Page 8 of Axel

“Yes?”

“Invite him to dinner.”

“With you here?”

He shot her an amused look. “I want to meet him.”

“He is not going to want to attend.”

“Then it makes me wonder if he has an ulterior motive.”

“That…,”- she pointed her glass at him. “That right there, that suspicious look on your face, the skepticism, and the reluctancenot to even call him by name, is the very reason he is afraid to show his face around here. Mom met him.”

“And?”

“She likes him.”

“She likes everyone. She is too sweet for her own good.”

“And you are too cynical for yours.”

“Invite him to dinner. I promise to be on my best behavior.” A smile lurked in his golden eyes.

“Yeah, right,” she snorted. “Now tell me about this article.”

“It’s a pain in the ass.” He grumbled, making her laugh.

*****

Upstairs in her elegant blue and cream bedroom that overlooked the patio, Caitlin gazed out at the two children seated there in perfect camaraderie. She was blessed to have such well-behaved children, ones who had made it in life.

Her Axel was a major success, everyone in town spoke his name. He had not turned his back on River Glades, but after making his immense fortune, had come back to build them a house, one that was much too big for just two people, but it was lovely and gracious.

And he had spruced up the park, rebuilt the three high and elementary schools and was rebuilding the library and giving the park a facelift. He also was building a museum, and a theater.

Her heart was fairly bursting from her chest. Picking up the expensive bottle of cream, Cathy had insisted on buying her when they visited an exclusive boutique in Paris, she wandered over to the bay window to get a better look at her two children.

The only worry she had was that he would not find someone who was worthy of him, someone who would look beyond the money and see his heart.

Axel was tough, he had hardened over the years when he had to fight to get to the top. She had seen the hope fading from his eyes to be replaced by considerable hurt when her husband had finally left home.

He had stepped up to become the man of the house, even at that tender age and had sworn to her that he would get them out of this life of poverty, and he had kept his promise and then some.

Uncapping the unscented cream, she dipped two fingers into the airy lightness and rubbed it into her skin. The well-dressed sales associate had assured them that after several days of using it, they would begin to see marked improvement and tightening of the skin.

If it had been up to her, she would have left it, especially after hearing how horribly expensive it was. But Cathy had insisted and like her brother, she was as stubborn as a mule.

“Axel wants you to have anything you want, and money is no object.”

“This could feed a child for months.”

“You already feed most of the children in River Glades and send money to every missionary outside the US.” Cathy had told her firmly. “Now it is time to concentrate on you. We do not have to pinch pennies anymore mom, so let’s enjoy it.”

She was still struggling to acclimatize herself to being waited on. Axel had insisted on hiring a housekeeper plus two maids. When she had protested, he had convinced her that the women needed the salary, and he was right.

But it felt strange. Every bit of it. Reading about her son’s success in the papers, hearing him referred to as a financial genius had the ability to make her weep like a baby. But having a lot of money was not enough.

He needed someone and she had hoped he would have found a nice young woman by now. She had seen the photos of him with different celebrities, one every week, and it made her feel sad and disappointed.