“Do you like my daddy?” The question comes out of nowhere.
“Yes, of course I like your daddy. I also like you and your grandma and Phil,” I say, hoping I’m not confusing her in what way I mean.
“Do you love my daddy?” She doesn’t look up from brushing her doll’s hair.
I don’t know what to say here. I certainly don’t want to confuse her. Mr. Hayes made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t want her confused about my role in this family.
“Well, sweetie, I wouldn’t say that, but he loves you very much.” I try to steer the conversation in a different direction.
“I think Daddy loves you.”
My heart feels like it just dropped into my ass.
“No, sweetie. Your daddy doesn’t love me. Me and your daddy are friends and I love you very much.”
“Are you and Daddy going to be kissing friends?”
Oh my God, what did she see? Panic grips me.
“Uh, why would you ask that, sweetie?”
She looks up at me and shrugs. “Cuz I—I want you to be together.”
She says it so matter-of-factly it really concerns me. I feel like I’ve gone out of my way to never give her the impression that there’s anything going on between her dad and me. And when things did happen between us, she wasn’t even home.
“I think Daddy loves you. He talks about you all the time,” she says dramatically.
“Daddy doesn’t love me—he talks about me?” I’m intrigued.
“Mm-hmm.” She keeps brushing her doll’s hair. I reach out and put my hand over the doll, and she looks up at me.
“What does he say?” I know this is a slippery slope I’m going down but it’s too late.
“He asked me if you had a boyfriend.”
“When?”
“Last night. He read me my book and he kept asking about you.” She picks her doll up and places it against the wall with the others before grabbing another one and bringing it over. She sits back down and begins to brush this one’s hair now.
“Did he say anything else?” I feel like an asshole interrogating a five-year-old and now that I think about it, I’m not sure how accurate information is from a five-year-old, but I’m desperate to know more.
She shakes her head no. “He just asks if you, if you—” She loses her train of thought briefly. “If you talk about him.”
I cover my mouth to hide my smile.
Holy shit… Mr. Graham Hayes totally has a crush on me and I know his secret.
16
GRAHAM
“I just don’t trust her, sir.”
I glance up from my iPad where I’ve been attempting to read the same article for the last fifteen minutes.
“Based on?” I take a sip of my espresso and double-check the time. It’s almost seven forty-five a.m. I know Eleanor is most likely awake now, and she and Margot will be coming downstairs for breakfast soon. I’m not trying to ignore her; quite the opposite actually, but I don’t trust that I’ll be able to not grab her and kiss her, whoever is around be damned.
“She just seems deceptive, like she’s up to something.”
Her tone is that sickly-sweet one she uses with me when she wants something. She thinks I haven’t caught on, like she actually has some sort of sway over me because of our one night of indiscretion years ago.
I don’t know what’s gotten into her lately now that I think of it. Every chance she gets she complains about Margot. She’s either doing something wrong, letting Eleanor be too loud, too energetic, too… anything. It’s annoying frankly and I’m about at my limit. I get it takes time adjusting to someone new underfoot in the workplace, but for fuck’s sake, it’s been months now.
“I can’t go off a hunch here, Miss Perry. If you have a genuine concern, back it up with proof, then let me know, and I’ll look into it. Otherwise, please try to get along with her. She’s good for Eleanor.”
Phil steps into the kitchen and points to his watch. “Be right there, Phil.” I nod and stand up. I close my iPad and place my demitasse cup in the sink.
“I think she’s trying to seduce you,” she says finally and it stops me in my tracks.
I can’t help it, I let out a loud laugh.
Oh, Miss Perry, if you only knew.
I turn and walk back over to her, thinking before I speak because what I want to tell her is to mind her goddamn business. I want to remind her about what she did.
I stupidly made the mistake of a lifetime about six months after Meredith passed. It was late. I had been drinking heavily and I was completely overcome with my emotions. Miss Perry came into my office and saw the state I was in and she seduced me. Yes, I could and should have said no, but she saw an opportunity. She saw a broken, grieving man and she took advantage.
“I’m only going to say this one time. Don’t pretend to know what is going on in my personal life and don’t try to gate-keep me or my emotions or my potential with someone else. I am your boss, Miss Perry.” I wave my finger. “Nothing more.”
She stiffens and offers a clipped nod before I turn and follow Phil out to my waiting car to head to work.
“We have a bet going.”
What is with people today? It’s not even nine thirty a.m. yet and already Garrett and Todd, his little minion that’s always by his side like a damn remora always looking for leftovers, are bursting into my office unannounced.
“Which one of you will be fired first?” I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Who can get your nanny’s number first?” Garrett laughs and elbows Todd.
Not this shit again.
“I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting her when she came by the office or at the charity event, but I saw her. I was actually coming over to introduce myself when you whisked her away from Garrett.”
“Yeah, what was that about anyway?” Garrett asks, taking a seat on my couch while Todd hovers.
“Don’t you boys have some financials to be focused on?”
“We are actually heading out to go meet with the board in a few,” Todd replies.
I’m so not in the mood today. I’m already having an impossible time focusing on work because all I can think about is tasting Margot again. The sounds she made when I made her come have been on repeat in my head since Saturday night. I purposely made sure I played a full eighteen rounds of golf on Sunday so I wouldn’t end up with a chapped dick from jerking off so much.
“And you thought you’d come by and what? Ask me for her number or an introduction? Garrett, we’ve been through this. I’m sure Nadine, your fiancée”—I enunciate the word slowly—“wouldn’t appreciate that.”
“Hey.” He crosses one leg over his knee as he makes himself more comfortable on my sofa. “I’m not acting on it. Just a friendly wager between men to see which of us she would choose.”
They both laugh and I stand up, anger coursing through my veins.
“So you don’t actually give a fuck that she’s a human with feelings? You’ll what? Get her number, then never call her? Lead her on? Make her think there’s potential and then just ghost her?” My voice is getting louder and their laughs quickly turn into shock.