AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The video played and the camera zeroed in on an attractive man, with intense blue eyes and a teasing smile. He was very charming as well
as being handsome, and it was clear why the society blogs were obsessed with him.
But the more she watched, the more Kelly started to feel a nagging sensation that she knew him from somewhere. He seemed strikingly familiar yet Kelly could have sworn she had never met the CEO of Del Mar Group of hotels.
Huh, she shrugged to herself. He must just have one of those faces …
17
Over the rest of the day Kelly kept going back to her computer, checking for more videos of Christian Del Mar. Something was bothering her—something just didn’t sit right. She tried to put her finger on it, but her mind was stubbornly refusing to work out what was bothering her.
Kelly screwed her eyes at the computer screen. She could have sworn she had seen the face before, but where?
She groaned and leaned her head against the desk, closing her eyes in frustration. As the video continued to run, the velvet voice of Christian Del Mar played in the background.
And then, she got it.
Kelly almost fell from her seat. She knew that voice. Eyes wide, she turned back to the screen and wondered how she could have missed it.
The eyes were blue now and the hair a jet black, but the shape of the face and the easy smile were the same.
“I’ll be damned!” Kelly said out loud. “It’s Christopher the maintenance guy.”
Her mouth hung open as she watched video after video, reaching the same conclusion each time.
She thought back to all their encounters and then grew hot with embarrassment when she recalled how strongly she had come on to him, except … his eyes had always been on Raina.
Oh God, Raina!
Kelly wanted to pick up her phone right there and then and call her friend with the news, but experience had taught her to think things through before making a decision.
This one in particular was too huge to screw up. She couldn’t believe that she had rubbed shoulders and spoken with a billionaire. Oh, God, Kelly felt as though she was going to choke on her tongue, so great was her excitement. She stood up to pace unable to sit still any longer. She paced a while and then sat back down to watch the video again.
Without a doubt, the man was Christopher the maintenance guy. And to think that Raina had thought he was homeless! Kelly found herself laughing out aloud.
They had all been taken in. But what had been the purpose of his undercover stunt? She thought back to whether he had seen anything inappropriate during his time with them.
An unpleasant thought crossed Kelly’s mind. If Christopher was Christian that meant that he had believed that Raina had stolen from the company. That would explain why he had disappeared completely from Raina’s life.
Oh, God. Roger was responsible for destroying Raina and Christian’s romance.
A plan was starting to form in Kelly’s brain.
She would convince Raina to take a day off and go with her to the talk. The college was South of Palm Beach and about a four hours’ drive. They would make it a day road trip but Kelly would keep the real reason of their visit a secret. She fired off another email to the organizers of the talk to book for two tickets instead of one.
Kelly was determined to fix what Pervy Roger had destroyed and bring the two back together.
She had not seen Raina that alive and happy in ages. Besides, you didn’t just let billionaires like Christian slip through your fingers without a fight, she thought with a giggle. Not that Raina would be impressed by the money.
She paused what she was doing when another realization hit her. Raina had told her about the private scholarship from an anonymous source. It had all been very mysterious and confusing, but it made perfect sense now.
Christian had spent a lot of time with the kids and had seen how bright and talented they were. Kelly was sure that he was the one who had offered the scholarship, and Raina didn’t have a clue as to who her real benefactor was.
Seeing that it was a Friday, Kelly decided to spend the weekend at Raina’s. That way she had a better chance of convincing her friend to go on the road trip with her. Her heart was beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wings. She calmed herself down and then made the call.
“Hey, girl,” Kelly said, suppressing her excitement. “Do you need an extra hand over the weekend, I could come down today after work.…”
Half past five found her driving down the highway, headed to Raina’s B&B. She switched on the radio and chose a station with soulful music. She hummed along, suddenly feeling as though all was well with the world. The fact that Christian Del Mar was not a stranger would make it easier to approach him. She just had to picture him in ripped jeans and a flannel shirt instead of an expensive suit. Kelly suppressed a giggle.
