Page 100 of How to Train Your Billionaire

“He would have been.”

The certainty in his voice makes my throat tight.

Hayes glances at my vision board, his gaze lingering on the photo of Charles and me. “You look happy in that picture.”

“I was.”

“And now?”

The question hangs between us like a loaded gun.

“Now I’m ...” I gesture vaguely at my office. “Building something. Moving forward.”

“Good. That’s good.”

We stand there, staring at each other. Two months of missing him crashes over me all at once. The way we bantered. How he’d frown when he was concentrating. The sound of his laugh when I caught him off guard.

How he held me when Charles died.

“Frankie—”

My desk phone rings, shattering the moment.

“I should ...” I reach for it, grateful for the interruption.

“Golden Adventures, this is Frankie.”

“Ms. Anderson? This is Patricia Gallagher. I’m calling about your ‘Tuscan Dreams’ package.”

Patricia Gallagher. As in, Gallagher Textiles? As in, billionaire widow who could fund my entire company with her jewelry budget?

I meet Hayes’s eyes and mouthimportant call.

He nods and settles into the chair across from my desk. Not leaving. Just ... waiting.

“Mrs. Gallagher, how can I help you?”

“Well, I’m planning a trip for twelve of my closest friends. We’re all in our seventies, and we want to celebrate my late husband’s birthday in style. He always loved Italy.”

Twelve wealthy widows. In Tuscany. My brain starts calculating commission rates.

“That sounds wonderful. When were you thinking?”

“October. We’d require private villas, reservations atMichelin-starred restaurants, personal sommeliers, but we’d want to make sure we were getting a deal.”

I’m trying to focus on her requirements, but Hayes is sitting three feet away, watching me work. His presence fills my tiny office until there’s barely room for anything else.

“Absolutely. We can arrange private cooking classes with renowned chefs, wine tastings at family-owned vineyards ...”

Hayes’s mouth quirks up at the corner. He’s impressed.

“And transportation?” she asks.

“Private luxury coaches with experienced drivers who know the region intimately.”

“And the pricing?”

“I’m confident we can work within whatever budget you had in mind.”