The Ultimate Millionaire

Her sister sighed. “I know. It’s a miracle. He’s incredible. Last night we were having dinner together. It was really romantic and there was music and suddenly he was on one knee and holding out the ring and saying he wanted to marry me and be with me forever.” Tears filled her eyes. “I never thought my life could be so wonderful.”

Marina hugged her again. “I’m happy for you. Beyond happy. Delighted. Giddy. There are other words I can’t think of right now.”

“I’m happy, too,” Willow said.

Marina leaned against the cushion. “Two of my sisters getting married. I’ll be the old maid aunt, a favorite of the children, but you adults will worry that I’m slowly slipping into madness.”

Willow rolled her eyes. “Please. You’re too smart for that. But I would say to be careful. Love is in the air and all that.”

Marina shook her head. “I’m immune. Which is fine with me. I’m not looking to get married anytime soon.”

“What about falling in love?”

“Maybe next year.”

In truth, she liked the idea of falling for a guy. But along with the desire to be in love was a healthy dose of fear. Giving away her heart looked a little to much like giving away her sense of self. First Aunt Ruth, then her mother. Marina wasn’t willing to be like either of them.

“So, another wedding,” she said. “Have you two picked a date?”

“We’re thinking spring. Well, after Julie’s wedding, but before the baby’s born.”

“I can help with the planning. I’ll be an expert.”

“I would love that,” Willow told her. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“Just ask me anything. Or Todd. He’s actually pretty good at the whole wedding planning thing. Just don’t tell him I said that.”

Willow shifted so they were facing each other. “Really? He’s not awful?”

“No,” Marina said, still surprised by that bit of news. “He’s actually nice. Funny, charming…I like him. I didn’t expect that at all. I thought he’d be a jerk. I really didn’t want to work with him on the wedding, but even though we don’t agree on everything, I like having him help. It’s a big responsibility and I like having someone to share in the process. Plus, he’s fairly good-looking. Even if my day is going badly, it’s fun to have a little eye candy to look forward to.”

“I don’t think he’s the kind of guy who likes being called eye candy.”

“Probably not, but we won’t mention it.”

Willow studied her. “So this is good?” she asked. “With Julie and Ryan getting married, Todd is kind of in the family now. We’ll all be friends?”

“I think so. We’ll mock his choice of women when he brings dates, but that will be entertaining.”

“Something to look forward to,” Willow said. “Todd’s not the kind of guy to hang out by himself.”

Marina nodded in agreement, but found herself wondering about the other women in Todd’s life. No doubt he was seeing someone right now. Who was she? Some socialite or heiress? A high-powered businesswoman? Marina would guess that whoever she was, her wardrobe consisted of more than jeans and UCLA sweat shirts.

Not that she, Marina, was trying to impress him. They were working together on the wedding. Nothing more. Except he’d kissed her. She still couldn’t seem to forget the flash of heat and need and desire that had nearly overwhelmed her. And that had been from a kind of nothing kiss. What would happen if he kissed her like he meant it?

“He’s actually my date for the wedding,” Marina said. “We both promised Grandma Ruth we’d go on one date and the wedding seemed the easiest.”

“Once again I encourage you to marry him so I can have a million-dollar nest egg,” Willow said with a grin.

“Kane has money.”

“Yes, but that’s his money. A fortune of my own would be kind of fun.”

Marina shook her head. “Sorry. I don’t have any big plans to marry Todd. Not even for a million dollars.”

“What about five million? I’ll bet Grandma Ruth would be delighted to cough up a little more cash.”

“Not interested.”

Willow sighed. “I thought our sisterly love was supposed to be unconditional. I hate that it has limits.”

“Life can be tragic.”

Willow glanced back at her ring. “There are some bright spots. I have Kane.”

“Yes, you do.”

Willow looked at her. “You’re next. Things happen in threes. First Julie, then me, so it’s your turn.”

“I don’t think it works like that.”

Not that she would say no to her own happily ever after, but there were complications. Falling for a guy meant trusting him completely. While she could see that happening, it also meant trusting herself, which she was a lot less sure about.

Four

M arina sat on the front stairs of her apartment waiting for Todd. As her watch ticked over to the exact minute he was due, his sleek, silver, expensive convertible rounded the corner and pulled up in front of her building.

She stood and sighed. “Pretty car,” she said when he stepped out and walked toward her. “Very pretty car.” Of course he looked good, too. The man knew how to wear a suit. But she didn’t feel the need to share that.

He held out the keys. “Want to drive?”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Drive. The. Car. You’re supposed to be the smart one here. It shouldn’t be such a complex concept. I’ve seen you drive. You know how.”

She looked from him to the Mercedes and back. “But it’s your car. You’re a guy. Guys don’t share their cars. Certainly not really expensive ones like this.”

“It’s just a car, Marina. I buy what I like, but it’s not my life.” He shook the keys. “Now answer the question. Do you want to drive?”

She snatched the keys from him before he could change his mind. “Absolutely.”

But as she made her way to the driver’s side, she glanced at him. Sure, Todd had money and if something happened to this car, he could easily get another, but it was the principle of the matter. This wasn’t normal behavior. Was he really so secure with himself that he could let her do this without a second thought?

She settled into the leather seat and surveyed the interior. There were the basics she was used to, along with a GPS display, dual zone air-conditioning and a sound system that looked complicated enough to be on the space shuttle.

“It’s nice today,” he said. “Want to put the top down?”

“Oh, yeah.”

She scanned the controls and found the one that took care of the top, then put the key in the ignition and turned to watch the show.

It was a marvel of German engineering, she thought as the top automatically folded down and a built-in cover slipped over it. All without her doing anything.

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