Page 110 of Square Deal

I pulled out my phone and sent out marching orders.

I left Hannah alone, changed out of my suit, and hung it up in her closet. My packing habits for Beaufort had changed drastically since the first night I spent with her. I was no longer concerned with my image or where I’d need to be seen. Instead, I planned for lazy mornings and lounging around.

Padding downstairs, I took stock of the refrigerator and pantry. She was on top of things as usual.

There was a plate of Christmas cookies on the island. She’d replaced her ridiculous bowl of lemons with a large vase filled with pinecones, cranberries, and mistletoe.

The house was warm and inviting. I imagined her throwing holiday parties and having friends over constantly. She was a hostess at heart, but serving everyone else and running herself ragged took a toll.

I tossed the gift I had gotten her under the tree beside a lone box. The tag hadIsaacwritten in perfect calligraphy. I was half tempted to sneak a peek while she was otherwise occupied, but decided against it.

I fucking loved presents. I loved giving them, and I loved getting them.

My family wasn’t big on Christmas. There was no need to exchange gifts when we could all buy whatever we wanted any time of the year. But that wasn’t the point.

I loved seeing the look on Luca’s, Spenser’s or Alice’s face when I got them a little something that made me think of them. Until Hannah, they were some of the only people I could count on. It kept me grateful for everything they did for me.

I could only hope Hannah had people in her life who were grateful for her existence. From the look of things at poker night, she was surrounded.

I walked back upstairs and pulled Hannah out of the nowlukewarm water, bundling her up into a soft towel. Her skin was rosy from the steam, and her eyes were heavy. She had thick lashes that I could have sworn were fake. But, to my surprise, they were very real.

She looked damn good like this. Wet hair, no makeup, and snuggled up against me. I kissed her forehead.

“You probably shouldn’t stay here,” she coughed. “I don’t want to get you sick.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“Isaac—”

I wasn’t hearing it. Hannah could pout and protest all she wanted, but I could pin her down if necessary.

“Have you eaten?”

“You sound like Maddie,” she mumbled.

“That wasn’t an answer.”

Hannah shook her head listlessly and cringed.

“Headache?”

She nodded.

“Sleep,” I ordered as I laid her down on the bed—towels and all—and pulled the covers over her.

“I was trying to, but some jackass billionaire nearly broke my door down and then threw me in a bathtub.”

One sneeze from death, and she was still snarky. I gave her ass a pinch through the layers of blankets. “You sleep well, Princess. The house of petty says hello.”

The doorbell rang as I padded back down the stairs. I pulled the grocery bags off the porch and thanked my lucky stars that Spenser’s superpowers extended to making grocery deliveries happen on Christmas Eve from six hundred miles away.

I didn’t know who he called or how he made it happen, but I would kiss the man’s feet. Not wasting any time, I went to work.

An hour passed, and I heard Hannah stir. Quiet footsteps came down the stairs, and I grabbed a dish towel to wipe my hands.

The little klepto had stolen a t-shirt out of my suitcase. It hung loosely off of her thin frame. Her hair was dried in every direction. Hannah Jane was the most adorable tumbleweed I had ever seen.

She rubbed her eyes and blinked. Once, and then twice. “What—what did you do?”

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