The Wedding Deal

by Duke, Regina

  CHAPTER SIX

  Tony was glad his brother was there. Axel was a calming influence, always had been, and now was no exception. It was also nice to meet someone with similar family issues. But he was having trouble focusing on the conversation. The memory of those fat rubies glittering on the dresser plagued him at every turn, along with the face of the countess.

  She had been a source of amusement when he’d first arrived at the resort. Everyone talked about her when she wasn’t around, and when she was present, no one else got a chance to talk. But by the end of his first week there, her amusement value had worn thin. She liked to hold court among the young men. And when their girlfriends got jealous, she included them in her lobby throne room. Tony figured her pregnancy was caused by one of the dozen or so would-be athletes she flirted with on a daily basis. He wracked his brain for some indication of him being the focus of her attention, but until those last two days, he had steered clear of her annoying demands and avoided her gatherings. He just couldn’t figure her out.

  He felt gentle fingers tickle the back of his hand and realized he’d gotten lost in his own thoughts. Darcy’s expression was one of curious concern. He flashed her a quick smile and forced himself to focus on the company at hand. He still didn’t know her whole story. Hoping to start a conversation, he turned to face her and asked softly, “Besides avoiding your mother, what else sent you to Lulamae’s for refuge?”

  Darcy made a face. “I never thought of it like that, but yeah, you could certainly call her place in Vegas a refuge.” She smiled warmly. “I have to admit, Lulamae is....well, she’s the mother I always wished I had. I’m supposed to be taking care of her, but she keeps cheering me up and telling me things about herself that remind me that everyone has their issues.”

  Axel chimed in. “She has that effect on people. That’s probably why we all fight over her.”

  Darcy raised a brow. “How many of you are related to her?”

  Tony and Axel shared a look of surprise. Tony said, “Um, none of us. She’s just our godmother. Not that there’s anything ‘just’ about Lulamae.”

  Darcy looked amused. “Well, I have to admit, she’s the most active godmother I ever heard of.”

  Axel frowned. “I never thought of it that way. I guess she is. But much more so with the Masters cousins. She was childhood friends with their mother and with Polly Masters—that’s Thor and Uly’s mother. I guess I never thought about how she got to be godmother to all of us. Although...Clayton Masters—he’s Polly’s nephew—Clayton was asking a lot of questions last year before he got sidetracked with Kenzie. Married her, you know. And Lulamae came to the wedding.”

  Tony’s brow furrowed. “Actually...Darcy has a point. How come she knows everything about our families? Humph. I’ll ask her.”

  Axel sounded worried. “Oh I don’t know about that. Maybe we should just leave it lie.”

  Tony was taken aback. “I know I’ve been gone for a while, but when did Lulamae become a sacred cow?”

  Axel laughed it off. “She’s just Lulamae,” he said, giving Tony a warning glance.

  Tony let it drop, but Axel’s reaction just made him more curious. He made a mental note to find some time alone with Lulamae and ask a few questions.

  From the kitchen came a sudden babble of noise, tiny voices wailing in objection to bedtime.

  Darcy whispered, “Did they eat already?”

  Taylor leaned forward on the love seat and whispered back, “Little Freya still gets a bottle at bedtime, but Odin has discovered the power of tantrums.”

  Tony mouthed silently, “Wow.” Then he added softly, “Are you sure you want one of those, Axel?”

  Taylor smirked. “Very funny. We’ll have one of our own, not one of theirs.”

  Tony shook his head, grinning. “Biology is a powerful motivator.”

  * * *

  Darcy leaned back in her chair and amused herself by watching Tony’s muscles move every time he shifted his position on the ottoman. She had to admit he was handsome. Her stomach rumbled. Lunch had been hours ago. While Odin’s tantrum crescendoed, she let her eyes close, thinking of Lulamae and still feeling guilty that she wasn’t sitting by her bed.

  Ashley finally got the kids in bed with Thor’s help. Belle and Uly were in the kitchen, fussing with something. Darcy hoped it was supper. But no joy. When Thor and Ashley returned from the nursery, Belle announced, “Game time! We’re all set up in the kitchen.”

  Darcy suppressed a groan. Game time? She watched Axel and Taylor head for the kitchen. Tony stood up and stretched. Darcy dragged herself off the chair and whispered, “What kind of game?”

  Tony whispered back, “Welcome to my world.”

  The landline rang, and a few moments later, Belle came in, carrying a handset. “Darcy? Lulamae would like to talk to you.” She delivered the phone with a smile.

  Darcy admired Belle’s athletic beauty. She bet no one had ever asked Belle to be in a porn flick. “Thanks, Belle. You look awesome, by the way.”

  Belle leaned close and said, half-teasingly, “Lots of running, and of course, marrying a billionaire helps.” She put her finger to her lips as if it were a big secret, then returned to the kitchen.

  Darcy wasn’t sure how to react to that information, what with Tony standing next to her, so she put the phone to her ear to talk to Lulamae. Tony stayed a couple of feet away but was close enough to listen to Darcy’s end of the conversation.

  “Hello, Mrs. Franklin. How’s everything going?”

  After listening for a couple of minutes, she covered the mouthpiece and spoke to Tony. “I think I need a ride to the hospital. She’s high on pain meds and lonely. Would you mind?”

  “Would I mind missing game time? Hmmm. Let me think for a nanosecond. Thinking done. I’ll tell them we’re leaving early.”

  Darcy squeezed his arm in gratitude as she spoke into the phone. “Mrs. Franklin? I’m actually missing your company, so if it’s okay with you, I’m coming to the hospital for a visit.”

  After five minutes of goodbyes and regrets that they would miss supper, Darcy and Tony finally got into his rental car. “Thanks, Tony. I owe you one.”

  “We’re even, actually. I was hoping we’d figure a way out.”

  Darcy grinned. She was pleased by the word “we,” even though she knew it probably didn’t mean anything except the use of a plural pronoun. It still made her feel good. Less alone. Just like Lulamae wanted to feel. She was even more pleased when Tony insisted on going up to Lulamae’s room with her.

  By the time they arrived at the right floor, Lulamae was sound asleep. They peeked into her room and saw her propped on pillows, snoring very softly with her cellphone clutched in one hand.

  Darcy was touched. She said very quietly, “We should go. We’ll come visit her in the morning.”

  “Great idea,” whispered Tony. They moved silently toward the elevators.

  Once inside, Darcy said, “I hope she’s okay.”

  “They probably gave her something to help her sleep.”

  The ride back to the hotel was a quiet one, but it felt comfortable to Darcy. As Tony came around to open her car door, he said, “I suppose we should get some sleep and figure out what to do with Lulamae tomorrow.”

  Darcy nodded. “Good idea. I’m a bit worn out, trying to keep everybody straight.”

  “I’ll make you a scorecard.”

  Darcy grinned. “Perfect.”

  They said goodnight awkwardly at the elevators. Darcy knew she wanted more, but she wasn’t sure she should be that pushy. Maybe he was just being polite to his godmother’s hired help. So they separated.

  Inside the suite, Darcy was thrilled to find that someone had come in and filled the ice bucket. The fridge under the bar was packed with soft drinks and the shelf behind it was crowded with various liquors. She was tempted to make a screwdriver but she settled for a glass of orange juice. The suite seemed dark and lonely, so she went through and turned on all the lights. T
hat was better, but it reminded her how big the place was. She was still hungry but between the mixed nuts and chocolates and fresh fruit on the bar, she knew she’d survive. Maybe she would check her email and go to bed. She retrieved her computer from her luggage and settled on the big sofa. The drapes were wide open, but the hotel was the tallest building in the area, so no one could see her there unless they rappelled down from the roof. A sliver of rose lined the underside of the clouds to the west, but the color was fleeting. When Darcy could no longer see any distinguishable remnants of the sunset, she opened her laptop.

  “Oh, good grief.” There were thirty emails from her mother. The earliest was from three days ago. She’d been so busy since they got on that plane, she hadn’t even checked. What day was it, anyway? She checked her calendar. Oh my God, this has been the longest Tuesday of my life. She focused on the emails.

  Hello, Dar. It’s your mom. I need to talk to you but your cell phone isn’t working. Can you call me? I need to discuss something with you. It’s fairly urgent.

  Darcy vaguely remembered seeing that one before they left Vegas, but she’d been so swept up in her duties, helping Lulamae, that she just skimmed over it and didn’t answer. She wondered idly how many times in the last month her mother had tried to reach her cell. She hadn’t informed her about not being able to make the monthly payments. She knew two things. One, if she had, her mother would have sent the money. And two, she would hear about it for the rest of her life.

  The next two messages were from Monday.

  I know you’re busy, but any time you can carve out to give me a call would be appreciated. I need a little help with something here.

  Then, I am your mother, Darcy! Please contact me or I will call the Hollywood police department and have them check on you.

  That gave Darcy pause. It would be so typical of her mother to do something like that. She braced herself as she moved on through the list of messages. The last three were all from Tuesday morning.

  Can’t wait any longer. I am on my way. Must speak to you. It’s urgent.

  On her way? To where? Darcy wasn’t in Hollywood anymore.

  In the car, making good time.

  And finally, Glad I had the car tuned up. See you soon.

  Darcy was certain her mother was on a wild goose chase to look for her in Hollywood. Her next email would probably be filled with anger when she discovered that Darcy had left town. The whole rant had filled her with nervous energy. Would she be forced to admit to her mother that she had failed at her goals in Hollywood? That thought made her cringe. The beauty of the luxury suite offered no consolation. She decided she was too wide awake to go to bed. Instead, she grabbed her purse and headed downstairs to the cocktail lounge outside the Il Vaccaro, the Cattleman’s prize-winning restaurant. She wasn’t craving alcohol, just a dark room with other human beings where she could sit in anonymity for an hour.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Tony paced around his room, trying to quiet his mind. He’d known his first day back would be a whirlwind of relatives and I-told-you-so lectures. He had not expected, however, to meet a stunningly attractive woman he couldn’t stop thinking about. And the countess’s little prank had truly angered him. Where did she get off hiding jewelry in his luggage? What if he’d been searched at Customs? What if he’d been arrested for smuggling?

  He shuddered at the thought. He sat down and opened his laptop, then changed his mind. The last thing he wanted to see was a string of emails from Lysette. What a disaster she was! Even worse, what if his father had taken up his annoying old song-and-dance about doing something with his life? He shook his head in disgust and closed the laptop without checking his mail.

  His ultra-comfortable accommodations felt suddenly claustrophobic. He wondered what Darcy was doing and whether she would be alarmed if he knocked on her door.

  “For Pete’s sake,” he muttered. “I need a beer.” He shoved his room key in a back pocket and headed for the elevators.

  As he walked into the Il Vaccaro lounge, he found himself scanning the room for any sign of Darcy. Nope. What did he expect? She was far too beautiful to hang out in a bar—even a classy upscale lounge like this one—without suffering a dozen unwanted propositions. He took a seat at the end of the bar, on a highly polished wooden stool with a low back, and ordered a beer. One of the televisions behind the bar had a spring training game on, and for the first time since he’d left home two years ago, he felt a pang of homesickness. Baseball was not a big deal in Europe, and there weren’t any Major League teams over there. He smiled to himself as one of his fondest memories of Lulamae floated through his mind. It was his tenth birthday, and he was at boarding school. She had flown in with an entire birthday party, much to the approval of his classmates. She’d brought him a baseball, a glove, a bat, and a Triple A player to show him how to use them. It was one of the greatest days of his life.

  His smile faded. Lulamae looked so fragile now. He supposed his father was aging as well. Had he also mellowed a bit? He sipped his beer, and the cold bitter bubbles attacked his tongue. As he reached for a handful of peanuts, his gaze left the TV and swept about the room. When he saw Darcy at the entrance, he nearly fell off the barstool. By the time he pulled himself together and started walking in her direction, four other guys had already gravitated toward her.

  “Hey, sweetheart, you shouldn’t be here all alone,” said one.

  Another asked, “Wanna dance?”

  The other two, who appeared to be twins, asked in unison, “What will you give us for free drinks all night?”

  Behind them, Tony’s voice was deep and threatening as he growled, “A running start.” A moment later he had slipped his arm around Darcy’s waist and pulled her against him. “Get lost, losers.”

  Darcy looked impressed as the other men shrank back, then moved away.

  Tony felt a swagger coming on. “This is a pleasant surprise,” he said. “I never figured you for a nightcap kind of girl.”

  Her reaction was not what he’d hoped for. She yanked his hand away from her waist. “I’m a woman. And don’t pretend you own me,” she said coldly. Then her expression warmed a bit. “Nice line, though.”

  Tony smiled. “Thanks.”

  “How many times have you used it?”

  He was crestfallen. “I’ll have you know that you are the only woman I’ve ever met who deserved a line of that caliber.”

  Darcy looked pleased. “Okay. Mind if I join you?”

  “I’d be delighted.” He took a moment to ask her what she’d like to drink, signaled the bartender, then steered her toward an empty booth. She slid in, and he slid in beside her. A moment later, a waitress delivered a tall glass filled with ice and Coke.

  For a moment, he thought she might scoot away, but to his delight, she actually leaned into him.

  “It was probably the best line any guy ever used on me,” she said. He could have sworn she was flirting, but then again, she was so darn beautiful, he figured it might be wishful thinking.

  “I’m glad you liked it.”

  “What would you have done if they’d stood their ground?” she asked, tilting her head at an especially delicious angle.

  “I would have…” He thought about telling a grand lie, but one look from Darcy and he knew that wouldn’t fly. “I would have asked the bartender to dial 911.”

  She laughed, giving him a flash of pearly white teeth in the glimmer of light from the table candle. “Good choice,” she said. “I’d hate for one of them to ruin that perfect jawline.”

  Tony settled against the back of the booth and allowed himself the luxury of believing her compliment. “So,” he said, deliberately using an old cliché, “what’s a nice girl—I mean, woman—like you doing in a place like this?”

  “The truth? I was too wound up to sleep. Emails from my mother.”

  “Ah. Well, you did better than I did. I lost my nerve and decided I needed a beer before checking my mail.”

  Darcy began to
relax as well. “What were you thinking about down here all alone?”

  “You.”

  She dipped her chin to hide her face, but he could tell she was pleased. Then that nagging need for honesty hit him again.

  “And Lulamae.”

  Darcy laughed softly. “You really know how to impress a woman, don’t you? At least it wasn’t that freaky countess.”

  Tony chuckled. “She’s what drove me here,” he said. “Say, would you like to dance? I spotted a lovely retro jukebox over against the wall.”

  Darcy mellowed even more. “I’d love to dance.”

  “I’ll be right back.” He jingled his pocket change and moved over to the machine. A few moments later, he was back at the booth, holding out a hand. “Shall we?”

  The classic strains of the old rock-and-roll ballad You Don’t Own Me crooned through the room. Darcy said warmly, “Excellent choice. I wonder what made you think of it?”

  Tony tried to be cool, but he couldn’t help grinning like a seventh grader as he pulled her gently onto the dance floor. They swayed wordlessly together, sharing the rhythm of the song and letting themselves move closer, until Tony was guiding her with hands at her back and her arms were draped around his neck.

  When the song ended, Darcy said, “I feel sixteen again.”

  Tony feigned disappointment. “Does that mean you have a curfew?”

  Darcy laughed. “Pick another song, Mr. Garrison.”

  Tony returned to the juke box and fed more coins into the slot. When he came back to Darcy on the dance floor, Elvis was crooning the first line of Lonely Street.

  Darcy smiled up at him, and the stars in her eyes filled him with a warmth he’d never found in front of a ski lodge fireplace. By the end of the second song, others had joined them on the dance floor and Tony decided it was too crowded, so they returned to their booth.