Lisa flicked a wrist in his direction dismissively
“Go find something to hide your bushwhacker and come here. Something great just happened.”
Noelle giggled as she twisted and grabbed a sheet to cover herself.
Hunter emerged from the bathroom with a scowl.
Lisa had bundles of paper in her hand.
“What are these?” Hunter asked darkly, mortification written all over his face.
“Your ticket to the senate,” Lisa answered simply before recounting the whole story
Noelle and Hunter listened with amazement. It was unbelievable.
“How did this happen?” Hunter muttered after a few seconds of stunned silence. “But I said I wasn’t running anymore.”
“Hunter, there’s over 8 million signatures in this petition. That represents two-thirds of the entire population of New York City,” Noelle announced going through the pages.
Indecision was still written on Hunter’s face.
“Noelle and I will talk about it,” he finally declared to Lisa.
Before Lisa exited the door she looked back at him and remarked, “This is all you ever wanted. You’d be an idiot not to heed the people’s call.”
Lisa smiled. She knew him better than he knew himself. She knew that he would make the right decision.
EPILOGUE
The Gulfstream touched down on the asphalt runway, sending small particles of stone flying away from its path.
Inside the air-conditioned waiting room, Noelle watched the plane’s progress as it came to a halt at the end of the runway, before making a 90-degree turn and headed towards the hub.
Earlier, a motley group of reporters spotted their arrival and followed them inside, curious about their presence at the airport.
“Senator Blackwell, are you expecting someone important? That’s your private airplane isn’t it?”
Noelle cocked an ear for Hunter’s reply. She too was in the dark on why he asked her to come. She thought, just like the reporter did, that it was for an important dignitary. But she immediately recognized the private plane when it came in for a landing.
“Guys, guys really,” Hunter replied, palms out, warding them off. "It's no one important. You're wasting your time. But if you hurry on to the next terminal, I think that was Kim Kardashian's limo right behind mine."
The reporters looked at one another and made a mad rush outside.
Hunter joined Noelle and placed an arm around her waist. She glanced at him and read the poker face.
“You jerk!” she tittered, “sending those men on a wild goose chase.”
“It was the only way they’d leave us alone.” Hunter quipped.
"Uh-huh. But mind telling me who we're meeting exactly? You've been acting weird since this morning."
“You’ll see,” he replied mysteriously.
The nose of the jet was only a few meters away from the glass window where they stood. Noelle heard that whiny metallic sound before its engine was turned off.
In the silence that followed, Noelle glanced up at her husband. There was something on her mind and now was a good time as any to ask.
“What do you think happened to Diggs? I never heard from him again.”
Hunter grimaced, liked she brought up some bad news. Then he exhaled loudly and replied, “I think he was wise enough to look for the deepest, darkest hole he could find after I got elected senator.”
Noelle felt intense relief. She doubted Diggs would show his face around her ever again. Not with a powerful man in office to protect her. She reached for his hand and squeezed, telling him she understood.
Hunter guided her towards a small doorway that led to the tarmac. They walked a few meters and stood at the foot of the jet.
Noelle looked up curiously. She still didn’t have a clue.
The door opened with an audible hissing sound.
A woman’s silhouette came into view. She wore a loose-fitting blouse with a V-shaped neckline and long sleeves. The white blouse ended lower than the waistline. A long wrap-around skirt with birds-of-paradise patterns was enhanced with a rectangular piece of cloth wrapped around the waist and hips and tucked in at the end. Her hair was encased in a headdress that bore the same color pattern as the skirt.
She looked uncertain as she stood there by the door. It was Noelle’s cry that got her attention.
“Miranda!”
Miranda came running down the steps and straight into Noelle’s arms. They hugged each other, never wanting to let go. Tears streamed down both of their faces as they gibbered at the same time.
Noelle knew this was all because of Hunter. He must have searched for Miranda in Nigeria, arranged for her papers and brought her back home to Noelle. Now, her family was complete.
Holding on to Miranda’s hand, she turned to him with tears of happiness flowing down her face. She leaned in close and kissed his cheek.
“Thank you,” she murmured into his ear.
“I love you, Noelle, and I will do anything to make you happy.” Hunter whispered back, as he held her close to him.
*****
THE END
Book 2 is the story of Miranda Okafer & Billionaire Hunter Maxwell. Flip to the next page to read now!
Book 2
High Rise Love
Chapter One
The decrepit building was an inspector’s worst nightmare, but Miranda, who stood across the pavement to look up at it, couldn’t have been happier. “Perfect.” She shaded her eyes, stepping back to get a better look at the two-story red-bricked building.
Kyle snorted. “You said ‘old building’. This is a dump.”
Miranda’s boyfriend, Kyle had the physique of a gym rat, a beguiling confidence and a wicked sense of humor. But he definitely wasn’t enjoying the moment, sweating profusely and standing under the unbearable sun in his tailor-made suit.
She winced. Kyle had no idea how hard it was to find affordable real estate in New York. It must have been a glorious sight in its heyday but now it just resembled a discarded shoebox. Nothing could, however, overturn the dream that was becoming more vivid even in front of the derelict. Trying to convince him, Miranda said, “It has potential.”
“Potential for disaster,” he muttered.
Miranda frowned. Buoyed by a text message from the building owner telling her that the lease was hers, she’d impulsively invited Kyle to visit the site with her. She thought bringing Kyle along might make him more receptive to her dream. Suddenly that didn’t seem like such a good idea. He always considered it inane. The catering part was fine with him, but he couldn’t understand her desire to combine the venture with a soup kitchen. “It’s big enough to hold both a catering business and a soup kitchen,” she remarked.
Kyle sneered. “I didn’t realize you were still on that Mother Teresa crusade. But you’re right. That dump should match perfectly with all those hobos you so desperately want to serve.”
Miranda felt a spike of annoyance. “I’ve told you how important the soup kitchen is to me — oh, never mind. Stay here while I take a quick look inside.”
She approached the door and eyed it suspiciously. Hanging at a jaunty angle, it looked just about ready to fall. She gave a tentative push. The door creaked open. Miranda stepped inside the gloomy interior where tiny dust specks danced in the sunlight streaming through the window of the hollow shell. She gagged with the sudden smell of potent urine. With the heady odor came memories of months spent in Lagos, her home following her deportation from America.
Lagos, in Nigeria, was a city where two-thirds of its population lived in poverty. She’d gambled all she had on building a future in the States. With no money to start any business, Miranda had nothing to look forward to but a miserable future battling for necessities. Those were memories she’d rather forget.
“That’s over now,” she spoke firmly to herself. She wasn’t going to dwell on those dark days. “I’m back in New York. Noelle didn’t forget me.”
Ev
en with the sound of New York’s incessant traffic passing by outside, the memory of being hailed by an official from the Nigerian embassy with news that her visa had been approved and a private jet was waiting to take her back to New York seemed like a dream. Miranda braced for the pain of waking up. But when the Gulf Stream landed at JFK airport, Noelle was there, waiting for her with her husband, Hunter Blackwell, by her side.
“I’m alright now.” Miranda forced her attention back to her surroundings. “And that’s why I’m here today.”
This — her dream — had been the only thing that kept her going when the over-crowded, suffocating Lagos slums had been too much. She took a closer look at the end of the building. There was something different about this wall at the end. Two symmetrical, matching planks formed part of that back wall. Upon closer inspection, Miranda realized it wasn’t just a wall but another door.
She pushed against the plank, which gave way instantly. Miranda stumbled through the door and gasped. Even in the dim light she immediately recognized it.
A kitchen!
A tiled countertop ran the whole length of one side of the room with a metal sink and an old-fashioned kitchen faucet in its center. On one side were two narrow openings, jutting away from the wall, the perfect size for a stove and a refrigerator. Just above those empty spaces were shelves that reached all the way to the ceiling. Three vintage lamps hung from above, positioned to create the most illumination. The tiled floor still had indentations from where a big table used to be.
Miranda shook her head, but the kitchen didn’t vanish. She wasn’t imagining it. “Oh, my God! This is the sign I’ve been hoping for.”
A smile creased her face, only to disappear as a loud horn from outside broke her daydream. She had almost forgotten all about Kyle.
Kyle had taken refuge inside his car with the engine running. Miranda quickly climbed into the passenger seat.
“I’m taking it,” she announced.
Kyle shook his head and glanced at the dilapidated structure. His nostrils flared in disgust.
Miranda felt her heart sink. “C’mon, Kyle. Throw me a bone here.”
Kyle gave a long drawn out sigh. “I just don’t understand you. Who wants to spend their time fraternizing with – with homeless people? Your job at the restaurant with the Senator’s wife? Now, that is what I call potential. You’ll get to meet celebrities and people with power. Your friend, Noelle, can bring in that kind of clientele for your catering business. Why gamble and add a soup kitchen into the mix? People who live on the streets are like leeches. They’ll never leave you alone once they get a freebie.”
Miranda blinked. Her hands broke into a sweat, her heart in overdrive. She cast a look at him out of the corner of her eye. With every word Kyle spoke, he came dangerously close to quashing her dream. If he knew why... but how can I tell him?
Kyle glanced toward her, and his expression softened. “As it happens, I want to talk about us.” He placed his hand over hers. “Do you like me?”
Miranda felt her mouth go dry. “Of course!”
“‘You trust me?”
“Y-yes, of course. Why do you ask?”
Kyle looked her straight in the eyes. “I feel like you have a secret and you don’t trust me, even after all the time that we’ve spent together.”
Miranda said nothing. She couldn’t look up, ashamed to meet Kyle’s gaze.
“So, I was right. There is something.”
“I’m sorry.” Miranda found her voice at last. “I’m — well, I’m afraid. If you knew my past, you wouldn’t feel the same about me.”
“Miranda.” Kyle squeezed her hand. “There’s nothing you could tell me that would change how I feel about you. I love you.”
Miranda was silent. I’ve heard that before — believed it, too. Did she dare trust Kyle? She turned, meeting his concerned gaze. Miranda realized that she had no choice. If I don’t trust him now, I never will. “You mean that?”
Kyle’s smile was cocky. “Try me.”
Miranda took a deep breath. “You mentioned Noelle and how she started me on the restaurant industry?” As Kyle nodded, she continued, “I told you she saved my life. I mean that literally.” She paused. “When Noelle found me I was living on the streets—”
“You were...homeless?”
Miranda winced. She kept her gaze on their entwined fingers, knowing that if she looked up she would risk losing her nerve. I must do this. Otherwise I’ll never know for certain how far his feelings go. “I spent several months on the streets. I had to scavenge to survive — it wasn’t pretty, or easy. But I had nowhere else to go. My family—”
“I can’t believe this.”
Miranda’s head whipped up.
Kyle’s handsome face was distorted with disgust. He dropped her hand as if it was polluted. He exited the car. “I wanted to introduce you to my boss.” As Miranda climbed/stepped out of the car, his lip curled. “A street bum? I’d be a laughing stock!”
Miranda was glad for the vehicle that separated them. Disillusionment and anger was a formidable combination. She felt capable of murder. “Don’t worry. I have no desire to be with your kind of person.”
Kyle glared at her. His handsome face was an angry red. “I was planning to ask you to marry me! My god — I could have married a hobo!”
Miranda narrowed her eyes. “You can’t talk about hobos! I’ve seen your apartment before your cleaning lady arrives. And having lived on the streets, I’d prefer being homeless to living with you.”
“No wonder you kept it a secret. All this time, I wondered about your frivolous dream of a soup kitchen. But now I get it. You can’t let go of who you really are. A lowlife! You’ll never find a guarantor crazy enough to support your stupid idea.”
“A lowlife is nothing compared to the callous pig that you are. You care more about your possessions than about people.” Miranda dug his apartment key out of her purse. She tossed it across the car to him. “Strip away your car and your expensive suit, and you’re nothing.” She whipped around, striding down the street with her head held high.
Kyle yelled after her, but Miranda didn’t turn back. She shook with fury, her hands formed/clenched into tight fists. I’ll show you. She’d find a guarantor for her loan, and make a success of her combined business. Then you’ll see — you and all the assholes like you.
***
Miranda stepped into the courtyard of the Blackwell Building still fuming over Kyle. The sight of NOELLE’S eased the storm in her heart. Seeing the cafe in its ultra-chic location still gave her a feeling of pride. The Blackwell building housed more than a dozen corporations. Noelle Mancini, now Mrs. Hunter Blackwell, had no second thoughts when Hunter offered the location to them. With Noelle and Hunter on an extended vacation in the Bahamas, Miranda was currently in charge of the establishment.
As she walked toward the cafe, her reflection walked with her. A striking woman wearing bright colors better suited to the quirky neighborhood location of the old building. Admittedly, she missed the nondescript side street where the café used to be. They had abandoned the old name, “Eats Well”, for a more modern upgrade. The restaurant was now known simply as “NOELLE’S” with the name written in brass. It was an immediate hit.
Noelle quipped that it was her notoriety that drew the crowd in. Who wouldn’t be curious about the unknown Italian beauty that managed to capture the heart of the playboy billionaire whose election to the senate was the result of a massive outcry from the citizens of New York City itself?
As Miranda stepped inside, she immediately calmed down. It might be Noelle’s notoriety that drew them in, but anyone who tasted her cooking would keep coming back. Noelle was like the sister Miranda never had. Not only had she supported Miranda through the darkest period in her life, but she also approved of Miranda’s desire to establish her own catering business. Miranda knew that Noelle would share her enthusiasm for combining a soup kitchen with the catering business she dreamed about.
&nbs
p; She walked past the dining area, casting a practiced eye over the whole establishment. The front servers were working hard, as usual. She entered a hallway, passing the modern kitchen where the sound decibel was at bedlam level. Smiling, Miranda pushed open the doorway leading to her office. Bedlam was a good sign. It meant that the staff was on their toes, ready to feed the hungry horde.
“Is everything alright?” Lexi looked up from her desk as Miranda entered.
Miranda plastered a bright smile onto her face. “Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?”
The Boss's Fiance Box Set Page 11
