Home to Me (The Andrades, Book 2) (29 page)
Read Home to Me (The Andrades, Book 2) Online
Authors: Ruth Cardello
Rena looked across at Julia. She mouthed silently, “This is a meeting? What goal?”
Julia shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.
With sudden insight, Rena asked, “Is this about the bet you all have going about who is the best matchmaker?”
“It’s more than a bet,” Maddy said earnestly. “And it’s already working. Julia, since you met Gio, he’s spending more time with his brothers, isn’t he?”
Julia nodded, but she didn’t look comfortable agreeing.
Maddy turned to Rena. “And look at what happened when you and Nick got together. That was the first time one of George’s sons invited the rest of the family to one of their events. You did that, Rena.”
Rena shook her head. “Technically, Nick did.”
“Because being with you made him see how important family is,” Maddy countered. She looked around the room and stared down each woman one at a time. “Is there anyone here who doesn’t agree with that? Hasn’t the love that has come into your life brought each of you to a better place?”
Abby glanced at Marie. “I am always most afraid when I find myself agreeing with Maddy. I want to tell her to stop, but her track record is irrefutable.”
Alethea tapped her long nails on the side of the cup she was holding. “I have to disagree. Julia wasn’t one of our plants. She met Gio on her own. Rena has known Nick for most of her life. We’re not responsible for any of this.”
Maddy rolled her eyes. “Alethea, you can sit there and toss your facts around—”
Alethea raised one of her perfectly groomed eyebrows. “It’s called reality.”
Lil gave Alethea’s leg a pat. “Remember the filter we talked about?”
Abby started laughing so hard she had to wipe her eyes. “Lil, are you honestly lecturing Alethea about filtering what she says? I’m sorry, that is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. Do you hear yourself?”
Marie sighed. “Ladies, we’re not here to discuss us. Maddy is trying to make a point.”
Nicole looked across at Rena and Julia. “They bicker like this all the time, it’s harmless.”
Maddy smoothed her dress over her legs and cleared her throat. “As I was saying, regardless of how it is happening, we are trying to bring the family back together by finding wives for my cousins and it’s working. Do you disagree, Alethea?”
Alethea waved a hand in concession. “I concede that point.”
“And as new members of the family, Julia and Rena, I thought you should join one of our teams,” Maddy added.
“Teams?” Rena asked. She was starting to doubt that this conversation was real; in fact, she half expected that at any moment one of them would break down and admit it was all a prank.
Lil smiled at Alethea. “Al and I are a team.”
Abby hugged Marie. “I snagged Marie.”
Maddy took Nicole’s hand in hers and raised it up triumphantly. “Nicole and I are a team and, being Andrades ourselves, we have inside information.”
Lil blurted out, “Probably not as much as Alethea has.”
Abby frowned at her sister. “Please tell me you’re not using Jeremy for any of this.”
Lil shrugged. “Not use Jeremy? That’s like asking Superman not to fly. You can’t start making up rules now, Abby.”
Julia placed her cup down on the table in front of her. “Who is Jeremy?”
Marie said, “A wonderful, talented man who should be allowed to enjoy his time out in California with Jeisa.”
Alethea sat up straighter and narrowed her eyes. “If I hadn’t involved him last time, we wouldn’t be here discussing the love lives of two grown men as if we actually have some control over them. We wouldn’t care about any of this.”
Abby shuddered. “You’re right, Alethea. We’re all grateful for what you do, it’s just scary sometimes what you’re able to uncover.”
“Some secrets add to your life. Like finding out about Gigi. I want to invite her to spend Christmas with us. What do you think?”
Nicole asked, “Have you met her yet?”
“No,” Maddy said cheerfully. “But she’ll love us once she meets us.”
Julia grimaced. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Gio is in contact with her now and it’s a little rocky.”
“See, secrets make things worse instead of better.” Maddy cocked her head to one side and said, “My father said there is a reason Aunt Patrice is as bitter as she is. He won’t tell me. Would you be able to find out, Alethea? Are you that good?”
“Oh, she is”—Lil said emphatically, then changed course when her sister glared at her from across the room—“not able to get involved in anything like that anymore.”
In a kind tone, Marie interjected, “Maddy, there may be a very good reason your father doesn’t want you to know. Some things are better left in the past.”
Looking up at the ceiling with impatience, Maddy said, “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t tell me that I don’t know someone well enough to know how to behave around her and also that I shouldn’t try to learn more about her. I want to know what happened between Patrice and my family. It kept my cousins away from me. I want the truth.” She turned to Alethea. “If you can uncover it, please help me.”
Alethea looked around the room, studying the expressions of the women who watched her closely. Finally, she said sadly, “I keep my investigations purely business related now.”
Maddy gave a delicate snort of disbelief. “So, you haven’t been looking into the Andrades as part of this game? Is Lil wrong?”
Alethea didn’t say anything.
Maddy pushed, “Yes or no, Alethea? Are you a hypocrite or a liar?”
Alethea stood, her temper also rising. “You don’t know what you’re asking me to do, Maddy. No one is ever grateful for what I uncover. They say they are, but people always blame the bearer of the bad news. I don’t want to be that person anymore.”
Maddy pursed her lips angrily. “So, you won’t help me?”
Alethea looked down at Lil, then back at Maddy. “No, I won’t. Sorry, Maddy.”
An awkward silence fell over the room.
Marie moved to stand behind Maddy and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Maddy, tell us why you asked us here today. Didn’t it have something to do with Max?”
Maddy crossed her arms across her chest and took a deep breath. She shook her head a few times in disappointment, then sighed and said, “Max didn’t go to Rena and Nick’s engagement party.”
Rena said, “He’s still out of the country.”
Maddy countered, “He would have flown in if he’d wanted to. Julia, he said he might not come to your wedding, either.” She sounded more than a little disheartened when she added, “I thought we should focus on him next. We have a few months. Are you planning it around Christmas?” She blinked quickly and tears filled her eyes when Julia didn’t immediately answer. “Or maybe we should forget the bet. Maybe it’s just another one of my stupid ideas.”
Julia walked over and squished herself into the small space between Maddy and the arm of the couch. “We haven’t picked a date yet. I admire what you’re trying to do, Maddy, and I’d like to join your team, if you’ll have me. I agree with Nicole, not a day goes by that I’m not grateful to have you and your family in my life. And if you think helping Max find love will bring him home, I’m in.” She smiled across at Alethea. “It’ll help even the odds, too. I was also in security.”
Alethea choked and Lil elbowed her.
Rena stood. “Way to put my feet to the fire, Julia. I guess I’m in, too.” She looked back and forth between the two remaining teams. Abby and Marie were definitely the saner choice, but there was a group that might need to be reined in. “I choose Lil and Alethea’s team.”
Lil let out a happy whoop. “You won’t regret this. We may have had a slow start, but we’re honing our skills. There are two brothers left. It’s anyone’s game.”
Rena sat down next to Alethea.
Alethea looked her over and said, “It’ll be interesting getting to know you.”
Rena met her eyes squarely and smiled, “I was thinking exactly the same about you.”
***
Later that day, Rena met Nick at the coffee shop near her house. The owners always gave them a strange look when they entered, but that was part of what made it fun to go there. The security officer at the Natural Museum of Science gave them that same look when they visited the prehistoric exhibit a week after their wild romp there.
Rena sipped her coffee and lovingly watched Nick tell her about a business call he’d received. He’d asked her how her day had gone with Maddy and the ladies, and she’d given him a vague answer. He was finally happy and she didn’t want him worrying about his family again. She’d tell him everything, as soon as there was anything concrete to share.
Getting to know Nick’s family was going to be a challenge, but Rena felt up to the task. She may not have agreed with how Maddy and the other ladies approached certain issues, but she didn’t doubt they did what they did out of love.
Even Alethea, who gave off the vibe of being a shark in otherwise calm waters. Her obsession with delving into other people’s private lives was confirmed by the stories the women had shared later that afternoon.
Luckily I have nothing to hide. Well, almost nothing.
Rena smiled and imagined what Alethea would discover if she also dabbled in surveillance.
Hey, if she goes there—she deserves what she sees.
When Nick ended his story, Rena leaned over and whispered in his ear, “I’ve never been to a baseball game. We should go to one.”
Nick’s face transformed with a heart-melting, sexy grin, “During the week or on Saturday?”
Rena winked.
And Nick nodded.
Saturday it is.
The End
Read on for an excerpt from
Maid for the Billionaire
,
Book 1 of the Legacy Collection
I am so grateful to everyone who was part of the process of creating
Home to Me
. Thank you to:
Nicole Sanders at Trevino Creative Graphic Design for my new cover. You are amazing!
My very patient beta readers. You know who you are. Thank you for kicking my butt when I need it.
My editors: Karen Lawson, Janet Hitchcock, and Nina Pearlman.
Melanie Hanna and her amazing husband, for helping me organize the business side of publishing.
My Roadies for making me smile each day when I log on my computer. You made this year incredible by coming out to see me at conferences.
Thank you to my husband, Tony, who listens to the story so many times he dreams about the characters.
To my niece, Danielle Stewart, and my sister, Jeannette Winters, for joining me in self-publishing and brainstorming with me along the way.
Always better together.
This year I was blessed and spent more time with my fellow authors. If I tried to name all I’m grateful to, the list would double the length of my book. However, there are some who have done so much for me that I could hug the shit out of them each time I see them. So a special thanks to:
Bella Andre, Melody Anne, Kathleen Brooks, Liliana Hart, Cali MacKay, Sandra Marton, Raine Miller, Jennifer Probst, and JS Scott
. You’ll never fully know how grateful I am for your support. Well, you might have a hint from each time I have that second margarita and start hugging you repeatedly. You are not only talented writers and savvy businesswomen; you’re also generous and warm-hearted women. Thank you for your friendship; not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for it.
Read on for an excerpt from
Maid for the Billionaire
,
Book 1 of the Legacy Collection
The Legacy Collection:
*
Also available in audiobook format
Book 1: Maid for the Billionaire
(available at all major eBook stores for FREE!)
Book 3: Bedding the Billionaire
Book 5: Rise of the Billionaire
Book 6: Breaching the Billionaire
Recipe For Love, An Andrade Christmas Novella
Lone Star Burn Series:
The Andrades
Book 3: Maximum Risk (Coming Winter 2014!)
Book 4: Somewhere Along the Way (Coming 2015!)
Read on for an excerpt from
Maid for the Billionaire
,
Book 1 of the Legacy Collection