“Madison Ford. I’m Jack’s assistant.” Maddie held out her hand. “Call me Maddie. Or better yet, Scrooge,” she finished.
“No Christmas spirit?” Emma asked.
“I left it back in New York. I had plans.”
“After you called,” Jack said to his sister, “I decided to move up a scheduled business trip and convinced Maddie to come along. Where’s your husband?”
Emma turned to look, then smiled at the man just joining them. He stood military straight, even as he slid his arm around her waist. Not quite as tall as Jack, he had wavy dark hair and brown eyes.
Adoration shone on Emma’s face as she leaned into the man. “His Highness Sebastian Marchand-Dumontier of Meridia meet Jack Valentine, my brother.”
They shook hands and Jack noted the prince’s firm grip. Always squeeze a man’s hand as if you mean it. No one respects you if your hand feels like a limp codfish.
When his father’s words flashed through his mind, Jack knew it had been a mistake to come. Then he looked at Maddie as the prince kissed her hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,” Maddie said.
“Please, Sebastian is fine,” he said graciously.
Maddie looked at Emma. “That would make you what? Queen? Princess Consort? I can never keep that straight.”
“Emma will do,” she said with a twinkle.
“Quite nicely,” her husband added, smiling down at her.
Maddie was studying his sister. “I think there must be something in the royal rulebook about fabulous jewels. If you show me your tiara, it might almost make up for the fact that I’m missing Christmas in the States.”
Laughing, Emma leaned into her chuckling prince. “I’m afraid the tiara’s at home in Meridia’s royal vault. But do come for a visit, Maddie. I’ve a feeling you and I would get on very well together.”
“I’m not sure I could spare her,” Jack cut in.
“I’d love to visit Meridia,” Maddie countered, shooting him a look. “His Lordship will just have to get along without me.”
“Jack.”
He turned and recognized his older brother, Max, and pleasure shot through him. He put out his hand and Max took it, then the two of them grinned at each other.
Emma cleared her throat. “I’ll let you and Max catch up, Jack.”
“How long will you be in London?” Maddie asked her.
“We’re on holiday for several weeks.” She looked at Jack. “And you? How long will you be here? Are you planning to see Mum?”
“I hadn’t thought about it,” he said.
“You should.” Emma stood on tiptoe and hesitated a moment before kissing his cheek. “You look well but not happy, Jack.”
The casual comment brought the same rush of emptiness that had washed over him when he’d looked through the window. Why now? He’d managed fine without them all these years, proving he didn’t need them or anyone else.
“Not happy? And you can tell that in five minutes?”
“Less.” She slid her hand into her husband’s and their fingers intertwined. “Now that I know what happiness looks like, it’s easy to see when it’s not there. We’ll talk later.”
She and her husband walked away and mingled with the rest of the family. Then he looked at Max and felt again that soul-deep, overwhelming loneliness. They were half-brothers and had been best friends. Max had been the one to introduce him to parties, girls and fast cars.
Jack realized how much he’d missed him. “It’s good to see you, Max.”
“You, too.” Max looked at Maddie. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your significant other?”
“I’m significant and Jack has many ‘others’, but I’m not one of them,” Maddie retorted.
“Excellent news. I’m Max Valentine.”
“Jack’s brother?” she guessed.
“Indeed.”
“Maddie Ford,” she said. “Jack’s assistant as opposed to his significant other. Upon occasion, to my dismay, I’ve dutifully smoothed the ruffled feathers of his significant others. Which I guess would then make them insignificant.”
Max grinned. “You’re a feisty one.”
Jack was taken by surprise when an unreasonable flash of resentment ripped through him. “You’re not her type, Max.”
“How do you know?” she asked.
“Max actually has a personality.”
Maddie finished off the champagne in her glass. “Then maybe I should get to know him and his personality better,” she shot back.
Before Jack could figure out how he could be so pleased to see his brother at the same time he wanted to wring his neck for flirting with Maddie, his father joined them.
The older man rested his hand on his Max’s shoulder. “And so,” Robert Valentine said, “the prodigal son returns.”
CHAPTER TWO
THE last time Jack had been face to face with his father, Robert Valentine had been enraged. Now he showed no emotion, not even surprise. He was still handsome, the silver flecks in his black hair giving him a distinguished look. His black eyes revealed nothing about his feelings for the son who had spent eighteen years trying to get his notice. The son who had struggled to control his natural enthusiasm. The son who now controlled the fate of this restaurant.
The irony of that almost made him smile.
Jack had literally looked up to his father twelve years ago, but now he looked him straight in the eye. He’d made himself a powerful man and was no longer that unsure boy who craved his father’s good opinion.
“Hello, Dad.”
“Jack.” Robert smiled his practiced smile. “It’s been a long time. To what do we owe this unexpected surprise?”
“Emma called.”
Something flickered in Robert’s eyes. “Did she now?”
“Yes. To tell me she got married.”
“Did she say anything else?” A muscle jumped in his father’s jaw.
In anyone else that tightening of the mouth would be nothing. For his stiff-upper-lipped father it signaled nervousness in the man Jack had once thought invincible. Satisfaction surged through
