Page 1 of The Billionaire's Heart

Chapter 1

Mia

I'm so late. My stupid GPS took me to the wrong address and now I'm so late for my first day of work. I didn't realize the office that I'll be temping at is on anactualisland. The temp agency was less than helpful, then I had to wait for the drawbridge to lower between Hibiscus Harbor and Hibiscus Island.

I stop at the entrance of the unassuming one-story building and take a deep breath. "Okay, Mia. You've got this. Walk in and be confident in yourself and your abilities. You're smart and capable." I give myself a little pep talk in the reflection of the dark window tint of the front door.

It's a breezy day on Hibiscus Island. The ocean breeze seems to ward off some of the humidity that I can feel inland. When I moved from Knoxville to Hibiscus Harbor, I was not prepared for the humidity. Neither was my hair. Florida is no joke. The humidity is for real.

I grab the handle to the door of Hibiscus Island Country Club and pull, and nothing happens. Great, they’re closed. I pull again to make sure, and the sign on the door catches my eye: 'Push'.Idiot. Great way to make a good first impression.

I push the door open and walk into an empty front lobby. There's a large empty reception desk, some guest chairs, a pedestal with a model boat under glass in the center of the room, frosted windowed doors to the side to what I assume are the interior offices, art on the walls of hibiscus flowers in all different colors, and the phone ringing off the hook.

"Hello?" I call out, but I don't hear anyone. "Hello?" I call out again.

The phone stops ringing for a second and then starts again. Multiple lines are ringing now, and it seems no one is around to answer them. I guess that’s why I’m here.

On the front of the reception desk is the logo of the Hibiscus Island Country Club. I'm in the right office and I'm supposed to be temping for the receptionist that's going on maternity leave soon, so I suppose I should answer the phone.

I walk around the reception desk and grab the ringing phone. "Hibiscus Island Country Club. This is Mia. Please hold." I grab the other four lines and answer the same way as I put my purse and lunchbox down and find a pen and notepad. I quickly take messages for all five lines when an older woman, probably in her mid-sixties with white hair, comes out of the side door.

"Please tell me your name is Mia." She pleads with me as I hang up the phone. They've all finally stopped ringing.

Nodding, "Yes. I'm Mia. You must be Mrs. Wilcox." I walk around the desk to shake her hand. "The phones wouldn't stop ringing, so I took the liberty of taking down messages. I hope that was okay."

Mrs. Wilcox shakes my hand. "Yes, thank you. I couldn't get off the phone with one of our members. Lily went into labor this morning, so I'm afraid it's all hands-on deck. She was supposed to train you, but I'll do the best I can. I have a pretty full day today, though, as Mr. Gallo will be here later this afternoon."

"Is that the manager of the club?" I ask.

"No, he's the owner."

"The owner of the entire country club? Impressive."

"No, dear. He’s the owner of the island." Mrs. Wilcox answers quickly. "Now, under the keyboard is the login and passwords to Lily's computer. You'll have to use hers until IT gets you set up. They'll be contacting you later this morning to do that, and it looks like you know how to use the phones. That's good. For today, just try to keep up with the phones and the mail. I'll be at my desk behind those doors, all the way down the hall. My extension is five hundred. Lunch is at noon. Any questions?"

"He owns the entire island?" That's all I heard her say.

She smiles. "Several, along with several corporations and charities. We handle all his business from this office. Any other questions?"

The phone on my desk starts to ring again. "No. I think I've got it. Thank you, Mrs. Wilcox." I pick up the ringing phone and answer, "Hibiscus Island Country Club. This is Mia."

I watch Mrs. Wilcox smile at me, turn, and scurry back behind the frosted glass doors.

The morning has flown by. I've found that Lily, the receptionist I'm replacing while on maternity leave, was extremely prepared as she notated everything that needs to get done and how to do it. IT came and set me up with my own login credentials and now I'm sitting behind the reception desk, starving.

I call Mrs. Wilcox and she answers on the first ring. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, but I was wondering what I do with the phones during lunch. I'm starving."

"Is it that time already? Oh… it is, okay. Send the phone calls to the answering service. You can eat lunch outside by the water. There are picnic tables out there or we have a kitchen in the back, behind the accounting department. Through the double doors, down the hall to the left and then down that hall. Anyone can direct you if you get lost."

"Thank you, Mrs. Wilcox." I hang up the phone and send the lines to the answering service.

I decide to eat in the kitchen as the picnic tables are probably still wet from the rain earlier this morning, so I make my way down the hall and promptly get lost. I can't remember which way she told me to go. The offices and cubicles are all ultramodern and the office is full, but there's barely a peep of noise except for the tapping of keyboards.

"Lost?" a man about my age asks from the desk next to where I’m standing, trying to figure out which way to go.

I laugh. "Is it that obvious?"

---