Page 32 of Off Limits (Alpha Billionaire)

“I was looking for you,” she said. “She wanted to chat. We chatted. I think you and I need to have our own chat after Max goes to bed tonight.”

“That sounds serious,” I said.

Jessica left the table and began pulling dishes from the cupboard, and then, utensils from a drawer. “Serious, yes, but nothing bad. Would you like me to take the soup to her?”

I glanced over at the bowls and spoons she had assembled. She stepped away and returned with a tray.

“I’ll take it,” I said. I loaded everything onto the tray. “Why don’t you two get us set up? We can eat in here.”

I carried the tray out of the kitchen and down the hall to Mother’s rooms.

“She’s resting,” Clara snarled when I knocked.

“I know. Jessica told me. Max and I got Chinese to-go. I brought soup and rice. There is a bowl here for you too.” I waited for Clara to open the door wider and let me in.

Instead, she pushed it open enough so that she could reach out and take the tray. “That woman was in here and kept your mother talking for far too long. You need to discuss boundaries with her.”

I was pretty certain that’s exactly what Jessica intended on talking to me about later.

Clara took the tray and closed the door in my face. The impertinence of the woman. When I returned to the kitchen, Jessica and Max had the table set and were sitting waiting for me. I had a plate with three crab Rangoons sitting on it. Everything else was still in its container.

I stared at the fried appetizer.

“I insisted that Max serve you an equal portion before he ate them all,” she said with a laugh.

“Did you get any?”

“He let me have two,” she said.

“Two? Why do I have three? Max, how many have you eaten?”

Max shrugged.

“There were nine left before I managed to set some aside for you.”

“But you only got two. What happened to your third piece?” I looked at Max. He was busy munching on the spring roll in his hand.

“Some mystery child named ‘I don’t know’ apparently snuck in and ate them,” Jessica said.

She began serving Max a giant spoonful of steamed rice before putting some onto her plate. She held the container out to me.

I lifted my plate and let her scoop some rice for me. “Take my extra one,” I said.

With delicate fingers, she plucked the food from my plate and popped it into her mouth.

Max kept us entertained as he told us all about the aquarium as if we hadn’t been there with him.

I was very aware that I had almost ruined the day with my outburst. I needed to make it up to Jessica. After dinner was over, I cleared the dishes and set everything aside for the kitchen staff as she and Max put the leftovers away.

I then scooped Max up and announced that I would take care of bath time.

“You know, that’s my job,” she joked.

After a bath and several stories, Max was asleep in his bed. I knocked lightly on Jessica’s door.

“Yeah,” she called out. She was sitting on her bed reading a book.

I pushed the door open. “You’re in the wrong bed,” I said.

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