Page 33 of Taming the Boss

“Not a teddy,” I supplied. “Care Bears aren’t the same.”

“What the f—” Jude broke off before he swore, and then he blew out a breath as he looked toward the ceiling. “What the hell is the difference?”

“Care Bears are a branded teddy that kids love. It used to be super popular in like my mom’s generation but it’s had a recent resurgence.”

“Your mom’s generation?”

I nodded vigorously. “Regular teddies can be lame. I mean, not to me, I used to love them, but some kids can’t be bothered. How do you feel about regular teddy bears, Owen?”

Indecision crossed his face, and somehow, I just knew he was going to say he didn’t have one. Maybe he’d never had one, for all I knew. “I don’t know,” he said in a pathetically small voice.

Suddenly, though this kid most likely had access to ten times the money I did, I wanted to buy him two of everything he’d ever wanted.

“Your dad didn’t get you one?” I asked pointedly, sliding Jude a sidelong look. Only to see him staring down at my hand as if he’d just realized he was no longer holding it.

Owen shook his head.

“Your mom, either?”

Another head shake, this one even more forlorn. “She’s gone now. I don’t know where.”

Nope, three of everything with a bonus one besides.

“What do you sleep with?”

Owen shrugged. “Nothing?”

The question mark at the end somehow broke my heart a little bit more. How did these people not understand a child needed toys to keep away monsters while he slept? Wasn’t that one of the basics?

“Do these questions have a point besides how many failures as a parent can Jude rack up or…?”

“When you know better, you do better. That’s learning 101.”

“Gee, thanks for the vote of support.”

“We can fix it,” I said gently.

“Pfft.”

“Trust me, Jude. I can handle all of this.” Even you.

I rubbed his forearm, unsurprised that it was brutally tense. I had a feeling that the fact he’d shed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to reveal his muscled forearms was unusual enough.

But hey, it was in the eighties outside. He could afford to take a load off. Also, his forearms were freaking hot.

Since when were forearms a sexy part on a guy? Apparently, Jude checked all the boxes on sexiness, along with not understanding that little kids needed toys.

“I do trust you somehow.” He expelled a long breath. “We can’t leave here to complete this steadily growing list of errands until I check some of your references. It’s imperative.”

“Oh, well, if it’s imperative, by all means then.” I couldn’t seem to stop myself from teasing him. “Make it easy on yourself and call the police station. Talk to Officer Christian Masterson. You remember him, right?”

“Busted taillight. I sure do.”

I nodded. “He’ll tell all the news that’s fit to print.”

“But he’s your brother.”

“Even so, he’s a hard a—uh, behind cop. He wouldn’t lie for me. Trust me on that one.”

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