Page 13 of The Billionaire Alpha Surrogate

“You sound like a good friend of mine,” Micah said. His heart twinged just a bit as he thought of Angie and how much he had cared about her.

“Let me show you the rest,” he said.

Micah was amused at her reaction as he showed her the indoor swimming pool, hot tub, library, game room, and what seemed like a hundred other rooms.

“I designed all of this when I was a kid,” Micah said. “I always told my parents that someday, when I grew up, I was going to be rich and build my own house. I designed something like this.”

“Color me impressed,” Lucy said.

“Of course, when I got older, I realized that I couldn’t have only play rooms or rooms for my horses and motorcycle and that I needed bedrooms and such for people. I had to redraw my plans somewhat.”

“Were you sad?” Lucy asked, grinning.

“Maybe a little,” Micah admitted.

His phone blinged.

“I have a meeting to get to,” he told Lucy. “Michelle, will you finish showing her around and introduce her to Vera?”

“Absolutely,” the older woman said with a warm smile. “Come on, Lucy.”

Micah left, knowing that Lucy was in good hands. Even though they knew that Lucy was only a temporary fixture in their lives, she would be treated as though she was their own daughter.

The head of his commercial sales department, Tom, was already in the conference room, along with Martha, and a couple other employees.

“You’ll be glad to know that we sold that old shopping center in Albuquerque. It will be made into a restaurant, a veterinarian clinic, and several other businesses. It is one of the more expensive sales we have made to date, which is great because my wife has been after me to take her on a cruise,” Tom said. “This commission will let me do that and will pay for my kid’s next year’s college tuition.”

Everyone laughed.

“Nice job,” Micah said. “Round of applause for Tom.”

Everyone clapped.

Ginger, who was the head of his housing community sales, announced that her team had also been very busy lately.

“I’m not going on vacation, though. My oldest kid needs braces,” she announced wryly. “They both play travel sports, too.”

The team continued to discuss their successes and their next plans.

“Nice job, all of you. I’m very pleased with your efforts and successes. I foresee some nice Christmas bonuses in your stockings this year,” Micah said.

He settled back in his office chair and steepled his fingers, smiling widely. Micah was pleased. Life was looking great. He had a couple of cool million added to his bank account, which he could use to put into his pet projects, like the homeless shelter. And, he would be a father soon. Life was looking good for him.

5

Lucy

“This is more like a resort than a house,” Lucy said, looking around. They stood in the middle of the parlor.

A huge fireplace was on one wall. The furniture looked as though it was brand new. There were vases and other antiques showcased in the room that Lucy was sure cost more than her car back home.

They stepped back into the great room and she couldn’t help but stare at the grand staircase. “I always dreamed of having a staircase like that. It is the perfect setting for every romance and mystery novel in the history of literature.”

“It is pretty spectacular, although there is one even more spectacular. Have you heard of the spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel?” Michelle asked.

“No,” Lucy said. “What is it?”

“According to the legend, the nuns needed a way to get to the choir loft, but the stairway couldn’t interfere with the seating of the church. Every carpenter they called in said that it couldn’t be done. The nuns prayed to St. Joseph, who is the patron saint of carpenters. The lore says that on the ninth and last day of their prayers, a man showed up on a donkey with his toolbox. He needed a job. They hired him and he created an elegant circular staircase and then just disappeared.”

---