Page 30 of A Baby Surprise For My Billionaire Boss

“Maybe Maddie could be my skateboard teacher.”

“Maybe,” Eli agreed, but that wasn’t what he was thinking. Instead, he was envisioning her as a ballet teacher, a horde of little kids positioned around her as she corrected their technique and helped them to get their spins and twirls just right.

She would be good at it, he realized. She wasn’t just a remarkable dancer. She had a gift for guiding children as well. And on the heels of that realization came another one — he wanted to help her. He wanted to assist her in realizing her dream.

Whether she would let him do that was another question — but he was determined, all of a sudden, to try.

After everything she had already done for him, and for Charlie, it felt as if that was the very least he could do for her in return.

Eli’s resolve to help Maddie open a dance studio was put to the test just hours later as the three of them walked home.

“Come check this out,” Maddie said, turning down an unfamiliar street.

“Home is the other way.” Eli pointed.

“I know,” she said. “But this won’t take long. We’re only two blocks away.”

“Two blocks away from what? I don’t even know this part of town,” he objected. “Where are we going?”

“I’ll show you when we get there!”

“I want to see.” Charlie took off trotting after Maddie. Eli sighed and followed. He wasn’t fond of surprises. That was how they had ended up at the skate park in the first place, and though it had turned out to be a very good time, he still wasn’t sure about the wisdom of encouraging Charlie to take up such a dangerous sport.

But there was nothing dangerous about walking a few blocks together. This was a nice part of town, very commercial. He caught up with his son and took his hand, and Charlie beamed up at him.

It occurred to Eli to wonder at what age little boys stopped liking it when their fathers took their hands in public. He was pleased and grateful to realize that he hadn’t missed out on those years completely.

Maddie had stopped before what looked like an empty storefront. “Here,” she said in a blissful tone that didn’t match the moment at all, as far as Eli could tell.

He frowned. “What exactly are we looking at?”

“Yeah, what are we looking at?” Charlie chimed in. “It looks like a big empty building.”

“That’s what it is now. That’s what it’s been for about a year. But I’ve had my eye on it. If I had my way, I’d lease it tomorrow.”

“For your dance studio,” Eli realized.

“It’s perfect. The size, the location — I can even imagine how I would remodel it. The barre would go along that wall.” She pointed.

“What’s stopping you from moving forward?”

“Money, of course.” She laughed.

“Have you looked into the cost?”

“I can’t even afford rent on a one-bedroom apartment. No way I could afford this.” She sighed. “It’s a pipe dream, unfortunately. But it’s one I can’t help indulging from time to time. Thanks for swinging by to look at it with me.”

“I like it,” Charlie said loyally, and Maddie smiled at him.

They started for home, and Eli couldn’t help noticing that Maddie didn’t look over her shoulder at the studio — or rather, the space she imagined as a studio — a single time. She had indulged in her daydream, but now she was back to living in reality.

And he tore his eyes from the sway of her hips and the curve of her long neck, knowing that he needed to do the same.

It was fun — no, it wasblissful— to imagine what might be with Maddie if nothing stood in their way. But the fact of the matter was that she was his employee. He had a responsibility. The line between the two of them was firm, and Eli knew it could never be crossed.

CHAPTER 12

ELI

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