Mr. And Miss Anonymous by Fern Michaels

his hands to squeeze her upper arms. “Good. I think we’re going to make a good team. In business it’s all about teamwork. I really like that hat.”
    Neither one moved. It was Zolly who poked his boss in the back. “I don’t like it when you stand out in the open so much, boss. Let’s move it inside. Sorry, miss.”
    “No problem.” Lily took a moment to wonder why she didn’t have security like Zolly. That was right up there with never even having goldfish. She moved off to enter the villa assigned to her.
    The high-priced villas—and it was easy to see that they were high-priced because while each was distinctive in its own way, all looked like a cozy cluster of Swiss chalets—were perfectly landscaped to afford the utmost in privacy. Inside, Lily looked around at a plush living room whose main focal point was a fieldstone fireplace that rose from the floor to the ceiling. The kitchen was state of the art, the dining room elegant yet homey. The two bedrooms sported king-size beds. The décor was citrus in nature with vibrant greens, oranges, and yellows. The two interconnecting bathrooms were marble, and mirrored from top to bottom. Five grand a night, Lily thought. Maybe more.
    Lily unpacked, hanging her clothes in a spacious closet before she laid out her cosmetics and toiletries on one of the marble vanities. With her chores completed, she opened the refrigerator and popped a cola. The huge basket of fruit sitting on the dining room table looked tempting, but she wasn’t all that fond of fruit, preferring candy, cookies, and anything else made with sugar. Instead, she opened the sliding door, to discover a garden so beautiful she gasped in delight. Colored lounge chairs circled a small table with a rainbow-striped umbrella. In the corner of the small sanctuary was a hot tub for two nestled among a kaleidoscope of colored flowers. Lily couldn’t ever remember seeing anything as pretty or as peaceful as this small private garden. She wondered if Pete’s patio was as nice. Probably nicer, she thought.
    Lily settled herself on one of the colored chairs as she sipped at the cola in her hands. How surreal this all was. In a million years she could never have hoped for this particular outcome, and yet here she was, and Pete Kelly was right next door. She pinched herself to prove she was awake and not dreaming. The thought occurred to her that she could duplicate this little slice of paradise at her residence in South Carolina. More likely than not, she’d never do it, and she’d never use it even if she did do it. Real life in South Carolina was a lot different from this.
    Pete Kelly wasn’t married. She wasn’t married. Pete Kelly had baggage just the way she had baggage. God, where was this all going to end? Would it end?
    Lily heard the delightful chime when the front door to the chalet opened, but she didn’t look up. She turned only when she saw Pete’s long shadow on the patio. “This is so nice, Pete. Thanks for including me.” She noticed that he, too, was holding a cola in his hand. She motioned for him to sit down on one of the colored chairs. “I love bright colors. The more vibrant the better.” Such brilliant conversation. What she really wanted to do was ask him if he was involved with anyone.
    “You don’t mind if Winston joins us, do you?”
    “Not at all. I love dogs. I had a little furball when I was a kid. Unfortunately, she didn’t live all that long. I was so crushed when she died. I guess that’s why I never got another pet, the pain of losing her was too much to bear. With no parents around, my grandmother did her best to console me but it didn’t work. She bought me a stuffed dog. It wasn’t the same.”
    Pete sat down and stretched out his long legs. Lily smiled at the battered sneakers, lack of socks, and jeans so well worn they were threadbare at the knees. And this guy was a billionaire at least thirty times over. She was impressed.
    “So, what’s in the envelope?