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“Lucy!”
“Seriously, Maxine. He’s a nice guy and well…he cares about you.”
Maxine smiled sheepishly and hugged Lucy. “I will speak with you later, okay?”
“Don’t rush,” Lucy said, smiling.
Later, Maxine and Lucas strolled along the lawn while the partygoers were oblivious to their absence. What could Lucas want to talk to her about now?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Lucas and Maxine arrived at the guest house—a cedar-sided cottage at the west side of the estate. It had its own cobblestone walkway and meticulously trimmed hedges in front of the main door.
It was an extraordinary guest home with a breathtaking view of the hills. How Maxine loved the way the Romero family lived. It was an impressive estate for sure. The land seemed to go on forever. It must be nice to live like this. Heck, even if the family had bothersome guests staying over, they would not be affected at all since the guest house was far from the main house yet luxurious enough to keep the guests satisfied. And she noticed there were several other cottages nearby.
Lucas opened the main door and led Maxine inside. “After you, beautiful,” he invited in a smooth voice that caused her to tingle inside.
“Oh, this is nice,” Maxine commented as she walked inside. She was stunned. It was an ultra-functional environment. Spacious and cozy at the same time. She noticed the open area living room with ceiling-to-floor stone fireplace and sofas with a Persian rug in the center over a shiny hardwood floor.
The kitchen area in the open concept design had marble countertops and stained oak cabinets with a marble-top kitchen island with brown leather backless bar stools around it—sort of like a breakfast bar in the middle of the kitchen nook.
“It’s okay. It’s a place for guests to stay.”
Maxine turned around in awe. She could not believe he was so casual about the opulence of his surroundings, especially since he started out life humble. “Aren't you ever simply amazed at what your grandfather has built?”
“Of course, I am. I’m very proud of my old man. But his legacy is more important than his assets. My grandfather has instilled a lot of positive values and good work ethics in all of us. To tell you the truth, I’m more impressed with that.”
“Of course!” Maxine smiled. She felt warm inside. That was one of the attributes that attracted her to Lucas. He wasn’t at all what the media painted him out to be. He was so much more—profound. “Well, he’s done a good job, Lucas.”
“Thank you. It’s because of his work ethics why we are the way we are today. It’s all about helping others, leaving the world a better place than how we found it and making a difference. He always told us to never look for work, create it.”
Maxine nodded thoughtfully.
“Can I get you anything?”
Just you.
“I’m okay for now,” she murmured.
“Come. I’ll take you on a tour.”
He led her through the hallway and towards the back where there was a study and a view of the swimming pool outside.
“Nice.”
“Thanks.”
Lucas looked deep in thought. Of course, he did not bring her there solely for a tour of one of their guest homes. They needed to talk.
“Listen,” Lucas said, his hands shoved in the pockets of his dress pants. His lips were clenched slightly. “I have some news for you, regarding the notes you received.”
“Oh?” Maxine’s stomach was squeezing uncomfortably inside. Did she really want to hear this? Was this about some crazy ex-client who wanted to get even with her for a wedding gone wrong?
“There’s no easy way to say this but Zack had his men look into it and they found out the source. You're not going to believe it. It was Betty.”
“Betty? No way. Why would she…?”
“Exactly. Sometimes it’s the people closest to you who can do more harm and by that I mean the people who know too much about you.”
Maxine was stumped. She sat down on the recliner chair by the fireplace in a daze. “But why?” she whispered almost to herself. She racked her brain trying to figure out why Betty would pull such a stunt but then it clicked. Betty knew her home address and everything else about her.
