Redeeming The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 5) (17 page)

Addie walked around him and took one picture from the shelf. “We had a sixtieth wedding anniversary for my grandparents a few years ago. I don’t know how but all my brothers made it.” She pointed first to the older couple in the front. “These are my mom’s parents.” Next, she pointed to the man on her left. “This is Tom, he’s three years older than me. Jon, who is next to my grandfather, is the oldest. He’s seven years old than me. Frank is behind my grandmother. There are only ten months between him and Jon.” She pointed to each man as she spoke. “Rock is a year and half older than me. I’ve always been closest to him.” She put the picture back on the shelf. “I don’t think we’ve all been together again like that since then.”

As much as he and his siblings did their own things and went their own ways, they still tried to get together at least once a year regardless, if only for a few hours. “That must be hard on your parents.”

“A little, but they get it, especially my dad.” She moved back across the room toward the doorway. “I’m going to grab a glass of iced tea. Would you like some?”

“Sounds good and we can decide how to spend the rest of the day.” He followed her into the kitchen, which like the rest of the house was tidy. The roses he’d brought her on their first date remained in a vase on the counter although they’d started to wilt. “Looks like I need to get you new roses.” He stopped next to the flowers and pulled one from the vase, his eyes spotting the handwritten schedule.

“I loved the flowers, but you don’t have to get me anything.” She handed him a tall glass of iced tea.

Her statement reinforced what he already knew. Addie was nothing like the women from his past. “I know.” Trent kissed her before he took a sip from his drink. “What’s this?” He pointed to the schedule on the counter.

“My hours at the bakery next week.” She walked away and took a seat at the table.

He scanned the hours printed on the paper, adding them up in his head. “You’re scheduled for twenty hours next week. Do you always work that much?” When Marty told him she worked part time at the bakery, he’d assumed that meant eight or nine hours not twenty.

Addie paused, her own glass almost to her mouth. “More or less.”

No wonder she’d been tired last night. She must work close to seventy hours a week. “Do you need to work that much?” he asked, confident he knew the answer. Assuming she made at least minimum wage, twenty hours a week at the bakery would bring in a little more than six hundred dollars a month

She nodded. “Most of what Designs by Addison makes goes back into the business and until recently business had been on the slow side. The money from the bakery helps with my personal expenses.” Her tone remained neutral not giving him any hint of how she felt about her situation. “If things stay the way they have been, though, I should be able to cut back at the bakery soon.”

Concern for her well being filled him. A person, no matter their age or health, could only sustain a sixty-plus-hour workweek for so long before it started affecting them. “How can I help?”

“Help? You already have. Ever since you hired me to redecorate your office and work on your house, my business has exploded. I don’t need you to do anything.”

He recognized the look of determination on her face, but it didn’t stop him. “I realize you don’t need it.” He picked his words carefully as he went on. “Trust me, I have my own selfish reasons for wanting to help you.” Trent took her hand. “The less time you work, the more time you can spend with me. So you see by helping you, I’m really helping myself.”

Addie rolled her eyes. “So the truth comes out,” she said with a little laugh. “Really, Trent, I’m fine. Besides, other than dragging clients into my office by their hair, which would be really bad if you plan to run for Senate, there isn’t anything you can do.”

“Yeah, that would be bad.” Even as he agreed, he searched his brain for ways to help her. Even without asking he knew she would never accept his money, and he couldn’t exactly buy stock shares in her company.

“Honestly, Trent. I’m fine and I promise to make plenty of time for you. Don’t worry about it.”

The smile on her lips called to him. Later when he was alone he’d think of something. Right now, though, he planned to just enjoy their afternoon together. “I’m going to hold you to that.” He moved closer and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “So how do you want to spend the day?” According to her work schedule she only had today off. The following day she was scheduled from eight until two. “I’ll go anywhere you want.”

Addie didn’t hesitate. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. They have a visiting exhibit of paintings by Caravaggio,” she said, referring to the
Italian artist who had painted during the late 1500s. “The paintings are only there for a few more weeks.”

He’d already guessed she enjoyed art given the framed replicas she had on her walls. In all honesty, a day at the art museum didn’t sound as much fun as a day out on his cousin’s sailboat, which Jake kept moored in Newport, but if that was how she wanted to spend the day, he’d go along.

“If you don’t want to drive into Boston today, that’s okay. We can do something else.”

“I don’t mind. Traffic should be light today and the MFA has some great collections.” His reply earned him a smile, which was reward enough for a day spent in a museum.   Ten minutes later, they headed out. Addie could spend the day studying old paintings while he studied her.

Monday afternoon Addie fought back yet another yawn, then reached for the energy drink she’d grabbed on her way into work. The weekend had been as wonderful as the one before, but it had drained her. Between her late night with Trent on Friday and Saturday, she got nothing else done before her afternoon shift on Sunday. In order to catch up, she’d worked late Sunday night on paperwork so that today she could focus on the decorating plans for a new client and put some more work into her design plans for Trent’s house in Newport. Both goals she wanted accomplished before she left for the night. Tomorrow she had an appointment with a potential client out on Cape Cod and doubted she’d make it into the office at all. For that reason she’d asked Tara to work the next day so that the office would remain open.

Finishing the drink in a few sips, she focused once again on her computer screen. The window treatments she’d found from one of her favorite manufacturers matched the sofa the clients insisted upon. Unfortunately, they clashed with the wall paint she planned to propose. Unless she wanted to change the paint color, she needed to find something else. So far the only other window treatments she’d found that worked were floor-length curtains, which the clients had specifically stated they didn’t want. With a sigh, Addie called up another manufacturer website she liked.

The office door opened and Tara stepped in as she scrolled through the various selections. “Addie, Marcy Blake is here to see you.” Tara crossed to her desk and dropped a business card in front of her. “She’s from
Today Magazine
.”

She’d never heard of the woman, but she’d both heard of and read
Today Magazine
. At one time she’d even had a subscription to the popular monthly magazine, which ran articles on everything from celebrities to important news stories. Just last month it had featured the story of how a family survived for three months on an uninhabited island after their boat went astray in the Pacific Ocean.

“Thanks, Tara. Send her in.” As Tara left, Addie scanned her desk, moving anything with a client name or address into a drawer.

A moment later the door opened again and a stylish dark-haired woman entered. “Thank you for seeing me, Addison. I hope this isn’t a bad time.”

Was there ever a good time to talk to reporters? “No, it’s fine. Please have a seat.” Addie folded her hands before her as Marcy placed her leather bag on the floor and sat.

Marcy gave her a wide smile as she focused all her attention on her. “I’m sure you know why I’m here.”

Addie nodded. Trent warned her that the other magazine article about them wouldn’t be the last. Even still, the reporter’s visit today surprised her.

“Trent Sherbrooke has well established his reputation as a playboy going from one model or socialite to another. He even dated a Danish princess for a few months.” The reporter told her things she already knew but had tried not to think about. “And then all of a sudden you, a small business owner, show up on his arm. People are intrigued. They want to know all the details.”

She wanted to squirm under the reporter’s gaze, which made her feel like a bug under a microscope. Clearing her throat instead, Addie said, “There’s not much to tell.”

Marcy waved a hand, the bangle bracelets on her arm clinking together. “When it comes to someone like Trent Sherbrooke, there’s always a lot to tell. How about we start with how you two met?”

Her gut instinct was to tell the reporter it was none of her business. Whatever happened between her and Trent concerned only them. But she’d read enough magazine articles to know when it came to well-known public figures, that wasn’t always the case. In fact, not long ago she’d read an article about Trent’s cousin Sara after she announced her engagement to billionaire Christopher Hall. So unless she wanted the reporter to make stuff up, she’d better answer. “We met by accident. He bumped into me on Benefit Street outside Ambrosia Pastry Shop and Cafe one afternoon.”

Marcy placed a MP3 recorder on the desk and switched it on. “Is that when the picture of you two together that appeared in the
Providence Gazette
was taken?” As she spoke, she pulled a notepad with questions from her bag.

The woman came prepared.
Addie eyed the long list of questions on the pad. Judging by the length, they were going to be there for a while.

For over an hour Marcy asked questions that spanned from how they met to whether or not she’d met his family. She’d even gone so far as to ask if they’d discussed moving in together yet. Throughout the interview Addie reminded herself that it was better for both of them if she answered rather than let Marcy speculate and fabricate some kind of story. Of course, she realized that even by answering the questions that didn’t mean Marcy wouldn’t concoct something of her own anyway. Wasn’t that something celebrities complained about all the time?

“Thank you for answering my questions today, Addison. I appreciate your cooperation.”

Addie forced a smile as she watched the reporter return her belongings to her bag. “Anytime, Marcy.”

Slipping the leather strap from her briefcase onto her arm, Marcy stood, her Cheshire cat smile on her face again. “I wish you all the best of luck with Mr. Sherbrooke. Maybe you’ll be the one to finally tame him. Just because a princess couldn’t doesn’t mean you can’t.”

At the reporter’s comment fear twisted around her heart, but Addie made herself smile. “Thank you. Have a nice day.”

She kept the smile on her face until the office door closed behind the reporter. Once alone again she sagged back into her chair and blew out a slow deep breath. Even before their brief run-in on the sidewalk that day, she’d known about Trent’s reputation. That didn’t mean she liked to think about it or what it meant for their future together. Rather, she preferred to enjoy their time together, getting to know the real him. And while much of what she read about him was true, there was so much more to him. He had goals that he wanted to accomplish that no magazine ever wrote about. He enjoyed hanging around and just watching movies with her. He hated country music but listened to it anyway in the car with her because she liked it. And no matter what, Trent was always polite and considerate. Not once since they’d started dating had he put his own personal preferences first. Magazine articles never mentioned any of those things. Things that she loved about him.

Addie didn’t even pause as the word love materialized in her thoughts. They hadn’t known each other all that long, but already her heart had become engaged in their relationship. She’d never fallen so hard so fast for a guy. With her last relationship, they’d known each other for more than a year as friends before ever going on their first date. Even then their relationship remained casual for the first few months of dating. Only after five or so months had they committed themselves to a long-term relationship that in the end lasted for two years.

Nothing about this thing with Trent resembled that relationship or any of her others. She missed him like crazy when they were apart. When they were together they didn’t need to do anything special. She enjoyed sitting in his arms and talking. As far as she could tell he enjoyed it, too. He never insisted they go out. In fact, if she hadn’t read otherwise in countless magazine articles she’d guess he hated clubs and parties.

And if you hope to see him tomorrow, you better get back to work.
Addie hit a key on her keyboard and the screen came to life again. Yup, she’d save the dreams for tonight when she climbed into bed.

***

Trent leaned back in his office chair and looked around, once again amazed at the transformation. The ideas, which looked good on Addie’s computer screen weeks ago, appeared even better in reality. She’d turned the lackluster space into a personal sanctuary, a place almost as inviting and comfortable as his own home. If she’d done that to this space, he couldn’t wait to see the end results to his home in Newport.