The Billionaire Who Bought Christmas(24)

"More like his grandfather."

Kristy laughed, but it sounded nervous even to her ears. "Really."

"I hear you're into fashion design."

"I am. And what do you do?"

Elaine waved a dismissive hand. "Let's talk about you."

Kristy paused. "I take it you're the interrogation committee?"

Elaine had the good grace to grin sheepishly. "That's because you haven't met my mother yet."

Kristy glanced around the room.

"In the green sequin jacket," said Elaine.

The woman's shrewd eyes met Kristy's gaze, and Kristy quickly looked away.

"Any tips?" she asked Elaine.

Elaine chuckled. "Stand up straight, don't let her intimidate you and always tell the truth."

"Are there any electrodes or heart-rate monitors involved?"

"Only if you make her suspicious."

"Suspicious of what?"

"Your motivations for marrying my brother, silly."

"I had no motivations."

"See, she's going to wonder."

"It was a crazy weekend romance in Vegas," Kristy told Elaine honestly.    "He took me on a balloon ride, and I was a goner." She wasn't even   lying  about that part.

She felt a hand on the small of her back and knew immediately it was Jack.

"Everything okay here?" he asked.

"The electrodes haven't come out yet," said Kristy.

"We're just having a chat," Elaine put in, giving her brother a quick hug.

"You be nice," Jack warned his sister.                       
       
           



       

"I'm always nice. I hear you fell in love on a balloon ride." She cocked her head to watch his expression.

"You heard right," said Jack. "It was over the Grand Canyon, and I was charming as hell."

"Hmm," said Elaine.

"Don't 'hmm' me," Jack retorted.

Elaine glanced back and forth between the two. "Only two days?"

Jack sighed. "Back off. And tell Mom to back off, too."

Elaine snorted indelicately. "Yeah, right." She turned her attention to    Kristy again. "So, tell me all about your design business."

"I mean it," said Jack.

"I'm simply making conversation," Elaine retorted.

Jack took Kristy's arm. "I'd like to introduce you to my mother." He guided her away.

"Will I do any better with her?" she whispered as they crossed the room,    feeling as if she was being put in front of a firing squad.

"You're doing fine."


"I'm going with the truth. It was a whirlwind courtship in Vegas, and you were charming."

He nodded. "That works." Then he put a broad smile on his face as they approached the slender woman in the emerald-green jacket.

"Mom," he said. "I'd like you to meet Kristy."

The woman turned to face them. She was somewhere between fifty and    sixty, and her hair, makeup and jewelry were obviously the products of    considerable wealth. Kristy recognized the jacket as a Delilah Domtar,    and the slacks as William Ping.

She was tall and beautiful, but the warmth in her eyes when she greeted Jack dimmed somewhat when she looked at Kristy.

"Kristy, this is my mother, Liza."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Kristy, bravely holding out a hand.

Liza looked her up and down. "The pleasure is mine, I'm sure."

The words were correct, but the tone left Kristy wanting to apologize for something.

"There you are, Kristy!"Cleveland's voice boomed. "Meeting my youngest daughter, I see."

Kristy smiled in relief, and she bent down to pick up Dee Dee, a welcome distraction. "Hello, Cleveland. Nice hat."

"Thanks. Kristy here is a genius," Cleveland said to Liza.

"I'm sure she's quite the little scholar," said Liza.

Hugging Dee Dee close, Kristy caught an apology in Jack's eyes.

"Don't get yourself in a snit," Cleveland admonished Liza.

Liza glanced at Kristy and then Jack. "An invitation to the wedding was too much to ask?"

"It wasn't really a wedding," Kristy blurted, experiencing a pang of sympathy for the woman. Her own mother would be-

Her mother.

Good Lord, hermother.

She turned to Jack, feeling the blood drain from her face. "I have to make a phone call."

He looked confused. "Now?"

"I'm sorry." She handed Dee Dee to Cleveland and started to move away.

Jack caught her arm to stop her.

She mouthed the wordsmy parents.

He drew back, comprehension dawning in his eyes.

"Will you excuse us for a moment?" he asked the group of guests.

"Dinner is in fifteen minutes," warned Liza.

With Jack at her side, Kristy left the great room and paced to the rotunda foyer.

"This is a disaster," she hissed.

"Just tell them what we're telling everyone else."

She stopped and turned around in front of the settee. "They're    myparents. " Joe and Amy Mahoney were hardworking, generous and    hopelessly romantic. Amy's wedding dress had been preserved in blue    tissue paper for thirty years, waiting for either Kristy or Sinclair to    find the right man. And when they sold their house in Brooklyn,  instead   of buying beachfront in Florida, they bought something modest,  a block   away, to make sure they could afford fashionable weddings for  their  two  daughters.

He gestured back to the great room. "Who do you think we were just talking to?"

"That's different."

His lips compressed. But then his eyes unexpectedly softened. "You're right. It is. Tell me how I can help."

She looked at the floor. There was nothing he could do.                       
       
           



       

Her mother would be thrilled,thrilled to hear that Kristy had fallen in    love. Her father would hold off until he met Jack-which would be as   soon  as humanly possible. Then there'd be talk of grandchildren. Her   parents  would emotionally engage in some big, complicated fantasy of   the  future. Then their hopes would be dashed when the divorce was   announced.

Kristy groaned.

Jack slipped an arm around her. "It's going to be okay," he muttered. "We'll make it okay."

She shook her head in denial. It wasn't going to be okay. It was going    to be horrible. "They'll want to get on a plane. They'll want to meet    you in person."

"I'll send the jet."

"They can't comehere. "

Jack nodded. "Oh, right. That would be way too complicated." He gripped the back of his neck. "What about London?"

"London?"

"Ask them to meet us in London."

"You're not coming to London."

He paused. "Good point. Okay. How about this. Tell them you'vemet a nice    man. And you're spending Christmas with him, and you'll keep them    posted. That way, if they find out about the marriage, you can say we    were planning to surprise them together in person. And if they don't    find out, we divorce, life goes on and everybody's happy."

Kristy considered the idea.

It was a long shot. But it might work. At least it gave them a fighting chance.

Jack handed her his cell phone.

Nine

Aweek later, Kristy's double fashion collection mirrored double life.

On the one hand, she was plain old single, struggling Kristy Mahoney. On    the other, she was Mrs. Jack Osland. Her husband was flying in  fabrics   and accessories from Paris and Milan, while wedding gifts  arrived  almost  hourly from pricey boutiques around the globe. She was  careful  not to  let herself get attached to any of the expensive silver  and  china, and  she was leaving Jack to worry about returning it when  all  was said and  done.

Out in the workshop, she was working on two sets of sketches and two    clothing collections. One was the revamped collection developed with the    help of Irene and the Sierra Sanchez team. The other was the wild    fantasy clothing she'd created around her Vegas trip with Jack.

Two assistants had arrived the first morning after she'd shown up at the    mansion. Local women, Isabella and Megan were both competent    seamstresses and cheerful companions. Kristy was making steady progress    on the real collection during the day. In the evening though, she    couldn't resist using the expensive laces and fabrics to mock up some of    the fantasy pieces.

"More lace," Isabella called above the hum from Megan's sewing machine.    She balanced a huge white box in her arms as she closed the door  behind   another delivery man.

"Look at that," Megan whistled as they opened the box.