Who Wants to Marry A Billionaire?(25)

“I’ll take it.” Elsa turned from the mirror, took one look at the group, and immediately started to berate Nina. “Well, well, well—if it isn’t the Lowell hoi polloi. I’ve been trying to call you all morning Nina—I don’t appreciate rude little witches who don’t return their calls.”

Nina scrambled through her bag and pulled out her cell phone. The ringer had accidentally been shut off. But before she could say anything, Vicki stepped up to Elsa and got in her face. “And I don’t appreciate you talking to my daughter like that. What gives you the right?”

“Mom…don’t…”

Elsa grabbed Nina by the arm, “So is this what we can expect from the mother of the bride tonight? I thought you had better judgment than that, Nina. You don’t always have to take the trash out.”

Vicki was getting ready to blow, and Nina realized, so was she. Desperately trying to defuse the situation, Nina pulled her arm away from Elsa and stepped in front of her mother. “Look Elsa, we just came to get Mom a dress. My ringer was accidentally shut off, I’m sorry that I didn’t get your calls.”

Rita and Kennedy stood frozen, unsure what to do. The other sales clerk had discovered an urgent need to do inventory in the back of the store. Elsa’s fury seemed completely out of proportion to anything that had actually occurred.

“Sorry? You’re sorry? Yes, you are sorry you little nitwit. And if you and your band of gussied up tarts do anything to screw this party up for Daniel, you are going to be very, very sorry.”

And that’s when it happened.

It felt like everything was transpiring in slow motion, Nina thought. And even though she could see it coming, there was nothing she could do to make it stop. Vicki had an awesome right hook.

Kennedy let out a frightened “Eep!” and Rita simply stood there with her mouth hanging open. Nina was paralyzed, her eyes tracing the arc of Elsa falling backward and hitting the floor as Vicki stood over her yelling, “Nobody, but nobody talks to my daughter like that!” Vicki looked over her shoulder with a shrug, “My brothers all boxed,” before turning back to Elsa and adding for good measure with a jab of her finger, “And I want the damn dress.”

Just then, Nina’s phone rang. She looked at the caller id: DD. Fantastic. She flipped the phone open, on autopilot. “Hi…one button, super 180 wool, narrow lapels? Sounds great.” Rita and Kennedy were trying to help Elsa up, but she was shaking them off as she struggled back to her feet in her sky high Jimmy Choos. Nina felt like she was watching a movie—a horror movie. “What are we doing? Well, we’re at La Bella’s…yes, yes we did run into Elsa.”

Elsa brushed herself off. She squeezed her lips together as if she wanted to either yell or cry, then shook her finger at Nina while whispering imperatively, “Do NOT tell Daniel what just happened.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’re busy…we’ll save the blow by blow until later…Mom? Oh yeah, she’s a real knock out. Yes…it is exciting, sort of like having a ringside seat…okay, Daniel…thanks for checking in.” Nina clicked the phone off.

Elsa’s eye was going to be black. No question about it. Nina had no idea what she could possibly say or do. Her mother was being, well, her mother. But it was her maternal instincts that got the better of her and Nina knew the punch had been motivated by love. Dealing with Elsa, however, was an entirely different story.

The other sales clerk must have thought the silence signaled “all clear,” as she reappeared from the back. Elsa stared at Nina like she wanted to kill her, but simply said, “I’ll take the black silk tweed with the scalloped neck.”





Chapter Nineteen



Nina had never been in a stretch limousine before, although Vicki noted off-handedly that it was possible that Rita had been conceived in one. This embarrassed Reuben to no end, who lounged along one end, his gigantic cast propped up on the seat. He was, as he said, out on a one-night escape from his rehab facility. Kennedy and Rita both looked a little overwhelmed, and Nina was glad that Boris was at the helm. He had a way of calming everyone down. She sat immediately behind him; the glass partition that normally separated the driver down, so they could talk. She had admitted the afternoon’s events to him like he was a priest in a confessional.

Boris, never overly expressive, simply commented, “That could be a problem.”

“No kidding, who knows what Elsa is going to do? She’s got it out for me and I really have no idea why.”

Boris looked in the rearview mirror at Nina, “No idea?”

“No idea.”

Clearing his throat, Boris stated matter of factly, “I know why.”

“You do? You want to tell me?”

“Nina, Elsa is from Lowell. Her mother was a drunk, and her father disappeared.”

“What? How on earth do you know that?”

Boris shrugged. “I make it my business to know about everyone who’s close to the Boss…but…”

“But what?”

“She was also in love with Wilson DeVere. He never knew it, of course. Wilson met Dominique at Harvard, and when he got married, it broke Elsa’s heart.”

“Okay, now I really want to know how you know that.”

“I have my…sources. So…you remind her too much of herself, smart girl from a tough background, but now you’re getting what she couldn’t have.”