by Elsie Davis
Melanie came down the hall and joined them.
“Good—” April started to say before the doorbell cut her off. Fiddlesticks. “Can you keep an eye on your sister? That’s our breakfast arriving.”
“Fine. As long as she doesn’t cry. I’m so tired. She kicked me a couple times last night in her sleep, and I kept waking up.” Melanie ruffled the girls head. “Stinker.”
“Sorry, honey.” The doorbell buzzed again.
She peeked through the keyhole, spied Ted on the other side, and opened the door to let him in.
“Good morning.” The always-upbeat and happy guy pushed a cart full of groceries through the door with the energy of someone who’d been up for hours.
“Hey, Ted. Am I ever glad to see you.” She helped him unload the bags to the kitchen counter. “This is a lot of food. Surely Garrett didn’t order all this. The man has limited knowledge of kids, and I can’t imagine he would think of half of these things,” April said, as she pulled some of the groceries out of the bag. All the essentials plus quite a few kid favorites.
“You’re right. His list was about five items.” Ted shot her a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me look. “This is the modified list my wife sent me when I explained what was going on and where I was headed.”
“Tell her I said thanks. Garrett is clueless at this point.” April put the groceries away as they talked, leaving out food for breakfast.
“He’ll figure it out. Everyone does.” Ted seemed sure of his opinion.
April disagreed. Garrett didn’t seem to have any natural paternal instincts, and she wasn’t sure that would change, although, for the children’s sake, she hoped it would. “You have great faith in him.”
Ted nodded. “He’s always had faith in me. Got me this job and gave me a chance to prove I was better than I thought I was. Turns out, he was right. I’m not sure where I’d be today if it weren’t for him.” Maybe there was hope for Garrett yet.
Ted was leaving as Wade and Rufus stepped off the elevator and headed down the hall toward them.
“Not much room on the complex grassy area for Rufus, but he eventually figured things out. He’s a big dog for this building.” He handed her the leash.
“Tell me about it. He’s a big dog no matter where he’s at. Thanks for taking care of him. See you at six.” April pulled him toward her. “Sit, Rufus.” The dog sat, surprising her. Maybe there was hope for more than one overgrown male in the house. The two men discussed a problem with one of the other tenants before Wade left and Ted turned back her way.
“Here, I made you an extra key card for the suite.” He handed her a scan card similar to the one Garrett used.
“Perfect. I think Garrett forgot I might actually need to leave this place on occasion.” By the end of the day, they probably would want out. There was one gigantic problem with that though, April wasn’t comfortable strolling down the streets of the city with three kids without a clue where she was headed. They needed Garrett, but unfortunately, his note said he wouldn’t be home until late.
“I’m surprised. He’s normally on top of everything and all into details.” Ted was a hardcore fan of Garrett’s. Much the same as Brooke.
“Well, these are extenuating circumstances, so I’ll cut him some slack.” Three kids and a giant dog were more than extenuating circumstances. They were like a tornado blowing into his life. Garrett might need help figuring things out, and while she was still in town, April decided it was up to her to make sure it happened.
“Let me know if you need anything else. I can be reached by calling 2616 on the house phone. If I’m not there, Bill should be at the desk covering for me.”
After he left, April fixed the kids scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. They were hungry enough that no one objected to turning off the TV to come to the table.
“When you finish, can you put your bowls in the sink? And be sure to rinse them out.”
“Yes, ma’am,” they both answered, their mouths full. She’d let that slide considering the ma’am part. Everything was peaceful for the moment, making it the perfect time for April to unpack. Even the dog had finished his dish of food and lay quietly by the window.
“Bryan, keep an eye on your sister, please. I’m going to unpack and change.”
“Okay.” He shrugged. Must be a kid thing nowadays, all the shrugging. Kid language for I will, but I don’t want to.
“Thanks.” April headed for Garrett’s room and tossed her suitcase on the bed. After pulling everything out, she glanced around, trying to decide where to put her stuff. On top of the dresser would be the easiest, but it would appear messy, and messy wasn’t something Garrett handled well.
The solution was to consolidate some of his stuff to make room for hers. She didn’t want to overstep her boundaries, but it was the only possible option. He told her to make herself comfortable, and she was going to be here for two weeks.
That decided, she pulled open the top drawer. Neat rows of black socks folded in half lined the bottom of the drawer. She pulled open the next drawer to discover his boxers, again all neatly folded and stacked, and all blue. No spice or excitement whatsoever. It felt odd touching his boxers, almost intimate, but it was just to move them. She stacked them with the socks and pulled open the next three drawers, looking for ways to consolidate his things and make her some room.
She’d have to tell Garrett, or he’d think there was an underwear thief in his house. Or worse, he’d see her undergarments in the drawer. April couldn’t fight back the laughter, picturing his face.
After she finished and got dressed, she headed down the hall to check on the kids. She fully expected them to be glued to the TV, but they weren’t in the living room. She glanced in the kitchen and didn’t find them there, either. Picking up her pace, she pushed open Bryan’s bedroom door and was relieved when she spotted them each playing, each doing their own thing.
An alert sounded off in April’s head. They were too quiet, and they were together yet playing apart. Odd. “Is everything okay?” Things had gone well all morning, but this… She had a bad feeling.
The two older kids glanced at each other, a silent look passing between them.
“Everything’s fine.” It was Bryan who answered.
There was something wrong, and it was up to her to figure out what. She’d like to think they were wonderful kids, and this was just the way they were. Perfect. But they were kids, and perfect was nowhere to be found in the definition of a kid in the dictionary.
April headed back into the living room and then into the kitchen and then to the bathroom, trying to find something out of place or broken. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her paranoia was a well-developed instinct born of years of experience, but for once, her instinct was wrong.
She was there to find the kids a nanny and a housekeeper, but she’d also made it her personal mission to help Garrett connect with the kids before she left. And that meant keeping the peace and keeping his house in one piece.
Chapter Nine
Garrett was the first one to the office. Always. And today was no exception. April could take care of the kids, and he got to do his job. It was a perfect setup, and one he wished could continue for at least the tenth time. The kids adored her. A lot. And she had a way with them that seemed to bring out the best in their behavior. Not that they were angels. But somehow, she always managed to bring peace to those around her.
It was a peacefulness he’d looked forward to sharing with her last night, but she’d turned down his offer. It was better this way. She was leaving, and it would better for everyone concerned if they didn’t get too attached to having her around. Including him.
He shoved aside thoughts of April and the kids and directed his focus on the file he needed to review. The Baden-Hamilton deal was a merger worth close to ten million dollars, and the attorney fees were nothing to blink at, as well as the continued exposure for their partnership.
The closing was fast approaching, and everything had to perfect.
He’d been hard at it for over two hours when Brooke wandered in his office.
“Good morning, Garrett. I trust you survived the night seeing as you’re here.” She placed a fresh cup of coffee on his desk.
“I did at that. Barely. Listen, I’m sorry I snapped at you yesterday, but as you can tell, I have a lot going on. I appreciated the extra effort to make me comfortable when I got home. I hope the dog didn’t ruin your shirt. Send me a bill if he did.” Brooke excelled at what she did when she wasn’t overstepping her boundaries, and he didn’t want to lose her. Finding a secretary that met his standards hadn’t been easy.
Brooke moved around the desk to stand next to him. “You know me better than that. It takes more than that to put me off. It was terrifying at first, but once you took control of the situation, I wasn’t worried.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Garrett leaned back in his chair, putting more space between them.
“Speaking of control, whatever are you going to do? You always claimed you’re not a family man, and here you are with a family. A large family. And a dog.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest and settled in, intent on getting the story.
“My mother adopted them and made me their legal guardian in the event anything happened to her. Something happened, and now they are my responsibility. Honestly, I’m not sure what I’m doing, just taking it one day at a time. I’m not exactly in a position to raise three kids full-time.”
Brooke nodded, her eyes wide and bright. “There are several top-notch boarding schools in the country, quite a few right here in the Northeast. They wouldn’t be far away, but they would be taken care of. And as you say, in their situation, it might be best for them. Boarding school would offer them stability, something you wouldn’t be able to give them with the hours you put in at the office every day. Their life would be in turmoil with the constant rush of getting places to make it all work. As would yours.” She braced herself against the desk, leaning in toward him.
“Boarding school. I hadn’t thought of that as an option.” April had mentioned school, but that wasn’t until after Labor Day, so he had time to make decisions. Up until now, he’d only considered public and private schools. He also realized that decision would be driven by who April found to help him with the kids, and to what extent they would run them around.
“It’s a great idea. Can you do me a favor and check around and find out which school is the best and get me the literature on it. I know this is on the personal side of things, but I’m in a bind and need help. I’d want all the facts before I make any decision regarding their future.” The kids might hate it at first, but right now, it was a promising option. Hopefully, April would find him an incredible nanny-housekeeper who didn’t mind the role of chauffeur added on. And even then, the idea of coming home to chaos every night wasn’t appealing.
Brooke beamed. “I’d be more than happy to help. You and I are way past the just-business side of things.” Her words were yet another red flag he needed to heed. The last thing he wanted to do was give Brooke the wrong impression because although he valued her as an employee, there was nothing else between them, nor would there be. She wasn’t his type of woman at all. If he wanted a relationship, which he didn’t, April was far more to his liking. Fresh and honest.
“I’ll have something on your desk by the end of today or tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
Brooke started for the door but stopped and turned back. “While I’m at it, do you want me to find a home for the dog? He is over-the-top for your place, and no client would be comfortable with that monster in residence.”
“He’s a Saint Bernard, not a monster.” Not that Garrett hadn’t secretly thought the same thing on a few prior occasions.
“Either way, he’s too big, too hairy, too much. He’s got to go.” She nodded, emphasizing she was right. It was a technique he used on clients to get them to agree when they were on the fence about something. But he wasn’t on the fence.
Garrett frowned and shook his head. “The kids would never forgive me.”
“They’ll be in boarding school and would never know.” She had a point, but the idea didn’t sit well. Something else he would have to think about. But not now.
“I’ll take your advice under consideration.” Brooke was a woman, and her logic sounded right—boarding school might be better for the children. But he wouldn’t make any decisions until he found out more about the schools. It was a huge step, no matter which way he decided.
Brooke was suddenly all smiles again. It wasn’t as though he was asking her to watch the kids here at the office, so her single-minded intensity to send them and the dog away was confusing. But then women generally were.
Brooke flipped her hair back off her face and reached out to touch his hand. “I’ll get right on it and take care of everything, just like I always do.”
“Great. Thanks.” Garrett pulled back and picked up the file in front of him. “I’ve got to get back to this file.” His message was clear, and Brooke was quick to catch on. He took a deep breath, wondering what to do about her ever-growing and more personal attention without making her mad enough to leave.
He forced himself to concentrate on the file. He read each detail, categorizing them. The details were his friend—but only if he could pay attention and didn’t keep getting sidetracked when he logged the information into his brain.
Ten minutes later, his office door opened again.
“Brooke, I’m really—” He broke off what he was saying when he looked up and noticed it was Jim.
“Last time I checked, I didn’t look like a woman.” Jim grinned. “Nice to see you back in the office. Everything okay?” He crossed the room to the coffee pot and helped himself to a cup. By this time, Garrett was on his fourth cup, and Jim was usually just getting started.
“It did. And you don’t look like a woman. I was knee-deep in the Baden-Hamilton merger. We should be closing on the deal soon.”
“Any problems?” Jim stopped tapping the sugar packet to glance over at him.
“None. I’m just going over the last-minute details to make sure. You know me.” Jim was the worrier of the two, and Garrett was into the details. Between the two of them, they got everything successfully.
“I do. We have a lot of hours and money tied up in this deal, so I’m hoping it closes soon.”
“Stop worrying. It will be fine.” Garrett was quick to reassure him. Jim’s worry level would be high right about now since Garrett had been out of the office a couple of days.
“So, Mr. Detail Man, any reason you haven’t told your partner you’re a new daddy?” Jim crossed the room and sat down in the leather chair in front of his desk.
“Let me guess? Brooke.”
Jim nodded. “You guessed it.”
“This is the first I’ve seen you. It’s not as though I had a baby and have been passing out cigars and skipped you over.” Garrett chuckled. He would have loved to see Jim’s face when he heard the news.
“No, you have triplets from what I hear.”
Garrett coughed, choking on a sip of coffee and Jim’s proclamation.
“You heard wrong. They’re three, seven, and nine.”
“That’s not much different.” Jim’s matter-of-fact reply was not much different than what Garrett had been thinking all along. Three kids were triple trouble no matter ages.
Jim leaned forward in his seat. “Three is three. But having to find out from Brooke, that’s not right.” His friend shook his head and settled back in the chair.
“Brooke knew because she was at my house when we arrived in New York. Not the best moment in history. The dog jumped her.” It was wrong, but Garrett couldn’t fight the grin.
Jim started laughing. “She obviously wasn’t hurt, but now I understand why she was talking about the hairy beast you need to get rid of. He obviously scared her.”
“A hairy beast is an understatement, and she and Rufus are not on speaking terms. But the dog
stays.” Garrett joined in the laughter.
“Why was Brooke at your house?” Jim’s direct question caught him off guard.
“I don’t know. She said to chill some wine or something to that effect.” Garrett shrugged, knowing Jim would think he was crazy. His partner had warned him on at least two occasions that his secretary had designs on more than just her secretarial duties.
“Word to the wise—”
“Say no more. Brooke’s overstepping her bounds, but there’s nothing between us, I promise you.”
“Keep it that way. Business ethics. Personal ethics. And common sense.” Jim stood and headed for the door.
“I’ll get my key back.”
“I think that would be best given the circumstances.” Jim waved as he left.
The rest of the day, Garrett stayed focused, with only a few interruptions by Brooke, including when she brought him lunch. He was starting to feel caught up on his files and emails. He leaned back in his seat and glanced at his watch, surprised to realize how late it was. Brooke had left hours ago, and he needed to do the same.
He couldn’t help but wonder if April would wait up for him or would escape to the safety of her room and avoid him. Because whether they wanted to admit it or not, there was an attraction between them. It just remained to be seen what they did about it.
Garrett arrived back home ready to unwind; hopeful April was still awake. He was pleased when he spotted her on the sofa, a glass of wine in one hand as she flipped through the DVD case with the other.
She looked up, the delight on her face when she spotted him not something Garrett remembered experiencing before. This coming home to someone and liking it.
“You’re home. It was getting late, and I was beginning to think you were going to sleep at the office.” Her dimpled grin kept the comment light and teasing and in no way a reprimand. He hadn’t been sure what to expect, all things considered, but her response was more than satisfying.
He left his briefcase by the front door. Morning was just around the corner, and he’d be back at the office soon. “It wouldn’t be the first time, but no, not tonight. I’m surprised you’re still awake. I was beginning to think you were the early-to-bed, early-to-rise kind of person considering what time you went to bed last night.”