Disillusioned Billionaire: Clean Billionaire Sweet Romance (The Irish Billionaires Book 3)

by Jill Snow

  “Oh.”

  “He thinks women should stay at home and have babies. Not run businesses, particularly garages. Unfortunately, today he has a point.” Especially when they turned a successful business into a money pit.

  “Why can’t they do both?”

  “I knew I liked you, Mr. Epstein.” Zoe smiled at him. “I gave him all my tax paperwork but it seems I have mislaid some money. He’s going to have a heart attack if he gets himself worked up any more over it.”

  Never mind her. She had tossed and turned all night wondering how she could get the missing ten thousand dollars. She could sue the man who drove into her for whiplash or something, but she wasn’t injured. That would be fraud and she knew doing something wrong wouldn’t help her in the long run.

  “Taxes are a serious matter, but I can’t see how you could make a mistake. You always seem so organized and thorough.”

  If only he knew how useless she was with math.

  “Thank you, Mr. Epstein, but not everyone holds that opinion. No, seriously. I have dyscalculia, it’s like dyslexia only it means I can’t read numbers. Makes putting accounts together rather difficult.” That was the understatement of the century.

  “Oh I see. I still believe there must be a mistake. You do a fine job young lady of masking your difficulty. Why don’t I have a look at your paperwork? I’m retired, but I used to be an accountant.”

  “I couldn’t ask you to do that.” She wished he would, but felt bad asking him.

  “I don’t mind. I have plenty of time since retiring. I do the books for the DC Williams foundation out of love for Emily and her father before her. I would gladly help you out, if only to save you from an ear bashing. It helps make my day go faster, too.”

  For a second, Zoe glimpsed real loneliness on Mr. Epstein’s face.

  “In that case, I will do you a deal. I’ll cook dinner for you so long as you don’t mind eating with my little brother.”

  “Lovely. I can’t remember the last time I had a home cooked meal. Not to mention delightful company. Thank you Miss Clark.”

  “I also insist on servicing your car for free. Not that I’m sure I’ll be able to fix it.”

  “Now that I can’t agree to. If you don’t charge customers, you won’t be able to stay in business.”

  It didn’t seem to matter whether she charged them or not. The garage was in more trouble that one paying customer could bail them out from. Zoe picked up the call on hold to save herself from replying. As she’d thought, the accountant hadn’t even noticed she wasn’t there. She told him she would get another opinion on the books. That shut him up fast. They spoke for a couple of minutes before she hung up.

  “What did he say?” Mr. Epstein asked.

  “He said he probably made a mistake somewhere. It was odd. He never thinks he’s wrong.”

  “Hm. I still think you should get a second opinion. Accountants are people, we make mistakes too.”

  Zoe nodded. She would have to get the paperwork back.

  But first she had to fix his car. “Pop the hood for me, will you please?” She had a look underneath and quickly saw the problem. It didn’t take long for her to swap the fuses out. She put the hood back down. “Try it now.”

  The car started. Mr. Epstein smiled, lighting up his face and making him look younger.

  “You really should smile more often, Mr. Epstein.”

  “I will when we eat dinner. I’ll bring dessert. Does Tuesday suit you?”

  “Absolutely,” Zoe answered. Dom had a game on Wednesday, so she was relieved when he didn’t suggest that night.

  He drove off with a call out to remember the paperwork.

  Giggling, she cleaned up her tools. Then the joy left as she remembered the day before. Why couldn’t she just let the accident go along with memories of Declan?

  As if she had conjured him just by thinking his name, he pulled up to the garage and walked over to her.

  Chapter 24

  “Morning Declan, what can I do for you today?” she asked, wondering why on earth he was there.

  “I was wondering if you had time for lunch?”

  “Now?” she looked at her watch, surprised to find it was later than she’d thought. She should say no, she had so much work to do.

  But her stomach rumbled and she surprised herself by saying, “Yes, that would be great. Thanks.”

  He smiled, looking surprised. “Where would you like to go?”

  “I know you were there last night, but do you mind going to that pizza place you took Dominic? Pizzas are my weakness and he, well he said the food was amazing and I just…”

  “Wow do you always talk in such long sentences?”

  She giggled. “Sorry, yes I babble.”

  “You don’t have to apologize. It’s cute. So, are you ready to go now or should I come back?”

  “I should probably change,” she said, gazing down at her oil-stained overalls.

  “From where I am standing, you look great.”

  She put a hand to her hair.

  “Aside from the oil smudge on your face.”

  “Where?”

  He moved closer and gently wiped his finger along her cheek. She held her breath as he touched her, his fingers soft against her face. Silence lingered as they stared at each other.

  “So shall we go? For pizza?”

  She nodded, then regained her voice. “Just let me freshen up quick.”

  When she’d scrubbed the oil off her face and changed into a spare set of clothes she kept in her office, Zoe rushed out of the garage, pulling the door down behind her. Then she stopped dead in her tracks.

  Declan was standing beside a Bentley. She must have been too distracted from her accident the night before to realize what she’d been riding in.

  “Wow, this is incredible. Can I drive it?” She bit her lip, realizing how eager she must have sounded.

  “Sure.” He watched her looking at the car. She touched it admiringly.

  “This is awesome.”

  “I never thought I would get jealous of a car,” he murmured, but she couldn’t possibly have heard him correctly.

  “You look lovely,” he said as he held the door open for her.

  The journey passed quickly as they exchanged stories about funny dates. When they pulled up to the restaurant, Declan put on a hat and sunglasses.

  “You in disguise?” she teased. Her aunt had said he was a famous actor, he must be more successful than she had thought.

  “Trying to be.”

  “Seriously, you think everyone will recognize you?”

  Just when she thought he was the same as any ordinary guy, he had to remind her he was famous.

  “I know you think I’m bigheaded but I’m not, really. I don’t always mind being recognized and having my picture taken or signing something, but not today. I don’t have much time left in town and I’d like to spend that time getting to know you.”

  Chapter 25

  She smiled, but turned her face slightly as she didn’t want him to know she liked what he said.

  They got out of the car and went into the pizza parlor without any problems. The waitress recognized him.

  “You came back. The food must be good or was it something else?”

  “I told my friend about your pizza. She couldn’t wait to taste it.”

  If looks could kill, Zoe would have fallen dead that second. The waitress escorted them to a corner booth.

  “Wow, she’s changed. She was nicer last night,” Declan said quietly, picking up his menu.

  “You were alone with a boy.” Seriously, could he not see the server drooling all over him while staring daggers into Zoe? Surely, he wasn’t that innocent.

  “Oh,” he said, cheeks pinking slightly.

  “You didn’t see her checking you out?”

  “No.”

  “Really?” She couldn’t help being sarcastic. The waitress couldn’t have made it more obvious.

  “I know you’ll fin
d it hard to believe, but I don’t pay too much attention to girls. I like real women, first of all. I like women who like me for who I am, not for my character in a movie or my contacts in Hollywood. You’d be amazed at the number of people who want to act.”

  Was she on his list as a real woman? Why was she even thinking that? “A lot of people think I can get them an inside track or something. Maybe some actors use that as a line.”

  “I guess. I never thought about it like that.”

  “Because you are normal,” he said, grinning.

  Now what did he mean? She wasn’t really normal. If she were, she wouldn’t be ruining the business her dad had worked so hard for. Not to mention the fact that she didn’t even score average on IQ tests.

  “Charming,” she said flatly.

  “I didn’t mean boring. I mean you’re grounded. In a good way.”

  Chapter 26

  Zoe couldn’t help but stare at him. Could he be serious? Was he trying to tell her he liked her? But she didn’t want him to. He would leave and go back to his real life.

  “You don’t know me,” she said, warily.

  He took her hand in his and covered it with his other hand. “No, not yet. But I like what I see so far. What about you? Would you be willing to see me again?”

  “Are you asking me to date you?” She knew she risked sounding dense, but she wanted to be sure.

  “No. I want more than a casual date. I want to be exclusive. With you.” He picked up her hand and kissed it. The old fashioned gesture should have been corny but it wasn’t. She liked it.

  Zoe sat back in the booth, her mind whirling. Things like this didn’t happen to people like her. Movie stars like Declan lived in a totally different world. They certainly didn’t worry about mortgage payments and accountants. They didn’t date mechanics. The last time she tried stepping into the rich people’s world, it had ended in disaster. Why would it be different this time?

  “Zoe, what are you thinking? You look, well, terrified. What are you afraid of?”

  She didn’t want to hurt his feelings but she couldn’t lie.

  “You’re a movie star,” she said, her voice low so they wouldn’t be overheard.

  “Yeah, that’s my job. You’re a mechanic. So what?”

  “You’re rich.”

  “Rich in money. But I’m learning that’s not all it takes to be truly rich. Money comes in handy, but it doesn’t talk much. It certainly doesn’t make me laugh. You do.”

  He sounded genuine but she’d only known him a couple of days. She’d known Noah for years. But Declan knew she was responsible for Dominic so that was different wasn’t it?

  “But we don’t know even each other.”

  Declan gave her a funny look. “Isn’t that the purpose of dating? To get to know one another?”

  She stared at him, wanting to take a chance but they were so different.

  “Can we try? I think Dom likes me.”

  She giggled at his pleading expression. “My brother isn’t fussy. He likes anyone who plays ball with him and buys him pizza.”

  “Ouch.” He rubbed at his chest as though he’d been wounded.

  She giggled again. She couldn’t believe she was sitting here with a man who made her laugh, believed she was attractive and interesting to talk to. It was like waking up on Christmas morning after Santa had been there.

  Before she could say anything, a flash went off quickly followed by another one. She bent her head but there seemed to be hundreds of photographers around her.

  “What on earth? I asked you to keep this quiet.”

  “I guess I forgot,” the waitress said casually.

  Zoe saw a flash of anger in Declan’s eyes before he masked it. He asked to see the manager. Speaking to him quietly, Zoe heard him say this lunch was important to him and he would leave a large tip if they moved the guys with cameras out. The manager agreed and also suggested a new table at the back away from the windows. Zoe looked on as everything was arranged. It sure was amazing how money made people move.

  Chapter 27

  Declan bit down on his anger. He couldn’t believe the paparazzi had found him and were intent on ruining his first date in ages. He really liked Zoe and didn’t want anything to frighten her off. He knew what it was like to live with this, she had no idea. Was it fair to ask her to even consider dating him? He was asking a lot, not just the usual stuff between boyfriend and girlfriend, she could have her whole life exposed to the papers.

  Their food arrived just as they took their new seats. Only once they were alone again did Declan turn to look at Zoe. She seemed mesmerized.

  “Listen, I don’t know what to say. I could apologize but the reality is, they’re part of my life. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to keep them at bay for long.”

  “It must be horrible having people follow you around all the time.”

  He looked at her with new eyes. She was trying to understand. He liked the fact she didn’t just dismiss the attention as part of the world he had chosen.

  “It gets tiresome. But they don’t pay me all that money just to look pretty on a screen.”

  Zoe tilted her head slightly to one side. He’d noticed she did that when listening.

  “I guess I never thought of it like that before,” she said. “I don’t spend much time reading papers or magazines. Usually too busy.”

  “So Dominic told me.” He winced at the look on her face. Why was he always saying the wrong thing? “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I know you do a great job.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because he’s a great kid.”

  She smiled, her eyes softening. “He is. He likes you as well.”

  “Is that as well as his sister?”

  She laughed this time. “That would be telling.”

  He took her hand again. Her skin was soft, despite the job she did.

  “So how did you end up being a mechanic? It’s an unusual job.”

  “For a girl?”

  “For anyone. Cars these days are so computer based, they’re mostly serviced in bigger dealerships. I would have thought running a small, family shop was a tough business to be in.”

  “It is. Dad was a mechanic and his father before him and his father and so on. It’s a family tradition.”

  “Ah.”

  “Dad wanted me to keep the business going for Dominic. His son would be the fifth generation owner.”

  “What if Dominic doesn’t want to be a mechanic?” Declan wanted to take that question back as soon as he asked it. The guarded look was back in her eyes.

  “Dad didn’t give that any thought. He just decided that was going to be the way. He was very sure of what he wanted.”

  “I see.”

  “What?”

  “Well, I don’t want to offend your dad’s memory but it’s Dominic’s life. He should be whatever he wants, don’t you think?”

  Zoe was looking at him but hadn’t answered. Had he gone too far? She seemed very sensitive about this topic. “What about you?” he asked. “What would you do if you didn’t have the business?”

  She stared at her hands. He wasn’t sure she was going to answer.

  “I would like to design things. I have always been good with my hands but I guess if I had time I would design jewelry.”

  “That sounds intriguing. I know about as many jewelry designers as I do female mechanics.”

  Her eyes sparkled as he teased her. He liked the fact she didn’t seem to take offense easily.

  “It’s not important at the moment. The business takes all my time. It will be a while before Dominic can take over. It’s called Clark and Sons.”

  “So change the name.”

  “Can we change the subject?”

  Declan kicked himself. He had gone too far.

  “Sorry, I tend to do this. My ma says I always interfered with other people’s business. I was a nosy kid. Guess I haven’t changed too much.”

  “It’s okay,
you were only making conversation. What made you become an actor?”

  “I wanted money and lots of it. I also thought it would be a cool way to meet girls.” What had he gone and said that for? Sometimes he only opened his mouth to change his feet. She would be running for the door now.

  “So romantic,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  “I thought so,” he said. He had to try to recover from sounding like a dork. “I guess I was also lucky. I was in the right place at the right time.”

  “How? Did you go to Hollywood?”

  “Not likely. My parents couldn’t afford to take us on holiday in Ireland never mind go to America. They shot a number of films in Ireland, the Snapper, the Commitments and a couple of Hollywood movies. I got a part as an extra and ended up being one of the kids in My Left Foot. Only you don’t see a lot of me in it. Then another film came along and another and soon I was a regular. A big director, you know the guy behind the Action Man series, spotted me and the rest, as you say, is history.”

  Declan hoped he didn’t sound too bigheaded. He’d been trying to be honest.

  “Do you ever miss being not famous?” she asked. Which made her the first one in history to ever wonder that.

  “Yes,” he said, deciding complete honesty was his best bet. “Especially lately.”

  “Why now?”

  He stared at her. Had she no idea or was she acting? She’d seen the circus coming through the door until he paid the manager to kick them out.

  “What? Sorry, was that too nosy? We can talk about the weather if you like.”

  “It sure is a fine day, isn’t it?” he said.

  They both laughed.

  She smiled at him and he wanted to lean over and kiss her. But he didn’t. It was too soon and he didn’t want to scare her off.

  “We should get going,” she said when they’d finished their food. “Dominic will be home soon.”

  “Why don’t we pick him up on our way back?”

  “Cool, he’d love to be seen in a fancy car. Especially if you bring him cookies.”