Page 23 of The Grumpy Billionaire
I plopped down onto a bar stool at the island. “Yes, I heard you. He keeps calling the station, too. I’m sure if he could track down my cell number, he’d call that.”
“You didn’t call him back?” Her perturbed expression had melted into a hint of amusement.
“No.”
The hint was now a full-blown smile. “Good. I don’t know what he’s thinking calling here. I guess I’ll have to change the number—or get rid of the landline.”
“Don’t do that. It’s the only number the boys remember. I’ll call him back, I guess, and tell him to stop bothering you here.”
“It’s okay—I’ll just turn the volume down on the answering machine so I don’t have to hear it.” Mom rested her elbow on the island counter, leaning in and studying my face. “You’re the one who seems sad. What’s going on? You’re not acting like yourself.”
Says the stranger posing as my mother.
I don’t know why I told her. Old habits die hard, I guess. Maybe because I was exhausted, too? Or maybe I was hoping she’d tell me to stay away from Reid.
“I saw Reid today.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” She stretched across the counter and covered my hand with hers. “That couldn’t have been easy. How was it? What happened?”
“Sheldon and I ran into him at this little pizza place near the State House. We said a few words to each other. I’m fine.”
I shrugged and looked down at our joined hands, so similar in size and shape.
“Of course you are.” Pride filled her voice as she gripped my fingers. “You’re a strong woman, and you don’t need him or anyone.”
You know those moms who are always asking you when you’re going to settle down and get married and give them some grandchildren? Yeah—that wasn’t my mom. In fact, she’d probably be thrilled if I never married at all. I knew she wished she never had.
“You’re going to make it on your own doing exactly what you want to do when you want to do it the way you want to do it,” she said. “And you’ll have a man in your life only when and if itamusesyou.”
I had to laugh at the way she drew out the word “amuses,” a reference to all the over-the-top villains from the old James Bond movies we’d always loved to watch together.
Remembering better times, I gave a mwah-ha-ha Dr. Evil laugh, and Mom joined in with one of her own.
“Let’s check the streaming services and see if anyone has a Bond marathon on tonight,” she suggested, her eyes filling with a spark I rarely saw these days. “It’s not like we’re going to get any sleep with the tequila wonder twins upstairs.”
“Good idea. I’ll go do a search,” I said, banishing for the moment all thoughts of the boy I’d left behind.
EIGHT
Assignment
Mara
My alarm went off way too early the next morning.
I’d been hoping for an easy day—maybe a couple of press conferences or an in-house research day for my upcoming sweeps story.
But my news director Rob called me into his office, and what happened next was literally the last thing I would have ever predicted. I worked hard to keep my jaw from hitting the floor.
“Reid Mancini?” I repeated.
“Yes. Can you believe it? He actuallywantsto do an interview.”
Rob’s face glowed with fevered excitement and the anticipation of extra-planetary November ratings.
“He’s offered to talk about his company and his private life. We can turn it into a weeklong series for sweeps. Every affiliate in the country’s going to want this.”
Rob jumped to his feet as the realization hit him. “Thenetworkwill probably want it.”
