Page 4 of Maid in Heaven

Will Jessup stood in the doorway, waving apologetically in his police uniform, biceps bulging from beneath the tight fabric. “Sorry. Can I borrow you for a quick second?”

Ava squelched an internal scream and turned back to the camera. “Don, this is my…cousin. He thinks he’s a police officer. He’snot well.Would you please excuse me for a moment?”

“Certainly,” Donald said, face frozen in a bemused expression.

Ava grabbed Will’s arm and walked him back down the hall to the living room.

“Ow!” Will hissed. “You have a grip like agorilla.”

“I said no interruptions! What thehell?”

“I need cleaning supplies to tackle that kitchen.”

“What?! What kind of maid doesn’t have his own cleaning supplies?”

“Did you see me walk in with anything?” he asked sarcastically. “Rich women pay me to clean their homes. They provide the cleaning products. It’s written on my website and on the contract.”

“I didn’t see your website!” Ava huffed. She looked around and rubbed her forehead anxiously. “Everything you need is in the cabinet near the base of the fridge. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to talk a man out of backing out of a multi-million-dollar deal. I need tofocus. If I lose this client—”

“Yes, ma’am!”

His response only further infuriated the already frazzled Ava. “Go!”

Will disappeared down the hall, handcuff chains jingling against his tight buns. Ava rechecked herself, straightening her pink pajama bottoms in an effort to salvage her image. As she feigned confidence, she strode back to her office and shut the door.

She gracefully took a seat. “So sorry for the interruption, Don.”

“It’sDonald,” he corrected.

“Of course.” She bit down hard, pretending to smile again. “My apologies. Now, I’m sureyou have more questions, and I want to make certain that I answer all of them for you.”

“I want to talk about my shares.”

Ava knew it was coming. She clenched her hand into a fist beneath her desk. “Yes, you understandably seem as though you may have some reservations regarding the compensation.”

“Your company seems to be all about the bottom line. A business like mine took alifetimeto build. It’s mylegacy.”

“I understand that, Mr. Breckin—”

“Do you have children, Mrs. Quinn?”

“It’sMs. Quinn,actually.” It had suddenly become painful for her to smile at the thought of her official title reverting. “And, no, I don’t.”

“Neither do I, Ms. Quinn. This company is all I have. I’m giving my baby to you, so to speak.” Don sat back in his seat. It groaned beneath his weight.

Ava gripped the arms of her chair so hard she feared one might shear off, but her forced, pleasant smile washed across her face. “Well, you’re notgivingit to us. It’s an eleven-million-dollar buyout. Your legacy will live on, and we will expand into all new territories with it. That said, if you have an issue with your compensation, I’m happy to discuss it further.”

The words came out more curt than she had intended. His previous comment about childrenhad knocked her off-kilter. Now, she was having difficulty righting herself again.

“It’s not so much anissueas it is a generous offer to assist in these matters. I imagine a little lady like you would want to know if you’re making a mistake or missing out on opportunities to make more money. And those additional profits would trickle down to what we’ll call mycompensation.”

Eleven-and-a-half-million. You’re set for life, you idiot.

She nodded casually. “Let me talk about that with the higher-ups and get back to you.”

“Yeah, go ask the big dogs. I’m sure the other men will agree.”

Ava felt rage bubble inside her and wanted to end the conversation as calmly as possible. “Well, Donald, as always, I appreciate any and all of your suggestions and am happy to field any more questions you have at a later date.”

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