Her Billionaire Heartthrob - Kaylee Baldwin Page 0,2

Felicia held his tie and suit coat.

“I’ll take care of everything while you’re gone,” Felicia assured him.

“I can’t go to Eureka Springs in the middle of the fourth quarter,” Liam argued.

“You have a house there you’ve never even been to,” Xander pointed out. It was true. He had a house built right next to Xander’s, but he’d been to busy to fly out to see it since it had been finished.

“There’s something else.” Felicia handed him his coat and tie. “Someone leaked the footage of the meeting to the press. Your … panic attack is all over the news.”

Liam fumbled through his pocket for his phone and searched his name. Sure enough, the first hit to come up was a video of him at the meeting, sweating and visibly shaking and then collapsing. Is the Pets and More CEO on drugs? read one headline. Does He Have What it Takes to Fill His Dad’s Shoes? read another.

He closed his eyes. This was going to be a nightmare to work around. Like a hydra, one incident had sprouted so many stories—none of them true.

“I’ve got Jordyn and Mark on it,” Felicia said, referring to their heads of PR. “We need to be open and tell them you had a panic attack. Change the narrative before it gets out of hand.”

Liam nodded, numb.

“Go to Eureka Springs,” she urged. “I’ll handle everything here.” He knew she could, so it wasn’t leaving the company that worried him, but not taking care of things himself. Felicia must have known his thoughts, because she continued, “Take care of you, Mr. CEO. Pets and More will still be waiting for you when you return.” The vote. He hadn’t seen the final results before passing out. They must have voted him in.

The television in the corner cut from a game show to a newscaster standing outside the hospital he was in, several other reporters silhouetted in the background with the setting sun. The station showed a brief clip of him collapsing before cutting to the reporter again. “Pets and More CEO is being hospitalized after dropping unconscious at a board meeting. Could America’s favorite billionaire heartthrob be hiding a dark secret? Tune in tonight at ten for the full story.”

Xander turned off the television and raised an eyebrow. Maybe Liam did need to get away from all of this. It was telling that the best sleep he’d had in almost a year was in a hospital bed.

“Find a back door for a car to meet us at,” he said grimly, looking back and forth between Xander and Felicia. “It looks like I’m going to Eureka Springs.”

Chapter 2

Viola Nightingdale grinned as she signed her name to the contract, guaranteeing restoration work for several years to come. The owner of Fletcher Real Estate, Mr. Ross Fletcher, sat across from her, his grin also wide. He wore a large, worn cowboy hat to go along with his roughed-up boots.

“We have big plans for downtown, restoring it to its original beauty,” he said. “And we’re glad you’re willing to partner with us.”

He stood and held out his hand, which she took in a firm handshake.

“I’m excited too.” She had consistent jobs, mostly though the city, as a historical building restoration expert. Though she restored all facets of the building—inside and out—with historical integrity in ascetic and materials, her favorite part was was painting. Specifically, she couldn’t wait to get her hands on the faded, hand-painted sign work on the outer brick walls of many of these buildings.

“We’re looking at starting in January,” he said, his thick, southern accent making everything he said sound relaxed.

“Perfect.” They’d already discussed having her start with the old Miller building on Spring Street, a building that was part residential, part retail. A January start would give her time to get paint samples and research what it had looked like in its glory days.

He tipped his hat in goodbye and left her office. She sat back in her chair and spun it around happily. She had never wanted for work here in Eureka Springs, but to have a contractor who was so dedicated to authentic historical restoration—and had the funds to cover it—was rare.

She glanced at her watch and hopped out of her chair in a rush. She only had fifteen minutes to make it to town hall to meet with the mayor. They met often, usually about new projects he wanted to consult Viola about or hire her for. They were already planning the Eureka Springs beautification