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“Oh, okay. I’m glad you’re back. Me and Dada missed you. Can I pick out a story after my snack?” she asked.
“Of course. What about the one about the big bear who keeps hiding behind the tree?”
“Hmm, I want the one about the unicorn because it’s got a rainbow on the cover.”
“Okay. Go and take your shoes and socks off and wash your hands while I get your snack. Then we can dive in!”
“We’re not going swimming in the book, silly.” She laughed as she skipped to her bedroom.
When she came back, I asked her a question. “How do you know your dada missed me?”
“He told me, and he told me he loves you more than the whole world.”
“That much? Really?”
“Yep. He thinks you’re a good girl like me!”
I tried not to gasp. It was the sweetest thing I’d ever heard. They both deserved to know about the baby. I needed to tell him soon. I felt more secure now after hearing her words. Alexis was great at telling the truth. The only time she ever told untruths was during story time, which was needed of course. What a beautiful thing to hear from the gorgeous Alexis. Wow.
We spent the afternoon laughing at Boris the unicorn. He was the clumsiest unicorn on earth. He would walk into doors and get his hooves stuck in potholes and drawers. He had to get help from a clever wizard. He was given the opportunity to be changed into a myriad of different creatures, ones that were half and half, like a butterfly-bee or a rhino-elephant or even a moth-horse. But he wasn’t very keen on those ideas. He just wanted to be Boris, minus the clumsiness.
Alexis and I laughed like hyenas when the wizard did a spell that swapped them. His brain went into Boris’s and Boris’s brain went into Midar’s. The wizard became frustrated with the whole situation and ended up realizing that Boris’s horn was crooked and fixed it using a big spell. They swapped back, and they lived happily ever after like all unicorns and wizards should.
I put Alexis to bed after a big roast dinner. I placed Damon’s portion in the refrigerator because he was working late. I missed him, and I wanted to wait up, but I found myself falling asleep in the guest room. I was exhausted.
Chapter 27
Damon
I got home late. The client from Vancouver was picky about all the details. He liked to think about everything I said before he went to the next question, taking notes as he went. He asked about Chan and a myriad of other clients who’d also hopped on the bandwagon. He liked to watch sports, so I spent the evening watching a Laker’s game and eating takeout with him in the boardroom. I wasn’t keen on doing it, but Derringer had his hands full with other clients.
I managed to answer all the questions he threw my way. I was glad I could set him straight on a few ridiculous ideas he’d heard through the Fortune 500 grapevine. Other companies loved to gossip about great companies, including ours. He was kind and friendly and warmed up to me like we were old friends. It made me think of Eric and how I needed to see him soon. He needed me, and I needed him, but we’d both been so busy lately.
When I finally got home at eleven, I found Alexis and Karly asleep. Karly had settled into the guest room, and she looked like an angel as she slept. She’d been under the covers, but they’d slipped off, so I gently pulled the covers back over her. Alexis and Clara were dreaming about something eventful. The words “dragon” and “fairy princess” were called out in a dream.
I sat and spent time on the couch for a while, a glass of Shiraz in one hand and nothing much left in my brain to muddle through. I was exhausted from the evening; the client load had been monumental. I was proud of my staff, who’d handled the workload extremely well. I had a laugh to myself about Rhonda and how pissed she got when I called her Ronnie. I didn’t mean to do it. It just rolled off the tongue better when I was in a crazy hurry. She was flustered most days lately, with the new girl driving her crazy, asking her five billion questions a day.
I’d finished the week off by sending money-bonus emails to all my staff. I’d also made a roster giving them all a few Mondays off throughout the next year. I got so many happy emails back, and they promised to work even harder, knowing I would always reward them exceptionally well. I was a fair CEO, and I liked to give rewards when they were due. Our company was going to the moon, and they were all going to come with me if I had anything to say about it.
