Page 2 of A Baby Surprise For My Billionaire Boss

“Your boyfriend?”

“Yeah. I really am sorry about this.” She hesitated. “You know, if Charlie wants to see me again sometime…”

“I don’t think that would be such a good idea,” Eli said. “I think that would be confusing for him. If you’re leaving now, that’s going to have to be the end of your relationship with one another.”

“All right,” Katie said. “I understand.”

“You can walk away from him that easily?”

Katie gave him a look. “Nothing about this is easy,” she said. “I care about that kid. But he’s not my child. If you want to judge someone for being away from him, take a look in the mirror.”

Eli was about to object to her saying that, but she held up a hand. “Don’t bother,” she said. “I don’t work for you anymore. And you’re right. It’s not my concern anymore. But you should at least try to hear it.”

“If that’s all you have to say to me, I think you should go.”

“I think I should,” Katie said. She picked up a backpack that Eli hadn’t noticed at first and slung it over her shoulder. “Thanks, Eli,” she said. “It was good while it lasted.”

He wanted to call after her, to tell her that she shouldn’t depend on a good recommendation from him if she wanted a reference for her next job — but he couldn’t lie. She had been good at what she did. That was why she would be so sorely missed. He might not like the way things were ending for them — he hated the way things were ending, as a matter of fact — but that didn’t erase six months of great childcare, or the relationship she had had with Charlie.

Speaking of whom…

“Dad?”

Eli turned and saw his six-year-old son standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Charlie was the spitting image of his mother — blond, blue-eyed, with dimples when he smiled, which he wasn’t doing now.

“Is Katie gone?” he asked.

“Yeah, bud. She’s gone.”

“Oh.”

“Are you okay?”

“I thought she might change her mind,” Charlie said. “She told me she still liked me.”

“Of course she still likes you,” Eli assured his son. “You know that’s not why she left, don’t you?”

“She said she couldn’t work here anymore and that she was sad about it.”

“Yeah, that’s about right.”

“Did you fire her?”

“No, no, I didn’t fire her.” Eli went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of orange juice. He poured two glasses and put one of them on the table.

Charlie climbed up into his usual chair and took a sip. “Can I have cookies too?”

“It’s a little late for cookies.”

“I know, but please?”

“Okay, just this once.” Eli went to the cupboard, only realizing once he was halfway there that he didn’t actually know whetherthey had cookies. Ordering groceries had been one of Katie’s responsibilities, and she had always done a good job, but he left the weekly treats up to her discretion. He didn’t know what they might have.

He was in luck, though — an unopened bag of chocolate chip cookies was at the front of the cupboard. Eli pulled it down, took out two cookies, thought for a moment, and then added a third.

Charlie brightened up at the sight of them. “Katie only ever lets me have two,” he said.

“Well, we could each use a treat tonight, I think.” Eli kind of wished his treat could have taken the form of a splash of vodka in his orange juice, but he never drank while he was in charge of Charlie. Now that there was no nanny on duty, he knew the time wasn’t right for a drink. He grabbed himself a couple of cookies instead.

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