Page 106 of The Show

I didn’t know. I didn’t care.

“Oh, is one of those for me?” she asked, looking at the coffee and then me, tipping her head to one side. “What?”

“Nothing. I’ve just never seen you look more beautiful. And I’m so fucking lucky.” I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her flush to my body, then bent and gently kissed her.

She smiled softly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I handed her one of the cups. “Are you ready, Mrs. Michaelson?”

“I sure am, Mr. Michaelson.” She picked up her bag from the kitchen counter and we walked out of her apartment together, holding hands.

I pressed the elevator button, and stepped in when the doors opened. “You know you don’t have to work in that office building; you have your own private office at the stadium.”

She nodded. “I know, but I need to concentrate today, and it’s a distraction being there sometimes.”

“A distraction? Don’t know why you’d think that.” I winked at her as the elevator reached the lobby floor. Nodding to the doorman, we stepped into the grey September morning, but before she could walk off, I wrapped one arm around her and pulled her to my side, “What time will you finish?”

She shrugged sadly. “I don’t know. I was supposed to meet Lauren for lunch today, but I guess that’s not happening so I’ll probably be done early.”

I stopped my jaw from grinding at the anger I had toward my sister; anger and annoyance, something I fully intended to have a little chat with her about.

I brushed a lone strand of hair away from Lowe’s eyes, wishing I could also brush away the sadness in them. “Don’t worry about her. She’s just being pissy but it won’t last, and you two will go back to being inseparable again.”

“Yeah, maybe,” she replied, though it wasn’t convincing, especially when her eyes glistened with tears again.

“Lowe, baby, I promise it’ll be okay.” I cupped her cheek, brushing my thumb across her soft skin. “I won’t come between you and Lauren.”

“I know.” She tipped her head up a little further and I met her with a kiss. Her mouth opened instinctively, and I swiped my tongue against hers, hot and sweet.

It was as I pulled back and pressed my lips to her temple that I noticed a lone figure walking in the opposite direction. From the way her coat had flicked it was clear she’d just turned around. I’d recognize that coat anywhere, mostly because when she’d bought it, I’d asked if she was auditioning for the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood and received a pinch on my arm in response. One I still had a mark from.

Lowe stepped back. “Okay, I’ll see you later. You’re giving Beulah a tour?”

“Yep. And a pop quiz,” I grinned, which made Lowe smile genuinely wide, and the tightness in my chest loosened a little. I smacked my lips to hers a final time. “Okay, Mrs. Michaelson, I’ll see you later, but I’ll probably call you in an hour just to check in.”

She rolled her eyes and walked off with a little backward wave. I stayed there watching until she was out of sight, then pulled out my phone and shot a text to Beulah letting her know I was going to be an hour later than planned.

Something else had taken priority as my first order of business, and I took off down the street at a determined pace.

It didn’t take me long to reach the children’s clinic, and I pushed open the doors with more force than I probably should have, seeing as several waiting parents all stared up at me. It had been a while since I’d visited Lauren here, mostly because the place was always teeming with sick kids, and never a good location to hang out. Plus, the décor was enough to give a person nightmares.

The receptionist behind the glass wasn’t one I recognized; her narrowed eyes and suspicious glare told me she had no idea who I was either.

“I’m here to see Doctor James,” I announced, giving her the name my sister used for all professional business matters so that she could never be accused of nepotism in the Shepherd Holdings health division. It wasn’t something I’d ever given a fuck about myself, seeing as I’d worked my ass off harder than most people I knew, so nepotism was disputable.

Not that it had got me anywhere.

“She’s busy all day,” the receptionist snapped. “I can offer you something two weeks from tomorrow.”

I gave her the smile which always got me exactly what I wanted, because I had no plans to come back two weeks from tomorrow.

“No, that won’t do. Can you tell her Penn Shepherd needs to see her, and I’ll wait all day if I have to?” I thumbed behind me, and prepared to hunker down. Knowing Lauren, she would make me wait all day. “I’ll be sitting down here.”

The chairs were so low and tiny I may as well have been on the floor. I took out my phone and began scrolling through my emails so I could concentrate on those instead of the circus clowns and animals painted all over the walls. I stopped at the first one which caught my attention - a reply from August Chase. I’d emailed him just before my ownership had been announced and asked if he would meet me, unfortunately it coincided with a long Yankees away stretch, so I’d neither heard back from him nor seen him. But The Yankees had lost their last two games, so I’d clearly piqued his interest. At least I assume that’s what I’d done because it was hard to tell when his response was one sentence long and only included a phone number and a time to call him tomorrow.

Still, it was better than nothing.

I’d managed to clear most of my inbox by the time I was finally called in to see Lauren. I pushed opened the door to find her sitting at her desk. In contrast to the reception area, Lauren’s office was tranquil and painted like a little forest with bunnies and butterflies, a stream and deer. In the corner, there was a playmat and a huge wicker basket filled with soft toys.

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