Page 17 of The Bargain

He sighed again as if I was the most insufferable person he’d ever met, and in some ways, I was sure that I was. He was not the type of man to be questioned.

“Shopping,” he replied curtly. “I can’t have you dressed like a hobo or a whore in this house. We’ll go make you...at least, presentable.” He shook his head. “I must stay at the manor for a while instead of going back to Philadelphia, not something I had really planned, and some of my business partners may come here for meetings. I don’t need them questioning your presence after seeing your pauper-like looks.”

“But Timmy is sleeping.”

“Let him sleep, we’re not taking Timothy.”

“He has needs.” I looked down at the sleeping baby wistfully. “I can't leave him alone.”

“He won’t be alone. Well, the nanny won’t be here. She was the best money can buy, but she left yesterday. She said she’ll go to a house actually using her services.”

“I didn’t like her. She was too stern, too clinical. Timmy needs more.”

He shook his head as if I was a stubborn child. “He is not alone; he’ll be here with Mrs. James. She’s more than adequate for this.”

“It’s just-”

He raised his hand to stop me. “Are you going to tell me you took him to work?” He paled, genuine concern on his usual expressionless face. “You didn’t do yourthingwith him in the room, did you?”

I looked at him with incredulity. Was he serious? Was that really the opinion he had of me?

“No, I didn’t do mythingwith him in the room. I have not done my thing for a long, long time - way before Timmy was born. I worked at a cafe, and yes, I left him with a lovely neighbor, but we'd needed food, medication, and a roof over our heads. The needs had outweighed my desire to stay with him.”

“Yes, well, your desire to be presentable should do that as well.” He pressed a button and Mrs. James appeared. I was almost certain she’d heard the whole conversation. “Could you take care of the child for the next few hours? Ms. Collins and I have somewhere we need to be.”

“Of course.” She came toward me and gave me a lovely smile, a motherly one. It reminded me of Dee, making me a lot more confident about leaving Timmy with her.

“We won’t be too long,” I assured her as she took the carrier from me.

“Let’s go,” Dean commanded as soon as Mrs. James had Timmy. “I don’t have all day. And don’t forget this pale excuse of a jacket,” he added before turning around and exiting the room.

I met him in the corridor as he pulled on his grey wool-blend tailored overcoat.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Walnut Street.”

“In Philly?” I shook my head. Philly was the home to loads of luxe and fashion-forward brands and not a place I would shop, even if I didn't have to pay for it. “No. Do you have a phone? Can I borrow it?”

He looked at me with suspicion. “Don’t you have one?”

I waved my flip phone at him. “I need the internet.”

Sighing, he extended his unlocked phone. Of course, it was the latest iPhone.

“Let’s go to Oaks Mall. It’s only fifteen minutes away and has everything I need.”

“It’s…retail,” he said, his face morphing with disgust.

“And this is Goodwill. Anything new will be a step up!” I sighed. “Plus I'm not driving two hours to Philly and trust me when I say, brands are irrelevant. You can look glamorous in a ten dollars dress and you can look cheap in a thousand dollars dress.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll take your word for it since you know all about looking cheap,” he added before opening the door and folding himself into the car.

I almost smiled at that one. I'd given it to him and he'd gone straight for the throat. But all humor evaded me when I stepped outside, where the wind seemed to be even colder than before.

By the time I made it to the car, I was shivering.

He looked toward me. “Buckle up,” he ordered as he cranked up the heat. This little gesture, as small as it was, also warmed me inside. I snorted internally, annoyed at how that little act, him simply increasing the heat, was making me feel grateful.

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