Designs on the Billionaire

by Meg MacRose

  “It looks groovy. I like it. I like it a lot. Therese loves it too! She thinks I look like a unicorn. My hair, well It’s actually pink with some purple streaks through it.”

  “So long as you like it, then it doesn’t matter what my mother or anyone else thinks. And a unicorn, well that definitely sounds groovy!”

  Nick sat back in his seat, a smile on his face. Lacey was a box of surprises. A rather sexy looking one at that. It was conversations like this, when he just knew deep inside him, that breaking up from Diana had been a fortuitous move. And groovy. Who used the word groovy nowadays? He could honestly say that in all his life, he’d never used the word groovy!

  ###

  After talking to Nick, Lacey read Therese her favourite unicorn book before tucking her into bed.

  “One more page, pleeeeease.” Therese always wanted one more page. She’d received the chapter book series from Ted and Louise for Christmas last year and although it had taken them a few months to start reading the books, Therese was now an avid fan.

  “Sorry hun. You need to get to sleep and I need to finish a few things off. You do know it’s late.”

  “But it’s not dark outside yet. And it is school holidays.” Therese complained.

  “And it’s already well past your normal bedtime. But we have a big day tomorrow, and if we’re too tired, then we won’t be able to enjoy it.” Lacey bent down and kissed her daughter on her forehead. It was going to be a big day for Therese, meeting her grandparents for the first time. Well, one set anyway. Lacey had no interest in contacting her own parents to encourage any connection between her daughter and them. They had made their stance particularly clear, and she was happy to live a normal life away from the constraints of social etiquette that seemed to only exist within the upper echelon of society. She’d met more decent people in the time that she’d lived in Eridge than ever. But she did want to clear some things up with Nick first about tomorrow’s trip.

  With a gentle click, Lacey closed her daughter’s bedroom door behind her; Therese’s soft snores already audible behind her.

  Lacey made herself a coffee and helped herself to a generous slice of lemon cake that Therese had helped her make earlier in the afternoon. It had been a bad idea baking, as it had been difficult to bend down to put the cake in the hot oven and she had ended up standing too long. Aches and pains shot down her leg; she was feeling the effects of overdoing it.

  Lacey arranged her herself on the sofa. Her legs were resting up on the side, and her coffee, cake and phone were all positioned for easy accessibility.

  As her phone rang through to Nick’s, butterflies formed in her stomach. It was always like this. Every time she called him a wave of nervousness hit her.

  “Good evening, Lacey. Just a second, let me turn the music down.” His rich and honeyed voice sent shivers down her back.

  “That’s better. How’s the leg?” The classical music in the background had faded away.

  “It’s aching a bit tonight. But that’s too be expected I guess.” She wasn’t about to admit to him that she’d overdone it during the day.

  “I just wanted to check in with you about tomorrow.”

  “Is Therese excited?”

  “Actually, I haven’t told her yet. I’ll do so just before we leave tomorrow morning. She’d never have gotten to sleep tonight if I told her. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to answer any of her million questions about your parents.” Although Lacey kept her voice light, she was feeling defensive about not telling Therese yet.

  Nick chuckled back. The tension from her shoulders released. He wasn’t upset that she hadn’t said anything yet.

  “You mentioned that your Dad wants to meet Therese. Does he live with your Mother?”

  “Yeah, he does. As you know, I work with Dad. Every Monday morning he’s been a captive audience to my stories about Therese and her antics. I’ve shared lots of photos with him too. He’s really excited.”

  “But not your Mum?”

  “No. I haven’t actually seen or spoken to Mother since I broke my engagement with Diana. She’s best friends with Diana’s mother and according to my Dad, has taken it badly. I probably need to clarify something with you. My Mother was never the type of mother that you are with Therese. She was never affectionate or wanted to spend time with us. It’s just the way that she is.” Lacey nodded. She couldn’t give any recriminations to Nick. It wasn’t his fault; besides her own mother was guilty of exactly the same thing.

  “Okay. Thanks for sharing that. So, what kind of reception should we expect from your Mother tomorrow? Does she even know of Therese’s existence?” If Nick’s mother was anything like her own, and Lacey suspected that the two ladies were very much alike, then she’d have to be on guard to ensure that Therese wasn’t hurt or offended by verbal insults.

  “To be honest Lace, I’m not sure. Dad was going to tell her tonight. Either way, he really wants to build a relationship with Therese.”

  “Nick, I’m not going to allow anyone, not even your mother to be rude or make Therese feel awful.”

  “Lace, I’m there with you. I can promise you that no-one, and I mean no-one, will ever get the opportunity to make a slur against her, or upset Therese. Not in my presence. Not ever.” His voice was a mix of grim determination and the love that he so evidently had for his daughter.

  “Thanks, Nick.” Her eyes closed in relief. She should have known that she could count on Nick. He may be new to fatherhood, but he had proved himself time and time again as a doting and protective father.

  “Nick, I don’t know if it will come up. But I just want to make it clear, as you know I’m estranged from my own parents, and I have no intention of renewing any contact with them. Not now, and not in the foreseeable future.”

  “Sure Lace. I’m not about to hassle you to do so.”

  “It’s not you I’m worried about. If it all goes perfectly well tomorrow, you know, total happy families, then in my experience, the conversation gets centred around things like what a shame it is that my own parents aren’t part of Therese’s life. I just wanted you to know, that isn’t on my agenda whatsoever.”

  “No problems. To be honest, I don’t envy my Dad tonight explaining to my Mother about tomorrow’s morning tea invitation. I was just thinking about him before you called. I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes. My Mother isn’t a bad person. But her ideals in life are driven by what she perceives as socially acceptable actions. So, her own son breaking up with Diana would not have been socially acceptable, regardless of the circumstances. If it was someone else’s son, then it would be the basis for judgements and gossip. She’ll be smarting that it’s her turn to be at the centre of what she’d consider to be an absolute scandal. Now I’m presenting to her my child with a different mother than the person I was engaged with. The rumour mill will have a field day. Not that I’m bothered by any rumours. I’ve always thought that her and her friends were shallow and had too much time on their hands. And I don’t want you to be concerned with it either. I won’t let her say anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

  “Thanks Nick.” She really meant it. She’d never had anyone in her corner before. It always felt like it was her against the rest of her family.

  “Please Lace, don’t worry about tomorrow. My Dad’s a really nice guy. I only found that out after I started working in the family company. He is genuine in wanting to meet Therese. And you too. If it means that we only see my Dad tomorrow, and my Mother stays away, then so be it. That would be my interpretation of happy families as you put it. My Mother doesn’t really fit into the happy family paradigm.”

  “Okay. Thanks for clarifying Nick. Your Dad sounds like he’s taken the news of Therese in his stride. Are you sure he won’t mind about the hair colour?”

  “I hadn’t even thought about it. But I’m sure he’ll not even notice. Most men don’t judge a woman on her hair. I think he’s more nervous than you are, that you’ll approve of him so that he can see Therese mo
re often.”

  “Phew. I’ve been worried about my hair since you called earlier. I was almost tempted to re-dye it to a more neutral colour. But Therese is enchanted by it, and I kinda like it too.”

  “Don’t you dare change your hair colour because of my parents. Anyway, I haven’t seen it in person yet! I’m looking forward to seeing what it looks like. I suspect the photos that you sent through earlier don’t do it justice.” The laugh in his voice teased her. She was looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.

  “Lace, I’ll have my overnight stuff in the back of the car, so after we’ve been to my folk’s place, I’ll get Carl to drop us back at yours. Is that okay with you?”

  “That’s fine.” It was more than fine. It was a promise of things to come.

  Chapter 14

  Lacey shuffled over to the back door with the slowness of a turtle. It was great having the cast off, her leg no longer heavy and tiresome to move. Although, the weakness in her bones meant that it made it difficult to put any weight on it. Her legs had ached all night, but there was no pain in them now like there had been last night.

  Finally, she made it to the door. Lacey smiled at the scene outside. Therese was outside playing with the water sprinkler out on the grass. Her curls were wet and plastered to her face. This was what childhoods were supposed to be about.

  “Honey, do you want to turn the water off? We’ve got to get ready to go out. I bet you can’t guess where we’ve been invited to?”

  Curious and excited eyes met her own.

  “Is it to show off your new hair-do?” Therese clasped her small fingers together in absolute excitement.

  “Well, not quite. But we can. Do you think you can guess, or do you need a clue?”

  “A clue. A clue.” Her daughter squealed in excitement.

  Therese’s face beamed back at her own. There was nothing like getting a child on board with a plan by the tantalising offer of a clue. Her daughter’s small body almost sprung up and down as she turned off the tap, her anticipation palpable.

  “Well, come inside and we’ll get ready together. I’ll give you the next clue after we’ve both changed into our pretty sundresses.”

  Lacey opened her wardrobe doors and straight away opted for a classy plain white mid length dress. But as she took the dress off its hangers, her fingers stalled for a moment. She shook her head; this was the type of conservative dress that her mother would approve of. And since having Therese, she had tried to remain true to how she would dress and act, without all the pretence and posturing of her mother. Besides, a dress that conformed would not match her new hairdo. She replaced the dress back to her wardrobe and stepped back. She had some beautiful bright patchwork skirts that she’d bought last summer at a market with Therese. There was one skirt, where the patches were all different tones of pink, purple and brown. The colours in the skirt would be perfect paired with her pair of dark brown knee-high boots and a plain brown cotton t-shirt. And if Nick’s mother didn’t approve, well what was new? Her own mother had never approved of her wearing anything that suggested having any sense of identity. It was important to role-model to Therese that it was okay to stay true to yourself and not have to change to suit someone else’s expectations.

  “Oh Mummy. You look beautiful, just like a real-life magical unicorn.” Therese’s squeal from her bedroom door was a few decibels higher than normal. “But I can’t find anything to wear. I want to be beautiful too. Can you give me the clue first to help me decide?”

  Lacey walked over and ruffled her daughter’s hair. “Sure, thing Sweetie. Next clue is that we are going to meet some people who we’ve never met before. And your Daddy is coming to pick us up to go and meet them.”

  Therese cocked her head to the side. “Has Daddy ever met them before?”

  “He sure has.”

  “Are they kids or adults? Or kids and adults?”

  “Hmmm. Good question. Adults, I think. Only adults.”

  Therese looked at her for a second, her bright eyes widened as she thought about who it could be that they were meeting.”

  As she skipped back to her room, Therese called out, “Mummy, I still don’t know what to wear.”

  As Lacey collected a small handbag from her room, she replied “What about that amazing dress that your Daddy bought for you when I was still in hospital? I seem to remember you saying it was for a special occasion, and this is a special occasion.”

  “Oh. Yes. Yes. Where is it? I can’t find it anywhere.” The sound of drawers being pulled and pushed came from her daughter’s bedroom.

  “I think it’s hanging up on a coat-hanger. In your wardrobe. Try there.”

  “Thanks, Mummy.” There was no sound from Therese’s room until she called out, “I found it. It’s here. Can you help me? I can’t get the zip moving up or down.”

  Lacey hobbled into the small child’s bedroom, marvelling at how quickly her own daughter had managed to fill the entire floor space with clean clothes out of her drawers in a bid to find something to wear.

  “Come here Honey, let’s see what the problem is.”

  The bright red zip on the multi-coloured dress was indeed stuck as it still had an orange sale price tag connected through the zip. Nick had bought well. The dress had been on sale with a hefty fifty per cent discount. Why she was impressed with that, she didn’t know. But it was another tick in her mind for Nick. Lacey undid the pin and string to take off the price tag, then released the zip.

  “Here you are. Arms up, and over.”

  She slipped the beautiful new sleeveless dress over her thrilled and animated daughter’s raised arms, which was a feat as Therese couldn’t keep still. She bounced from one leg to the other. The dress was ever so slightly oversized, so it willowed around her body, but Lacey had to admit, it was a wonderful garment and it looked amazing on Therese.

  Therese started to pirouette around her room, trampling the clothes on the floor.

  “How about you go and have a look at yourself in the mirror in my room? And I’ll start picking up these clothes that you’ve thrown around your room.”

  “Thanks Mummy. Sorry Mummy.” Therese placed her little arms around Lacey before she danced her way through to the mirror. It was moments like this that brought home to Lacey just how wonderful being a mother to Therese was. Her life had changed very quickly since the night she’d told her parents about her pregnancy, but she held no regrets.

  She shook her head with resolve, she needed to stop dwelling on her parents. It must be the prospect of meeting Nick’s parents, that had prompted her to dredge up her own anxieties that she seemed to still have with her mother.

  Lacey had just discovered that kneeling to pick up the clothes was impossible with the weakness in her leg, and she was still contemplating an easy and effective way to do it when a warm amused male voice spoke from the doorway.

  “Wow. You look incredible. But can I ask, what on earth are you trying to do?”

  Lacey looked back at the hunky man who stood so familiar in her house. His amused and friendly smile brought a smile to her own lips.

  “You know that you look like a baby giraffe finding its legs for the first time?” he teased.

  Lacey snorted with laughter. Her legs did indeed look something akin to a baby giraffe learning to walk. Her legs were out stiff on different angles as she had been trying to manoeuvre down to the ground.

  “And a perfect opportunity presents itself,” Lacey declared back to Nick, using her arms in big sweeping actions to usher him inside the room. “Roll up, roll up. Here, inside this room, is a huge mess, the result of a little girl who is so excited to be going out for a special, yet indeterminate occasion. This little girl, the one and only, who has rummaged through every piece of clothing in a bid to find something distinctive and extraordinary to wear, and at the same time, managed to remove at least fifty per cent of her entire wardrobe onto the floor. This ladies and gentlemen, is a marvel in the making.” Lacey hollered through open hands,
as if she were a circus ring master using a microphone.

  Nick’s eyes crinkled as he scrutinised the mayhem. His warm honeyed eyes returned to Lacey as he took a step towards her.

  “Your hair suits you.” He touched the short soft wavy locks just in front of her ears. His fingers felt warm and strong on her sensitive skin. “I never thought I’d say this, but pink and purple could be your thing.”

  It was gratifying to know that he commended her spontaneous colour choice.

  Lacey rolled her eyes upwards. “But it’s probably not the best choice just before meeting your folks for the first time.”

  He kissed her quickly and softly on her lips, lingering just long enough to make her knees go weak. “It’s perfect for you.” His voice fanning her face. He stepped back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to kiss you. I should have asked first.”

  Lacey felt enveloped in a haze of happiness. For some reason, she didn’t mind that he kissed her. In fact, she would have like him to continue. But then that would really complicate things.

  Nick continued talking “don’t worry about what my parents think. Besides, my father is beside himself in excitement. He’s already seen every photo that I’ve taken of you and Therese, and he can’t wait to meet you in person. Did you know his screensaver on his laptop at work is the picture that you took of Therese and I having a cup of tea in bed?”

  This news was a bit of a shock to Lacey. She’d never thought of Nick’s family already knowing personal stuff about them. “And your Mother?” She asked, her voice laced with a hint of hesitation. Filled with apprehension and uncertainty, Lacey closed her eyes.

  He touched her chin with delicate movements and raised her head back up to meet the concern in his face. As she opened her eyes, her insides melted from the softening of his expression as he gazed back down at her. Her body relaxed under his protective scrutiny. Anxieties about his mother disappeared as molten heat warmed her chest. If nothing else, she was sure of his support. As if her thoughts were transparent, he bent his head down to whisper into her ear.