Page 48 of Daddy's Unexpected Gift

“Delivery for Miss Harrison.”

“That’s me,” I said. The delivery guy didn’t look like mail delivery, and there were no flowers. “I wonder what I ordered. I buy so much stuff online, I forget. That ever happen to you?”

He handed over a zoo gift shop bag. “Not that kind of order. Have a good evening.”

I took the bag and closed the door. I carried the new present back to the bedroom and picked up the phone again. It rang three times.

“What did you send me?” I asked as I opened the bag.

“So you got it? Do you like it?” Sterling was laughing on the other end of the call.

I pulled a gorilla figurine out of the bag. It was made from recycled flip-flops in Africa. I had admired it the day of our zoo trip. There was something oddly adorable about it.

“You remembered,” I said. “Thank you. You shouldn’t have.”

“No, I should have. I should have that day.”

“Sterling…” I didn’t know what to say.

“Are you going to come back to us?” he asked. “And don’t say you can’t. I miss you. Georgie misses you.”

“I miss you too. But…”

“I know, I know, work. They don’t have to know. You are allowed to have a private life, aren’t you?”

I sighed. It felt like I wasn’t allowed to have the private life I wanted.

“Supposedly. But who has time, right?” I tried to joke.

“If we both happen to be at the same place at the same time, your job can’t fault you for that, can they?”

“What are you thinking about, Sterling?” I asked.

“Meet us someplace. This weekend. There’s a park. No one from your work will run into us there.” His voice was soothing and convincing. “Georgie would love to see you. She’s walking more. You know you want to see her.”

He knew what he was doing. He knew my weakness. I adored that child.

“Fine,” I acquiesced. “I’ll meet you. We can have a picnic. You’re bringing the food.”

“You’re a demanding woman.”

I laughed. I missed his sarcastic wit. “That’s part of the job. I have to tell you what to do because you don’t know anything.”

“I’m not your client anymore, remember?” he teased.

“Unfortunately. Thanks for the reminder.” I flopped back on my bed. “I don’t know if this is such a good idea.”

“You can’t back out on me now,” Sterling said. “You already agreed. You don’t want to break Georgie’s little heart.”

“She doesn’t know,” I said.

“Maybe not, but if she did. Everything will be fine, Cecelia.”

“What did you do today?” I didn’t want to focus on my paranoid concerns that Peggy was somehow following me.

“I found a nanny. At least I think I did. The first person the other agency sent over. And Georgie seems to like her. She’ll start part-time as soon as she passes a background check.”

“I thought nanny agencies already did all of that, you know, bonding and background checks,” I said.

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