Who Wants to Marry A Billionaire?(28)
Dominique looked like she was going to be in need of the fainting couch. “What exactly was Elsa’s idea?” Nina calling Daniel ‘Mr. DeVere’ at the restaurant was still needling at the back of Dominique’s brain.
Oh no. She had done it now, Nina thought. This was the end if it. Daniel would never get his deal, and she’d be back on the street with nothing. She hadn’t even gotten them as far as Panama.
The door separating the lounge from the toilets and sinks opened and Kennedy had Nina’s dress over her arms. Elsa quickly put two and two together and blurted out, “It was my idea for Nina to come into the ladies room so Kennedy could repair her dress.”
For the first time in her life, Nina felt grateful to Elsa, but she knew Elsa was merely covering her own tracks.
Boris looked shamed that his performance had been anything but flawless, “I—I was caught off guard when I realized someone was coming in. I didn’t want anyone to see Nina like this…I mean, undressed…I mean…I slipped in some water on the floor.” He pointed to the offending puddle to justify his account.
Dominique took a deep breath and rubbed the back of her neck.
“I’m sorry Dominique. I ripped my dress getting out of the limo and we all…kind of… panicked. I swear—nothing is going on here, it’s all just a misunderstanding.” Suddenly Nina realized her La Perla was on display and she wrapped Boris’ suit coat tightly around her.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Dominique closed her eyes for a moment. “All right, I’m going back to greet our guests, you girls get Nina put back together, Boris—get out of the ladies room, and we’re going to all pretend that none of this ever happened and we’ll never speak of it again.”
Dominique’s proposition was met with a great deal of enthusiastic head nodding. She started to leave, then paused and studied Elsa’s face for a moment. “Good grief Elsa, whatever happened to your eye?”
Chapter Twenty
Daniel greeted Nina with a kiss on the cheek. “Hey—nice dress, where have you been?”
If he only knew, Nina thought. “Oh, I was chatting with Paulina Pruitt.”
“Paulina? Why? She’s horrible. The only reason she’s here is because her father sits on the board of the Foundation. He’s not a bad guy. But don’t believe anything Paulina tells you.”
Daniel sounded a little defensive, Nina thought and he quickly changed the subject.
“Your family is a hit by the way. Wilson introduced your Mom to some millionaire that’s crazy about Formula One and they’re off chatting about car racing. And I think Reuben and his wheelchair are going to be part of an art installation at the Museum of Contemporary Arts next month. Something about the fragility of the human body.”
Nina smiled at Daniel. Okay, everything was going to be okay now. She just needed to breath. Daniel took her hand and squeezed it. “Thanks for everything Nina. I really do want you and your family to have some fun. We’ll be off to Panama in a couple of days and before you know it, this deal is going to be in the bag.”
Why did he have to look so handsome and charming, Nina thought? And be so nice?
Daniel slid an arm around Nina’s shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “You really do look great in that dress. Come on—let’s go get a drink. Something festive, how about a Cosmopolitan?”
Over the next hour and a half, Nina met an astronaut that had walked on the moon, two senators, a princess, a duke and duchess, star players from the NHL, NBA and MLB, the conductor of the Boston Symphony, a national news anchor, two Academy Award winning actors, a famous French film director, and one philanthropic, mega rock star. She was in a daze. And everyone was so nice! Clearly, the DeVere’s mostly preferred the company of people that were decent human beings. Only Paulina had been disagreeable. Well, Paulina and Elsa.
Daniel led Nina up the grand staircase at the end of the lobby. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get out of the smash and take a breather.” A tray of canapés passed by and Daniel grabbed a couple, popping one into Nina’s mouth. “When’s the last time you ate?”
Nina thought about it. “I’m not sure… I guess I sort of had breakfast, just a bowl of cereal—the rest of the day has been a whirlwind.”
“That’s what I thought. Me too.” Daniel led her through a non-descript door at the end of the mezzanine level, and they emerged into an intimate room with wood paneling and a fireplace. A table was set with a few roses in a bud vase. “I figured we could duck out of the party for 30 minutes and have a quick bite to eat. Everyone else can stuff themselves on shrimp and pate.” He gave her a wink as he pulled a chair out from the table for her. Nina sat very gingerly.
“I thought we could both use a little comfort food—a couple of petite filets, mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus. I hope medium rare is okay.” A waiter appeared with two plates, opened a bottle of wine and disappeared.
“This is really thoughtful.” Nina’s stomach growled and she wasn’t sure what was making her mouth water more, the smell of the steak, or the sight of Daniel pouring wine in his new, black, bespoke suit.
“The fact is, Nina, I enjoy spending time with you. You’re funny and interesting and you’re honest about things. Rich guys don’t always get much truth from people. You did me a big favor in India.”