Fernsby answered, his entire face filling the screen as if he didn’t realize there was no need to put the phone right up to his mouth.
When Troy told him he wanted to storm Michaela’s office, Fernsby backed off a little, saying wisely, “It’s not like storming the Bastille, sir. This needs a more delicate touch.”
He stroked his chin while Troy waited for his genius. Then his lips curved ever so slightly in a maybe-smile. “Weren’t you going to invite Michaela and her mother to Saturday’s wedding?”
“Yes,” Troy said. “I’ve already cleared that with Lyssa. But I can’t wait till Saturday to talk to Michaela.”
Fernsby sighed. “Haven’t you heard the old saying that distance makes the heart grow fonder?”
“I’ve heard it,” Troy grumbled.
“Perhaps, if you give her these few days to be thinking of you, without having to actually deal with you and your desires,” he said with great emphasis, “she’ll come to her own conclusion.”
“What if it’s not the conclusion that’s right for both of us?” Five days would kill him.
“Have faith, sir,” Fernsby said. “And send that invitation now.”
After the wise and ancient butler ended the call, Troy did exactly what the man told him to. He called Lyssa to have a wedding invitation sent to Michaela and her mother. The lady was happy to agree.
Now Troy could only hope Michaela accepted.
The invitation arrived on Tuesday. Michaela gasped when what she wanted to do was scream. “We’ve been invited to a Maverick wedding this Saturday?”
Her hands shook, her brain shook, her entire body shook.
As they stood in the sunny yellow kitchen, her mother admitted, “Walter mentioned it. The wedding is being held at his resort down in Big Sur, so he’ll be attending. It would be lovely to go.”
Michaela’s gaze sharpened on her. “Do you think Walter had them send this?” Troy had mentioned that he wanted the yacht in time for Lyssa Spencer and Cal Danniger’s wedding. But he’d never said anything about inviting her.
Flo shrugged, picking up the invitation. As she read it, her smile could have added another few beams of sunlight to the kitchen. “I suppose.”
Michaela could only hope it was Walter, but she feared this was Troy’s doing. “Are you sure you want to attend?” She specifically didn’t ask if her mother was sure about Walter.
Flo clasped her hands. “I’d love to go. I want to dance with Walter. And I hope you come with me, too, because it could be a lot of fun for both of us.”
Everything inside Michaela seemed to bubble over like an acid bath. “I can’t go. I just can’t.”
Her mother knew her so well. “Did something bad happen between you and Troy while I was gone?”
There it was, a flat-out question. She could try to evade; she could even lie again. But this was her mom, and she’d always told Flo everything. It was time to confess. “I lied about bingeing those movies when you went to the city. I invited him over.” She didn’t even pause before adding, “And we made love.”
She felt a tad shamefaced; after all, this was her mother. And while she hadn’t needed to ask if Flo had slept with Walter, it was somehow worse to confess that she’d slept with Troy.
But Flo, her eyes shining, asked, “Was it wonderful?”
Michaela groaned. “It was so much more than wonderful. Wonderful seems—” She shrugged, not able to find the words before she finally said, “Minimizing.”
Flo rubbed Michaela’s arms. “What’s the problem, then? Doesn’t he want to see you again?”
Michaela deflated, falling into a kitchen chair while her mother finished brewing the tea. “It’s exactly the opposite. He says he’s in love with me.”
Standing beside her chair, Flo pulled Michaela into her embrace, holding her head against her heart, the way she used to when Michaela was a child. “Oh, sweetheart, shouldn’t that make you happy rather than sad?”
“But he’s not like us.” Her voice was almost a wail. “He’s a billionaire. He’ll get tired of me because I don’t fit into his world.”
Michaela had to look up as Flo stepped away. “Why do you think you can’t fit in with all those Mavericks and Harringtons? They’re not your run-of-the-mill billionaires. They’re remarkable, and they’re exactly like us.”
Michaela gulped air to keep her tears at bay. “I know they all come from humble beginnings. And I know the Harringtons had huge financial problems after their parents died. But now they have more money than King Midas.”
