by Ava Miles
It was hard to breathe all of a sudden. A billionaire makeover? What in the world was he saying? But she knew. She knew.
He was trying to make himself into someone she’d want to spend the rest of her life with.
“I don’t know if I can do it,” she whispered. Over the past several weeks, she’d been haunted by dreams about her parents and their shallow friends.
His jaw clenched, and he looked down. Without even touching him, she could feel the tension in his shoulders, and she wanted so much to soothe it.
“I don’t know if you can either,” he said softly. “But I need to do it for me most of all, and it would be crazy not to see if it would make a difference to you when I still love you so much.”
She laid her head on his chest. She found she couldn’t stop herself. “I still love you too.”
Something lowered until it rested against her hair, and she realized it was his chin. But he didn’t wrap his arms around her. So, she fisted her hands at her sides to keep from hugging him.
“Then that’s a start,” he whispered.
The front door slammed, and he stepped back. The interruption made her want to cry out in frustration.
“Hey, Margie,” said Gary, her new tenant, as he came into the kitchen. “Something smells…” He trailed off, seeing them. “Sorry, I didn’t know we had company.”
“It’s no problem,” Evan said. “I was just leaving.”
“Wait!” Gary slapped his hand to his forehead. “Are you Evan Michaels?”
Evan had a guarded look on his face. “It says so on my driver’s license.”
“Man, I was wondering whose ride that was outside. Holy shit! I mean…you’re the Evan Michaels.”
Margie pressed back against the counter, wondering how often this sort of thing happened to Evan. No one had seemed to recognize him before—back when they were together. Perhaps it wasn’t simply the beard. Maybe approaching public figures was considered gauche in French culture.
“I am,” Evan said, his shoulders looking tenser as each second passed.
“I’m a huge admirer,” Gary said. “I’m doing a PhD in Electrical Engineering, and I tinker with some inventions. But obviously nothing like you. I mean, man. No one even knows what you invent. You’re like a Top Secret Inventor and shit. Wow! I mean, wow!”
But she knew about one of his inventions, and he’d wanted to share more of them with her. She felt confident he would have if her lack of a security clearance hadn’t been an issue. It awed her to think of how much faith he’d put in her, entrusting her with his new idea and showing her his lab.
Gary swung his gaze to her and gaped. “Margie. How in the world do you know this guy? I mean, he’s like the shit.”
If Gary called Evan that one more time, she might have to pull the bread out of the oven early so she could stuff a piece in his mouth.
“We kinda met through a few people here in Dare Valley,” Evan said vaguely.
“Wow! You know people in Dare Valley? That’s, like, crazy. And now I know you.”
This was becoming more embarrassing by the minute. “Gary. I think Mr. Michaels might appreciate you toning it down a bit.”
The guy smiled winningly, one of the reasons she’d agreed to rent to him in the first place. Oh, and because he liked to talk science with her. She’d rather missed that.
“I was overdoing it, wasn’t I?” he asked.
Evan’s mouth tipped up on one side. “A bit. But it’s okay. You’ll have to come to the speech I’m giving at the university next week. I’ll be talking about the importance of inventing in shaping our world.”
She swung her head to look at him. He was giving a speech?
“And there’s some other stuff going on, but it’s all hush-hush right now,” Evan added. “I know you won’t say anything.”
His mouth gaped for a moment. “Not a word, man. You can trust me.”
Gary held out his fist, and Evan gave him a serious look before fist-bumping him back.
“Okay, I’ll get out of your way. Man, oh man, this has been awesome.” Gary gave an awkward wave, stumbled, and then turned around and walked out of the kitchen.
“I guess the beard worked pretty well, huh?” Evan commented with a wry look.
She studied him, trying to take in everything that had changed and everything that had not. “I rather miss it.”
His eyes darkened, and her belly tightened with a power-pack of lust and longing. The silence grew between them again, and she waited to see if he was going to kiss her. But he didn’t make a move, so she decided to ask him. It wouldn’t be the first time—she had done the same thing at the beginning of her time in Paris.
“Are you going to kiss me?”
He took a deep breath. “No…I…no. I can’t touch you until I know for sure whether you can handle my new makeover.”
Her heart squeezed.
His hand reached for her before dropping to the side. “I want to, but I just can’t.”
She nodded, her throat tight. “I understand. I do. It’s probably better that way.”
The laughter that escaped from his mouth was forced. “I’ll paraphrase what you said to me in Paris when I told you we had to wait to kiss. Don’t wait too long to decide if you…heck…want me…us. I’m willing to be patient. But when you know, I need you to tell me. Even if the answer is no. Will you promise me that?”
She knew what would happen if she sent him away. But what if she decided she could accept this new life he was creating for himself? What if she wanted to be a part of it?
“What happens if I can handle it?” she asked. “You still live in Paris.”
He stared into her again, and she felt her bones dissolve.
“My inventions can happen anywhere, but your bakery is here. So, I’ll move here. We can always keep the apartment in Paris. I’ll miss the City of Lights, but she…doesn’t mean even near as much to me as you do.”
There it was again, that deep ache she’d felt for him ever since she had returned home brokenhearted. “I’m humbled, and now I feel like I’m not giving you enough.” Her voice sounded small to her own ears.
He took her arms and looked deep into her eyes, already breaking his rule about not touching her.
“Stop that. Stop that right now. If you decide you can be with me, you’ll be giving me everything. You’ll be giving me you. And that’s all I want.”
“How am I supposed to let you leave after you say that to me?” she asked as the timer rang.
He released her and then reached into the drawer where she kept her potholders and placed them ever so sweetly on her hands. “Because you know that once you tell me not to leave, I won’t. So you have to be sure. Margie, whatever is holding you in place…I hope you’ll let it go. We won’t be your parents. Or have their life. Or their friends. We’ll create what we want. Together.”
On some level she knew that, but he would need her to go to parties, wouldn’t he? There would be elite events and retreats and heavens knew what else. He was the head of a billion-dollar company. “I have questions.”
He shook his head. “I know you do, and you’ll likely have more once you’ve had some time to mull it all over. But we don’t want your bread to burn.”
Nodding, she opened the oven door to check on her newest creation. The crust was golden brown, and the bread was firm. She took it out and set it on top of the stove to cool.
“Will you stay and have bread with me?”
“Not today,” he said in a hoarse voice. “Not…now.”
The tension she saw in his body was different now, and it sent fire running through her veins.
“I need to go process this a little,” he said after a quiet lull. “But you can save a piece for me.”
Taking off the potholders, she stood in front of him. “I will.”
“Then I’ll go,” he said softly.
“I’ll walk you out,” she added, not wanting to separate from him just yet.
Whe
n they were outside, she spied the car Gary had gone gaga over. It was an unapologetically bold red Ferrari. “I didn’t see your car before.”
“This is just a rental, but it’s the kind of car I’d buy if I lived here.” He tensed as he put on his sunglasses. “You need to know that I still like fast cars. I’m not going to hide the things I like from you anymore. Hopefully we can compromise and find a way to make things work.”
So the car had been a test as much as a declaration. “I’m glad you brought it. I want you to be honest with me, Evan.”
His mouth curved. “Good. Because I also adore sailing. I’m keeping my yacht.”
She swallowed thickly.
“I hope you’ll let me take you on it someday,” he said, shifting his feet. “But that’s enough for today. You need to get some rest. You have to be up early in the morning.”
“I still use your sound machine when I sleep,” she said, daring a quick glance at his face. “With three other people in the house and my crazy hours, it’s been a godsend.”
“I’m happy to hear that,” he said after a long moment. “I’ll see you soon, Margie.”
And then he was striding down the sidewalk to his car.
“Evan!” She ran to the curb. “I forgot to ask you about your invention. The one you told me about.”
For the first time since he’d arrived at her doorstep, he gave her a full smile, the one she’d gotten used to seeing, the one she’d missed so much.
“I figured it out.” He put his index finger to his mouth like he was sharing a secret, which of course, he was.
“You did?”
“What can I say?” he said, opening the car door. “I have skills.”
He did indeed, and she wanted to enjoy all of them again.
“We’ll have to celebrate,” she called out.
His smile seemed to widen. “We will. Between your bakery and my new idea, we have a whole lot to celebrate.”
And then he closed the door, started the engine, and took off down the street.
When she could walk again, she went as far as the front steps and dropped down to sit on them. Evan was back in her life. Relief and fear seemed to be pulling her in two opposite directions right now.
Could she put the past to rest and embrace all he brought with him from his world?
Because she loved him, she was determined to try.
Chapter 3
“So agreeing to do the speech might not have been my smartest move,” Evan told Chase on the phone.
The mountains outside his penthouse windows at The Grand Mountain Hotel were a far cry from his view in Paris, but they were beautiful in a more quiet way. Even though he was ensconced in pure luxury—from the sunken Jacuzzi bath and shower suite to the plush California king bed—he would so have preferred being back in his single room in Margie’s house. Being here, like this. Well, it didn’t feel right.
“That speech is the perfect start for your billionaire makeover,” Chase said. “The university president delivered me the signed paperwork for the new inventor center this morning.”
Emmits Merriam’s president had moved fast. He knew it was rare for a small, liberal arts university to be endowed with such a gift.
“I’m glad to hear it. You’re putting out the press release?”
“I just sent the final approval,” Chase said. “Dare Valley is going to be seen in a new light after today. You’re going to help draw some of the finest students in the country to that small town. But you need to come up with a name, Evan.”
“Dammit, I know that,” he said, frustrated because the idea wouldn’t come. “I told you I refuse to name it after me.” Hubris was what had gotten him into trouble in the first place.
“What do you want to do about the other center? For adult inventors? I can’t release a statement about it until you tell me where you want it located.”
It would be in Dare Valley if things went well with Margie. He hoped things would go well with Margie. After talking to her yesterday, he was encouraged.
“I need some more time to see how things play out here.”
“Things went well with Margie, then,” Chase said. “I thought as much. Your voice doesn’t sound like you’re chewing dust.”
“Is that a Montana comment? Never mind. When can I expect your comments on my speech ideas?”
“You need to write the speech first, Evan,” Chase said. “Then I’ll comment. I’ve been speaking on your behalf since you founded Quid-Atch. I’m not helping you this time. This is your time to be heard.”
But he still didn’t know what to say. Part of him wondered if anyone would even come listen…besides Gary, of course.
“Any suggestions?”
“Talk about what you know. About what inspires you.”
He immediately thought of the Eiffel Tower. Few people knew the true story, but it would be corny if he kicked off with a history lesson, right? Besides, Margie had turned him down in front of the famous monument.
He was an idiot for agreeing to this.
A knock sounded on the door. “I have to go. Chase, I need you to find me a secure high-tech lab here. I’m going bat-shit crazy.”
“I talked to our head of legal until midnight last night. Technically, you can work on the new invention anywhere since no one has bought it yet, but according to company procedures, you need to work in a highly secure building.”
“Then stick two security guards outside my hotel room or something,” Evan said, going to the door to answer it. “Work with Mac’s team at the hotel. I’m sure he has incredible security here. I need this, Chase.”
“I know you do. We’ll figure something out.”
“Okay, call me back.” He hung up and opened the door.
Jill Hale stood on the other side. “Daddy Warbucks, I presume.”
Without the twins to soften her, she was ferocious. “Hello to you too, Jill. Good to see you. Are you here because I did something wrong?” But he knew why she was here. She cared about Margie, and he couldn’t fault her for that, so he settled in to take whatever she wanted to dish out.
“You didn’t tell us the truth when you were here before,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “You’d better not be messing with Margie. She was devastated when she came back from Paris.”
He went for the truth since he knew she had softness inside her. “And I was devastated when she left Paris. I love her. I want things to work out between us.”
A quiet smile appeared on her lips. “Good. That’s all I wanted to hear. But if you hurt her, I’m going to stick the twins outside your room when they’re having a meltdown. You won’t be able to get any work done.”
He’d heard how loud their pipes were. “Consider me suitably warned.”
She nodded. “Good. If you go to Don’t Soy with Me, tell Rebecca I said your order was on the house. As my way of saying welcome back.”
Margie’s friends were important to her, so he wanted to be on good terms with them. It was obvious Jill felt the same way.
“Thanks, Jill. That means a lot.”
She turned around and took a few steps before looking back over her shoulder. “And if you’d like to give me a spin in your red Ferrari, I wouldn’t say no.”
He laughed. “Word got out quick, huh?”
“It’s a small town, Evan. See you around.”
“We’ll find time for a drive,” he said as she walked off.
She gave a happy skip and then disappeared down the hall. He was shaking his head as he shut the door.
There was another knock about half an hour later. This time his visitors were Jane and Rhett.
He put his hands to his face. “Don’t hit me. I swear I come in peace.”
Rhett barked out a laugh. “It took you long enough to tell Margie the dagnabbit truth, so I won’t say I didn’t think about it. But now that you’re here, I suspect you’ve fallen pretty hard for her. I’m not going to deck you for that.”
Stepping back, he
let them inside. “Good. Hello, Jane.”
Jane narrowed her eyes at him. “I thought about punching you too, but I agree with Rhett. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t care for her.”
“I love her,” he said, which was still weird to confess to other people. But if it helped smooth the waters…
“Good,” Rhett said. “As a peace offering, Jane and I decided to ask if you’d like to play a few rounds of poker with us in Mac’s marvelous Ponderosa Suite.”
Since he couldn’t technically work until he had an approved makeshift lab, what in the hell else was he going to do? “Are you planning on fleecing me?” he asked them.
Jane smiled and flipped her Artemis coin in the air. He could have sworn the goddess winked at him before it landed in her palm. “Definitely.”
He walked to the door with them. “No side bets,” he said even though he was grateful for the side bet they’d made in Paris that had led him here, back to his creative fire, and to Margie.
Rhett put his arm around his shoulders. “Let’s see if we can lure Mac away from running his hotel empire for a little while. He needs to see what you’ve got.”
Three professional poker players? He was toast. “It’s a good thing I’m a billionaire,” he joked.
“You might recall I have a new baby on the way,” Rhett said.
“And I’m planning a wedding,” Jane added.
He was definitely toast.
Hours later, he was eating a sandwich alone in his room after losing a considerable amount of money to his erstwhile friends. He’d managed to win a few pots, which was a miracle, but it had been a struggle to concentrate on the game. He kept wondering whether Margie liked the gift he’d had delivered. He’d wanted to get her a belated grand opening gift, and since he’d been unable to find a yellow chef’s outfit, he’d had one made for her. And since she liked purple too, he’d told them to add purple polka dots. She would like that, he thought.
He’d used a courier from the hotel to drop it off for her at the bakery because he hadn’t wanted to intrude while she was working. Okay, and he also hadn’t wanted to see her frown if she was upset about the gift. She would know it was handmade. She was either going to get used to him doing things like that for her every now and then or she wasn’t.