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Maxine blushed. “Thank you for that kind message you placed in the papers this morning, Toni,” Maxine chimed in.
“Well, I mean it. You’re welcome, Maxine, and welcome again to the family. This is cause for a celebration!” Toni beamed. He called out to the butler who came in promptly. “Please arrange for the barbecue and break out the champagne.”
“Yes, sir,” the butler complied happily.
“Two new members to the Romero family.”
“And you’ll be next, right, bro?” Lucas turned to Zack and gave him a nudge in the arm.
“I don’t think so, bro!” Zack shot back. “Seriously. Good for you and Antonio but me and marriage are like fire and ice. No offense, guys.”
Lucas grinned.
“Never say never,” Toni cautioned.
“Grandfather, that means nothing to me except the title of a good Bond movie. Thanks but no thanks.” Zack lifted a glass to his lips from the butler’s tray.
“Oh, sir. You have a visitor at the door.”
“I do?” Zack said to the butler before placing his glass down on the table. He excused himself and went into the foyer. He froze. What on earth was this woman doing here?
“Hi,” the timid woman said as she stood by the main door.
“Please leave.” Zack’s tone was clipped and stern.
“I don’t blame you. But I just want to apologize to you and your family, Zack.”
Zack glared at her. She was a very pretty woman. He’d seen her, along with other reporters camped outside on the lawn during one of their media circuses but reports had been confirmed that it was her cell phone that was used to record the private conversation between Lucas and Toni that spurred another media fiasco. Luckily, the woman who had the pregnancy claim was called out as a fraud and admitted she lied about being pregnant by Lucas but the whole thing with the fake engagement claim almost cost his brother his happiness.
“It really wasn’t my fault.”
“Oh, really?” Zack stood erect with his hands in his pocket, his chin up.
“Yes. I have nothing to gain by being here. I’m no longer working for…any media. But,” she paused wringing her hands. Gosh, the girl was a bundle of nerves. Nothing like the story-hungry young reporter he’d seen lingering about in the shadows. “Someone played a practical joke on me and my phone was missing. The next thing I knew, it turned up there in the boardroom.”
“Thank you for coming here…” he probed.
“Blue. Blue Monroe.”
And what a sexy name that was. Too bad he didn’t trust women and he trusted female reporters even less. “Blue Monroe,” he continued. "I’ll relay the message to my family.”
She looked into his eyes almost as if she wanted to say something more. “Thank you. And congratulations on your cousin’s birth.”
With that, she turned and let herself out of his family’s home…and out of his life. There was something challenging and dangerous about her but Zack tried to play it off. Would he ever see her again? Would he want to see her again?
***
