Page 137 of How to Fall for the Secret Billionaire
She stops under the big oak tree and turns to face me, her expression gentle but firm.
“I’m really glad you came out of your shell today to celebrate Edie,” she says. “She needed that. We all needed that. But Margot…” Her voice lowers. “I don’t want you to crawl back into it tomorrow.”
I blink quickly, trying to hold myself together.
“We miss you,” she continues. “Your sisters miss you. I miss you. We want to see you smile again.”
I roll my eyes, blinking harder. “Don’t make me cry, Mom.”
She laughs softly and tucks a loose piece of hair behind my ear. “All right, all right. No tears. Just tell me how you’re doing.”
I stare at the garden lights for a beat. Then I say, quietly, “I’m in love with Cal.”
She doesn’t interrupt. She just waits.
“I just don’t think I’m cut out for his life,” I finally admit. “It’s all cameras and chaos and… I don’t know. He’s everywhere. I run a bed and breakfast, Mom. I don’t even like when guests recognize me from town.”
She smiles, warm and understanding. “Honey… love doesn’t care what you’re cut out for. It cares what you’re willing to grow into.”
I exhale, unsure if I’m comforted or more overwhelmed.
“All I’m saying,” she continues, “is give the man a chance to prove himself. You don’t have to figure everything out today. But if you love him… let that count for something.”
I nod slowly. “I’ll think about it.”
Mom pats my arm. “That’s all I ask.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
She squeezes my hand and smiles like she knows something I don’t.
“We’re bringing in a surprise guest today,” she says, her voice light, but her eyes full of meaning. “Thought it might cheer you up a little.”
My heart skips.
I try to play it cool, but hope flares in my chest so fast it almost knocks the wind out of me. I don’t say anything, just nod and follow her back toward the house—my mind racing, silently begging the universe to let it be him.
Please, let it be Cal.
Two hours later, the party is in full swing. There’s music playing, plates clinking, laughter bouncing off the walls of the inn. I’m in the kitchen with a dish towel slung over my shoulder, trying to arrange pastries on a tray without eating half of them, when I hear a car pull into the driveway.
I freeze.
My heart jumps to my throat.
This is it. The surprise guest.
I rush to the window, hands shaking slightly, praying,Please let it be Cal. Please, please?—
It’s not. It’s Juniper. Back from college.
What?
A startled laugh bubbles out of me—half giddy, half relieved, and maybe just a tiny bit disappointed. But mostly giddy.
I toss the towel on the counter and fly out of the house.
“JUNI!”
