The Billionaire's Longshot: Betting on You Series: Book Three by Jeannette Winters Page B

Dropping her bags at the entrance, she did as Mr. Whitman instructed and made her way through the most amazing garden. It smelled heavenly. When this was over she would need to ask Ross to take a walk here with her. Kissing him here in the moonlight would be beyond romantic.
    As she exited the garden she heard a woman shouting orders. “Roosevelt, I don’t care where you think that should go, I want it by the table with the wine and cheese.”
    Roosevelt? She couldn’t picture calling him anything but Ross, definitely not Roosevelt. Just thinking about it made her laugh. He was there, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, moving things from one end of the tent to the other. Scanning her surroundings, one thing came to mind: His mother likes perfection. Between the large white tents, white pressed linens, crystal glasses, and towering vases filled with exotic flowers, you would think there was a wedding about to take place rather than a fundraising event for pet therapy dogs. Oh my. The dogs. This wasn’t good. There must have been a misunderstanding about what kind of event this was. What part of casual didn’t they understand? His mother was wearing high heels, dressed in a cream silk pantsuit. Every hair on her head was in place. She looked as elegant as the surroundings.
    As Jill moved closer, Ross noticed her. His mother was still pointing and ranting, but he seemed to be unaffected. He came over and placed a light kiss on her cheek. “How was your flight?”
    If she wasn’t so concerned about what she saw, she probably would have appreciated his warm greeting. “Ross, what is going on here? This is not what we talked about a few weeks ago,” she said firmly.
    Ross took her by her elbow and led her out of earshot of his mother. “Jill, I tried to explain to you that my mother is overbearing. There is no stopping her now. We will make this work.”
    Crossing her arms, she looked up at him and tapped her foot. “The guests on my list believe this is a casual party, jeans and shorts. They also have been informed this is a dog-friendly party.” Waving her hand around at the opulent setup, she said, “Nothing here says that.” Looking at the exquisite bone china, she shook her head. “People are going to be bringing all different types of dogs. We are not talking about little toy dogs you carry in a purse. We are talking about the running, jumping, playing, and pulling dogs like most people have, some big dogs. And I don’t mean Labrador big, I mean Newfoundland big.” Pointing to his mother, she questioned, “Does she even know that part yet?”
    Ross looked at his mother then back at Jill. He tensed, and her fear was confirmed with his simple answer. “No.”
    Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Don’t panic. She had time. This could all be fixed if they acted quickly. Put the china, crystal, and everything breakable away. The problem would be eliminated, and everything could go on as planned. Simple . There was only one thing that had to be done first.
    “I have to tell her.” She took a step to go around Ross, but he stretched out an arm to block her way. She looked at his arm then to him. This better be good.
    “Jill, trust me from years of experience, you can’t fix this. No one can. If you go over there now, she won’t take the news well and will most likely call the entire thing off. It would be over before it even started. All we can do now is ensure the guests have a good time. It’s only for a few hours. How much can go wrong? We’ll be here, and we’ll pull my friends in as decoys if things do get out of hand. I am sure Lizette and Elaine will support you, too. See, we’ve got this.” Meeting her gaze he asked, “Deal?”
    Maybe he was right. It’s not like she was on her own. Her entire support system was here. Sink or swim together. If he wanted to let this play out without any warning, it was his home. His mother had noticed Ross’s absence and was now making her way toward them.