Daddy Boss

by Claire Bishop

  “I have to give a lot of credit to my sister, but it wasn’t easy. Seeing her struggle through life as a single mother is what confirmed my choice. I love Belle more than possibly anything else in life now, but I couldn’t stand her until a little over a year ago,” Everly admitted.

  I closed my mouth, deciding against telling her at that moment. I didn’t want to ruin anything, at least, not yet.

  “I understand.” I nodded. “That choice isn’t an easy one to make.”

  “I’m sorry, I told myself I wasn’t going to bring that up again.” Everly shook her head, and our waiter arrived with our wine. He poured our glasses, and we made a toast to Everly’s new position as my chef.

  “Your menu this week was wonderful,” I said. “I’m looking forward to next week’s.”

  “I’ve been working on it, actually. I have a few surprises planned.”

  “Oh?” I smirked and leaned forward. “I rather like surprises.”

  She brushed a stray hair behind her ear, and the small movement instantly turned me on. I shifted in my seat, staring at the curl behind her ear, and her cheeks flushed as she considered my statement.

  “I’ll remember that,” she said, her voice low and sultry. I nearly sighed; she was flirting with me as well.

  Before the appetizer round began, our waiter placed a cheese selection platter on the table and introduced each one to us. Small pieces of bread accompanied them, and Everly and I took turns testing each one.

  “You were right,” Everly said. “This is giving me inspiration for future menus.”

  “I’m glad I could help,” I said. “It’s about the most I could do with my poor cooking skills.” I sounded silly, and I knew I shouldn’t be adding to the lie, but I couldn’t help it. Everly seemed to enjoy poking fun at my failures.

  “You’re not that bad,” she offered, but a slight chuckle gave her modesty away.

  Our waiter brought our appetizer, the first of three, and explained to us that the tiny sample-sized meal was Alaskan sablefish with baby bok choy and coconut curry broth. It took less than two bites to finish it, and Everly and I shared our appreciation. Every moan of satisfaction from her sweet mouth stirred deep in my blood.

  We had finished our first glass of wine by the time the third appetizer was delivered; smoked Rohan duck with Fuji apples and celery root.

  “Why is it so pleasurable?” Everly closed her eyes and swallowed the last bite. She tilted her head back and arched her back, and the moan that escaped her lips made me grip the stem of my wine glass tightly. “Should food be this pleasurable?”

  “You’d be surprised at what food is capable of,” I said. Everly opened her eyes and looked at me, and we shared a moment of desire. Her cheeks were flushed with the warmth of wine, and her lips stained with red. I wondered how they would taste.

  A movement caught the corner of my eye, and I turned to glance at a couple walking toward us. An older woman with dark hair and gray eyes, and a man who looked like me, but had blue eyes and was older.

  “Oh no,” I said, and Everly frowned at my sudden change of mood.

  “What?”

  “My parents,” I said a brief prayer, and it was answered as they were brought to a different table. But Everly apparently recognized them, and she seemed far more interested than I was.

  “We should bring some chairs,” she said and waved until my mother noticed us. “There’s plenty of room.”

  “Everly, no,” I urged, but it was too late. My parents were already ordering the hostess to add chairs to our table, and they greeted us warmly.

  “Maddox, honey!” I stood, hugged my mother, and shook my father’s hand. “You didn’t tell me you were eating here tonight!”

  “He’s clearly on a date, sweetheart,” my father said. At least he seemed to be sorry for the interruption.

  “A date?” My mom gasped and turned toward Everly. Her short hair was curled perfectly, and she wore a conservative black dress with a strand of pearls on her neck.

  “Yes, Mother. This is Everly. Everly, this is Maxine, my mother, and Darrell, my father.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Everly shook both of their hands. The hostess helped set our table up for four, and they were brought their appetizers swiftly.

  “How did you two meet?” Mother asked. I had our waiter refill my wine quickly.

  “It’s a funny story,” Everly started, and I realized she was planning on telling my parents that I hired her to teach me how to cook.

  “She was at the Children’s Foundation Fundraiser,” I said. “A date with Everly was auctioned off, and there was absolutely no way I was going to have anyone else win that.”

  I shot Everly a quick look without my parents noticing, and she must have recognized the desperation.

  “How romantic!” Mother gushed. She was far too giddy for my liking, but it wasn’t surprising. She had always been a hopeless romantic, playing matchmaker to her friends. She had wanted me to settle down and find a mother for Abby for years now. “Oh, that just reminds me of how we met.” She glanced at my father and dove into their story.

  Every time she opened her mouth, I was prepared for her to mention Abby, but it didn’t seem as if she was planning on bringing her up. Maybe she understood that children weren’t a good conversation for a simple date, and Father didn’t seem too invested in anything we had to say. He nodded at the appropriate times and offered enough polite chat to seem respectful.

  “That’s a wonderful story,” Everly said.

  “It is, isn’t it? Perfect to pass onto our grandchildren.”

  I choked on my wine as Everly frowned, but it was that moment that a miracle happened, and our entree was served. The plating was so gorgeous that it somehow distracted Mother long enough to forget the current topic, and I mentioned to her that Everly had a passion for the arts.

  “Oh! What shows have you gone to this year?” Mother asked, and Everly blushed as she admitted she hadn’t had the time to attend any.

  “I would have liked to see “Evita” the most,” Everly said.

  “Well, we’re not only patrons of the theater, but we also have a box reserved for each showing. If you find the time, you must come with us. Just let Maddox know, and he’ll set it up,” Mother said, and Everly’s jaw nearly dropped.

  I chuckled. Mother basically set up a future date for me.

  Everly and Mother bonded over the theater throughout dinner, and by the time the dessert was served, a Peruvian chocolate crunch with a hazelnut mousse, they seemed like best friends.

  “Abby’s first show was “Wicked,” Mother said, and I paled.

  “Mother, would you like another refill?” I asked as she finished her wine.

  “I’m good, Maddox.” She waved me off. “Oh, she was so wonderful and well behaved! Dressed to the nines, and barely over a year old, she was. Does she still have that dress, Maddox? The one with the pearl set?”

  Everly stared at me.

  “Abby?” she mouthed.

  “I have pictures, actually!” Mother retrieved her phone from her purse and unlocked it. She opened her gallery and showed Everly as she flipped through nearly 100 photos of Abby, “This was just after Maddox first brought her home to us,” Mother said. “I always thought I couldn’t love anyone more than my own son, but at that moment, when I saw those big beautiful eyes, I knew I was capable of so much more love.”

  I saw the moment Everly realized the important of mother’s words.

  “Abby,” Everly said and glanced at me. “Maddox’s daughter, of course. She’s beautiful.” She was nothing but polite to my mother, and her eyes revealed it all to me.

  I bit my lip and leaned back in my chair. I was screwed.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Everly

  “She’s beautiful,” I said as Maddox’s mother showed me the rest of the photos. There was something familiar about her. The little girl really was beautiful, with giant blue eyes and fair hair, and his mother had c
learly assumed I already knew of her, so there wasn’t much I was capable of other than playing along.

  The pictures ranged from one year to three years, and in that short amount of time, it was obvious that this little girl had experienced more in life than I ever would. Trips to the Bahamas, vacations in Italy, a weekend getaway in Paris. Maxine spent 10 minutes describing their last visit to Hawaii in detail, how Abby, at two, had swum in shallow water with a dolphin. I gripped the edge of the table at that one. A 2-year-old playing with dolphins. What a daring adventure.

  “He got lucky with that one,” Maxine said and dropped her phone in her purse. “She loves seeing musicals as well; you should go together. There’s nothing better than watching the reflection of a story in a child’s eyes.”

  I smiled politely and nodded, fighting the urge to suggest that watching the play with your own eyes would be better. Maddox looked downright distraught on the opposite end; his face was pale, and he flinched every time his mother opened her mouth. I noticed his father, Darrell, speaking in hushed tones with Maddox as we finished our dessert, which left me to keep Maxine company.

  Our wine was refilled, and Maxine took the opportunity to replace hers with a cocktail. I followed suit, needing something stronger to silence the constant echo in my mind.

  Maddox had a child. A little girl, just two years younger than Belle. I remembered hating Belle at that age, and could only assume that Abby was just as bratty, and worse, high maintenance. It would be nearly impossible to not grow up spoiled in a family like hers.

  “We have to do this again,” Maxine said, as she stood from the table.

  “Thank you for joining us,” I said when it became obvious that Maddox wasn’t going to thank her.

  “Oh, of course. It was such a pleasure meeting you.” Maxine pulled me into a hug, and Darrell shook my hand.

  “Call your mother more often,” she said as she hugged Maddox. He promised he would call her the next day, and I could only imagine what an earful he’d give her. He shared a very brief goodbye with his father as I smiled and nodded, unsure of what to say or do. They exited first, with us trailing behind.

  “Your parents are nice,” I said as we waited on the valet. Maddox’s eyes were still dilated, and it was obvious that we both were struggling with words.

  “Yeah.” He swallowed. “They know how to entertain an audience.”

  “I guess that’s where you learned it,” I offered, and he nodded.

  The valet was taking a little longer than usual, and the silence between us was beginning to stretch out longer than I liked.

  “Look, I’m really sorry about what I said,” I blurted out. “I had no idea, and I never would have even mentioned children had I known.”

  His car arrived, and he didn’t speak until we were pulling out of the restaurant’s street.

  “I should apologize,” he said at last. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I didn’t want you to think this was anything serious, at least, not yet. And I haven’t been on a date since Abby came into my life, so I didn’t even know how to tell you.”

  I contemplated his words.

  “Do you have her full time?” I asked.

  “Yeah, my friend watches her during work hours, but I can take off as much time as I need.”

  We fell into an awkward silence.

  “She doesn’t even look like you,” I said.

  “Thank goodness.” He chuckled, and the thick atmosphere lightened up. “But no, she really doesn’t. She actually looks more like Nick, my friend.”

  Something dawned on me.

  “She was at the fundraiser,” I said. “With the guy with the long blond hair.”

  “Nick.” Maddox nodded. “That’s them.”

  “Is she a handful? I remember when Belle that was age. God, I just wanted to kick her.”

  He laughed. “Abby can be pretty bad. She’s a little parrot right now, repeats everything she hears. I have to keep reminding Nick about that. It’s not good when your 3-year-old runs around the grocery store cursing up and down like a sailor.”

  “Belle did that too,” I said. “Lacey washed her mouth out with soap, and that stopped it pretty early on.”

  “That actually works?” he asked. “Seems a bit much for a curse word.”

  “Oh, you didn’t hear the words Belle repeated,” I said. “Lacey loves reading, well, adult erotica and sometimes reads passages aloud when she thinks Belle’s sleeping. I think I learned a few things from the kid.”

  “I guess we all make mistakes,” he said as he pulled up to my apartment. “I’ll walk you up.”

  We made polite conversation as we climbed the stairs, but Maddox wasn’t nearly as affectionate or flirty as he had been earlier. I supposed there was no coming back from my comments, and in all honesty, I couldn’t blame him.

  I thanked him for walking me up, and slipped my key into the lock of my door, preparing for the inevitable. He’d let me go, say he was sorry, and wish me the best in my future endeavors. It was odd, I mused; I’d never been fired at the end of a date before. Because that’s what this was, right? A date with my employer?

  “I’ll see you on Monday,” he said after a moment of silence. I blinked, unsure if I heard him correctly.

  “Yeah, of course. Thank you for dinner,” I said, and we exchanged a pleasant goodbye.

  I changed into a more comfortable outfit, but I wasn’t ready to call it a night. I glanced out of the window on the other side of my apartment and caught a glimpse of him driving away.

  Guilt was eating me alive. I had basically told a single father that having children wasn’t worth it, and that children didn’t belong in this world. That, and I condemned divorced couples. Of course, he’s divorced. I should have figured that an attractive man in his mid to late 30s had been married at least once. I realized then that I didn’t know much about Maddox. Maybe he’d been married several times? Abby was only three years old, so there was a possibility that he hadn’t been single for long. He also didn’t even mention the mother once on the drive home. Was the scar too new?

  I groaned, feeling like complete shit. He had every right to hate me, and even more to fire me.

  I knew if I ended the night like this I would stew over my emotions and pull my hair out, so I slipped on a pair of boots and a coat and drove to Lacey’s.

  Unlike her, I didn’t have a copy of her house key, and it took nearly 15 minutes of ringing her phone for her to finally answer the door.

  “Belle’s asleep,” she said, as she let me in.

  “Don’t lie; you were sleeping, too.” I gestured at her pajamas and messy hair. She shrugged and yawned.

  She followed me to the kitchen. “Maybe. What’s the matter?”

  “Oh, Lace.” I pulled out a bottle of wine, poured a glass, and finished it in one chug. Lacey’s eyebrows raised.

  “Looks like I’m going to need one too,” she said. She took her own long stem from the cabinet and poured herself a glass.

  “His parents showed up to dinner, and we ended up having a weird double date,” I said, and Lacey grimaced. I had no other way to describe it, but disastrous came to mind.

  “That would ruin the mood for anyone,” she said, and I shook my head.

  “It wasn’t bad, but during dessert, his mom started showing me pictures of a 3-year-old girl. His 3-year-old girl, Lacey. A daughter.”

  Lacey gasped and quickly refilled both of our glasses.

  “He has a daughter,” she repeated. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive, we talked about it a little in the car afterward,” I said.

  “Oh, Everly, after everything you said about children.” She shook her head and pushed the tall decanter my way. “You can have the bottle.”

  “I was planning on it,” I groaned. “He has to hate me.” Each word I’d uttered was like a slap across my memory, a twisting knife of guilt in my gut.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t know. Was he hiding her the entire week?” she as
ked, and I tilted my head.

  “That’s a good point,” I said. I couldn’t believe he’d hid her for so long. “He has full custody, but she wasn’t ever there during dinner. Actually, there’s not a single sign of a child in his entire mansion.”

  “Everly, it’s time you started looking for another job,” Lacey said. “This is way too complicated for you.”

  “He hasn’t fired me,” I said. I couldn’t give up or walk out on my job. It wasn’t an option. Besides, I really didn’t want to leave Maddox just yet.

  “But he could at any moment. Really, you need to start applying or try and get your job at Saint Padres back. He’s just some guy, Everly. This is your future we’re talking about.”

  I finished my glass. “Yeah,” I said, pretending to agree.

  But I wasn’t entirely sure if he was just some guy anymore, or if he was something more. I knew in my bones that my feelings were stirred.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Maddox

  I woke to an entirely empty house the next morning. It was a lazy morning, and I took my time climbing out of bed and dressing for the day. The previous night played in my mind like a movie, Everly’s curves silhouetted in the light, her seductive smile, a teasing, flirty glance between us. And then the bad parts repeated themselves. My parents walking toward us, Everly making room at the table. Everly’s face as my mother showed her pictures of Abby.

  The shock had been apparent, the first moment of confusion as her eyebrows furrowed and she mouthed Abby’s name to me, framed like a question. She had played along, leaving such an impression on my mother that she left me countless voicemails and texts telling me to marry Everly as soon as possible. She thought Everly was a suitable mother for Abby. I almost laughed. If only she knew the truth.

  I hadn’t expected Everly to want to come back to work, but she hadn’t argued when I mentioned that I would see her on Monday. I still expected a formal text thanking me for the opportunity but politely stating she had found another position and couldn’t work for me anymore, but the text never arrived.

  Instead, I could only assume that there was still a part of Everly that was interested. What exactly she was interested in was still a mystery.