The Billionaire's Saving Grace: A contemporary romance Read online

  She grinned a little as she rubbed her hands together to stave off the chill, then slid the car into gear and took off. The luxury car would come later on. After she’d paid off her house and her mum’s mortgage. When her mum had the financial security she deserved, Emily would start buying into the more extravagant side of life.

  Emily parked outside Eleanor’s House, locked her car and hurried inside, noticing it was chilly in there as well. She slid into her small office space and spread out, stretching her shoulders and back as the heater behind her roared to life.

  Yay! Finally.

  She looked up and smiled as Nicola, one of the other volunteers yawned loudly, her hands wrapped around an extra-large coffee cup as she strolled up. “I don’t know how you always come in here so bright and bubbly Em. I feel like death warmed up without my caffeine in the morning.” Emily smiled at the older woman. “I drink a lot of black tea, don’t worry. What do we have today, Nic?”

  Nicola’s eyebrows rose high on her forehead, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. “Don’t tell me you’ve already finished the cases I gave you last weekend?”

  She pulled out some manila folders and pushed them across the desk in front of her. “Paperwork’s all done. The McMillan child consent orders were lodged on Wednesday and I finally got a judge to sign off on Claudia’s divorce on Friday.”

  That had been a pain in the ass. Claudia’s husband and his prick of a solicitor had fought her every step of the way. But they’d gotten there eventually and Claudia would have a much better life now, without that scumbag dragging her down.

  Frikkin’ cheating, lying men.

  Nicola took a long swallow of her coffee and shook her head.

  “Don’t you ever sleep, Em?”

  She shrugged and looked away from her boss and towards her computer. Not when there was work to do and bad guys to put in their place, she didn’t.

  “Good morning, ladies.”

  Cindy, their supervisor, and the center manager bustled in, a cloud of floral perfume and hairspray enfolding her pretty features.

  “Oh, Emily, great to see you. I have a new file for you this morning. An unusual one for this center actually but I’m hoping it will be right up your alley.”

  “That sounds intriguing.”

  “I need you to help me put together the contracts for the new extension that, thanks to the success of last night's ball, we can finally put into the works. I received an email this morning confirming permission for the proposed work. Which means we’ll have two new offices and more than twenty new beds.”

  Cindy’s face lit up like New Year’s fireworks, the lines around her eyes deepening like sand under foot.

  She mirrored her supervisor’s happiness and grinned back.

  “Oh, that’s brilliant.” As a corporate solicitor in her day job, juggling these sorts of contracts would be a piece of cake.

  “You sure you don’t mind the crossover? I mean, you do so much of this work during the week I don’t want you to feel as though we’re taking advantage of you.”

  She took the file and fluttered her hands at Cindy. “No way. This is great!”

  Two more offices for volunteers and twenty new beds would be such a blessing for so many people. Emily knew that Cindy hated to turn people away to another shelter, but they reached capacity so often she barely had a day when she didn’t have to.

  “That’s not all, Em. I need your help working on the ten-year anniversary celebration. It’s next week and we totally forgot about it, but we can’t just let it pass us by.”

  Emily gasped and shook her head. No way could they do that. It was a huge milestone.

  “No, I agree. But what can I do other than help with the drinks and such?”

  “You can help plan something special. We could bring some of our success stories back in to do a speech, put on a cocktail party maybe?”

  “Brilliant idea.” There were so many amazing women who had thrived because of the help they’d received here. It would be great to get them all together and talk about their success. “Yeah… absolutely. The more I think about it, the more I love it, Cindy.”

  Nicola sat on Emily’s desk and addressed Cindy. “I heard from a friend that Emily really hit it off with Nathan Johnson last night at the fundraiser. Perhaps she could convince him to make a speech at the party too?”

  Oh, you little bitch! Where did you hear that?

  Cindy turned hopeful eyes on her, her mouth wide in shock. “Oh, Em! Do you really think you could? That would be amazing!”

  Emily glared at Nicola but kept her smile in place for her supervisor. “Ah... I’m sure he’d be too busy on a Saturday night.”

  Cindy was practically fanning herself with excitement, her grin a mile wide. “Probably, but no one ever gets to see him or thank him personally for what he’s done. Oh please, would you do it for me? I’d really appreciate it.”

  Emily cleared her throat and tried to inject a pleasant tone into her voice, but wasn’t quite successful. Time with Nathan, begging him to speak about his achievements? She’d rather clean the toilet with her toothbrush. “Yeah, he’s done so much...”

  Cindy cocked her head and squinted at Emily. “I don’t understand your tone.”

  Emily cleared her throat again and stood up so she wasn’t the only one sitting. This conversation was going on longer than she’d anticipated. “Considering the man threatened to terminate my volunteer employment, I don’t think I’m the best person for the job.”

  It was Cindy’s turn to look aghast, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open. “You’re joking. Why would he do that?”

  Emily rolled her eyes. “Because he thinks I’m not experienced enough. He said everyone working here is supposed to have been abused themselves or be really experienced, and I’m neither.”

  Cindy chewed on her lip. “Well, that is true… but, I’ll speak to them. We can’t lose you, you’re amazing!”[DC1][SF2]

  Emily considered Cindy’s face and for the first time, really looked at her, seeing a gentle scar curving up between her nose and forehead and another along her hairline. She glanced away and cleared her throat.

  Shit! I hadn’t ever thought about what Cindy or Nicola might have gone through.

  “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. If he wants to get rid of me, there’s nothing I can do to stop him.” Even as she said it, the tears pooled in her eyes and she blinked them away. She’d find another charity, probably, but God she loved it here.

  Time for a topic changer. “Back to the matter at hand. The party. I know he pays the bills around here, but he doesn’t have anything to do with what goes on inside. Perhaps another speaker might be more…” She struggled to find any other word than appropriate, but considering the fact the man owned the building, it felt inappropriate to say so.

  “You know he named this building after his mum, right?”

  “No. Why would he do that?”

  She’d never really thought about the name of Eleanor’s House, which seemed kind of ridiculous now. Why hadn’t she taken that into consideration?

  Cindy shrugged. “I’m not one hundred per cent sure. There’s a rumor that she was a victim of domestic violence herself, but no one really knows. Nathan Johnson and his past are a huge mystery.”

  A coldness dropped into the pit of Emily’s belly and she swallowed hard. His mum? She couldn’t even imagine something like that happening to her own beloved mother. No, she didn’t want to be wrong about him again!

  Bugger.

  Nicola nodded, joining in the conversation once again. “That makes sense really. No man, no matter how wealthy, puts all his efforts into a women’s charity unless it’s personal.”

  Emily looked away, anger swirling in her belly like a summer storm, round and around.

  “But you should have seen him last night. Schmoozing and kissing all those women for the money, which he doesn’t even need! He’s a billionaire in his own right. Do you seriously think he does it for the wo
men who come through here and not the applause he receives for pretending to care?”

  Nicola frowned, chewing on her lip for a moment. “You may have misjudged him, Em.”

  She stuck her nose in the air, determined to stick to her guns. After the way he’d treated her she didn’t doubt her assessment for a minute.

  The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced she was right. If he actually cared about the women in Eleanor’s House, wouldn’t he be in here helping, offering encouragement? Anything to show he cared.

  “I doubt that very much.” She was so rarely wrong about people.

  Cindy glanced from Emily to Nicola. Her forehead creased with a frown but she didn’t say anything else about Nathan Johnson. “So you’ll do it? You’ll at least ask him?”

  Emily crossed her arms over her chest and considered her options. She didn’t really have a choice, did she? She forced a smile to her face and some cheer into her voice. “I’ll definitely try. But I’ll help with the party no matter what he says. We’ll make it an awesome celebration.”

  Knock, knock, knock.

  “Emily!”

  It was Claudia, one of the many clients she’d helped through her work at Eleanor’s House, and although she didn’t like to play favorites, this woman had definitely touched her heart more than most.

  “Hey, Claudia, how are you?”

  Emily smiled at Nicola and Cindy and walked out of her office to join the tiny woman who still wore the scars of her abusive husband across her eyebrows and cheekbones.

  “I’m doing better thanks to everyone here. My, ah…”

  “Ex-husband?”

  A nervous giggle made it out of the tiny woman’s mouth. “Yeah, I still can’t believe you got him to sign the papers.”

  Emily shrugged and gave her lovely client a warm smile. These moments made every second she spent in the corporate jungle worthwhile.

  “Magic happens sometimes, especially when karma lends a hand.”

  Big, soulful eyes stared up at her. “What do you mean?”

  She reached out and gripped Claudia’s hand, wishing she could will some strength into this lovely person. “I mean that you are a beautiful woman who deserves to be safe and happy.”

  “I am now. And it’s all because of you, Emily.”

  Tears welled in Claudia’s eyes and Emily laughed softly to distract herself from the hot lump in her throat. If she thought for one moment what Claudia’s life would have been like without the support of everyone at Eleanor’s House, she’d be in tears too.

  She pulled Claudia into her arms, the woman’s ribs protruding through her jumper beneath Emily’s palms. Next stop was the nutritionist and getting some weight back onto her bones.

  “Oh, you’re so gorgeous. Thank you, but I think Cindy, Martha and Eleanor did a lot more than me.”

  Her heart swelled as she stood there for a moment and held Claudia. This was the reward for all of those hours she logged, unpaid and in her free time. It may not help pay off her mortgage any faster, but she felt more appreciated at this job than she did in any other avenue of her life.

  When she arrived home that night, Emily turned on all the lights, locked the door and collapsed onto her second-hand couch. It may be worn at the edges and a bit shabby by some people’s standards, but it was hers, and it was comfortable.

  She groaned and let her head fall back against the soft headrest, her throbbing scalp making her eyes slide closed. The relief the darkness gave her was small, but welcome.

  Ring, ring, ring.

  “Argh! Five minutes, I just need five minutes.”

  She heaved herself up off the couch and rummaged through her bag to pull out her phone.

  She glanced at the screen, swiped it open and answered with a sigh. “Hey, Mum.”

  “Hello, my beautiful daughter. How have you been?”

  She settled back into the couch, the leather soft beneath her back. “Good. Busy. Work, mostly.”

  “Of course, you’ve been working. You do nothing but work.”

  Emily threw her hands up in the air. “Muuum.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, Em. I am so proud of you, but there is so much more to life than work.”

  She put her hand to her head and let her eyes close again. Same conversation, same topic. “I know.”

  But what are we supposed to do for money if I don’t work? And do you seriously think I want to be in a situation where the bank can just take my house and yours too, if they want? No.

  “Then why aren’t you out enjoying yourself? Going out with friends, dating young men?”

  Because young men are stupid and I don’t have time.

  “I do go out. In fact, I went to a charity ball last night.”

  “That’s lovely honey, but I’m sure it was related to your work.”

  A groan escaped her and she shuffled around so that she was lying down on the couch, her tired feet coming up to rest on the cushions. She loved her mum to bits, but a little bit of gratitude occasionally would be nice. “It was, but I danced, I drank champagne, it was awesome.”

  A moment of shocked silence and then her mum chuckled a little. “That’s so great, Em. So when am I seeing you next?”

  Emily lifted her neck and pulled the hair elastic out of her ponytail. She gasped with the stretching pain and then the relief as she let her head fall back onto the couch cushion and the tension drained out of her. “Whenever you want. I work until ten most nights and all weekend. Do you do midnight runs?”

  Her mother laughed properly this time, the deep sound vibrating down the phone line. “I love you.”

  A familiar warmth spread through her and she smiled to herself. “I love you too, Mum.”

  “Do you promise to try to make some time for me? I know it’s a couple of hours drive to my place from the city, but even if you have to invite me to one of those charity events. I’ll pay to see you.”

  Her smile turned to a frown as she assessed everything her mum was saying. She rarely left the comfort of her town and sewing circle. As for the money, she’d happily pay for her mum to come visit her, but would she?

  “Well actually, I’m organizing a celebration for Eleanor’s House. I don’t think you’ll have to pay, but can I let you know closer to the day and you might want to come?”

  She didn’t want to get her hopes up, especially considering how long it had been since she’d seen her mother.

  “I would love that, sweetie. I’ll just have to check my calendar and get back to you.”

  “Thanks.” Her throat caught a little which she didn’t mean to have happen and she swallowed hard. Her mother had suffered from fibromyalgia most of her life, and she struggled to travel. Her anxiety didn’t help either.

  She won’t come.

  “Of course. See you soon.”

  Her mum had raised her alone after her dad’s business had fallen apart and he’d run off with some woman. Her life hadn’t been easy and she deserved so much more than her current quiet existence.

  Emily let her eyes close and her fingers linked together over her belly as her muscles turned to liquid. Just a few more years and they’d be free.

  Chapter Three.

  Emily’s eyes flicked from paper to screen and back again. Her head pounded a little but she was focused. Her caseload was full which was stressful, but she loved the mental stimulation of her job.

  An email arrived that caught her eye and Emily opened it, her eyebrows climbing her forehead until she felt the creases press up against her hairline.

  Dear Emily Sanders,

  Johnson Property Development requests your attendance at a meeting at 1 p.m. today.

  Please confirm

  Kind Regards,

  Martine Nichols

  Nathan Johnson’s Executive Assistant.

  Wow. What do they want? Oh, no! Not my job.

  Emily clicked reply and held her hands poised over the keyboard. She had no idea what to write, her mind had gone from having ten s
creens operational to one blank canvas. What if Nathan Johnson was following through with his threat to get her out of Eleanor’s House?

  Her stomach tightened as her hands shook. She reached for the phone, squinted at the screen and typed in the number at the bottom of the email. She shouldn’t jump to conclusions. She had questions, so the most logical thing to do was ask.

  The phone rang and Emily straightened her spine, taking a deep breath to calm her galloping heart. If she lost Eleanor’s House, she’d find another charity.

  “Martine Nichols.”

  The blonde from Saturday night perhaps?

  “This is Emily Sanders. I just received an email regarding an appointment this afternoon.” And I have no idea what it is about.

  “Ah, yes. Great. You’re confirming the time?”

  Oh, no…

  Emily picked up a pen and began tapping it against the wooden desk. “Ah, I was actually wondering what the appointment is regarding?”

  She dropped the pen and inhaled until her lungs were full to bursting. Were they setting up a meeting to fire her?

  “Martine, if this is about Saturday night…”

  “We would like to hire you for some contract work.”

  What?

  Emily exhaled the breath she had been holding and stared at her computer screen with unseeing eyes. Her heart rate that had taken off at light speed when she’d thought she was about to lose her volunteer position, was now thumping with sickening precision against her sternum.

  Thank goodness for that.

  “All right. But may I ask why haven’t you made an appointment to come to my office?”

  Which would be normal procedure considering she would need to be hired through her own firm.

  “I spoke to the senior partner there this morning and explained our need to have you onsite for a day or two. He seemed fine with that and suggested I contact you directly.”

  Hmm… of course he would. James Allen knew how much work she could get done and he enjoyed making sure her load was as full as possible. So she didn’t really have any choice, did she?