getaway Bay about six years ago and completely transformed the tourist industry. More people on the island meant the economy stayed up, and a lot of people had benefitted from his huge resort and spa, even if they’d been concerned about it in the beginning.

  “I know his wife,” she said, wanting to put in her claim to fame too. “She contracts us to clean her bed and breakfast. I send three ladies
there every afternoon.” It was actually one of Katie’s greatest accomplishments, and she wanted to get into more Mom and Pop businesses like Stacey’s.

  But her growth had exploded, and she’d barely been able to keep up with the residential work she had.

  “Oh, that’s great,” Theo said. “I should hire you to come clean my place.” He chuckled, but Katie seized onto his statement.

  “I can do that. The office too. I noticed it had a weird smell when I was there.”

  Theo paused. “A weird smell?”

  Katie giggled at the concerned look on his face. “Yes, sir. You definitely need a maid.”

  He realized she was teasing him, and he smiled too. “Good thing I know where to find the best maid on the island.” He nodded for her to go first through the back door, and she found that Claire had saved two spots for her and Theo right at the end of the table.

  Ben sat next to her, and Lace across from her, so the conversation would never stop. Katie felt a rush of affection for her friends as she sat down, giving them both a warm smile she hoped would convey how she felt about them.

  “So maybe don’t eat that potato casserole,” Ben said.

  “Why not?” Katie had taken a big scoop of it to show her support. She forked up a bite and put it in her mouth.

  “It’s so salty,” Ben said. “I don’t know what I did wrong.”

  Katie didn’t want to spit out the offending food, but it was the saltiest thing she’d ever eaten. She forced herself to swallow it and put a smile on her face. “Seems like maybe you put too much salt in it.”

  Theo started laughing, and Katie nudged him. “Be nice.”

  “Dude, you said you could cook.” He continued laughing, and when Ben joined in, Katie pushed her casserole to the edge of her plate.

  “Claire’s good with casseroles,” Katie said. “I bet if she looked at the recipe, she could help you with it.”

  “Funny,” Ben said. “Lace said the exact same thing.”