craved.
Harry was holding Chloe and Ellen in his arms. Everyone was talking all at once, the noise level amazing. Marisa had drawn away from the group and was wiping her eyes, smiling. Sam bent down to her.
“Marisa.” With any other woman, Sam would have maybe laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. They were all affected, Marisa as much as anyone. But Marisa didn’t like being touched by a man. She still had scars from her husband’s touch.
She stood ramrod straight, was back to her prim and proper persona. She nodded her head soberly at Sam. “Mr. Reston.”
Sam looked at Harry, in a knot of happy women, Chloe, Ellen and Nicole, all of them talking loudly and happily, then met Mike’s eyes.
Sam had clearly made a decision. He turned to Marisa. “RBK closes for the next two days. Full pay for all employees. Cancel all appointments for today and tomorrow, with apologies. We open again on Monday.” When Sam looked at him, Mike nodded his approval.
Oh yeah. Finding the sister you thought long dead—yeah, that qualified for a holiday. And when that sister was Chloe Mason . . . hell yes. Celebrations were definitely in order.
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” Marisa’s voice was bland, but there was a rosy blush under her olive skin. She’d caught the Bolt happiness bug.
They all had.
“Well, then Wordsmith closes down, too,” Nicole said, smiling. Her translation agency was across the hallway from RBK. “I’ll subcontract out my own translations for the next couple of days. I can always check on things from home. This calls for a real celebration. And you, Ellen—” She looked sternly at Harry’s wife, a notorious workaholic. Sometimes you had to pry Ellen from the spreadsheets of Wordsmith and RBK with a crowbar. “No accounting. None. I don’t want you near a computer until Monday.”
Ellen laughed. “Absolutely! Are you kidding? Working when I have a sister to welcome to the family?” Ellen was hugging Chloe. “Oh man,” she said. She had that rosy blush, too. “Wait till you meet Grace, Chloe. Your niece. You’re going to love her. This is so great! Another aunt for her. Nicole can share aunt duty!”
“I love aunt duty.” Nicole bent down to kiss Chloe’s cheek. She was much taller than Chloe and Ellen, and moved a little awkwardly, her belly starting to get in her way. “But I’ll happily share. And I can’t wait for you to meet our daughter, Meredith. Merry.” Nicole smiled at her husband, then Harry. “This is so great. I have no words.”
Which for Nicole, a professional translator, whose stock in trade was words, was really something.
His brother’s wives were great. Mike knew both his brothers realized how blessed they were. Two beautiful women, particularly Nicole, who had a blinding kind of beauty, with that Snow White ivory and ebony thing going on. Though Ellen was a looker, too, and a world-class singer. Sam and Harry were lucky men because their wives were not only gorgeous and smart and talented, but also loving. They’d both created happy homes for his brothers, given them constant, unwavering love and beautiful children. Neither Sam nor Harry had ever had a happy home, and they lapped it up.
But neither of the women could hold a candle to Chloe. Mike couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He edged closer to see whether he could pick up on whatever it was that surrounded her. There was some kind of force field around Chloe, something he couldn’t in any way define or explain but that was as strong as a tractor beam.
Nicole had a cell phone to her ear, snapped it closed. She clapped her hands. “Okay, everyone, listen up! Manuela is going to start cooking lunch for us just as soon as she stops crying. So we can take this show down to Coronado Shores. Chloe, where are you staying?”
“With us,” Harry and Ellen said at the same time. “No question,” Harry added.
Chloe was looking overwhelmed with joy. Mike had been bowled over by her in the office lobby,
Harry was holding Chloe and Ellen in his arms. Everyone was talking all at once, the noise level amazing. Marisa had drawn away from the group and was wiping her eyes, smiling. Sam bent down to her.
“Marisa.” With any other woman, Sam would have maybe laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. They were all affected, Marisa as much as anyone. But Marisa didn’t like being touched by a man. She still had scars from her husband’s touch.
She stood ramrod straight, was back to her prim and proper persona. She nodded her head soberly at Sam. “Mr. Reston.”
Sam looked at Harry, in a knot of happy women, Chloe, Ellen and Nicole, all of them talking loudly and happily, then met Mike’s eyes.
Sam had clearly made a decision. He turned to Marisa. “RBK closes for the next two days. Full pay for all employees. Cancel all appointments for today and tomorrow, with apologies. We open again on Monday.” When Sam looked at him, Mike nodded his approval.
Oh yeah. Finding the sister you thought long dead—yeah, that qualified for a holiday. And when that sister was Chloe Mason . . . hell yes. Celebrations were definitely in order.
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” Marisa’s voice was bland, but there was a rosy blush under her olive skin. She’d caught the Bolt happiness bug.
They all had.
“Well, then Wordsmith closes down, too,” Nicole said, smiling. Her translation agency was across the hallway from RBK. “I’ll subcontract out my own translations for the next couple of days. I can always check on things from home. This calls for a real celebration. And you, Ellen—” She looked sternly at Harry’s wife, a notorious workaholic. Sometimes you had to pry Ellen from the spreadsheets of Wordsmith and RBK with a crowbar. “No accounting. None. I don’t want you near a computer until Monday.”
Ellen laughed. “Absolutely! Are you kidding? Working when I have a sister to welcome to the family?” Ellen was hugging Chloe. “Oh man,” she said. She had that rosy blush, too. “Wait till you meet Grace, Chloe. Your niece. You’re going to love her. This is so great! Another aunt for her. Nicole can share aunt duty!”
“I love aunt duty.” Nicole bent down to kiss Chloe’s cheek. She was much taller than Chloe and Ellen, and moved a little awkwardly, her belly starting to get in her way. “But I’ll happily share. And I can’t wait for you to meet our daughter, Meredith. Merry.” Nicole smiled at her husband, then Harry. “This is so great. I have no words.”
Which for Nicole, a professional translator, whose stock in trade was words, was really something.
His brother’s wives were great. Mike knew both his brothers realized how blessed they were. Two beautiful women, particularly Nicole, who had a blinding kind of beauty, with that Snow White ivory and ebony thing going on. Though Ellen was a looker, too, and a world-class singer. Sam and Harry were lucky men because their wives were not only gorgeous and smart and talented, but also loving. They’d both created happy homes for his brothers, given them constant, unwavering love and beautiful children. Neither Sam nor Harry had ever had a happy home, and they lapped it up.
But neither of the women could hold a candle to Chloe. Mike couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He edged closer to see whether he could pick up on whatever it was that surrounded her. There was some kind of force field around Chloe, something he couldn’t in any way define or explain but that was as strong as a tractor beam.
Nicole had a cell phone to her ear, snapped it closed. She clapped her hands. “Okay, everyone, listen up! Manuela is going to start cooking lunch for us just as soon as she stops crying. So we can take this show down to Coronado Shores. Chloe, where are you staying?”
“With us,” Harry and Ellen said at the same time. “No question,” Harry added.
Chloe was looking overwhelmed with joy. Mike had been bowled over by her in the office lobby,
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