The Billionaire’s Prodigal Wife – Chapter 36
In an unprecedented turn of events, Savannah had two Saturday night’s off in a row and tonight she had convinced Mackenna to join them for dinner and drinks, insisting they needed to celebrate. Where last week she had felt raw, somehow this week she felt as if she was healing and ready to face her friends and her life.
Mackenna was nestled between Savannah and Nuncio. Around the table their group consisted of Derrick Portman, a new orthopedic intern working with him, Padma Kaur and two nurses who had accompanied them all out the weekend before, Maisy and Cassidy. Tonight, they were celebrating Mackenna and Savannah finding a new condo in a nicer part of town with security doors.
Interestingly, the clingy nurse Savannah had mentioned the weekend before was nowhere to be seen and Derrick wasn’t talking about her. According to the rumor mill, the nurse got angry when he cancelled a dinner date last minute because he’d been called in for an emergency surgery. Allegedly she’d thrown a fit in the middle of the hospital lobby. The hospital gossip mill was running rampant about how Derrick very coolly looked at her and said “get over yourself” walked away and didn’t look back. The nurse had to be escorted off the premises sobbing hysterically, and her manager had to be called to review her behaviour. The hospital was gossiping like mad over the exchange, but Derrick’s lips were sealed.
nded, regardless of how many zeroes her bank account was showing. She had her hair in a high ponytail at the top of her head wrapped with a thick streak of her own hair Savannah had temporarily dyed a bright fiery red. The one streak around the base of her ponytail trailed playfully through the to the end. While she would never permanently color her hair such a vibrant color, it was fun for a night on the town.
g her pageantry skills. Her eyeliner cat like, her lids smoky and her lips painted a glossy red. Savannah had contoured and highlighted her skin, so her cheekbones were defined, and she felt good. She had caught Derrick staring more than once and it was doing good things for her ego.
ike this. Usually, he had her dressed elegant and he’d never taken her to a dance club. She felt young and vibrant and for the first time in a few months, alive.
plimented her.
it.”
her. Nuncio grunted and she elbowed him. “So, what is everyone ordering? Should we just do a bunch of shared plates?”
f appetizers and shareable dishes.
ssidy asked the question nobo
ared at her, “did
plexion reddened as she looked at Savannah for help.
eyes and lots of dimples.”
ry Mac, just pointing out the obvious. Why you even entertained the notion of dating Derrick Portman when Alessandro Giordano is your ex is beyond me. We like Padma, we like Derrick. You should date.” She pointed back to Mackenna, “you should convince your ex to stay in Phoenix so we can all admire him when he comes to join you in the cafeteria.”
nge the subject?” Mackenna’s cheeks were as red as Padma’s at the conversation. “Let’s talk about something more fun. Savannah, got any more stories from trauma? Preferably som
se,” Padma begg
cided to help things along.
adma, do you really live with your entire fam
t going to lie, I’m very much over it. They are always in my business. My mother is forever introducing me to men she feels are suitable, my grandmother criticizes everything I wear and this morning my grandfather thought it was perfectly acceptable to use the toilet while I was in the shower.”
hat’s not right.”
m to leave, and he said I was a doctor, and I should be used to bodily functions,” she gave a shudder.
erupted with laughter at her stor
Derrick told me knows how to make his own pasta.”
ge my mind, we aren’t friends.”
omment and shrugged. “You took a massive donation from my ex-husband and from the rumor mill, you’ve had lunch with him on multiple occasions. I’d rath
re’s actually on ongoing pool of how long before you take him back, quit again and move back to Milan.”
to move back. Too many bad memories.”
h,” Padma jumped on the bandwagon.
o are all doctor’s and nurses,” Mackenna asked Nuncio who was slowly relaxing and chuckling beside her. “They all think they are the smartest in the room and they miss absolutely nothing. It’s like working with a bunch of arrogant detectives.”
lifted her glass to her lips.
er.
with your ex?” Cassidy asked curiously.
k enough to go down this path of introspection.”
going pool about how long,” she tried to get away from Savannah who was trying to cover her mouth with her hand.
Nuncio tense beside her and wondered how he’d react.
cio folded his arms over his chest enjoying how Savannah’s cheeks flamed. “And to think she told me it was all one-sided.”
e of Mackenna.
e as she sat between them and she turned to Nuncio, “want to change seats?
cio agreed immediately.
h chortled with glee. “Oh,
ncio, “you told him last night we were going out tonight didn’t you.”
flopped down in the seat she’d just vac
breath.
. “So, let’s talk more about how Savannah calls me the hot bodyguard.”
” Savannah finished her cheeks burning.
n his eyes landed on her, and his eyebrows shot upwards at her appearance.
“Mackenna,”
, “he sounds just like he looks.”
“Get him a chair. Join us Alessandro. We’re all friends here.”
ap, run,” Derrick warned him but did as he was instructed by the nurse and pushed the chair in between where he and Mackenna sat.
closer to Padma’s. She waggled her finger between them. “Talk amongst yourselves.”
traw at her throwing sprinkles of drinks in her direction, “you are dangerously c
at her pointedly and she groaned. “Shut up.” She looked to Alessandro who was still standing.
seat.
e and noted everyone except Nuncio was watching him relax. The man was s*x on legs and even Derrick was probably turned on.
he asked suddenly breaking the sudden silence of the table.
d hard and then grabbed her drink the server had just set in front of her and moved the straw away and chugged the drink shaking the glass in her direction.
What are you drinking?”
e took the glass from her hands
.”
.”
alcohol hit her.
. This,” she shook her empty glass, “is going down very well tonight. Is this going to be a problem for you?”
corrected winking at Cassidy, “behaves in public.”
iment to appease my rugged machismo,” he grinned
sy Duke, and if you make one joke about my name, I swear I will hurt you. My parents thought it would be funny, it was not.”
her hand, “it is nice to meet you Maisy.” He turned his gaze to Sava
kin on the table and moved to stand up, but Nuncio pulled her back down and planted a hard kiss on her mouth. It
ound the table, “if I’d known a simple kiss would shut her up.”
eds of times Mac,” Derrick grinned across the table. He saw Alessandro’s curious tilt of the head and he laughed. “Savannah has used Mac multiple times as a shield against unwanted advances. Mac just