The Billionaire Princess (2 page)

Sara had changed as well.  She'd gone from a beautiful sixteen year old to a gorgeous woman. Though being his best friend's sister meant she was off limits to him.  Still, that didn't mean he couldn't admire her from afar.  He suspected few men could be in her presence without drooling all over themselves.

“I doubt this surprises you.” 

Jake's voice broke into Christopher's thoughts and he found himself grateful that his dark sunglasses concealed his eyes. 
“Not at all.  I just thought you'd do it sooner.  I told Sara on the ride here I thought we were going to a wedding.”

“And she disagreed.  What was her theory?” Jake asked with a hint of laughter in his voice.

“She didn't have one or if she did she kept it to herself.” Christopher let his eyes travel back to Sara. “But this suits the two of you.”

“Thanks for coming.” Jake slapped him on the back.  “It means a lot to me.”

“Hey, I figured if my guess was right I couldn't miss seeing Prince Charming himself get married,” Christopher answered, making reference to the title the media had given Jake years before. “Besides, when my sisters hear that you got married they are going to want all the details.”

Jake opened his mouth to speak, but Christopher beat him to it.  “Don't worry I won't tell them anything until it goes public.  If I told them, it would be all over the Internet in an hour.”

Jake nodded his appreciation. “I don't think you've meet Maureen.  I'll introduce you.”

Christopher glanced over at the older woman who was now in a conversation with Charlie and Sara.  In silence he and Jake crossed the rooftop to where the three women stood.

“Maureen, I'd like you to meet Christopher Hall,” Jake said interrupting.

A wide friendly smile crossed Maureen's face.  “You must be Jake's college roommate Charlie told me about.  It's nice to meet you.” Maureen extended her hand.

“Nice to meet you too.  Jake tells me you make the best apple pie he's ever tasted.” Christopher extended his hand toward the older woman.

Christopher and the others remained outside.  After lunch Christopher retreated to his own bedroom.  In addition to having a private elevator, the penthouse apartment had a full kitchen, living room, five bedrooms, and access to a private rooftop pool.  During lunch he'd received several text messages from work and he wanted to handle them before the ceremony began.

A few hours later Sara stood between Christopher and Maureen, as Judge Fallon began the wedding ceremony on the deserted beach just feet away from the rolling waves.  Sara had to admit the setting of the ceremony fit her brother and Charlie to a T.  They both adored the ocean and spent as much time as possible out on Jake's sailboat.  The entire feel of the ceremony, in fact, fit the couple.  It was low key and informal.  There was no over-the-top wedding gown or a tux with tails.  And while the ceremony fit the couple beautifully it was far from what she dreamed of having some day, assuming that day ever came.  With each failed relationship, Sara began to doubt more and more that she'd ever find the right man.  So far she'd managed to find herself attracted to men who only saw her last name—a name with the right business and political connections. 

Without intending to, Sara sighed, drawing Christopher's attention.  For a moment his dark chocolate brown eyes studied her face and her heartbeat sped up.  After a second or two he looked away, and Sara's heartbeat returned to normal.

Did her brothers know how lucky they both were?  They'd both found their perfect matches and neither woman expected anything in return.  Although she'd never told Callie or Charlie, she admired them for that.  They were both able to see her brothers for the men they were on the inside.  Not many people seemed able to do that.  At least not many of the ones she'd met.

In front of her, Jake pulled Charlie into his arms and kissed her, signaling the end of the short civil ceremony.  Next to her Charlie's mom wept.  Without a second thought, Sara wrapped an arm around the older woman's shoulder.

“Are you okay?” she asked, wishing she had a few tissues on hand.

Maureen nodded and wiped at the tears sliding down her cheek.  “I just can't believe my baby girl is married.  I'll be fine.  Go on and join the others.”  Maureen patted her on the arm and motioned to the others with her head.

Sara hesitated for a second but then moved forward to join the others as they congratulated the happy couple.  She listened as both Callie and Dylan welcomed Charlie to the family and then turned to Jake.  As children, with only a two-year difference between them, they'd always been close. They had grown apart a bit through the years, since they'd both been sent off to different boarding schools.  Yet she still considered him one of her closest friends, the one person she could trust no matter what. So before anyone else could approach him, she moved in and hugged him.

“Congratulations,” she said before dropping a kiss on his cheek.  “But I still think you're nuts for not inviting Mom and Dad.”  She couldn't stop herself from adding the last part.

“I'll deal with them later.  Besides now they can make an even bigger deal of your wedding when the time comes.”

Sara merely shook her head in response.  Her brother never cared what their parents thought.  Sometimes she envied him for that.  “That's more like
if
rather than
when
, Jake.”  She tried to hide the sarcasm from her voice.

“You're wrong.  You'll see.  I promise,” he said in his annoying big-brother-knows-all tone.

“”I'm not going to argue with you on your wedding day.”  She gave him another hug and moved away before he could offer anymore brotherly wisdom, something he loved to do.  He insisted it was his job as her older brother, but she suspected it had more to do with wanting to annoy her. 

Whatever the reason, she really didn't want to discuss that particular topic any further.  It'd only put her in a bad mood, and she didn't want to ruin the day for her brother and Charlie.  Instead she moved toward the bride to congratulate her. 

Although Jake and Charlie had been together for almost a year now, Sara didn't know her that well.  Charlie and Jake lived in Virginia, while she lived in DC, which should've made visiting easy. But, Charlie was a doctor, and her schedule didn't fit well with Sara's hectic schedule on the Hill.

“Congratulations, Charlie.  You look gorgeous.”  Sara stepped in front of Charlie and hugged her. Today Charlie wore a simple but elegant white gown that ended just above the knee.  Her red hair was pulled up with a simple silver comb holding it in place.  A simple white gold necklace with an emerald pendant hung around her neck and matching emerald earrings hung from her ears.

Charlie's face beamed with happiness as Sara pulled back.  “Thank you.  I'm glad you came.  Jake was worried you wouldn't make it on such short notice.”

“I wouldn't have missed this for the world.”  Even if she'd been on the other side of the planet, she would've found a way to get to Hawaii when Jake asked her.  “Are you two going on a honeymoon?”

“We're spending a few days here, but then I need to get back.  In the fall we're going to Scotland and England.”

Both were beautiful countries she'd visited many times, but neither were places she'd pick for a honeymoon.  “You're going to keep working at the hospital?”  Charlie had retired from the Navy and taken a position at a hospital in Virginia the previous fall.

“I love it there, so I see no reason to leave.”

Sara mentally nodded in approval.  She already knew that Charlie loved her brother and not his money or powerful family name, still Charlie's decision to stay at the hospital further reassured her.

If only she could find a man who'd look past all that too.  It seemed as if every man she dated saw her as a dollar sign rather than a flesh-and-blood woman.  Perhaps men weren't capable of seeing beyond money and power.  After all, the only two people she knew who truly didn't seem to care about those things were Charlie and Callie.  Neither had been drawn to their spouses because of material goods.  Maybe only women could look beyond what someone had and see the real person, though both of her brothers had dated their share of gold diggers before meeting their spouses.

While Sara pondered the differences between men and women, Charlie told her about why they'd chosen Scotland and England for a honeymoon rather than somewhere more exotic.  As she did, the skin on the back of Sara’s neck tingled.  At first she dismissed the sensation.  When it didn't go away she shot a quick glance over Charlie's shoulder, but it revealed nothing out of the ordinary.  A large portion of the beach had been closed off to other guests, and any people on the beach were much further down.  So far down in fact, she doubted they would be able to tell who had just gotten married.

Still the feeling remained.

Automatically, Sara nodded in response to Charlie's words as she looked over toward her brother, her eyes locking with Christopher's.  For a second or two their eyes stayed
connected, his expression unreadable.

What did he see when he looked at her?  Did he see the daddy's-little-princess that many of Jake's other friends imagined her to be?  Did he see her as some political pawn like her last boyfriend?    Breaking contact, she focused back on Charlie and their conversation.

Since she first met Charlie at Dylan and Callie's wedding the year before, she'd tried not to make the same mistakes with her that she'd made with Callie when they'd first met.

“Your brother couldn't come too?” Sara asked.  She knew Charlie had an older brother although she'd never met him.

“We invited him but the Victorian Rose expected guests this weekend. He didn't want to cancel those reservations.  Jake offered to compensate him for the loss, but Sean insisted canceling at the last minute would be bad for business.”

Sara
nodded, a negative review on a website somewhere could ruin a small bed and breakfast.

“Ma will tell him all about the wedding when she gets home, and we're visiting them in two weeks.”

***

Christopher walked through the glass doors separating the living room area of the penthouse apartment from
the  rooftop pool. 
Callie must have planned this.

Charlie was a terrific woman and a perfect match for Jake, yet, she didn't strike him as the romantic type.  And while Jake had always been smooth with the ladies, this didn't look like something he'd come up with either.  Vases filled with long stemmed red and white roses sat on every table.  Candles placed along the edge of the rooftop near the railing flickered as did the candles floating in the pool. The padded lounges had been pushed together and covered so they resembled wide couches, and throw pillows had been added to increase the effect.  Soft music played in the background, loud enough for dancing but not so loud you couldn't have a conversation.  A slight breeze from the ocean kept the rooftop a comfortable temperature as the wedding guests mingled over drinks and food.

Before joining the others, he stopped at the bar, which had been set up in the far corner, and ordered a vodka martini then filled a plate from the buffet.  Satisfied with his food selections, he joined Jake and his family.

“Congratulations again,” Christopher said sitting in an empty seat facing the glass door. “Who did all this?  I know it wasn't Jake.”  With his hand he gestured around the rooftop.

Jake nodded in Callie's direction.  “Callie planned the reception and Dylan arranged everything else.”

“Nicely done.”
  He looked over at Callie who sat diagonally across the table next to Dylan and Maureen.  “Aren't we one short?” Christopher asked noticing that Sara still hadn't joined them.  In fact he hadn't seen her since the photographer finished the pictures on the beach.

Jake paused with his wine glass almost to his mouth, “She needed to return some phone calls.”

The sound of the glass door sliding on its runner caught Christopher’s attention, and he immediately looked up.  He watched Sara step outside and close the door behind her.  She still wore the turquoise sundress from the wedding, but now her blonde hair hung in thick waves skimming her shoulders.

Raising his fork to his mouth, he watched as she crossed to the bar and ordered herself a drink.  She moved with such grace and elegance—even if he hadn't known who she was, he would've known she wasn't just some ordinary woman.  Everything about her spoke of wealth and privilege.

Since no one else seemed to notice, he kept his gaze locked on her as she stopped for food before joining the table.

“Sorry that took so long.”  Sara pulled out a chair across from him.

“We know you just like to make an entrance,” Jake joked, pushing his empty plate away from him.  Immediately a waitress appeared to clear the dish away.

Sara made a childish face and stuck her tongue out at her brother causing Christopher to nearly choke on the carrot he'd swallowed.  While he could easily picture one of his sisters doing the exact same thing to him, the action didn't fit with the image he had
of  the proper and elegant Sara Sherbrooke.   But if anyone else found her behavior odd, no one commented.  Jake simply laughed and pushed his chair back.

“How about a dance, Mrs.
Sherbrooke?” he asked holding out a hand to Charlie.  Without a word Charlie accepted, and the couple moved toward the other side of the pool.