by Hope Stone
Jack was on the phone with other board members for most of the way, so I was driving. I decided he probably needed the house to himself after all that, so I pulled up to the gate of my complex, handed the keys to Jack and told him that I would talk to him the next day.
“No way. Not going to happen. I told you that when I got back, we’d help you with your boxes. And now we have an extra day.” The kids seemed to think that was a great idea and even grabbed my bags for me.
I was a little embarrassed about how little I had managed to unpack in the time I’d been there and I wasn’t sure I wanted them to see it. “Jack, you don’t have to do this now,” I protested. “You’ve got so much to sort out at work.”
“No, I don’t. It turns out, with David gone, I get his shares in the company. And with his seat on the board, I can personally invest more money into the business. We don’t need any new investors and everyone can keep their jobs. Work is completely taken care of and right now there is nowhere I would rather be than here, unpacking boxes with you and my two favorite kids.”
We went inside and got down to work. Jack began by tackling the boxes with my books. He seemed to enjoy going through all of them and commenting. He was even making a pile of books that he’d like to borrow, although I told him that it didn’t count as helping. As I said that, something in his eyes changed.
“Sorry, Tessa, I need to have a quick meeting outside with my children,” he said abruptly, jumping to his feet. I didn’t know what was going on, but I left them to it. I had too much to do to worry about what they were talking about.
After about ten minutes, they walked back in and Spencer came straight up to me and announced that they could no longer help me pack up. When I asked why, Jack answered:
“We think we should leave your things in boxes. In fact, we should pack up the things you’ve unpacked. We’ve discussed it as a family and we, especially me, would like you to move in with us. And not as a nanny, but as my girlfriend… and maybe even as more one day. I love you and I know it’s soon and it should be strange, but it’s not. We fit together. We work well together. And the kids are nuts about you. What do you think? I even have a spare room I could turn into a study for you… you know, for when you go to grad school?”
I couldn’t believe it. It all seemed so unreal. But I felt it too. I was in love with Jack. And I was just as nuts about the kids as they were about me.
I jumped up and kissed him.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said, grinning as he kissed me back.
Epilogue
Three months later, Jack got down on one knee and asked Tessa to marry him (with the kids’ permission of course). Tears streamed down her cheeks as she eagerly took the beautiful ring and said yes. It may have seemed soon to other people, but Tessa and Jack were meant for each other and anyone who ever spent time around them knew this.
It was a summertime wedding out in the countryside. Lissa was the flower girl and Spencer handed over the rings with a huge smile on his face. They were all so happy that they were going to be a family forever.
Shortly afterwards, Tessa finished graduate school and went out into the workforce. She took a job at Jack’s company. Whenever people ask whether it’s weird working for her husband, she laughs and says, “You should hear how we met!”
Once they’d been married for a year, Tessa got pregnant. The couple were worried about telling Spencer and Lissa, but the children were thrilled that they were going to have another sibling. Nine months later, Tessa gave birth to a little boy named Jack Jr.
THE END
Book 3 - Billionaire’s Party Planner
Insta Love Alpha Male Series
Chapter 1: Anna
“How are the books looking?” I asked my assistant, bookkeeper and best friend without looking at her. I knew the news would be bad. I just didn’t know how bad it would be this week.
“The good news is that my spreadsheet skills are amazing. The bad news is that we’re in the red. Like, deep in the red, Anna,” Chloe replied with a cynical edge in her usually optimistic voice.
I knew things were bad, but I thought they’d pick up during wedding season. The event industry booms in spring and during the first month or so of summer.
“It was that damn review from the Collins. I swear, it’s like people don’t see all the five-star reviews we’ve received and only the one negative one,” she continued.
I knew it was the review that awful couple had left. They’d come to us with an incredibly small budget, but I thought they were really sweet and said I’d see what I could do. They then decided that every idea I had was “too cheap.” They wanted an engagement party fit for the queen, but were only willing to pay pennies. Even the venue they wanted was too expensive and yet they’d pleaded with me to “make it work.” Eventually, I had to tell them that their budget wouldn’t even cover the decorations they wanted. They didn’t like it and wrote a scathing review when they ended up planning their own party in their backyard and it had been a total mess.
They were the clients from hell and the review was mostly made up. But as a business owner, I didn’t have much say in what they chose to write online. People listened to them and very quickly we began to lose business. My website was covered with images from amazing events I’d put together and wonderful testimonials from happy clients. All it took was one bad review and my business was failing. It broke my heart.
I had poured my whole life into building my business. I’d started it while I was studying and slowly I went from planning 21st parties for rich students to doing engagement parties, tech conferences, and weddings. I had completely ignored my personal life and I only spent time with my best friend because I worked with her. And now, we were soon going to be looking for new jobs.
“You know, all we need is one big party. I’m talking really big with a high budget. We do that and get a rave review online to top the bad one and we’ll be back in business.” Chloe was back to speaking in that over-the-top positive voice that I loved, even though it was usually saying unrealistic things.
“Yeah, but where do we find a billionaire who is willing to give a small company like us a chance?” I said, pacing my office trying to think of some way to find new clients and soon.
Chapter 2: Alistair
I could hear two female voices chatting from the hallway, which promptly stopped when I knocked firmly on the office door. Two seconds later, a young woman answered with a bright smile on her face. “Hi, welcome to Anna Glo’s Events. What can I do for you?”
“Could I speak to Anna, please? I need an event planned and I hear that’s what you do.” I could tell that they weren’t used to people stopping by their office, especially not men in fitted suits with expensive haircuts. I knew I came off as vaguely arrogant, but I didn’t care. I resented having to organize my brother’s engagement party, but I knew it had to get done and I’d left it until the last minute.
After the review I’d seen online, I knew this woman couldn’t possibly be too busy to take my money. I didn’t care whether or not she did a good job… just that the party happened on the right date and at the right place, which my mother had already stated on the invites. I wasn’t a big fan of my brother and really didn’t quite care whether he enjoyed his party or not. In fact, it would be kind of fun for me if he had an awful time. That’s partly why I’d chosen an event organizer with possibly the worst review online.
“Hiya, I’m Anna. Please come through to my office,” a pretty woman said as she skipped toward me with her hand extended. I shook it and followed her into a small meeting room with comfortable looking couches and black and white photographs framed on the walls.
“I have a proposition for you,” I started saying immediately, I didn’t really have time for pleasantries. “I’m going to pay you a lot of money to throw my brother an engagement party at my family’s estate in the countryside this weekend and you’re going to pretend that I asked you to do this two months ago.”
“I’m willing to pay top dollar and the best part is that I don’t actually care whether the party is any good at all.”
She made deliberate eye-contact with her piercing green eyes looking directly into mine and said almost sternly, “I do care whether the party is good. In fact, I promise it will be amazing. But it is going to cost you, especially if you want me to find caterers, entertainment, and décor all at the last minute. There’s also an extra fee for event management on the day.”
“Yeah, I’ll need you the whole weekend. It’s a two-day event. Look, I’m willing to pay whatever I have to pay. I just need my mother to be happy with the results. This is her way of punishing me for refusing to speak to my brother for the past six years. I’d say no, but no one ever says no to my mother. It’s a gift of hers.”
“You seem to be very flippant about the whole thing. If I’m organizing this party, a weekend-long party for that matter, I’m going to need you to sign off on vendors. Will you be available for that?” For someone who could clearly use the business, she was being very proud about the whole thing.
“Yes, I’ll be available. The only thing is that my mother insists we use local vendors in the countryside. I can take you up there myself and you’ll have a room at the house. I’ll write you a blank check and at the end of the day, if you pull it off… you can have all the cash you want.”
I could tell that this idea excited her, but she was trying to keep calm. I mean, I wasn’t sure she could pull it off well enough to impress my mother, but at this time… that really didn’t matter. All that mattered was that my estranged brother and his future wife had an engagement party.
“Can I ask why your mother isn’t handling this herself? You know, since she’s so invested in it?” she asked, those stunning eyes narrowing in on me.
“No, you can’t. That’s family business. You can turn down the job if you want. I’m not going to beg.” I knew I was being rude, but I’d had a rough few months with my family and being in my brother’s life again wasn’t exactly what I wanted.
“I will take the job, on one condition. I need a five-star review at the end of it. And believe me, it’ll be worth it.”
We shook hands and I gave her my business card. As I opened the door to leave, the woman who’d greeted me jumped back and smiled sheepishly. She’d clearly been listening in on us.
“I’ll pick you up in the morning here to drive through. Just remember, we’ve been working on this for months if anyone asks.”
Chapter 3: Anna
“This job could save the business,” I sighed after Alistair Harrington had left the building.
“Or he could be a serial killer,” Chloe retorted.
“I don’t know, he doesn’t look like a serial killer. He looks like a way for us to save the business.”
“And what do serial killers look like, exactly?” she snapped back with raised eyebrows.
“I’ll risk it. This business is all I have.” I started walking back into my office to start looking up vendors out in the countryside.
“You have me, as you well know!” she shouted through the door I was about to close.
I mean, I couldn’t be certain he wasn’t a serial killer. He didn’t seem like a normal, well-adjusted guy… but where do you find those these days? But he was good looking, I’ll give him that. And I mean, really good looking. If he wasn’t such a rich jerk, I might have been looking forward to working with him.
“I’m just saying, it’s really unusual to get a request like this. For starters, he just showed up instead of calling, offered you a blank check, and told you to go away with him for a few days.” Chloe had come into my office to carry on with the conversation.
I turned my laptop screen to face her. “Well, I’ve looked him up. He’s a legitimate billionaire and is really well known in the business community. So, basically, if I go missing, you have all his details.” I pushed his business card across the desk in her direction. She picked it up and looked at it thoughtfully.
“Okay, I guess you’re going to do it then? Just keep your phone on you and turn on your location. And answer when I call every thirty minutes. Deal?” Chloe had always been a little overprotective of me. She’d made me send her screenshots of my dates’ details on the few occasions I’d tried online dating.
“Deal… but you can only call every four hours,” I laughed.
I decided it was definitely a half-day type situation and left the office at 2 pm. I’d already printed out the details of possible vendors out in the countryside and I didn’t have much else to do except pack. And I wouldn’t have any clothes to pack if I didn’t stop by the laundry before it closed.
I spent more time than I should Googling the good looking yet arrogant billionaire. He’d started his own company at age 22 with his brother and then, from the article online, something had gone wrong in their relationship and he’d left the business to start another one. I swear, only rich people have these kinds of feuds with their siblings. If my sister and I fought, we’d stop talking for a week and then call each other pretending that we hadn’t fought at all.
I hesitated before clicking on “images.” He was gorgeous, but I knew I wouldn’t do this with any other client. Of course, just as I had expected, he had a long history of girlfriends who looked like supermodels. All the pictures online looked like they were taken at important events, the type of charity balls that charge a lot of money per plate. I’d been trying to get into that industry for years, but it wasn’t easy. The rich tended to hire other rich people to organize these things.
Finally, I packed my bags and got everything ready for the next morning. I’d drive to the office and meet him there. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t at least a little bit nervous. Not because he could be a serial killer; he was too high profile for that. But rather because my entire business was riding on me being able to pull off an event within a few days in a place where I didn’t even know any of the vendors.
Eventually, I got to sleep. In my dreams, I was closing my business. Chloe and I were emptying the office and selling off all of the furniture. There was an abnormally large sign on the door that read “Out of business.” When I woke up, I was more determined than ever to pull off this event without a hitch and earn enough to save my business.
Chapter 4: Alistair
I pulled up outside her office as agreed and was a little surprised to see her there. Part of me thought it wouldn’t actually happen. But I was pleased that she’d decided to come along because there was no way that I could pull this off alone. I’d been in a bit of a mood the day before, so I got out of the car and opened the door for her to try and seem a little less arrogant.
She was really quite gorgeous in the morning light. I hadn’t noticed much about her the day before, but she was wearing a yellow sundress that hugged her curves in all the right places and she actually looked amazing. I shook my head. I didn’t need to complicate this by being attracted to her. We both had a job to do.
“Morning, Alistair,” she said as I took her bags from her and put them in the back.
“Good morning, Anna. How are you doing this lovely morning?” I asked, sounding unintentionally fake with the over-the-top positivity.
“I’m good, thanks. Ready to get to work. Yourself?”
“Great to hear. I’m fine, thanks,” I replied, reining it in a little bit.
As I switched the engine on, the radio came alive with some awful pop song. “Don’t worry, it’s just the radio… I have a playlist specifically for drives up to the country, if you’re interested?”
She seemed to think about it for a while and then agreed. I was glad. A roadtrip without music is a sad affair. And besides, we had not known each other long enough to keep a conversation going for the whole three-hour trip.
She seemed to lighten up once my mix of classic rock driving
music started. I guess she was probably worried I was going to play something awfully pretentious like opera music. That’s something Mason, my brother, would do. Which is likely why I hated it so much.
We’d been on the road for about an hour when I came across my favorite roadside coffee shop. “We have to stop here. Their coffee is legendary.”
She looked at me a little skeptically.
“No, really. Starbucks has nothing on these guys. It’s owned by this old couple and I don’t know where they get their beans, but they are life-changing. None of that flavored syrup either. Just good old-fashioned, strong coffee.”
“Well, I guess I will have to try it out for myself,” she said. “Although vanilla syrup does make any latte ten times better, in my opinion.”
“No, really? That stuff is just used to hide the bland coffee they use at those takeout coffee places. I swear you’ll enjoy your coffee as it should be here.”
I was trying my best to make up for my behavior the day before, but she was making it difficult. I was used to people going along with whatever I said… but she didn’t seem to be someone who agreed for the sake of agreeing. I kind of liked it, it kept me on my toes.
“Hey Gregory, how are things going?” I greeted the elderly owner as we walked in.
“Can’t complain, you know? Your favorite table is open out back, if you want.” He picked up two menus and followed us out to the veranda.
“When are you going to give in and give me the name of your coffee bean supplier?” I asked the same question I’d asked every time I’d come in.
“And have you buy out the guy’s business and sell my secret beans to every coffee store chain in the country? Not going to happen. Anyway, if you could get the beans anywhere, you wouldn’t stop by here on your way out to the country and we wouldn’t get to have this conversation, would we?” Gregory laughed and put his hand on my shoulder.
