The Billionaire's Second-Chance Bride (The Romero Brothers, #1) (2 page)

“What do you mean by that?” Maxine placed her latte on the table and pulled out her iPad.

“Aunt Chris must have really hated me.”

Maxine chuckled. “Really, I don’t think it’s that bad, honey. Besides, this business really gave your aunt a lot of love.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet.”

“You know what your problem is?”

“Oh, boy! Yes, Dr. Phil?”

“No seriously, girl. When
was
the last time you got laid?”

“Maxine!”

“No, really. Have you even been on a date this century?” Maxine playfully arched a brow.

“Um...when was the last time
you
got...some?” Lucy shot back, knowing full well Maxine hadn’t been on a date as long as she had.

Maxine shot her a playful scorn. She reminded Lucy of the little sister she never had. When things got stressful around the office, Maxine was always there to lighten the mood and remind her not to take herself too seriously all the time. It just wasn’t worth it.

“Besides, you know I was engaged two years ago,” Lucy’s voice trailed off as she continued. The memory was way too painful to conjure up right now. The conversation was going to a darker place she’d rather not revisit.

“Sorry, Lucy. I totally forgot. But listen, just because you lost love, it doesn’t mean you can’t go out and find someone else who would really appreciate you.”

“Maxine, you’re a sweetheart. Ever the romantic enthusiast. But seriously, I’ve learned that marriage is not for everyone.” And boy, did Lucy really mean it. It hadn’t worked out for her own parents, and although her heart still ached over losing Jeff in such a horrific accident, he was with another woman at the time. Imagine that! He was with his mistress. Apparently, according to news reports, they were in a compromising position, both partially undressed below the waist in the car, when the collision occurred. Jeff was definitely distracted when that accident occurred.

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut as if to push that horrific scene out of her mind.

No. I will not go back into the past. It’s gone. The past is gone. I will not let the past hurt me. It’s gone. I will live in the present and dream about the future.

At least that was what months of therapy had taught her during that time period.

She had to move forward. But Maxine, as well-meaning as she was, was wrong about marriage. It really wasn’t for everyone. And it certainly wasn’t for her. Okay, so she’d create dream betrothals for other people but that was as far as it would go for her. No dream weddings for Lucy Shillerton. No way in hell.

“Okay, now tell me about the outstanding contracts my aunt left...I mean, that we at Dream Weddings have left,” Lucy corrected herself.

Maxine started fingering across the screen of her iPad and pulled up a few files. She sure was quick with her fingers on the tablet. Thank God for technology. It wasn’t long ago Lucy remembered digging through stuff in a regular file cabinet and pulling out stacks of paper files on documents she needed at one of her old summer jobs.

“Okay, so we have at least three or four left and then we can take that much needed break that you so crave, girlfriend,” Maxine said.

Lucy grabbed her old-fashioned notepad and braced herself to take notes.

“Okay, shoot,” Lucy prompted Maxine.

“Right now, we have Debbie and Luke.”

“And their wedding theme is...?” Lucy asked, taking another sip of her coffee.

“Mob-style wedding.”

Lucy spewed her coffee all over the desk.

“Girl, you okay?” Maxine got up and immediately went around the table to pat Lucy on the back as she choked.

“I’m good,” Lucy said after she composed herself. “Mob. Style. Wedding?”

“Yeah, it’s supposed to be a popular theme in Vegas.”

“Yeah, and this is so not Vegas. We are not, repeat, not, doing a mob-style wedding!” Lucy could hardly contain herself. Maybe she was in the wrong business. All she could think of was more injury, a gun going off in the wrong place. Not to mention...

“Mob-style weddings are not romantic! I’m sure the
mob
doesn’t do Mob. Style. Weddings!”

“Oh, really now? Do you know of any gangsters, Lucy?”

Lucy narrowed her eyes and scowled. “Okay, fine.” Lucy had to remember that she was in the business, however odd, of granting the dream weddings to their clients. However nightmarish they may seem. She dropped her pen on the desk beside her notepad and began rubbing her temples again. “I’m in the wrong business, Maxine. I believe in granting dreams to couples but...I can’t help but thinking this is going to be more of a nightmare than a dream. What if things go wrong?”

“Honey, they only want to use props, not real weapons.”

“Well, I figured as much, Maxine. That’s just not the point.”

“Listen, I’ve got to be heading out soon. Got a dentist appointment and I don’t want to miss this one.”

“Okay, who are the other wedding contracts?” Lucy asked quietly sucking in a deep breath.
Breathe, Lucy. It’ll be okay. Just breathe. You are granting wishes here. It’s not about you, it’s about these wonderful people who want a chance at a happily-ever-after. And who could fault them, right? Maybe a little thing called...fate!

“Well,” Maxine continued, leaning back in the chair with a grin. “Crystal and Randy, who still don’t have a theme, but they want us to decide.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

For some reason, Lucy felt a small sense of relief. She thought of doing a risk-free romantic celebration.

“If you want, I can take that one over.” Maxine raised a brow with a wicked grin on her face.

“Okay, Maxine. I know it’s always been your dream, so...” Lucy breathed in then exhaled calmly. “We’ll do that one together. Okay?”

Maxine frowned. “Fine.”

“What’s the timeline on these?”

“Well, the mob-style is in two months and the unknown one is in two and a half months.”

“Great!”

“We’re not done yet, hon.”

“We’re not?”

“Nope.”

Maxine suppressed another wicked grin.

“Okay, Maxine. Cough it up.”

“Antonio Romero, that wealthy real-estate tycoon.”

“Romero? Romero Realty? No. Way.”

Maxine nodded slyly. “Yes. Way. And he’ll be the biggest client your aunt ever secured. God rest her soul.”

“Wow. I don’t believe it. But wait a minute. Isn’t he like, ninety?”

“Not quite. He’s seventy-six.” Maxine paused for a moment. “But he looks fit for his age and does scuba diving and stuff like that. Oh, this dude is young at heart. He’s got the body of a forty-nine-year-old. You know—like Joseph Pilates had.”

Lucy leaned back and relaxed in her soft-leather seat of her executive chair. Finally. A safe wedding. So, what could they do for a sweet elderly man and his equally senior bride? Perhaps they were both widowed and wanted a second chance at love. Maybe Dream Weddings could set up a romantic, authentic forties-style old Hollywood wedding theme from the era of the silver screen. That would be appropriate.

“Have they chosen a theme?” Lucy asked eagerly.

“Fun Birds!”

“Huh!” Okay, Lucy did not see that one coming. “Fun Birds?”

Maxine nodded emphatically. “It’s sort of like Angry Birds, only it’s not!”

Lucy could not imagine two seventy-something-year-olds having a Fun Bird wedding. “Okay, you’ve lost me. Exactly
how
are we going to do this?” Lucy leaned forward in her chair and pressed her elbows on her desk.

“Well, the bride wants to meet her groom at the altar by way of a human-sized slingshot.”

Lucy thought she was going to collapse. “Just...
how
old is this bride?”
Or how young?

“Forty-six.”

Lucy flopped back in her chair and placed her palms on the edge of the desk. She pinched her lips to either stifle a hysterical laugh ... or a hysterical cry.

“Okay.” She nodded and hunched her shoulders. This was about the couples. This was about granting wishes to happy couples. “Okay,” she said again quietly.

“Are you sure you’re not having a meltdown?”

“Yep. Yep. I’m...sure. I think. Have fun at the dentist, Maxine. See you in the morning.”

“Um. Tomorrow is Saturday.”

“Right. See you Monday, Maxine.”

Maxine grinned and got up slowly. She grabbed her iPad and coffee and proceeded to walk about but paused at the door. “You know, Lucy. For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you.”

“You are? Why?” Lucy asked.

“For not contesting Chris’s will. She was an odd one at times but this business meant the world to her. She was able to make dreams come true for people just like her, I guess. You’re sort of cool. I thought you were some prude Miss Proper who was going to sell this company to the highest bidder and here you are...” Maxine seemed as if she was going to be teary-eyed but Lucy could tell she was only teasing her. “Doing your best to make this work. Kudos to you, girlfriend.” She strode out of Lucy’s office.

Lucy smiled and shook her head. She glanced at the clock on her computer screen and it was almost four-thirty in the afternoon. The young receptionist outside her door would be leaving soon, too. Lucy continued her aunt’s tradition of letting employees leave earlier than five o’clock on Fridays.

Just then the receptionist buzzed her office.

“Yes, Darla?” Lucy called out over the speakerphone intercom.

“You have an appointment, Lucy.”

“I do? I thought I was all clear for the afternoon.” This was the last thing Lucy wanted to hear. She was looking forward to going home early on this Friday after a hectic week at the office and soak in a nice aroma-therapy Epsom salt-soothing bath, sipping champagne to celebrate that she was still alive after a crazy week. Heck, just celebrating breathing.

“You have a Mr. Antonio Romero here to see you,” Darla answered back over the intercom.

Antonio Romero? Antonio Romero?
Lucy glanced down at her notepad.
Holy shit! The seventy-six- year-old tycoon with the Fun Birds themed wedding!

“Right. Please send him in, Darla.”

“Will do.”

Lucy straightened out her skirt, which had ridden up while she was seated. She looked as if she’d just worked a busy workday but she knew how respectable she needed to look for her clients, especially the elderly ones who were used to prim and proper back in the day. When the door swung open, Lucy’s jaw fell wide open.

Lucy was stunned, dazed, confused.

Standing before her was the most gorgeous, possibly six-foot, dark-tanned and sexy as hell
young
man she’d ever seen in her life. He was dressed in a stunning, expensive-looking suit that seemed to complement his obvious muscular frame and broad shoulders. He had dark, silky cropped hair and deep, rich dark eyes and high chiseled cheekbones. He was to die for. She wasn’t good with ages but he sure as hell was nowhere near seventy-six. There must have been a mistake. The other thing Lucy noticed was that Mr. Drop-Dead-Sexy was not smiling. He appeared not in a good mood. He glared at her through dangerously dark eyes framed with the longest lashes she’d ever seen on a man.

“Mr. Romero?” Lucy queried, still stunned!

“I’m his grandson, Antonio.”

Oh. My. God. “You’re Antonio Romero the third?” Lucy extended her hand then quickly withdrew it when she saw his jaw was clenched.
Did he bite?

“I’m sorry, I thought it was your grandfather. We’re not allowed to discuss contracts with anyone other than the client and his or her spokesperson, sir.”

“Miss Shillerton, I’ll make this short. I know you’re probably as pressed for time as I am but I want you to cancel this wedding of my grandfather's. And I want you to do it pronto.”

“What?” Lucy almost fell over.
Who does he think he is?
“What are you talking about?”

“I’m aware you took over the business from your aunt and I appreciate what you are trying to do.” Antonio sounded more curt and authoritative, if that was possible. “But I will pay you any amount of money for your inconvenience to prevent my grandfather from making the biggest mistake of his life.”

“Do tell. What makes you think he’s making a mistake?” Lucy was growing hotter by the second. Was the heat climbing in the office all of a sudden—or was it the tension between them? It wasn’t merely the fact that this bossy man just barged into her office uttering commands for her to follow but, yeah, he was hot as hell.
Focus, Lucy. Focus.

Lucy fought hard to keep her composure but it wasn’t easy when someone so good-looking and sinfully sexy was distracting your professional thoughts. “L-l-listen. My clients
are
my business. I’m sorry you are having family issues but-”

“Family issues?” Antonio repeated as he shoved his hands in his tailored pants pockets, swiftly pacing side to side in her office. Oh, she caught the soothing scent of his delicious cologne and it stirred some naughty feelings inside her. He smelled good! She noticed the way he moved. Powerful. Manly. It
had
been too long since she’d been with someone. Maxine was right.

Focus, Lucy. Focus.

“This has nothing to do with family issues, Ms. Shillerton. This is my grandfather’s life and I'm protecting him from some two-bit gold digger.”

“Gold digger?”

“Are you planning on echoing every select word I speak, Ms. Shillerton, or do you plan on following through on my wishes?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Romero.” Hell, even his name sounded sexy. It just rolled around and off her tongue. Mmmm. “But your grandfather is my concern. I work for him and his bride-to-be. We’re here to make
his
dream wedding come true and who are we to tell him he can’t have it or to tell him he can’t fall in love? Besides, why didn’t
you
tell him to call it off?”

For a moment, Antonio paused. He locked gaze with Lucy causing a wave of hot emotions to spring through her body. She was shivering inside. Holy cow! No man had ever had that effect on her body. And just from one look. There certainly was some sort of indescribable magnetic pull between them. She just couldn’t quite pinpoint it. This man oozed sexual power and something else.