Redeeming The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 5) (19 page)

In response, Addie only received silence. “Trent, are you still there?” she asked when she feared she’d lost the connection.

“Yeah, sorry. I dropped the phone taking off my shirt. My meeting went fine. He gave me a list of events I should attend. I thought we could go through it together and decide which ones to go to. For now, the only one I agreed to was the Annual Charity Auction for the Providence Children’s Hospital. It’s the first Saturday night in October. Can you make sure you have that night free?”

She’d heard of the event held at the Biltmore Hotel. Organized by a former governor’s wife, it attracted celebrities and wealthy individuals from around the country. Over the years the money raised by the event had been used for everything from expanding the hospital to building nearby housing for families to stay in when their children were confined to the hospital for extended periods of time. “Will do.” The next time she worked at the bakery, she’d put in for the whole day off. “Did he ever find out who sent that picture into the newspaper?”

“Not yet, but he’s still working on it,” Trent answered. “Let’s talk about something besides my meeting with Marty.”

She’d noticed before that he didn’t like to talk about Marty, or politics, for that matter. Now, like before, she assumed it was his way of keeping work at the office. “Okay, what do you want to talk about?” As much as she enjoyed hearing about all aspects of his life, she could understand and respect his desire to not think about work once the day ended.

“How about our plans for the weekend? You’re only working Friday night, right?”

The remainder of the conversation focused on the upcoming weekend and their plans.

In the week and half since their last face-to-face meeting, Marty had called him twice and on both occasions he’d inquired about Trent’s progress toward getting Addie to leave the bakery. Both times he’d assured the man he had everything under control, but in truth he’d been avoiding the topic with her. Tonight he’d address the issue, not only to get Marty off his ass but also because he wanted more of her time. While he realized that was a selfish reason for his actions, he just didn’t care. He had the means to help her and make them both happy, why shouldn’t he do it?

Opening his brief case, Trent made sure he had the lease agreement for the office space as well as the extra key to his apartment, which he planned to give Addie that night. Satisfied he had everything he required, he switched off his office lights and headed out. Traffic from Providence to Cumberland remained light as he took the 146 exit off Interstate 95 and headed north. As he drove, Trent considered the words he’d decided to use when he proposed the idea of moving her office. In the past, he’d always been confident of the outcome when he dealt with women, not so this time. He had no idea how she might respond.

Fifteen minutes after getting on 146, Trent took his exit and then turned onto Addie’s street. The trees on both sides once full of bright green leaves now contained a few orange and red ones too as fall approached. In another few weeks the trees would showcase a mix of red, orange and yellow leaves before they all fell to the ground leaving a mess behind for homeowners. Some people hated this time of year. His sister always complained it signified the beginning of the end as the weather in New England changed and the temperatures began to drop. Trent loved each of the seasons New England offered, something other parts of the world didn’t experience and he’d missed during the years he’d lived abroad. Maybe in the next few weeks, he’d make reservations for them up in Vermont. While the foliage around here was great, nothing compared to the colors up there.

Before getting out of the car, Trent grabbed the items he wanted from his briefcase stuck them inside his jacket pocket, then headed up the walkway. Since his last visit, she’d added some potted mums to her steps, another distinct sign of fall. Today the front door remained open and Mick Jagger’s voice reached him from the other side of the screen door. Ringing the doorbell, he waited.

In a matter of seconds Addie appeared in the narrow hall that led into the kitchen, a dishtowel over her shoulder. “Come on in,” she said before turning back into the kitchen.

Trent followed, the delicious smells emanating from the kitchen were stronger the further he walked in. “I wanted to surprise you, but I got home later than I intended,” Addie said from in front of the stove. An off-white tablecloth covered the small kitchen table that was set for two, complete with wine glasses and candles. “Dinner needs about ten more minutes,” she said as she lifted one lid and mixed its contents. “But the pasta e fagioli is ready.” She pointed to the soup in the pot.

“Whatever you’re cooking smells wonderful.” Trent came up behind her, wrapped his arm around her and kissed her neck.

“Chicken cacciatore,” she answered. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe. I hope you like it.” She put down the wooden spoon and turned in his arms. “And I made zeppoles for dessert.” She gave him a peck on the lips. “Have a seat.” She walked around him toward the counter. “I already opened the wine.”

He stood and watched her retrieve the bottle and then pour it. He’d never had a girlfriend cook him a meal. “You didn’t have to do all this.”

“I know, but I wanted to.” Addie walked back to him and tugged his hand. “Now sit down so we can eat.”

Trent did more eating than talking during dinner. The meal Addie prepared could only be described by one word—fantastic. She’d mentioned she’d gotten home later than intended, which meant she’d worked that day as well. He had no idea how she’d managed to prepare such an out of this world meal in such a short period of time. “I can’t eat another bite,” Trent said after he swallowed the last of his zeppole, the custard leaving a sweet taste in his mouth. “If I’d known you cooked like this, I would have started coming here every night for dinner weeks ago.”

“You can stop by for dinner whenever you want, but most nights I don’t cook much more than some leftover soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.” She raised her own zeppole to her mouth and took a bite, some of the custard from inside lingering on her lips.

Before she wiped it away with a napkin, he leaned toward her and licked it away with his tongue. “Mmm, tastes almost as good as you,” he said, intent on kissing her, but instead Addie laughed, stopping him dead in his tracks. “What’s so funny?”

“You. You probably say that to all the women you kiss.”

Only on one other occasion had she mentioned his past, which he appreciated. This time, however, he wanted her to know she wasn’t like the women he’d dated in the past. “Whatever I said to other women in the past doesn’t matter. Only you matter.” Now seemed like the perfect opportunity to give her the key. “I want you to have something.” He dug into the pocket of the jacket he’d tossed across his chair and pulled out the key. “You already have the elevator code, but I want you to have a key, too. That way you can come and go whenever you want, even if I’m not home.”

Addie accepted the key, studying it as if it were a foreign object. “I’m not sure if I’ll stop by if you’re not there, but thank you.” She stuck the key in her jeans pocket. “I have an extra key in my desk that you can have.”

“I have something else for you,” Trent said as he retrieved the lease agreement. “There’s some office space available on the fourth floor of my building. I thought you might be interested in it.”

Addie accepted the papers he held out but didn’t unfold them; instead she dropped them on the table by her plate. “Trent, I can’t afford the rent in your building. Besides, I have one more month on my current lease.”

“You’ll be able to afford it. Open the agreement.” He picked it up and handed it to her again. Addie eyed him with suspicion but complied with his request. He watched as her eyes moved across the page and knew when she’d hit the line stating the monthly rate. Her eyes snapped to his.

“What is this? The rent isn’t even half of what I pay now. Are you renting me a closet?” She folded up the agreement and then held it toward him. When he refused to take the papers back, she dropped them on the table again. “I can’t accept this, Trent. Where I am now is fine, and my landlord agreed not to raise my rent if I sign another two -year lease.”

Stubborn woman.
“This is more for my benefit than yours. With you just a few floors down, I can see you whenever I want. And the lower rent will cut down business expenses so you can quit the bakery. Again, that means more time for me.” He caressed the skin on her arm.

Addie stilled his hand with her own. “I appreciate the offer, Trent. Please don’t think I don’t, but I can’t accept this.”

Trent opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off. “And don’t try to tell me that is what everyone pays for rent in your building.”

“Come on, Addie. What’s the big deal? You get a bigger office and a little break on rent.” He’d expected resistance if he offered her the space but assumed she’d come around. Her tone of voice and posture said otherwise.

“I don’t want your charity, Trent. If my business is going to succeed I want it to be because of me, not because I got some special deal.”

He admired her determination, but at the moment he wished she’d let it go a little. “Will you at least consider it?” he asked.

“If at some point I can afford the rent in your building, I’ll be happy to move my office. Until then, I’ll remain where I am.”

Her tone told him she was done with the discussion. Out of ideas, he raked a hand through his hair. “Damn it, Addison. What good is having money if I can’t use it to help the woman I love?” The words flew from his mouth with no conscious thought on his part, but once he said the word
s his brain kicked in as did his shock. He hadn’t intended to say he loved her, heck, he’d never even thought it before now. With the words out there between them, he realized it was true. Addie had managed to do what no other woman ever had—worked her way into his heart.

Next to him, Addie’s eyes remained wide and she sat motionless. Then, as if she’d just been sent back to her body, a small tentative smile formed on her face. “I love you, too.” She bit down on her bottom lip before she spoke again. “Is this that important to you?”

Almost there.
“I worry about you working so much, and I want you closer to me.”

Addie picked up the lease agreement and scanned it again. “Okay, but I don’t want any other special treatment in terms of this lease. If in two years when this lease is up everyone’s rent goes up, I expect mine to go up as well.”

“We can worry about that then,” he answered. By that time she’d be his wife and money would no longer be an obstacle for her.

“Trent, I’m serious. I won’t sign unless you agree.” She crossed her arms across her chest and stared at him.

“Fine, as long as you quit the bakery as soon as possible. And just for the record, I don’t like it.”

Addie nodded. “I’ll give my two week notice tomorrow when I go in.”

Marty wanted it sooner than that, but it would have to do. Convincing Addie not to give a sufficient notice would never happen. “And I’ll arrange to have your office moved.” She opened her mouth prepared to argue, but he didn’t give her a chance. “Since this is my idea, I’ll pay for it. If it makes you feel better consider it partial payment for the work you’re doing on my house.” Trent pulled a pen from his jacket pocket. “Why don’t you sign now and then show me the new designs you told me about?” He wanted it a done deal before she thought more about it and changed her mind.

Accepting the pen, she smoothed out the papers, her eyes reading them one last time. Trent watched as she touched the pen to the signature line, then paused and glanced up at him one more time. When she signed her name across the line, he let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“This will be good for both of us.” Trent took back the papers. “Just think about the fun lunch breaks we can have together.” His tone of voice let her know that those lunch breaks wouldn’t involve any actual food. Once the agreement was safely back in his pocket, he moved toward her. “Maybe we should look at those designs before we get distracted with other activities, sweetheart.” He kissed her, just a gentle press of his lips against hers.

Addie’s entire face lit up with excitement. “I think you’ll love the designs for the bathrooms.” Standing, she tugged on his hand. “Let’s go sit in my office. My computer is in there.”

In her office, she nudged him toward the only chair in the room. “Sit. I’ll get another chair from the kitchen.”

“No need.” Trent dropped into the office chair and then pulled Addie into his lap. “Okay, let’s see what you came up with.”

Trent kissed her neck as she pulled up the files, more than content to spend the entire evening doing just that.

“This is my plan for the wife’s bathroom.”

Trent looked over her shoulder at the computer screen. In the pictures, the claw foot tub remained as did the separate room for the toilet, but that was all that looked the same. In what had been an empty wall, she’d added two windows that cast light into a custom- built shower stall large enough for two. The old pedestal sink had been replaced with an extra long vanity that blended with the built-in makeup table making it look like one solid piece. Blue gray granite topped the vanity. Two additional mirrors hung over the long vanity in addition to the one already over the makeup table. Wall lights were positioned on either side of the mirrors. A chandelier hung from the ceiling and all new tiles lined the floor.