Page 10 of How to Train Your Billionaire

I’m momentarily speechless, because I’m in absolute shock that he went and did this. He’s normally such a responsible and methodical person.What is he possibly thinking?

I press a knuckle to my temple. “I’m here. I’m just ... processing.”

“I really think it will be the perfect solution, and in fact she’s going to accompany me next week to Big Sky.”

My brain sputters as a bewildered look overtakes my face.

Maddie has stopped skipping along the sidewalk to watch me with a curious expression.

“Did you check her references?” I ask, stepping carefully over the sidewalk chalk drawing of a dragon Maddie created earlier.

“I did, yes. They had wonderful things to say about her.”

“And has she signed an NDA?”

“Of course,” Charles answers.

Well, that’s a relief. It still doesn’t mean I’m okay with this. Hiring her to complete specific tasks is one thing; employing someone as your personal companion, someone who will accompany you on trips and spend hours, days,weeksliving alongside you ... it’s a very intimate arrangement. I honestly don’t know what my uncle is thinking. Who am I kidding? He clearly isn’t. The old man must be losing it. I’ve heard about this kind of thing. Next thing you know, I’ll be taking away his car keys. He can’t be trusted anymore.

I release a slow breath, trying to compose my thoughts. “For the record, I think that’s a terrible idea, Uncle Charles. We hardly know her. And you know I don’t like to meddle, but from what I’ve seen she’s irresponsible at best, certainly careless, and I don’t like the idea that she’d be the one in charge of looking after you when she clearly can’t even look after herself.”

“Hayes”—his tone is scolding—“Frankie is here on speakerphone.”

“Hiya, Hazey,” she says, sounding chipper.

I groan and run a hand through my hair. “Hello, Francesca,” I manage to grit out, somehow sounding professional instead of exasperated, like I feel.

She huffs a breath. “Call me Frankie. Everyone does.”

“I’m not everyone.”

How this woman has managed to get under my skin so thoroughly in such short order, I have no idea.

I unlock my Maserati and hold open the passenger door for Maddie. “Are we still going for ice cream?” she asks at my sullen expression.

I nod and say into the phone, “I have to go. We’ll talk about this later.”

I have no idea what voodoo this woman did to lure in my uncle, but this conversation is far from over.

Chapter Five

Take an Unplanned Adventure

Frankie

“Are you game?” I flash a deck of cards at Charles.

“What is it?” he asks, pushing down a pair of reading glasses to the bridge of his nose so he can peer over at the purple-colored card game. He’d been deep into a crinkled issue ofThe Wall Street Journalever since we boarded.

We’re thirty minutes into our flight to Bozeman and are currently seated in row two of the airplane—I’ve never been in first class before and am trying to play it cool. The flight attendant has already stopped by, confirming our lunch menu, and is delivering drinks row by row to our fellow first-class passengers. I followed Charles’s lead, and since he didn’t order alcohol, I opted for a ginger ale.

“It’s a get-to-know-you type game.” I give him a playful wink.

It’s also geared toward people who are dating, but whatever. I missed that detail when I ordered it from Amazon, and even though I was packing up to leave when it arrived, I was hoping this would help Charles and I get to know one another a little better.

I still wasn’t quite sure how our arrangement would work. Would I even be a good travel companion? What if his standards were impossiblyhigh and he fired me? Or worse, what if he turned out to be a creepy old man and I had to fly back to New Jersey with my tail tucked between my legs. I didn’t know if I could handle too many more massive failures this year. It’d be better if he and I got to know each other, to determine if this whole thing would work or not. If not, I could at least cut my losses early and head home.

Charles folds his newspaper in half and deposits his square reading glasses into his jacket pocket, giving me his full attention.