by Ellie Hall
She returned home in a bit of a gummy-kneed daze. She went over to the office to give him an earful and instead had fallen into his arms. Coconut Cove Café and Blue Bay Beach didn’t stand a chance if she gave in so easily.
As the following week passed with him absent and out of town, she talked herself into going to the gala, but once there, she’d out Rhodes and tell everyone, including Memaw, the truth.
Chapter 10
Rhodes
After a long week spent in meetings, facing a surprising amount of opposition, and at risk of shelling out more money than he ever had before, Rhodes stood outside Billie’s house. He’d hired a crew to get started fixing things, but she’d sent them away. She certainly didn’t make things easy, but he’d never gone for easy. He preferred a challenge. Except the situation between them was more than that. Much more.
He knocked on the door and Betty answered. “Oh, dear, your chariot awaits,” she singsonged.
From behind a door on the far side of the small house, he heard the murmuring of several voices he’d come to recognize as the girls from the restaurant—Claudia and Eisley.
“It’s too fancy.” That was definitely Billie.
“You look gorgeous,” Claudia said.
“I can’t pull this off.” Definitely Billie.
“Stop moving, you’re going to smudge the makeup,” Claudia hissed.
“But I look like a confection.” Billie groaned.
“You look like a babe.” That was only something Eisley would say. “A mermaid babe who’s going to marry a billionaire.”
“I am not going to—” Billie started.
Rhodes strode across the room and threw open the door as Betty protested. “You can’t see her before—”
Billie, quickly picking up on the conversation said, “It’s not like it’s our wedding day.”
“Not yet.” His smirk bloomed into a full-on smile. “You look gorgeous. A mermaid babe going to a gala.”
The dress he’d commissioned for her had threads that matched her eyes with other shades of blue and seafoam green. Memaw helped with the cut and fit—tight at the top with thin straps and loose and flowy on the bottom. The fabric was almost gauzy and moved like waves in the ocean. She was a dream.
He held out his elbow. “Ready?”
Billie turned to her two friends who each nodded then Betty who still stood in the living room.
“Dear, this isn’t like playing dress up. You look like a real-life mermaid princess.” Tears flooded the older woman’s eyes as she held the camera away after snapping a few photos.
“In fact, I’d say you look more like a queen,” Rhodes said.
Betty smiled at Rhodes, possibly for the first time. “You got that right.”
“Thanks, you guys, but I’m more beachy and less fancy.” Billie shifted from foot to foot.
“Not tonight.” Eisley whistled.
“Will you be my queen for the evening?” He wanted to add, my queen everlasting. That was the kind of poetry on his heart, but he didn’t think she was ready to hear that considering she was clearly uncomfortable with the gown. And he wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to make such proclamations.
He drove them in his sleek black sports car, leaving Blue Bay Beach for the waterfront venue a few towns south.
Billie arranged her dress and smoothed the skirt then ran her fingers through the beachy waves in her hair. “You know how you felt it necessary to remind me that I’ve never been out of Florida before?”
“I’m sorry about that. I was...Sometimes my ego gets the better of me.”
“I’ll say.” She snorted. “Well, I’ve never been to a gala either. This is going to sound stupid and I will make you pay if you dare embarrass me, but what is a gala? What am I supposed to do?”
Rhodes’s lips quirked as he made a turn. “The only reason I’ve ever teased you is that I like the way you look when your cheeks are flushed. Mostly though because when you realize you’re red all over, you smile.”
“You like my smile?” Her fingers wandered to her lips.
His hand reached hers in the darkness and he kissed her knuckles. “Billie, I like all of you.” More than like.
“How is that possible? We’ve hardly known each other for much more than a month.”
“Remember Memaw’s story?” he hinted.
“Yeah, but that was during wartime.”
“We’ve been fighting our own battle and sometimes you just know with someone.” He shrugged.
“Yet you’re intent on taking over my town and introduce me to your parents who you clearly don’t like.”
“I thought by meeting them you’ll get a better understanding of me. As for the gala, it’s a big party where everyone gets dressed up to network and crow about their successes—at least insofar as my father is involved. Sometimes it’s also for a fundraiser, like in this case.” He avoided answering the question about the resort.
“I didn’t know you were altruistic.”
“Oh, I’m very generous.”
“What’s the cause?” she asked.
“It’s the premier event in the nation to raise money to support people with Down Syndrome. It’s very near and dear to Memaw. Her organization has raised the most contributions from private donors and this year we even have a major corporate donor.”
“Wow. That’s impressive.”
“Well, so is my sister.”
“You mean Scarlett?” she asked.
“What I’m really looking forward to tonight is you meeting her. She’ll be the guest of honor.”
As usual, the gala was madness as the valets moved cars and limo services dropped off guests. He left his keys with the former and helped Billie out of the car.
Billie and Rhodes ascended the long, wide outdoor staircase into the venue. The building glowed from within and with all of Memaw’s talk about dying in September, he wondered if it would be the last event she hosted. He made a note to get the details to carry on the legacy.
It took ages to get inside, during which he and Billie were greeted by countless people asking him about the resort. Numerous women, including some he’d dated and others who wanted to date him, greeted him with hugs and kisses on the cheek with the intention to linger too long.
He only had eyes for one woman and she had sparkling blue eyes that matched her dress. She wasn’t like the others who’d pursued him for wealth and status. She wasn’t like the ones he’d hooked up with because he’d felt like it.
Billie was hard working and pretty. Honest and clever. She was a woman like no other. Nonetheless, with the continued fawning and false flattery from the other women, she seemed to shrink, but he gripped her hand tightly, deflecting questions with vague answers and keeping his attention on her.
When they finally reached Rhodes’s parents, who stood at opposite ends of the line like he was being made to choose which one to greet first, Memaw appeared.
She wrapped Billie in a hug. “I’m so glad you came. Dear, you look beautiful and my Rhodesy looks happy, which makes me happy.”
A short young woman with dark hair and eyes the same color as Rhodes’s eyes walked slowly toward them. She wore a red gown and a wide smile. Memaw extended her hand. “Scarlett, this is Billie, the special person I wanted you to meet.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Billie said warmly.
“You too.” Scarlett smiled and looked Billie over carefully then her gaze landed on her brother. He smiled wide and wrapped her in a bear hug.
“Careful, my dress,” Scarlett said as he let her go.
“You look beautiful, sis. Are you having a good time?”
“Now that you’re here. Mom and Dad won’t talk to me.”
Memaw narrowed her eyes.
Rhodes tossed his hand in their direction. “Who needs them. The fun is right here.” He signaled between their small group.
“That’s right.” Scarlett clapped her hands together.
Brother and sister swapped so
me inside jokes and Memaw leaned in toward Billie, talking in a semi-hushed tone. But he could still hear them—maybe on purpose.
“I’m not joking when I say you’ve made Rhodes happy. He went from avoiding me because of his silly quest to prove his worth to his father to visiting me every day, asking me about love, and all manner or romantic things.”
He imagined Billie making a face of disbelief. “I didn’t really do anything.”
“You said yes to possibility. He’s a cunning businessman and has done very well for himself. But sometimes I think he works too hard. He tries to go bigger, better, or he tries to escape.”
“Escape what? He’s a billionaire by my count.”
“Indeed. But there’s one thing money cannot buy. His father has tried nine times.” Memaw clicked her tongue in disapproval.
“Oh, my. Can’t wait to meet him.” Billie’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
“You seem like a rare kind of woman, Billie. The kind of woman who can handle Rhodes.” She exhaled and turned back to him and Scarlett. “Well, we have to mingle, but we’re all seated at a table together. Oh, and Billie, I still want that Bimini bread you promised and to see those old photos.” Memaw winked.
The truth was, Rhodes couldn’t handle keeping his eyes off Billie’s mouth, dressed up in red lipstick like a bow. Or the contour of her outline in the dress, the soft waves of her hair, or her bright eyes.
Mercifully, Rhodes didn’t have to interact with his mother or father until the meal was served.
Unfortunately, his mother laid into him about how he wasn’t around nearly enough and if he’d decided whether or not he was going to fund her new clothing line. She was actually asking if he would foot the bill for her latest plastic surgery.
His father avoided the conversation altogether, which was both disappointing and a relief since he didn’t want to talk about the resort right then. If the gala had been the month before, he would’ve crowed about the acquisition and the plans. Instead, he listened to his father boast about his latest investment property in Argentina. Meanwhile, his wife, apparently a makeup artist and around Billie’s age, which meant she was only a couple of years younger than Rhodes, chattered enthusiastically to Billie about how flawless her skin was.
Billie repeatedly tried to get Scarlett in on the conversation, but it was as if his sister was invisible to wife number nine.
“So, Billie is it? Funny, I have a cousin Billie, but he prefers to go by William. Tell us what you do?” Rhodes’s mother asked after the servers cleared their plates.
Billie simultaneously stiffened as though irritated and shifted as though uncomfortable. “I own a restaurant in Blue Bay Beach.”
“Is it Coconut Cove Café?”
Billie brightened. “Have you heard of it?”
“It’s the one my son is slated to replace with something classier.” The former Mrs. Bishop flashed a plastic smile.
“That’s right. Seek and destroy,” Martin Bishop said.
Rhodes’s jaw muscles and shoulders tensed. “Funny, I think that’s the biggest compliment you’ve ever paid me and it’s about ruining my fiancé’s restaurant.”
Rhodes’s mother scoffed. “I thought this is all for show, to appease my mother before she dies.”
Billie’s mouth fell open.
“Mom, she’s wearing Memaw’s ring.”
Rhodes’s mother cut Billie a glare and her eyes flared with anger. “The ring she wouldn’t give me?”
Rhodes’s own anger brimmed to the surface, but before he could say anything, Memaw tapped the microphone at the podium on the stage. She thanked everyone for attending and for their generosity then explained about Down Syndrome along with the support and tools the donations would serve to benefit people living with the chromosomal condition.
“We’ve recently partnered with ChromoVerse, a company that helps people understand their ancestry, genetics, and provides reports on health. The findings are fascinating and will help us better understand Down Syndrome and the future of those in our families living with it. They’ve offered to fund several centers to serve women like my darling granddaughter Scarlett for education, advocacy, and more. But here’s the fun part. They offered us three kits. After this presentation, you have the opportunity to connect with representatives from their company to have your ancestry tested. It’s easy, painless, and I’m sure fascinating. In the meantime, will my grandchildren Scarlett and Rhodes, please come up. The representative from ChromoVerse is going to share our results.”
He had forgotten the test he’d done at home months ago that would detail whether he was French like his mother claimed or German as his father insisted. He hated leaving Billie alone with his parents and squeezed her shoulder as he got up.
Everyone clapped as they took to the stage.
Rhodes read his line first. “ChromoVerse stresses the importance of family and to quote part of their mission statement, ‘Roots grow underground, but emerge into the light of who we are.’”
“And no matter what our backgrounds, we’re all connected,” Scarlett added, reading from the paper on the podium.
“Thank you for the opportunity, ChromoVerse. Now, for the big reveal.” Memaw extended her arms around her grandchildren’s backs as they turned to view the large screen on the wall that showed pie charts along with other details outlining the heritage of Memaw, Scarlett, and Rhodes.
A hush fell across the room when it became clear that he and his sister had different fathers.
Chapter 11
Billie
The guests at the gala were too polite to heckle the family, but there were a few gasps.
The graphics on the screen illustrated that Memaw was Scarlett and Rhodes’s maternal grandmother, but that his father was not Martin Bishop.
Billie got to her feet, not thinking but intending to rush over to Rhodes.
His mother and father each gave her a long look of appraisal, eyeing her up and down like she was a few inches too short and a few dollars too poor to be worthy of Rhodes or to even be at the gala. She didn’t care. At least she... At least she truly loved him.
With a dismissive wave, a chair skidded across the floor as Martin threw his napkin on the table, and glared at his ex-wife. It was as though the news took a minute or two to register. “I knew it. I knew he wasn’t my son.” The man seethed as he exited the room.
Billie’s attention shot to Rhodes, still standing on the stage as though glued there.
Memaw cleared her throat. “Well, apparently the ChromoVerse tests are extensive and regretfully, accurate.” Her southern accent came on strong.
“You knew?” Rhodes asked.
“I hoped. There’s no way you’re related to a man like Martin.” Memaw’s lips puckered as though her former son in law was as bitter as a lemon.
Scarlett’s face fell because Martin was still Scarlett’s father.
Memaw realized her error. “I’m sorry, Scarlett. Luckily you have your brother, me, and... Let’s talk about this later.” She ushered them both from the stage and returned to the podium to continue emceeing the event.
Rhodes gave Scarlett a hug and talked to her a minute before she met with her group of friends. He strode toward the banquet table where Billie stood and stopped in front of his mother. “Tell me the truth. Did you know?”
His mother gave a slight nod but didn’t meet his eyes as though mortified. “I didn’t want to be a single mother.”
Tension rolled off Rhodes as he clenched and unclenched his fists. Then he rushed outside.
Billie hurried after him, across the black granite floor flecked with gold, through the wide glass doors, and into the fresh night air.
He paced along a balcony that led to the parking lot on one side and the expanse of ocean on the other. He muttered to himself using coarse words.
Billie wasn’t sure what to do. Did he need to cool off or did he need someone to help with his frustration and anger?
He took off his suit jacket
and draped it over the rail. Then he leaned over it, bracing himself on the cool metal.
Billie took a chance and rubbed his back. The strong, roped muscles underneath eventually softened and he let out a long breath.
“That’s why he’s always treated me like—” Rhodes shook his head.
In the distance, ocean waves crashed and the moon snuck behind high clouds.
He suddenly turned his back to the sea as if the only view worth looking at was Billie. His gaze relaxed.
Heat spread across her skin like summer lightning.
He seemed to forget his animosity, at least temporarily. “I need to get out of here.”
“I understand. Listen, if there’s anything I can do, please don’t hesitate. I’m sure this is quite a shock.” Her words felt inadequate. “I’ll get a car home. Good night, Rhodes, and I’m sorry for everything that happened.”
His gaze jerked to her. “No, you’re coming with me.”
Her heart stuttered.
Rhodes went back inside to make sure Scarlett was okay and reported back that Memaw had everything under control. “Thank God for Memaw.”
They got in the car and Rhodes was quiet until they neared the exit that led to the long road into Blue Bay Beach.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Billie asked.
“No.”
Mansion Mile came into view. She’d glimpsed the lives of the wealthy and the women in towering heels and flawless makeup—the world where Rhodes belonged. He parked in front of her shambling house. She moved to open her door.
“Wait.”
She lifted her eyebrows.
He exhaled. “That was a disaster. I’m sorry you had to witness it.”
“Me and hundreds of other people.” She truly was sorry. It must’ve devastating and confusing.
His phone beeped as if on cue. A woman’s name flashed on the screen. Samantha. They’d met during what seemed like the endless meet and greet where Billie had felt completely out of place.
“You can answer that if you need to,” she said.