Page 33 of The Best Bad Decision

About what?

“I have no responsibilities for you any longer. That’s for the baby’s father to handle.” I wanted to make it clear I hadn’t gotten her in that situation. “We’re getting divorced and the main reason is that I’m not that baby’s father.”

I should not have to remind her about that every time we met.

Shaking her head again, she sighed. “I don’t know what you’re thinking sometimes. First this and then that…well…”

Letting the pause drag out, she frowned and finally turned away in what she probably thought was a dramatic exit. When Valerie was finally in the elevators and heading down to the lobby, I turned back to the receptionist. “I have no idea what you were told, but thank you for not letting her back.”

“No problem.” The woman with the alphabet soup name shrugged. “I was given a good rundown of who to let in and who to keep out. I’ve also got good instincts.”

Somehow she looked sixteen but sounded forty.

“She’s got crazy eyes. My third stepmother had them too.” The way she shook her head finally helped snap into place who she was.

Her father ran the firm.

Great.

Oh.

She was from his second marriage…and the name was starting to make sense. Her mother had been the trendy one who’d opened a yoga studio and invested in a children’s bookstore if I was remembering right.

“You are correct.” And I probably still had some explaining to do. “She is my soon-to-be ex-wife and is under the delusion that I will take care of her affair baby since she’s ready to play house again.”

Alphabet Soup woman barely held back a laugh. “Some people just aren’t living in reality.”

Wasn’t that the truth.

“I think I should introduce myself just in case.” Holding out my hand, I did my best to give her a polite smile even though I’d just had to air out my dirty laundry. “Atlee.”

“Cordelia.” Her lips twitched as she glanced over at her name plate, so I could only assume my face had given something away. “You’re not going to try to make sense of the spelling.”

Well, at least she understood the problem.

I’d hoped that by the time I’d made it back to my office Brandon would’ve wandered off but I wasn’t lucky enough for that. He was relaxing on my couch and looking a bit like he should’ve had a beer in his hands. “Are you avoiding going home?”

“No.” The way he rolled his eyes as I went over to my desk made the answer more believable. “My wonderful wife is visiting her family, so I’m simply in no rush to head home.”

Why?

“What did you do?”

It was a reasonable question but it got another dramatic expression from the troublemaker. “My honey-do list is as long as my arm but I only have to work on it when I’m home.”

That was a loophole he’d only be able to use once.

“Don’t do anything stupid on your road to being useless while your wife is gone.” He wasn’t the type to cheat no matter how clueless he seemed to be about women, but he was the type to book a last-minute vacation to the other side of the world.

Sometimes he made a lot of work for himself on his road to be lazy.

Brandon waved his hand, clearly unworried. “It’ll be fine. I’ve got days left before she comes home.”

That was so ridiculous I didn’t bother responding to it.

“What did Valerie want?” Brandon’s change of subject wasn’t a surprise. He was too nosy to let it go. “How is your divorce not done yet?”

“Because she’s lost her mind.” Being polite hadn’t helped, so I was going to try being more honest as I doublechecked the material I’d been working on for the meeting coming up shortly. “She seems to think I’m going to step up and play dad for the baby.”