Free The Billionaire's Gamble by Ava Miles Page B

“We agreed I would live like a normal person here for a month. I’m doing it, and doing it well, I think. Let’s not mess with that. This was your idea…”
    “But Margie is going to Paris…” Jane said, casting a glance at Rhett.
    “What Jane wants to know is if you’re planning to see her there?”
    He’d thought of it about a hundred times, of holding her hand as they walked along the Seine at sunset, of kissing her slowly in his favorite park off Pont Neuf Bridge. “Look, I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it. She did ask me to give her some suggestions about what to do in Paris, not that she’ll have a lot of time with her apprenticeship. Did you know she’ll have to be at the bakery at two a.m.?” The thought still horrified him. “If she wants to hang out, that’s great. As I said, even though we haven’t known each other for long, we’re friends. Now, will you two stop worrying and let me start painting? I have a job to do.” He didn’t feel inclined to share any of his feelings with these two.
    Jane released a long breath. “Margie says you’re being meticulous.”
    He laughed to ease the tension inside him as much as the tension in the room. “That’s code for slow, but this is her dream, so I’m doing the best job I can.”
    Rhett came over and clapped him on the back. “And we appreciate it. We just…wanted to make sure you understood how special she is.”
    He did. More than they realized. “I hope I’ve allayed your concerns.”
    Jane fidgeted with her hands. “Are you planning to tell her who you are if you see each other in Paris?”
    It had been hard to keep quiet about the truth, especially since he kept daydreaming about them being together in his hometown. But part of him enjoyed his current anonymity. Would she change how she reacted toward him when she discovered he was a billionaire? Worse, would he change once he returned back to his life in Paris? He didn’t have the answers.
    “Like I said, it hasn’t come up,” he said, walking over to the gallon of paint he’d use on the kitchen. “Now, I really do need to get back to work.”
    Rhett and Jane shared a look again.
    “All right,” Rhett said. “We’re glad to see you fulfilling your end of the deal. It takes a real man to honor his word, and you did that by coming here.”
    “But if you want to wrap up the painting you’re doing for Margie and go home to Paris, that’s okay with us too,” Jane said in a soft tone. “In hindsight, this really was a crazy side bet, and you’ve already lasted two weeks. I didn’t expect you to agree to the deal.”
    He couldn’t contain a half smile. “I’m seeing this gamble through to the end,” he said, picking up the paint can. “Jane, you were right when you said I was bored and…searching for a purpose. Things have started to become clearer for me here. That alone has made this trip worthwhile.”
    She smiled, and now he saw the kind woman behind the poker face. “I’m glad, Evan. I…came from money. No one knows better than I do that money can’t buy happiness.”
    Since he was starting to feel like he was caught in some 1960s sitcom, he simply shook his head and reached down to grab one of the remaining paint trays. “Thanks for stopping by and checking on things. Trust me. Everything is in good hands.”
    They still didn’t look completely convinced.
    “We’ll let you get back to painting,” Rhett said. “When you finish working for Margie, Abbie and I could use your help painting the nursery. That is, if you don’t have any other jobs lined up.”
    “I don’t,” he said, touched the man would extend the offer.
    “And Matt and I finally have agreed on paint colors in a few of the rooms in our house now that we’ve moved in together,” Jane added.
    “Great.” Maybe if he spent more time painting, he would finally achieve the breakthrough he was on the verge of making. “I’ll let you know when she’s run out of things for me to