Page 18 of The Powerful Boss She Craves

‘Because my sister asked for help,’ Micah told her, his tone warning her not to ask any more questions.

She chose not to hear it. ‘Thadie has a very talented wedding planner and she strikes me as being smart. Her fiancé also has connections of his own. It’s notyourwedding so, again, why you?’

Everything snaked back to The Incident two decades before. Brianna was at the centre of that whirlpool but its ripples had affected so many people. Thadie had lost her heroine, the person she’d considered to be her big sister, her beloved babysitter. Theo and Liyana had lost their best friends, and they missed the vibrant girl who’d spent an enormous amount of time in their house. And he’d put Jago through hell as he’d not only had to deal with Bri’s diagnosis but also Micah’s own abhorrent behaviour.

Of course, he couldn’t tell Ella any of that...but, for the first time ever, he wanted to.

Because he didn’t want to spend the rest of the evening in awkward silence, Micah decided to give her an explanation he hoped would satisfy her curiosity.

‘Thadie does some charity work, and, through her social media observations on being a single mother, has become one of the country’s biggest influencers. But her full-time job is being a mum—her boys are her priority and looking after them takes up a lot of her time. She doesn’t employ a nanny and Jago and me, our butler, Jabu, and Thadie’s best friend, Dodi, are her back-up system. We are who she calls when she needs time away from the kids, which she seldom does.

‘She wanted to come on this trip with me to look at venues, but it wasn’t feasible, as she has two charity events she can’t miss. And Gus, the older of the twins, has a surgery scheduled.’

Ella leaned forward, immediately concerned for the health of a child she didn’t know. ‘I hope it isn’t anything serious?’

He shook his head. ‘No, he’s having his tonsils out. Apparently, it’s a minor op when you are three.’

He caught Ella’s shudder. ‘It is, but it’s hell when you’re an adult. I had mine out five years ago and I thought I was going to die, it was so painful. I really missed my mum that week.’

He allowed his fingers to drift across her hand, over her wrist. ‘I lost my mum when I was nine. Not fun.’

Their eyes connected and he saw the pain and confusion he’d experienced in those green-gold-brown depths. Here was someone who understood how the ground could drop away from under your feet without a moment’s notice.

‘No, not fun.’ Ella waved her hands, as if to swipe her words away. ‘So, what did you think about venue number two?’

He appreciated the change of subject; he didn’t talk about his mum, his childhood or life in the Le Roux household with anyone other than his siblings and, as a family, they didn’t tend to look back.

‘Venue two was a little bigger than venue one, but not as upmarket.’

Ella tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. ‘I still think the venue needs to be in Johannesburg. It just makes sense for it to be there.’

‘Thadie’s wedding planner, as you know, is the best in the business and has contacts a mile long. She’s spent days looking for a suitable venue and there’s nothing.’

Ella pursed her lips. ‘I don’t believe that. There’s got to be something.’

‘Well, if you have any ideas, let me know, but in the meantime we’re going to keep looking for an alternative venue. We’ll head back to Johannesburg tomorrow. Where else do you think we should look?’

‘What about Parys?’

The arty riverside town situated on the Vaal River might be a good option: it was a wealthy and stunning place with superb scenery.

‘Look into it.’

Ella nodded. ‘I will but I still think that—’

‘That Johannesburg is where the wedding should be.’ Yeah, he got it, but there was nothing, and he couldn’t magic a venue out of thin air. What could he do? Not keep looking and hope like hell something turned up? No, he couldn’t take that chance. He would fix this for Thadie. Fixing stuff was what he did. Who he was...

Another loud shout from the billiard room caught their attention and everyone in the bar looked over to where the kids were doing shooters. South Africa’s legal drinking age was eighteen but at times like this Micah thought it should be raised to thirty or thirty-five.

Their food arrived and Micah was happy to see Ella tucking in with gusto. Unlike many women he knew, she didn’t push her food around the plate, pretending to eat but not making a dent in her meal. No, Ella dove in and murmured her appreciation, closing her eyes in pleasure as she chewed. She was such a sensual woman but Micah knew she had no idea of her impact. She glided when she walked, her face lit up when she smiled and the corners of her eyes crinkled just a little when she laughed. She turned heads, both male and female. She had presence, an energy, that couldn’t be ignored.

By the time they finished eating, the party in the billiards room had turned loud and obnoxious. Ella finished her second glass of wine and scratched the side of her head. She nodded to the young adults. ‘They are so inconsiderate; they’re spoiling the place for everyone else.’

Well, yeah, kids did that. They didn’t think of other people and never when alcohol was involved. He couldn’t judge them too harshly; he’d done far worse than party it up in a bar.

‘Ten more minutes and they’ll be out of here,’ he told Ella. The leader of the group was looking restless and Micah knew that he was bored. And where he went the others would follow. He was the guy others listened to, the party animal, the leader of the crew.

‘What sort of teenager were you?’ he asked Ella, interested in the answer. He was interested in everything about her. Smart and studious, he bet. Responsible and thoughtful.

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