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Chapter 1
Damon
“It’s okay, sweetie. Dada just needs to make a call. Go and find something for show and tell for kindergarten. There’s still half an hour before Bron will take you.”
“But, Dada, Bronnie needs to curl my hair like how Mama’s was.”
I looked at my daughter’s gorgeous face and then at the time. Twenty past seven. Fuck. Twenty minutes late and no text or call.
“I’ll make you a deal, Alexis. Dada will come and curl your hair after a phone call.”
“A teeny, tiny phone call or a long elephant trunk one?” She giggled as she used her right hand to become an elephant. Then, like clockwork, her beautiful eyes rolled, and she took Clara, her favorite ragdoll, to the bedroom.
I texted her again. Bron, where are you? I have a huge meeting this morning with a top client. I stared at the phone like it was going to do as I wanted. I wanted to force it into submission—somehow.
I looked at it again as if it could sense my needs. “Just give me an answer as to why my ridiculously paid nanny isn’t here already like she goddamn well should be, beaming a huge smile and letting me go manage the company that hired me to be the CEO at age twenty-nine. Christ, I haven’t got time for this BS. I need to be at work by eight thirty, goddammit!”
I watched as Miss Six came in to greet me again. “Dada, I put the curly wurly on ready to do my hair. It’s nearly time to do it. This is your warning so I don’t have to give you a timeout for being late. And Clara said she needs curls too.”
I smiled, glad she hadn’t heard my rant. “Be there in a teeny, tiny minute, cutie pie.”
She looked at me and stomped her foot in protest. “Don’t call me that, Dada, I’m a big girl now, silly!”
I watched her skip back to her room as I dialed Bronwyn. I liked to call people by their complete first name when I was pissed at them. It rang out again, going to voice mail, and I realized I was up shit creek without a paddle. I dialed the office and that rang out too. Shit!
“Dada!” said Alexis in her high-pitched squeal.
“Coming, squirrel.”
I walked into her room. Clara was on the bed wearing her full-time smile with her stringy orange hair ready to be pretend curled. This would be fun, beautifying a ragdoll while Mr. Chan was on his way to the office from his flight from Shanghai.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that Dada naughty mouth.”
“Oh, yes, thank you. Sometimes, I accidentally let my mouth say a naughty word. I don’t think Clara heard, though, do you?” I whispered, hoping I wasn’t going to be in real ragdoll trouble.
“Ah-ha, she absolutely did! And now she isn’t getting curls done by you. She doesn’t like you until later on. But I do. I forgive you, Dada. Mama in heaven forgives you too.”
I tried not to let tears well up in my eyes. My wife would have been so proud of her. Alexis had her mother’s long, raven hair. I missed her mother terribly, and it was painful when I saw her in Alexis.
I began the curls, accepting that I was going to have to get Rhonda to reschedule Mr. Chan until tomorrow. I’d have to send him a nice gift basket and a spa at Cerro’s to keep him happy for the time being.
God, I could have murdered Bron. How was this even possible? I’d gone through what was supposed to be the top fucking agency for nannies, and I’d paid top dollar to get someone honest, reliable, and on time. It was just bullshit. Penny had been better. I just couldn’t keep changing nannies. Alexis needed someone she could trust.
“That’s enough curls, Dada. I don’t want to look like Shirley Temple.”
I laughed at her words. “Shirley Temple is from a long time ago. Who told you about her?”
“Penny! She knows about everythink.”
“Everything, you mean.”
“No, everythink.”
“Okay, well, I think you need to pick out your clothes now. You have eighteen minutes to get ready.”
“Okay. Clara is still mad at you, but she’ll help me.”
I walked out of the bedroom, smiling at Alexis’s cute, made-up word. Then my cell rang, and I ran to pick it up. “God, Bron, finally. Where the heck are you?” I refrained from using other words, mostly because Alexis might’ve heard them.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Jacobs, but I need to sort things out right now.”
I ignored her words. “When can you get here?”
“I can’t. I’m out of state, not in Manhattan. I’m desperately sorry.”
“As in on vacation?” My heart sank to the depths of my stomach.
“No. I’ve flown to Seattle to be with my mom. She’s got some health issues right now.” I heard a sigh. “It’s not great news.”
