Flo glanced at Fernsby, who raised one eyebrow. “Please, dear lady, I believe you would best handle this conversation.”
Fernsby deferring? Unthinkable. Yet Troy had seen him defer to Susan Spencer too. That lovely woman nodded, then, unbelievably, she hip-bumped Flo.
Michaela’s mother crossed her arms over her chest. “Michaela came home from the cruise a little miffed with me because I shared all her favorite things. That said, I’m still one hundred percent on board with this. You two seem like a perfect match, or I wouldn’t be here. I knew it from the moment I saw you at the gallery.”
He couldn’t be sure, but he thought she fluttered her eyelashes at him.
“My daughter has never dated a man I thought was good enough for her.” She paused. And then she hit him with it. Hit them all with it. “Until you.” Her eyes, so like Michaela’s, suddenly blazed with a vibrant emerald light. “Don’t prove me wrong.”
Flo Killian was a mama bear who would do anything for her daughter. If he even thought about hurting Michaela, Flo’s backlash would not be good.
Luckily, he had no intention of hurting Michaela.
Susan, another mama bear, suddenly wrapped him in a sweet-smelling hug. Releasing him, she said to Flo, “He’s a doll, and he’ll treat Michaela with kid gloves. Better than she’s ever been treated before.” She smiled at Flo. “At least by someone who isn’t her wonderful mother.”
Fernsby simply couldn’t be left out. “I’ve kept a close watch over all the Harringtons for the past decade and a half. I’ve taught them everything they know. And I would never stand for any shenanigans.”
Troy couldn’t help himself. He laughed. Then he couldn’t stop, bending double until he could finally catch his breath again and manage, “There have been more shenanigans than I could ever list, Fernsby.” He pointed a finger. “And you know it.” With a smile for Flo, he said, “I am a good guy, I promise. But I’ve got to admit there have been shenanigans.”
Flo patted his arm. “Wonderful. That means you’ve already sown your wild oats.”
Troy decided not to say exactly how many wild oats he’d sown. But he’d always treated everyone he’d sown them with respectfully.
Finally, Fernsby got down to the reason for their visit. “Please tell us, sir, did you discover the perfect date that will bowl over dear Michaela?”
“Obviously not,” Troy admitted.
Susan said, “It’s going to take some engineering.”
Flo folded her arms. “We have to put our heads together.”
“Our scheme needs to be the most clever ever designed,” Fernsby added.
“You’re forgetting one important thing,” Troy said. “Michaela doesn’t want to date me. Or billionaires in general.”
Fernsby waved his hand as if it were a magic wand. “My dear boy, that’s why we’re here. We are your guarantee.” Then he acknowledged his two companions. “Ladies, we have the perfect dates in mind, designed to melt even the hardest heart. Correct?”
Troy didn’t want to sound skeptical, but he couldn’t help asking, “Like what?”
Flo’s eyes burned brightly. “A rooftop piano lounge in San Francisco. Picture this.” She smoothed her hands through the air. “A piano softly playing, the moon and stars shining overhead, a candlelit table, Cakebread chardonnay.”
Troy drawled, “You do realize how cold it gets at night on a rooftop in San Francisco.”
Flo huffed. “Have you ever heard of halogen heaters?”
Susan practically elbowed Fernsby out of the way. “Dinner and a magnificent show. Something fresh off Broadway.”
Alice Fletcher had been a show person, while Michaela had said she wasn’t. Right? He turned his gaze on Flo, a nonverbal request for her opinion.
“I have to say, she’s not a show person,” Flo verified. “Though we did see Menopause The Musical in Las Vegas, and she laughed hysterically.” She shot a sparkling glance at Susan. “It was so funny. All tunes you and I would recognize from our youth, but reworded so they were about hot flashes.”
Susan laughed. “It sounds delightful. We were recently in Las Vegas for Charlie and Sebastian’s wedding. I wish I’d known about it.”
Flo held her arm, squeezing. “You must go see it. Even if you have to make a special trip.”
Then Fernsby drawled, “My dear ladies, it sounds terrifying.” Then he fanned himself, which made the two ladies giggle.
Troy figured they’d nixed the show idea.
