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That one gave her the biggest pang. Granted, there’d been many times over the years when Colleen would’ve cheerfully sold Connor to the gypsies (and had, in fact, put him up for adoption when they were twelve and he announced the fact of her period in the cafeteria). When their parents went through their ugly, horrible, terrible divorce, she and Connor had become closer than ever. They often called or texted each other simultaneously. Saw each other every day.
It was strange, thinking of her twin married, a dad. She certainly wanted him happy, of course she did. It was just that she always pictured it in the happy, sunny future, in which she would have a great spouse and adorable tots.
But that picture always held a dreamlike quality, the image overexposed, as if the sun shone too brightly, and her husband’s face was blurred.
Once, she’d known exactly who the face belonged to, and it hadn’t been blurry at all.
CHAPTER TWO
“MOMMYSAYSYOU’REemotionally shut down.” The voice came from the child standing in the doorway of Lucas Campbell’s office at Forbes Properties. A female child of the smallish variety. One of his four nieces, specifically.
“That’s adorable. I thought I banned you from visiting me,” Lucas said. He pressed the intercom to his assistant. “Susan, please call Security and have my niece escorted from the building.”
“She’s five years old,” Susan said.
“Have them send a team.”
Chloe grinned, flashing the gaping hole in her teeth. Too soon for dentures, probably. “Mommy says you’re constibladed.”
“I’d have to agree,” Susan said, then clicked off.
He leveled a stare at his niece. “The word isconstipated. If you’re going to talk about me, you need to up your game. Why are you here? Didn’t I pay you not to bother me?”
“I spent your money.”
“So?”
“So give me more.” The kid had the soul of a Beverly Hills trophy wife. She skipped over to him and climbed onto his lap.
“Don’t think this show of affection will win you any points,” he grumbled.
“What are you looking at?” Chloe said, settling back against him.
“Mr. Forbes is building a new skyscraper,” he said.
“I want to live in the penthouse.”
“You’re broke. And you have no earning potential, I might point out. You can’t even drive. Not very well, anyway.” This earned a giggle, and Lucas smiled into his niece’s hair.
“Is that a princess you have there?” came a voice.
“Hi, Frank!” Chloe scrambled off Lucas’s lap and charged into Frank Forbes’s legs. “Uncle Lucas showed me your new skyscraper, and I want to live in the penthouse!”
Frank picked up Chloe and laughed. “Well, you can stay overnight before we sell it, how’s that? You and your sisters?”
“Hooray!”
“Little girl, whatever your name is, go see Susan and tell her to let you answer the phones,” Lucas said. “You can be her boss until your mom comes to get you.” Steph, Lucas’s older sister, worked in Accounting seven floors down, and often sent her youngest up to bother him. Chloe was in the after-care program that Forbes offered its employees. Cara, Tiffany and Mercedes—Chloe’s sisters—had all been in the same program, though they were now extremely mature at ages fourteen for the twins, and sixteen for Mercedes.
Chloe stampeded for the reception area, the promise of power the best bribe possible.
“When can we hire her?” Frank asked, sitting down in the leather chair in front of Lucas’s desk.
Lucas smiled and waited. Frank only came by to talk about one thing these days—why Lucas should stay with Forbes Properties and not leave, as he planned to, once the Cambria skyscraper was finished. But Lucas was done here, as grateful as he was. Frank Forbes, his boss and former father-in-law (and yes, a relation tothatForbes) had been good to him.
“I wish you’d stay, son,” he said, almost on cue. “There’s no need for you to leave.”
“Thank you. But I think it’s time. More than time.”
