Page 16 of Even if It Hurts

My lips had been parted to respond with something along the lines ofthat isn’t your call, but I pressed them together and forced myself to take a steeling breath because Ada wasn’t entirely wrong.

I could barely make myself look at Kaia, and even if I could, I didn’t know how to take care of a kid anymore. Six of us hadn’t even been able to get her to stop crying.

Still, I shouldn’t have been surprised. It was just such an Ada thing to do—interfering in everyone’s lives and mothering us and my company as if it were hers to do with as she wanted. Honestly, it was a miracle she hadn’t gone behind my back to hire her replacement yet.

“You can’t hire someonefor me, Ada,” I finally said, subtly reminding her of her position. “Especially for something like this—for a baby I only have temporary custody of. We need to hold interviews and run background checks. We need?—”

“No need,” Ada said dismissively. “If you trust me, you’ll trust her.” Just as a bemused laugh started building in my chest, she added, “It’s my great-niece.”

“Even worse.” At Ada’s surprised look, I explained, “I’m not giving handouts to a teenager whose main concern is the latest social media trend. Does she even know how—” I faltered as Ithought of what people needed to know when looking after a baby.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but she just received her master’s in early childhood education, so she’s perfect for this,” Ada said with that intimidating look from earlier. “And she’ll be here any minute.”

As if our conversation conjured Ada’s great-niece, adingsounded that indicated someone had just arrived on the elevator.

Considering I hadn’t approved anyone to be let up, my eyes narrowed on Ada in time to see the victorious smile spreading across her face. “If you don’t fire her, I will.”

“Oh,” she began with a click of her tongue, shaking her head in feigned sadness as she backed away, “no...no, you won’t.”

I watched Ada shuffle across the open space, my irritation growing the closer she got to the closed-off foyer.

I didn’t hire family—Ada knew that. My team knew that. Even when my brother had been clean for two years straight and had begged me for a job, I’d helped him find work somewhere else. Things got messy when family worked together, and I hated any kind of mess—physical, emotional, and metaphorical.

Which meant the current state of my apartment had me feeling like bugs were crawling under my skin.

“What’s happening?” Rush asked as he made his way back to where I stood, his eyes trained on where Ada’s excited voice could somehow be heard over the screaming.

“She hired her great-niece to be Kaia’s nanny,” I explained as my phone began vibrating.

An amused huff punched from Rush. “And you’re okay with that?”

I slanted an answering glare at him as I reached for the device in my pocket. “I don’t hire family.”

Even though Rush was already aware of that, he considered the words for less than a second before countering, “Ada’s been trying to retire for at least six months.”

“No,” I mumbled.

“If you let her, that’ll take care of the wholefamilything.”

“No,” I repeated more firmly.

This week was stressful enough; I didn’t need the reminder that Ada was actively pushing for me to find her replacement. For as much as she enjoyed tormenting me, I trusted her. There were few people I could say that about, and every one of them worked for me.

That didn’t mean she could step into my role and hire someone.

Glancing at the screen of my phone, my body went still when I realized the social worker was calling. “I gotta take this,” I muttered, then gestured toward the front of my apartment. “Fire the girl.”

“Mr. Briggs,” the social worker began once I was back in my office and had answered the call, “in these types of extreme scenarios, I like to check in after a day to see how everyone is getting settled. From the sound of it, it seems like things are going well.”

I rubbed at my jaw at the dry sarcasm dripping through the phone and forced myself to take a deep breath before responding. “Babies cry.”

“I’m aware, Mr. Briggs.”

“We’re doing fine,” I finally answered. “Just getting adjusted.”

She hummed doubtfully. “And what about your schedule?” she asked after a moment. “You mentioned that was something you’d need to figure out. Have you looked into childcare yet?” When I didn’t immediately answer, she made a sound that wasas disapproving as it was expectant. “I see...Mr. Briggs, I’m not sure you understand the gravity of the situation?—”

“Ma’am, I’m gonna stop you before you can keep tapping on that tablet of yours,” I said over her. “I haven’t slept most of this week. Kaia hasn’t slept since she arrived. You’re the fifth call I’ve had in the last hour, and Kaia’s potential nanny just arrived, so I need to go meet her.”

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