And then, at last, he said, âAnd now, itâs with great pleasure and sincere admiration that I introduce to you⦠Mitch Valentine.â
There was roaring. It was partly the applause and it was partly the blood spurting so fast through her veins. It made a rushing in her ears.
A tall, broad-shouldered man in a dark suit with a snow-white shirt and a lustrous blue tie strode confidently across the stage. She thought, Chestnut-brown hair, like Michaelâs.
He stepped up to the podium under the hard gleam of the spotlight. And he spoke. âThank you, Dr Benson. Iâll do my best to live up to that glowing introduction.â
Sheâd known for certain in her mind when he faced the audience, but when he spoke, she knew in her heart.
The final shreds of her doubt unravelled and dropped away.
Kelly knew.
He was Michael. She had found her daughterâs father at last.
Chapter One
âValentine.â Renata Thompson sighed. Dramatically. âWonât you be mine?â
Kelly Bravo glanced over her shoulder, coffeepot in hand. âDoubtful.â
Renata let out a laugh. âNot a problem. You may be the boss, but youâre just not my type.â
Kelly filled her mug and put the pot back on the warming plate. She took the chair across from Renata. âSo, then. Whoâs your valentine?â
âHis name is Valentine. Mitch Valentine.â Renata had the Sacramento Bee spread open on the round breakroom table. She pointed a slim brown finger at a publicity headshot of some guy. Kelly glanced at it without really looking, shrugged and sipped her coffee.
âYou must have heard of him,â Renata insisted. âGuy has billions. Owns a bunch of companies. Started from zip. Now heâs written a book. Making it Happen: Change Your Mind, Transform Your Life.â
Kelly sipped again. âSoundsâ¦uplifting. But, no. Sorry. The nameâs not ringing a bell.â
Renataâs mug said Shrink. She grabbed it and took a swig of the murky breakroom brew. âHeâs speaking at Valley University tonight. I may have to go. Whether he changes my life or not, he is superhot. And as rich as they come. Hot and rich. Does it get any better?â
âWell, now.â Kelly raised her own mug high. âA good sense of humor. Gotta have that.â
âHoney, if heâs rich and hot, he doesnât need to make me laugh. Weâll spend our lives shoppingâand having sex.â
âI am shocked, I tell you.â Kelly put on her most disapproving frown. âShocked.â
Renata spun the paper around and slid it across to Kellyâs side of the table. âLook.â She plunked her finger down hard right above the photo of Mr. Hot-and-Rich. âTell me youâd pass up a chance with that.â
Kelly groaned. âSorry. Not interested. Iâm a single mom with a full-time job. I donât have time to go chasing after some Tony Robbins wanna-be.â
âThe eyes alone. In-tense. Look.â
So Kelly looked. âOh, my. Heâs veryâ¦â The words trailed off. âNot possible,â she heard herself whisper.
ââScuse me?â
But Kelly didnât answer. She stared at the photo and couldnât believe what she was seeing.
From somewhere far, far away Renata was asking, âKelly? Kelly, are you all right?â
She was not all right. Not in the least. Because she knew those eyes. That mouth. That straight slash of browâ¦
Michael.
He lookedâ¦older.
But of course he would, wouldnât he? It had been a decade, after all.
His face, once hollow-cheeked, had filled out. His shouldersâwhat she could see of themâwere broader. Much broader. He seemed, in the photo, soâ¦confident. This man looked as if he was ready to take on the world, a mover and shaker if ever there was one, the polar opposite of the boy she had loved.
But still. She would know those eyes and that mouth anywhere. Her thin, withdrawn video-game-obsessed high-school sweetheart, Michael Vakulic, had become someone named Mitch Valentine.
âGod. Kelly. Are youââ
âFine.â Kelly forced herself to lift her head and aim a smile at the dark, exotic face across the table. âIâm fine.â She played it light, pretended to fan herself. âWhew. Youâre right. The guy is hot.â
Renataâs worried frown faded. âTold you so.â Now she was looking exceedingly smug. She reached to take the paper back.