His Millionaire Maid (17 page)

“Okay, so I don’t know exactly what you’d say to her, but you’d think of something, I’m sure. And anything is better than galumphing around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

Joe let out a seething hiss. He dug his fingers into his brow, desperately trying to order his thoughts. “I don’t even know where she lives.”

“That’s okay. I read on the internet that Beaumont’s daughter Brooke is getting married today at the Beaumonts’ home in Presidio Heights. I can text you the address.”

“And you think they’ll just let me walk in off the street, huh?”

Vince rubbed his jaw, considering. “Well, you might want to take a shower before you go. I hear chicks like that, too.” He held up his hands as Joe growled at him. “Hey, are you going to let a little wedding invitation stand in your way? Just tell them you’re her plus one and bluff your way in.”

I must be going crazy
, Joe thought, because he was actually contemplating how long it would take him to get to San Francisco. And excitement was bubbling in him at the prospect of seeing Nina again. Excitement and fear and doubt. He needed to see her again. Just one more time without all the anger clouding his brain. He needed her, just plain needed her, which meant…

“Aw, damn,” he muttered as prickling chills raced up and down his spine.

“What?” Vince asked.

“I do love her, you know. I just didn’t realize it until now.”

Vince clapped him on the shoulder. “Save it for Nina, buddy. Doesn’t work on me.”

Chapter Fifteen

The devil had reserved a special dose of hell for those attending a wedding with a broken heart, and Nina had felt the flames licking her all afternoon. It didn’t help that the wedding was an overblown extravaganza and the guest list was stuffed with socialites, politicians, business execs, and all the other people Nina had so little in common with. For hours she pretended she was having a good time until Brooke and the senator’s son finally left, bound for their honeymoon by private jet.

Nina had talked Lindsey into coming to the wedding as her guest, and they found a quiet table to themselves. Nina had gotten hold of a bottle of expensive wine, with every intention of getting hammered, but now it didn’t seem worth the effort. Everything felt like hard work these days. She felt so flat and empty and…old.

“You really think moving to Palm Springs is a good idea?” Lindsey asked, sipping her wine.

“I told you why I’m doing it.”

“Yes, but Joe doesn’t even know you’re doing it for him.”

“It’s okay. As long as he’s happy.” She clenched her jaw against the pain.

Lindsey squeezed Nina’s hand. “He’s a dope and doesn’t deserve your sacrifice.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s done.” Nina let out a sigh. “Tomorrow I’m leaving for Palm Springs, and I start my new job on Monday.” She tried to inject some energy into her voice. “It’ll be good having something to keep me busy.”

Lindsey wrinkled her nose. “I’m worried about you, Nina. You’re not your usual self.”

How could she be her usual self when she was in love with Joe? When she was trying so hard to get over him?

“I’m just tired.”

She tried to imagine Joe at this wedding reception. What would he make of all this conspicuous consumption? The rivers of French champagne, the masses of hothouse flowers, the fortunes dangling on necks and wrists? He wouldn’t be out of place, she decided. Because Joe was his own man. He was strong and independent. He wasn’t defined by what he owned.

The band had started playing a croony number, and on the dance floor couples were snuggling up to each other. Nina shuddered. She’d had enough happy couples for one day.

She hauled herself to her feet. “Do you want to hang around here? Because I’m done.”

“Let’s go, then,” Lindsey said softly.

“Let’s take the back way and avoid the crowds.”

As they made their way toward the rear, Nina heard a small commotion coming from the main entrance.
Just some drunk
, she thought.
You can’t have a wedding without someone getting sloshed.

…

Joe was in a fury. It hadn’t helped that his truck had sprung a punctured tire halfway to San Francisco. Changing the tire had gotten him sweaty and messy. He’d gone to such care making himself presentable, and then ended up with wrinkled pants, grease stains on his shirt, and his hair all disheveled. He wasn’t usually so clumsy, but the prospect of seeing Nina again had put him into a tailspin.

So much so that once he’d reached the city he’d quickly gotten lost. The GPS on his phone couldn’t pick up a signal, and he’d spent ages driving blind until he got his bearings and found the Beaumont residence in the prestigious Presidio Heights suburb. It looked like the fanciest house in the street, a three-story mansion surrounded by a huge garden and massive walls and gates manned by security guards.

Lights blazed in the garden while music and chatter rose up in the night air. It was getting late, and some of the wedding guests were leaving, judging by the Bentleys and Mercs edging in and out of the grounds.

This activity abetted his party crashing. With valet drivers and cars milling around, the lone security guard at the gate was distracted. Possibly he also wasn’t expecting anyone to crash the wedding at this late hour. Joe took his chance and calmly strolled through the gates as if he had every right to be there.

He stood for a moment, taking in the impressive mansion and sweeping grounds. So this was where Nina had grown up. It seemed incredible that a girl from this background had been his maid. His respect for her rose even higher, and he realized he didn’t care that Carson was her father, because Nina was clearly her own woman. His anxiety to see her intensified.

He made for the giant tent set up in the middle of the garden, where all the light and noise was coming from. His heartbeat climbed as he straightened his shirt and rehearsed the first lines he’d say to Nina.

What if she refused to see him? What if she had him thrown out? Sweat prickled his nape. Hell, he couldn’t think about that.

He paused at the entrance to the tent, momentarily dazed by the lights and music. Several guests peered at him. The men were in tuxedos, the women dripping with jewels. They looked at him as if they couldn’t decide whether he was part of the waitstaff or some weird cousin from out of town.

“Hey!” someone yelled out. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Joe turned to see Perry Stevens scurrying up.
Oh, great. Just what I need right now.

“I’m with Nina,” Joe said coolly.

Perry gawked at him. “Nina? Mr. Beaumont’s daughter?” He let out a cackle. “Oh, that’s priceless.”

Ignoring the twerp, Joe scanned the crowd, searching for a slim figure with a mop of short blonde hair. He couldn’t see her. He moved forward, intent on searching every inch.

Someone grabbed his arm. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

He glanced down at Perry’s sweaty, flushed face. The guy looked drunk and ugly. In a sudden rush of revulsion, Joe shook him off. Perry stumbled back, then he lurched toward Joe, fists swinging wildly. Joe stuck out one hand, palm flattened, and the guy bounced off and landed on his ass.

People were gathering around, murmurs were flying. Perry scrambled upright, face puce as he started to screech. “Security! Security! This man assaulted me. Security!”

Joe groaned silently. This was so not the way he’d envisioned meeting Nina again. He hadn’t thought this through. He’d allowed Vince to convince him that crashing a wedding to plead with the woman he loved was a smart idea.

“Perry, for Pete’s sake, stop that racket,” a familiar voice barked. “What’s going on?” Carson Beaumont stared at Joe, his face impassive. “Oh, it’s you.”

“He assaulted me,” Perry bleated. “He’s crazy.”

Carson rounded on the guy. “Perry, you’re drunk, now go away and sober up.” He transferred his attention back to Joe. His stony gaze traveled up and down, taking in every wrinkle and stain on Joe’s clothes. Joe stared back at him. He detested Carson, but the guy was still Nina’s father, and for that alone he owed him a small measure of consideration.

“I’m here to see Nina,” Joe said, calm and implacable.

“Hmm.” Carson glanced at the people around them, and they melted away, leaving the two of them alone. “She might have already left. Probably wants an early night, seeing as she’s leaving tomorrow for Palm Springs.”

The pit fell out of Joe’s stomach. “Palm Springs…?”

“She’s taking a job for me there.”

“Oh.”

His heart sank even further. So she’d had her break from reality, and now she was ready to take up her old life. How could she still work for her father when she knew what Beaumont, Inc. had done to him? Obviously she’d gotten over that in a hurry. Just like she’d gotten over him in a hurry.

His blood felt like icy sludge in his veins. He’d driven all this way for nothing. Nothing but a proverbial kick in the gut.

Suddenly deluged with fury and humiliation, he turned away from Carson, desperate to get as far away as possible. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a familiar figure—a slender girl with feathery blonde hair wearing a blue dress. She was across the dance floor, sidling through the tables, the supple movements of her body so achingly familiar that his lungs seized and he couldn’t breathe for a moment.

“Nina!” he choked out, and then he was striding across the dance floor, scattering couples left and right.

He hadn’t been able to yell, but she appeared to hear him anyway. She spun around, and her eyes grew wide and amazed as he closed in on her.

“Joe,” she breathed when he was only a couple of feet away. A pretty, dark-haired girl stood next to her. “Lindsey, this is Joe,” Nina said, not taking her eyes off Joe.

“Ah, the famous Joe.”

Reluctantly, Joe glanced at Nina’s friend. “I’m famous?”

“Well, to me you are.” Lindsey pecked Nina on the cheek. “I’m leaving now. Call me if you want. Anytime.”

Nina waited until they were alone before she drew in a deep breath. “What are you doing here?”

He didn’t answer her right away because first he had to drink in his fill of her. Even though she was leaving, even though she didn’t love him, that didn’t kill his need for her. Since she’d been gone, he’d missed her every second of every day, and after tonight he wouldn’t see her again. This was his last chance.

She was dazzling in a blue silk dress that hugged her small breasts and brought out the creamy smoothness of her skin. Her hair was artfully mussed, and makeup accentuated her deep blue eyes and generous lips. But despite the polish, she didn’t look all that happy. There were faint shadows beneath her eyes and a sad droop to her lips. The realization gave him a faint throb of hope. Maybe she’d missed him too?

“I came because—because—” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Because I need to apologize to you.”

“A-apologize…for what?”

“Last week when I found out who you were, I was mad at you. I felt you’d duped me, and well, I’m a proud man.” He took a sorely needed breath. “But not too proud to admit I overreacted. You were right. When I found out who you were, I treated you differently, and you didn’t deserve that. You’d already proved yourself to me, and I should have seen that instead of lashing out because of my wounded pride. I’m sorry, Nina. Will you accept my apology?”

She looked so stunned that it was a while before she managed a nod. “Of course. I never set out to dupe anyone. I was just so sick of being a Beaumont.”

He nodded. “You mentioned that before. But you never told me what it was that finally made you snap.”

“Why don’t we sit down?” She gestured to an empty table in a quiet corner. “We might be here for a while.”

He didn’t mind that. They sat on opposite sides of the table.

Nina began to tell him about the events that led to her abandoning her identity. She told him about her job, the unexpected promotion, and what her coworkers thought of her. Joe found himself growing angry on her behalf, especially when she revealed that her father had indeed organized the promotion for her. Didn’t anyone see the hardworking Nina who didn’t ask for any favors?

“So you just decided to stop off in Hartley?” he asked.

“Not exactly. Hartley happened because of a duck.”

He blinked at her. “A duck?”

“Yeah, a duck. I was driving around a corner and there it was right in the middle of the road. I swerved to avoid it and landed my car in water in some disused quarry.”

Joe caught his breath. He knew that quarry. The water was deep and dangerous. That explained the duckweed he’d seen in her hair the day they met. Thank God she’d survived. He made to reach for her hand but stopped himself.

“All I had was my phone,” Nina continued. “It seemed fate was giving me a chance to be someone else, someone ordinary. So I swapped my clothes for some I found on a clothesline and walked into town, where you mistook me for someone else.”

So much had happened since that first day they’d met.

“I don’t think you’ll ever be ordinary.”

She made a moue with her lips. “How is everyone in Hartley?”

“Good. I donated the clothes you left back to the thrift store. Mrs. Stewart was very sorry to hear you’d left. She wanted you to know that the charity stall made a huge profit, thanks to some French dresses.”

Her eyes grew misty, and she seemed to choke up.

He scrubbed a hand across his face as his heart began to beat faster. He’d come all this way to bare his soul to Nina, and even though she obviously didn’t share his sentiments, he was going to tell her anyway, because he had to get it off his chest, and what did he have to lose, anyway, if she was leaving tomorrow?

“Nina, I didn’t come here only to apologize. I came here to…to…” He shifted in his seat, aware that he was suddenly perspiring with stress.

She sat up, tense, her eyes glued on him. “Yes, Joe?” she whispered, and the husky uncertainty in her voice gave him the final spurt of courage he needed.

“I came here to tell you how I feel about you.” His throat constricted, and for a moment he was unable to talk. Nina’s face tightened; she seemed to be holding her breath.

“I love you, Nina.” The words rushed out of him in a flood. He blinked; she blinked.

“I’m sorry, can you say that again, please?” Tiny dots of pink appeared in her cheeks.

“I’m in love with you,” he slowly pronounced, his heart booming with each word.
What a relief to let it out.
All week the truth had been building up in him, and finally he could let it go like an avalanche.

The dots of pink spread across her cheeks. She looked so adorable, so beautiful. But he wouldn’t allow himself to reach out and hold her hands because he knew she didn’t feel the same way. He wasn’t going to let this become heavy and awkward. He’d treat it like some harmless fun.

“Yeah, it’s hilarious, isn’t it?” he said as a slow smile widened her lips and her eyes began to dance. “Me, the ‘no relationships’ guy, falling for a girl in just a few weeks. But don’t worry. I’m not here to ask you to run away with me or anything.”

Her gorgeous smile stuttered away. “But…why not?”

He faked a nonchalant shrug. “Because I know you have other priorities. I know you’re leaving for Palm Springs tomorrow.” The relief he’d felt at unburdening himself faded away. Why did he love the one woman he couldn’t have? Why did he love her despite knowing what she was doing?

“Oh.” Nina looked down at her hands, all the light in her face dimming.

He ached for her. “Nina,” he said urgently. “Don’t go to Palm Springs. Don’t work for your father. You deserve better than that. Go somewhere else, find another job, change your name if you have to. I know you, Nina Summers. You can succeed on your own. You don’t need to stick with your dad.”