The Billionaire's Longshot: Betting on You Series: Book Three (9 page)

Pointing to where Ross and his friends were playing football, Abby answered, “He said he was going to talk to someone about business. Hmm. It doesn’t look like much talking is going on over there.” She chuckled.

Jill’s initial concern that the Corisis would not find the event up to par quickly vanished as she saw Dominic raise his arms in a victory touchdown celebration.

A moment later she saw Ross intercept a throw to Jake and score another one for the team.
A competitive jock. Who would’ve guessed?
Seemed Ross was much more complex than he first appeared to be.

“I think we should cheer them on,” Lil suggested.

A short break would do no harm since everything was quiet at the moment, and everyone was enamored with the dogs. Jill, Lil, and Abby headed over, and not long after, were joined by Elaine and Lizette.

“I wondered where they all disappeared to once the demonstration started,” Elaine said, rubbing her round belly. “Glad to see Trent finally relaxing.”

“This is refreshing,” Abby said.

The good time was about to end as she saw Mrs. Whitman storming across the lawn, looking none too happy.
Here it comes.

“What is going on here? You’ve turned my home into a public park.” Her voice was loud and demeaning.

Embarrassed, she immediately began to apologize. “Mrs. Whitman, I’m sorry. If there is any damage to your property, I will take care of it.”

She squinted her eyes and looked at her from head to toe. “You? And how do you think
you
would be able to pay for such repairs?”

Once again she hadn’t thought that through. She didn’t have any money. If it wasn’t for Elaine letting her use her old apartment for free, she wouldn’t even have a roof over her head. She was so caught up in what was being said to her, she never noticed the men had stopped their game to come stand beside them.

“Mother, you are being rude. You need to apologize to Jill,” Ross said firmly.

She didn’t back down, instead she looked at the others, and continued on, “Look at you all. Grown men acting like children. Not one of you has any manners at all.” She turned toward Dominic, eyeing him from head to toe, and asked harshly, “What’s your name? Do I know you?”

It was apparent she had no clue who he was by the tone she was using. Jill expected Dominic to lash right back at her, but he didn’t.

As though amused at her behavior, Dominic arched a brow and answered her dryly, “Dominic Corisi.”

She waved a hand in the air as if to brush him away. “I don’t know what rock you crawled out from under, but you should head right back. Your kind is not welcome here.”

Jake slapped Dominic on the back. “Your kind?” He laughed. “I’ve got to remember that. Priceless.”

Dominic gave Jake a warning glance and was about to respond to Tami when a voice interrupted.

“Mr. Corisi, please pardon my wife. It’s an honor to have you and your family here. I’m Jefferson Whitman.” He was still holding the pug and put him down to shake Dominic’s hand.

“Honor? Huh?” Tami grunted.

All watched as the pug circled around Tami’s feet, settled on a spot, lifted his leg, and peed on her designer shoes before trotting off to its owner. The expression of shock and disgust on her face was more than any of them could bear. Everyone burst out laughing, as she stomped away, muttering profanities under her breath. Even Jefferson couldn’t contain himself at the sight.

Lil muttered to Jake, barely able to be heard, “What a bitch.”

My thoughts exactly.
Of course those words could never leave her lips. No matter what, she was Ross’s mother, and she would respect her as such, difficult as it may be. Thankfully, no one else appeared to have overheard.

“The guests have all gone except one, and gentlemen, you look like you could use a cold drink. What can I get you?” he asked.

“Beer,” all six of them said in unison.

Shaking his head he said, “Best wine in the valley, and you want beer?” He rolled his eyes in defeat at their confirmation.

“Don’t worry, I have this covered.” Drew laughed and headed toward his car.

“I bet you do.” Jefferson smiled.

Jill noticed who the final guest was. It was KJ, the trauma nurse who she had met earlier. She was such a sweetheart, and Jill wished she had spent more time getting to know her. “Drew, do you see that woman in the pink shirt?” Jill shouted as he was already halfway across the field. He looked around and nodded. “Her name is Katherine; why don’t you ask her to join us?”

Ross, puzzled, looked at her. She whispered to him, “A gut feeling. That’s all. Anyway she looks like she needs a beer as badly as the rest of us.”

Ross placed a kiss on her forehead, and they all made their way back to the guesthouse.

‡

L
ast night was
one of the best nights Jill could remember in a long time. She learned interesting facts about Trent, Jon, and Drew.
Probably more than I cared to know.
What she hadn’t realized was Dominic and Jake had also played rugby.
Small world.
Listening to them talk about their college days made her question how any of them ever graduated.

Everyone had shared stories about themselves, a few were serious, but most were outrageously comical. If Abby and her sister were funny alone, they were hilarious as they tag-team teasing their husbands. Jill’s sides still hurt from laughing for so many hours. It was the perfect bonding time with not only Ross’s friends, but making new friendships with the Corisis and Waltons.

Jill had wondered if it had been a wise choice to invite KJ to join them. The last thing she wanted was for her to feel uncomfortable. But, in a room full of strangers, and some of the biggest egos she had ever encountered, KJ held her own as she shared her own stories. Some sounded a bit far-fetched, but she reminded them it was part of being a Marine.

The demonstration during the fundraiser had provided a lot of information on how the training takes place and what they look for in the dogs they rescue. It was nice to hear the buzz through the crowds yesterday. She heard so many saying what a wonderful time they had and how informative it was. Jill had been impressed by the presenter and didn’t think anyone could have done a better job. That was until KJ brought a much more personal look at the difference between a service dog and a therapy dog.
Therapy dogs concentrate on emotional rather than physical needs
. As she spoke Jill couldn’t help but notice Blossom leaned against KJ and placed her head on her lap. She wasn’t sure if it was special training or just a special bond, but it was evident to everyone that KJ’s expertise was not only based on facts, but personal experience.

Jill had overheard Dominic say to Jake that he had never been a dog person. When he sat on the couch, Blossom walked over to him and put her head on his lap. For a moment he looked as if he might push her off him, but she gave him a prolonged sad, sweet look. Dominic frowned down at her, but she keep looking up at him quietly. He raised a hand and ran it gently over her head and if dogs could smile, Blossom did.

Jake had snapped the picture on his phone and laughed, “I might need this later.”

Ross had sat across the room from her most of the night, perhaps to not draw too much attention to them? It had been difficult, but she had resisted getting up and joining him, telling herself if he wanted to he could come to her. To her disappointment he didn’t. Doubt had tried to creep in, but then she reminded herself that the way he kissed her, he had to be interested.

Yes, last night had been great. This morning she was tempted to ask someone to pinch her to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, but if she was, she didn’t want to wake. Smiling, she recalled Drew holding Blossom’s leash and walking KJ to her car.
Yes, that worked out perfectly.

Only Jon and Lizette remained at the guesthouse with her; they too would be leaving shortly. Ross had reminded her last night of their agreement for a short excursion on his boat.
Why did I agree to that?
She wasn’t ready for her bikini-on-a-boat fantasy to be fulfilled, no matter how sweet it was.

“It would be much easier if I hopped a ride back with Jon and Lizette on their jet,” she offered, trying to weasel out.

Ross hadn’t agreed as he told her earlier, “I will make sure you get home safe and sound after we enjoy ourselves on the boat.”

She packed the few items she brought with her and decided to take one last walk in the vineyard before she and Ross also took off.
It is so . . . peaceful.
Jill had no idea why Ross wouldn’t want to be here all the time. If she lived here they would have to drag her inside.

“Hiding?” Jefferson’s voice no longer startled her.

“Not at all. I didn’t want to leave without one last look. It’s truly beautiful here,” Jill said softly, taking a deep breath, trying to savor every moment.

“Having you here has been a pleasure. You better make sure my son brings you back soon.”

Back?
“Oh, Mr. Whit—ah, Jefferson—we are not, um . . . I mean . . . we’re not involved.”
God, that sounded stupid.
Who says that? And worse, to someone’s parent!
Had he seen them kissing yesterday?
Awkward.

Smiling at her he said, “Things have a way of changing when we least expect them to.”

That’s exactly what scares me.
“Thank you again for hosting the party at your place. It was a huge success, and we raised one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars.”

“That is excellent news. It appeared everyone had a great time.”

“Not everyone. I was hoping to see your wife before I left so I could apologize again. She was so upset yesterday afternoon.” It really wasn’t anything she had done to make her angry, as it appeared that was just who she was.
A bitter person.

“Trust me, Jill. It will fall on deaf ears. No apology is needed.” Jefferson gave her a warm smile and a brief hug, two things she needed desperately at that moment. “I would recommend you to anyone looking for an event planner.”

Her eyes welled up with tears. She had been waiting a long time to hear something like that. It was times like this that the loss of her parents hurt the most. No matter how much time had passed, instinctively she wanted to share both the highs and lows with them. Closing her eyes briefly, Jill could picture calling her mother to share the good news that all her hard work had paid off. Her mother would tell her how proud she and her father were of her and go out to eat at her favorite restaurant to celebrate when she got home.
The world is such a lonely place sometimes.
She was grateful for the kindness Ross’s father had shown her, but it wasn’t the same. He wasn’t family. If she called Donna, she knew exactly what her response would be. “That’s great, but imagine what it could have been like if you had a degree.”

Though she enjoyed talking with Ross’s father, she needed a few minutes alone. That wasn’t something she’d had in the last twenty-four hours. “Thank you for everything, but I better get back to packing.” She forced a smile and headed to the guesthouse alone.
Don’t you dare cry. It was a success. Be happy damn it.
It had been an emotional past few weeks, and it was finally over. The tears now flowed uncontrollable as she entered the guesthouse.
Over.
She sobbed. It had come so soon.
Too soon.

“Hi Dad, did
you see Jill? She wasn’t in the guesthouse,” Ross asked his father who was still in the vineyard.

“She was here earlier. Come sit. I want to talk to you for a minute.”

I just want to find Jill.
His father had a serious look Ross had not seen before. “What is it Dad? Something wrong? Mom still upset?”

“That’s a given; you should know that by now. But this isn’t about your mother. It’s about you and the sweet young lady you brought here.”

He was way too old for the father-son talk, which had never happened. “Dad, I’m kind of in a rush.”

“Sit,” his father said sternly. Ross sat on the wall next to his father and waited. After a few minutes he spoke. “She is a special one, Ross. You might not realize it yet, but she is a gem.”

He knew there was something about her. His father didn’t need to inform him of that. “Dad, I know, but I really need to get going.”

“Do you know? Have you taken the time to really get to know her? She has such a sweet innocence about her. This is not the type of woman you have a causal relationship with. If you aren’t careful, you could break her heart.”

Ross wasn’t planning on hurting her, but he wasn’t thinking anything long-term either. Long-term didn’t suit him. Growing up in a loveless house was one of the reasons he was drawn to boating; there was nothing like the freedom and solace of the open sea. He wasn’t leading Jill on; he hadn’t pledged his undying love to her or made any promises of a future. No, he kept it to the here and now and believed she understood that. Yes, she was twenty-six, and he was thirty-four, and normally he would consider that too large an age gap for a companion, but he’d also seen her as a strong, driven woman with the confidence of a woman twice her age.