Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Elliot and I are left standing by the door. Subtle, T.
“She’s going to try and hire your sister,” I warn him lightly.
“Feeling any better this morning?”
I glance around before lowering my voice. “I’m feeling a lot of things. Embarrassed. Emasculated. A little dehydrated.”
Elliot chuckles. “All that, huh?”
“You asked.”
His fingers brush my elbow and I shiver. “There’s no reason for any of that. Except the last one. We did have a lot to drink.”
There’s the opening I expected. “We weren’t ourselves, I know.”
“We weren’t?”
I look over at him in surprise. “Were we?”
“Maybe you weren’t.” Has he moved closer? “You did say something about werewolves, and that I was a two-point-five, so I suppose we could call a foul. But I thought we both wanted what happened to happen.”
“We did. I did. You did?”
Elliot smiles. “I’d say that covers it. I’m hoping I, You and We might want to do it again.”
I’m about to answer when I hear, “Who wants the bear claw?”
Elliot flinches and takes a quick but subtle step back. Away from me.
Disappointment lands like a physical blow, but I manage to keep my feet. For a second there, I thought I’d been wrong.
“I want it.” I turn on my bare heel and walk swiftly toward the kitchen, hands outstretched in hunger. “Gimme. Gimme. Gimme.”
Rue and Adria think I’m brilliant, and even Joan smiles, but Tani tsks and tries to take my prize away. “A princess doesn’t beg. No tiara for you.”
“Good thing you are what you eat.” I snag the bear claw, taking a giant, growling bite that has the Adria cackling in delight.
Rue, on the other hand, looks worried. “They never beg? Not even if they’re really hungry?”
“A princess doesn’t need to beg. They simply have to ask for what they want in no uncertain terms. Allow me to demonstrate.” She heads toward the box and looks at me with one hand out, palm up.
“Jelly me, if you please.”
“Yes, princess.”
Did I mention? I’m so damn glad she’s here.
Chapter Twelve
Joey
There’s a motorcycle where Derek should be.
I know I sent him my schedule. I check for a text message, but there’s nothing from him saying he’s been delayed. Since he doesn’t seem the type to trade in the new SUV for a ball-shaking midlife crisis machine, I’m thinking he must be stuck in traffic. I should call him.
“Can I help you with something, Mr. Redmond?”
I look up from my phone in time to see Mr. Gordon striding around the corner toward his concierge desk, his arms full of…
Baby?
“Who’s your new assistant?” I smirk, charmed by the infant’s pink cheeks and duck pajamas. “Another family member? I met your niece the other night.”
During the elevator escapade I’m not thinking about.
“So I heard. I apologize for the inconvenience. I wasn’t aware of the issue until Mr. Ransom discussed it with me. It won’t happen again.” He smiles down at the fascinated baby. “This is Kay. She belongs to a lovely young couple on the third floor, and at the moment, I’m the only one she’ll stop crying for. I think she likes looking at my glasses.”
Well who doesn’t?
“She must be using a lot of power.” Do I sound casual? “The woman on the fourth floor, I mean.”
He hums noncommittally and my shoulders droop. “You’re wondering where your driver is, I assume.”
Psychic wizard. “I am.”
“Ms. Chahal left with him in quite a hurry after informing me that you had the day off.”
“What?”
The baby startles and Mr. Gordon raises a reproachful brow.
“Sorry.”
“She left you a note.”
“A note?”
He adjusts Kay in his arms and retrieves it from the papers on his desk, handing it off without a word.
Relax. Please.
My phone is dead to you for the day.
You know who I’ll call if you show up to the office.
Love you, T-Diddy
P.S. Maybe you should talk to him.
“We’re partners,” I say out loud in a quieter, but no less irritated tone. “She’s not the boss or anything. She can’t steal Derek and order me to take the day off whenever she feels like it.”
He gives me another look over his sparkling glasses.
“Well, she can’t.” I grumble.
Oh, but we all know she can. And she will rat you out to Matilda without an ounce of guilt.
Maybe she’s sick of my moping. We’ve spent the last two days glued to each other’s sides, fellow travelers on the commiseration riverboat. Next stop: Denial.
We went to Bellamy House, hired her an assistant and someone to handle our in-office scheduling for prospective clients. We even accepted an invitation to a Finn Again/Wayne mash-up dinner.
That was a highlight. Those families almost put mine to shame, size-wise. From the way Tani was smiling, she now has a few stories of her own, though I’m still recovering from the warning looks Calamity was sending my way. She was not shy about reminding me to keep my mouth shut about our wild night and Shelley Wayne’s appearance.