Who Wants to Marry A Billionaire?(40)
Her eyes sparkled, “Maybe both.”
Daniel slipped an arm around Nina and off they went in search of tropical fruity goodness—sans the rum.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Nina was a huge hit with Arturo, and through her efforts, she could tell that Arturo was starting to see Daniel in a different light. They avoided discussing business, and kept dinner strictly a social occasion, but it was clear to both Nina and Daniel, that Arturo was warming up to the idea of selling the resort to Daniel.
When Arturo relaxed, he was warm and funny, and he smiled and laughed frequently through the evening. Nina found herself attracted to him, not in a romantic way, but just as a really fine human being. He had a paternal side that was very loving, and not patronizing at all. It was clear he was a spiritual man, and someone who held very high ethical standards, and expected the same of others. Nina found herself wishing that she could have had a father like Arturo, and she knew those were the qualities she would want for the father of her children. For his part, Daniel was wonderful, Nina thought. All of his best qualities were shining through, and the thoughtful man sitting beside her bore little relationship to the tabloid playboy. They talked quite a bit about the DeVere Foundation projects that Arturo had contributed to, and Daniel had some very good ideas
The evening was growing late, and as Nina and Daniel started to say goodnight, Arturo suddenly asked them, “So what are your plans, after you are married?”
Daniel gazed lovingly at Nina, “Nina is going to continue her work with the foundation,” he turned back to Arturo, “And I’m hoping that I will be busy expanding DeVere Industry’s sustainable business initiatives.”
Arturo didn’t comment, only nodded, then shook Daniel’s hand and kissed Nina on the cheek. “I could have used a daughter like you, three sons—it’s too much testosterone,” he joked. “I don’t know how my poor wife has put up with the four of us for so many years. Fortunately, they all married wonderful women.” He looked at Daniel as he said that. “So Daniel, I’ll see you bright and early at 8 o’clock?”
“Yes, and Nina is off to look in on one of the Foundation projects with our Managing Director.”
“Then I’ll see you, Nina, tomorrow night at dinner. I’ve asked our chef to make a real Panamanian feast. You two will love it. Goodnight.”
As they walked back to their caba?a, Nina said, “That sounds positive—like he’s already planning a celebration! I think everything is going to go beautifully tomorrow.”
Daniel leaned over and kissed Nina. “Thanks to you. You certainly made a terrific impression.”
“I didn’t do much—maybe what I did was just help you be yourself. You’re smart Daniel, and you care, and when you let that come through, people are going to be impressed. Less shopping, more thinking—it works well for you.”
Furrowing his brow, Daniel joked, “And what’s wrong with shopping?”
“Nothing I guess,” Nina paused, half joking, half serious, “Unless, of course, a shark is biting your ass.”
When they got in bed, Nina and Daniel both had their pajamas on, and stayed to their respective sides of the bed like they were in a 1960s sitcom. As Daniel reached to turn off the lamp, he joked to Nina, “If I start creeping over to your side of the bed, your job is to start screaming your head off.”
Already starting to drift off, Nina smiled and murmured, “Mango.”
Chapter Twenty Nine
Nina and Daniel were up bright and early, and after a quick breakfast of fresh fruit, coffee and toast, Daniel left for his meeting with Arturo, and Nina waited for Elsa who was uncharacteristically late. Tired of hanging around the caba?a, Nina decided to stroll toward reception, and perhaps have another cup of delicious Panamanian coffee. She saw an SUV flying up the road, and then it screeched to a halt. Elsa stepped out, looking flustered.
“I told you I would meet you at your caba?a,” she said crossly.
“Since you were running a few minutes late, I decided to come get another cup of coffee and save you the effort of coming to the caba?a. I wasn’t aware that I was under house arrest.”
Elsa glanced around nervously, “Well, go on, go get your coffee.”
“Would you like me to get you a cup?” Nina asked politely.
“If I wanted coffee, I would have coffee.”
Nina rolled her eyes as she walked toward the restaurant. The day with Elsa was getting off to such a pleasant start. As she reached for the door, she noticed a reflection in the glass of the window that puzzled her and turned just in time to see another woman getting out of Elsa’s car. She was nearly 6’ tall, and looked taller, mostly due to the fact that she appeared to only be wearing a belt rather than a skirt. She had on a tight, knit, tank top that was failing miserably at containing her boobs or reaching the top of her belt-skirt. She had bottle blonde, long straight hair, and swung it dramatically as she straightened up out of the car. She was beautiful in a kind of vapid way—every movement was a pose designed to show off her tits and ass. Shaking her head, Nina headed in for her coffee, then stopped. Why was some gussied up tart getting out of Elsa’s car?
Forgoing the coffee, Nina turned and headed back to Elsa, but by the time she got there, the woman had disappeared.