The Billionaire's Christmas Miracle (Sweet Billionaires 3) Read online

  “Let’s sit at your dining room table. The light there looks good.” Without waiting for an answer, Avery crossed the room and began removing things from the bag. A straightener, a curling iron, hair spray, gel, makeup.

  Gwen shook her head, afraid of what she was getting herself into, but she followed Avery and sat down in the chair she had pulled out.

  “So, how are things going with Drew?” Avery asked as she picked up a brush and began running it through Gwen’s hair. “It seems like you two are pretty happy.”

  “We are,” Gwen said. In fact, things had been great with Drew lately. They had spent Thanksgiving just the two of them as Gwen didn’t have family and Jacqueline hadn’t invited either of them to dine with her. Drew didn’t seem too upset his mother was giving him the silent treatment though it weighed on Gwen. She couldn’t help feeling responsible for ruining their relationship.

  “Except?” Avery asked.

  Gwen bit her lip. She wasn’t sure she trusted Avery, but she did need to talk to someone. “I just feel awful for driving a wedge between Drew and his mother. I’ve been praying every day they’ll talk to each other, but-”

  “Praying? You’re a believer?” Avery set the brush down and sprayed Gwen’s hair with some fruity smelling mist.

  “Yes.” Why did Gwen have the feeling Avery would use that against her?

  “And Drew knows this?”

  “Yes, he’s been attending church with me.” Unfortunately, he still hadn’t given his life to God. It was the one thing keeping Gwen from giving him her whole heart. She wanted to be with a believer, and though she thought he was close, she’d assumed the same thing about Adam.

  “Wow, that is surprising. I figured he would have turned his back on all that after Sarah.”

  Gwen blinked. “Sarah? Who’s Sarah?”

  “Sarah was a girl he was seeing when we met. She was the religious kind always dragging him to church. They were going to get married, but then she left to go do mission work. Broke his heart.” Avery picked up the curling iron and twisted Gwen’s hair around the metal rod.

  “He never mentioned a Sarah.” Nor had he mentioned attending church. He’d told her he was a holiday Christian. So, who wasn’t telling the truth? Her gut told her not to trust Avery, but her insecurities and her past had her questioning Drew as well.

  “I’m not surprised. He was rather embarrassed by the incident. He’d bought the ring and everything. He loved Sarah and decided he’d never date a believer after that, so I’m surprised you got him to a church again is all.”

  “Hmm.” Gwen didn’t know what else to say. She wanted to talk to Drew about this and get his side of the story. Avery had known him longer, but her story just didn’t ring true for Gwen.

  “But maybe he’s over it now. He looks at you much the same way he used to look at Sarah.” Avery finished with the curling iron and moved to applying makeup on Gwen. “Wow, you have great skin. I’m not going to do much, just a little shadow, some liner, and a hint of blush.”

  This was not much? Gwen felt as if her face had at least three extra layers on as Avery moved from one area to the next.

  “I think I’m done. Why don’t you go change into something a little dressier and I’ll pack up?”

  “Sure.” Gwen headed to her room, hoping her face didn’t look as awful as it felt. She made a beeline for the bathroom and flicked on the light. It was more makeup than she normally wore, but Avery had applied it tastefully. Gwen supposed she could leave it on for the evening.

  She turned to her closet and flipped hangers until she landed on a simple black dress. With a long necklace, she would look...well, not elegant, but not dowdy either. Gwen slipped the dress on and grabbed an appropriate necklace from her jewelry box before heading back to the dining room.

  “Perfect,” Avery said. “I packed your bag for you to save time. We have reservations for dinner at six.”

  Gwen found that pushy but said nothing. Maybe Avery was just like that. She took the bag and motioned for Avery to lead the way, so she could lock the door behind her.

  “Oh, do you mind if we take your car? I gave my driver the night off knowing you prefer to drive yourself.”

  “Uh sure.” Had she told Avery she had an aversion to being driven? She thought back over their conversations but couldn’t recall. Maybe Drew had mentioned it. It wasn’t a big deal; it just unnerved her a little that Avery knew. As she unlocked the car door, she pushed the thought from her mind. She was determined to have a good time tonight and get to know Avery better.

  Chapter 18

  Drew tugged at his neckline as he followed his mother into the ballroom. She had insisted he wear a tie and brandished one from her purse when he explained he didn’t have one with him. He hated ties. They felt like a noose, and this one even more so as it represented the leash his mother held on him. He would be so glad when this night was over, and he didn’t have to attend any more of these events.

  He still wasn’t sure what he planned to do after, but he had enough money that he could take a few months to decide. A part of him wanted to return to the teaching degree he had never finished. Another part of him was considering something to help foster kids. Gwen was rubbing off on him. In fact, he’d been planning to tell her tonight that he had made the leap of faith and accepted Jesus as his savior, but he didn’t want to do it over a text.

  “Ah, here’s our table,” his mother said as she stopped in front of a table near the back.

  “This is your table?” His mother hated sitting near the back. She felt her place was front and center and everyone should know it.

  “Ah, well, it was a last-minute thing. I didn’t think you would attend, and then when I decided on the offer to extend to you, the front tables were all full.”

  “Uh huh.” Drew wasn’t sure he was buying what his mother was selling. She was too chipper, and her eyes darted around the room as if she were looking for something or someone.

  “Shall we sit?” She pulled out her chair and perched on the edge. Drew followed suit and sat beside her.

  “I wonder if we know our other table guests.” She leaned to her right. “I have an Emily S. here. How about you?”

  Drew didn’t care who was sitting to his left, but he leaned over to oblige his mother. “An Alexandra K.” He rolled his eyes, certain he would be surrounded by women. Had this been an attempt by his mother to set him up with some rich woman so he’d forget Gwen? Well, it would not work.

  “Oh, I think I know Alexandra K. Her mother used to attend my gardening club. She’s a lovely thing. Just about your age. Blond and beautiful.”

  “Mother, I’m seeing Gwen, remember? Have been for over a month.”

  His mother puffed up like a peacock. “Well, that doesn’t mean you can’t be nice to the girl. I wonder if her mother will attend as well. Oh, there she is. Katarina, over here.” His mother waved her arm back and forth and hollered again to a woman across the room.

  The woman, a stunning older blonde, smiled as she saw his mother’s hand and headed their direction. Behind her trailed a younger version of herself. Blonde and beautiful was an understatement. Her daughter was easily one of the most striking women Drew had ever laid eyes on. Is this a test Lord? He prayed silently. If it is, please don’t let me fail.

  “Jacqueline, it is so good to see you again.” Beside him, his mother stood to greet the woman who had a thick Russian accent. “You remember my daughter, Alexandra.”

  “Yes, of course, how nice to see you again. This is my son, Drew. I believe he was off at boarding school when you attended garden club, so I’m not sure you ever met.”

  Katarina’s eyes shifted to Drew, who had stood when his mother had and now felt awkward and like a piece of meat at a market next to her. If this wasn’t a set up, he would be surprised.

  “I must say, Drew, that you are a very handsome young man, but then look at your mother. The apple does not fall far from the tree, no?”

  Drew smiled poli
tely and discreetly checked his watch. Ten more minutes. Just ten more minutes of small talk and the benefit would start. He could survive ten minutes.

  “Alexandra, don’t you think Drew has the most amazing eyes?” Katarina continued.

  Alexandra stepped forward and looked at Drew. Her perfectly plucked brow arched just the tiniest bit before the corners of her lips pulled into a smile. Drew forced himself to stare into her eyes because he could see in his peripheral vision that she had a brilliant smile. One that could suck men in and ensnare them, and he didn’t want to be a victim.

  “They are a beautiful shade of blue,” she said, her words lilting softly with her accent.

  “Thank you,” Drew said. “Yours are stunning as well, but might I suggest we all sit down? I’m sure our other table mates will arrive shortly.”

  As if summoned, a waitress came by and snatched the two remaining names off the table. “Sorry, they were unable to make it,” she said before walking away.

  “Well, that will give us more time to catch up and get to know one another,” his mother said as they took their seats around the table.

  Drew stifled a sigh as he folded his napkin in his lap. That was the last thing he wanted.

  “Oh, dear,” Alexandra said. “I think I have lost an earring. Drew, will you help me look? It must be on the ground.”

  Drew had no desire to crawl around on the ground for this woman he barely knew, but it would have been rude for him to decline. He scooted his chair back and dropped to his knees, scanning the area.

  * * *

  “I don’t understand,” Gwen said as they entered the expensive hotel. “What are we doing here? I thought we had dinner reservations.”

  “We do, but I couldn’t find my card in the car and I believe I dropped it here when I was working earlier. We’ll just take a quick look in the ballroom and be on our way.”

  “All right.” Gwen followed Avery down the elaborate hallway. As Avery pulled open the ballroom doors though, her heart stopped. She blinked, not believing her eyes. Drew was on his knees in front of some beautiful woman and holding something out to her. Was he proposing?

  “What’s the matter?” Avery asked. She followed Gwen’s gaze and exhaled. “Oh dear. That’s Sarah. She must have come back. I guess he’s not over her after all.”

  Hot tears exploded in Gwen’s vision, and she didn’t wait to see more. With an anguished cry, she ran from the room. Her low heels pounded against the floor as she raced for the entry. This could not be happening. Not again. She’d told him about Adam. Why in the world would he do the same thing to her? Maybe he had never been into her. Maybe him taking her out had been part of some sick joke to poke fun at the poor, lower class.

  She pushed the door of the hotel open and raced into the cold. Tiny white flakes pelted her in the face and chilled her tear-stained cheeks, but she didn’t care. She just had to get away. As far away as she could from this place, from Drew. How could she have been so stupid?

  Her keys nearly fell from her grip as she pulled them from her pocket with cold fingers. The temperature was dropping quickly. She needed to get home before the worst of the storm hit. There she could curl up with Tabby, flannel pajamas, and a big bowl of ice cream and drown her sorrows.

  She shoved the key into the ignition, wiped her eyes, and started the car. The snow fell harder now, exploding against her windshield in tiny white balls. Gwen turned the wipers up as she pulled out of the parking lot. All she wanted to do was get home, but the snow and her tears were forcing her to drive slower than normal.

  “Come on.” She pounded the wheel in frustration as a car in front of her slowed to a near stop. She tapped her brakes, so as not to plow into the back of him and took the opportunity to wipe her eyes again. Her tears were falling freely now, racing each other down her cheeks.

  The car ahead of her turned off, and Gwen pressed the accelerator. It had been wet enough earlier that she knew the streets would freeze soon and she wanted to be safely home before that happened.

  She turned her wipers up another notch. The snow was coming in thick sheets now, obscuring the road almost completely. Gwen let her foot off the accelerator to slow her speed. Her turn was coming up somewhere, but she couldn’t see the sign. Suddenly, something ran across the road. Gwen slammed on her brakes out of instinct and they locked up, sending the car into a spin. She yanked the wheel to the left and then to the right, but nothing helped.

  The car veered to the left and Gwen sucked in her breath. She was on House hill - a street named for its extreme descent. As her car picked up speed, Gwen sent a prayer heavenward. Please, Lord, don’t let this be the end.

  Chapter 19

  “Thank you, Drew, you are such a gentleman,” Alexandra exclaimed as he handed the earring to her.

  “No problem.” As he stood, he caught sight of a familiar face in the doorway. Avery? What was she doing here? And why did she look so smug? “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.” He strode over to her. “What are you doing here, Avery?”

  “Just delivering on a promise to your mother.”

  “My mother? What are you talking about?”

  “That was lovely by the way. It looked just like a proposal. I couldn’t have timed it better had I tried.”

  “Avery, are you okay?”

  “It’s so nice to see you’ve forgiven Sarah and you two are getting back together.”

  “Sarah?” Drew looked back at his table. “The woman’s name is Alexandra and we’re not together. I only met her tonight. She dropped her earring and I was giving it back to her.”

  A wicked smile flitted across Avery’s features. “Yes, but that’s not how Gwen saw it.”

  Drew’s eyes widened. “Gwen was here? Where is she?”

  Avery shrugged. “Gone. I doubt she’ll be back. See, I told her all about Sarah, your ex-fiancée, who left to go do mission work, but it looks like she’s back and you still have feelings for her.”

  White hot anger flared within Drew, and he clenched his fists to his side to keep from choking the woman in front of him. “What did you do?”

  “What I had to do,” she snapped at him. “I came back hoping we could pick up where we left off, but you had some gold digger on your mind.”

  “Avery, we would never have worked anyway. You said so yourself. Neither of us enjoy these snooty events…” he trailed off as realization dawned on him. “Except you do, but then why would you need me?” He exhaled and crossed his arms. “You need my money.”

  Avery’s lips pulled into an unattractive sneer. “I lost mine in Europe and when I came home, I found that my father had gambled all of our family money away. I figured I could charm you again, we could marry, and then I’d take what was mine and keep painting, but there was Gwen. Sweet, little, innocent Gwen whom you needed to save.” She rolled her eyes. “I figured she’d be easy to get rid of, but my note and flowers evidently didn’t work, so I had to try something else.”

  Drew’s head was spinning. How had he been so wrong about Avery? Had she always been this way or had her greed consumed her after she’d left?

  “I went to your mother. She wanted Gwen out of your life as much as I did, and she paid me handsomely to get rid of her. Not as much as I would have gotten if I’d married you, but enough that I can probably invest it and rebuild.”

  “My mother paid you?” He glanced to his mother who stared back at them. At least she had the decency to look chagrined.

  “She did, and this little setup,” she waved her hand toward the ballroom, “was her idea. She took care of the invitation and your beautiful blond friend over there. I took care of Gwen. Made sure she was here to see what she needed to see to think you were a lying cheat.”

  Drew had never hit a woman, and he didn’t want to start now, but it took all his energy to keep from ripping her to pieces. Instead, he lowered his voice and leaned in as if he were going to whisper in her ear. “I’m going to find Gwen. If you ever show your face around her again, I�
��ll make sure your reputation is ruined forever. Do you understand me?”

  She kept a brave face, but he saw a flicker of fear dance in her eyes. “Now, take your money and get out of my sight, Judas.”

  Avery stared at him a moment longer. Her eyes shifted to his mother and back to him. She opened her mouth to speak but then must have thought better of it. With a final angry stare, she spun on her heel and disappeared down the hallway.

  Drew took a deep breath to calm his nerves before turning to his mother. His heart beat an insane rhythm in his chest, and he forced his feet to walk slowly and deliberately to give it time to slow down. “How could you, Mother?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, tilting her nose up in the air.

  “Avery told me everything. You paid her? Why? What’s so horrible about Gwen that you had to pay someone to get her out of my life?”

  “She’s poor,” his mother spat at him. “You are a Devonshire. You deserve more than some poor school teacher and keeping poor company would ruin our image.”

  Drew narrowed his eyes at his mother. “Well, you won’t have to worry about our image any longer, Mother.”

  “There, see? I knew you would see it my way if you had a chance.”

  “You won’t have to worry about our image because I will destroy it. I’m going to make sure everyone in this town knows what you did to Gwen.”

  “But, but, you can’t,” his mother stuttered. “We’ll lose everything.”

  “We’ll lose some things,” he said. “You might have to downsize, but I’ll keep what really matters. Honesty and integrity. The rest are just idols, and if you haven’t figured it out by now, I no longer care about idols.” With that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving his mother and the other two women at his table gaping at him.

  He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Gwen’s number. It rang four times before her voicemail picked it up. “Gwen? It’s Drew. I know what you think you saw tonight, but it was staged. Please let me explain. I’m coming over to talk.”