Page 59 of The Workaholic Down the Hall

I full-out laughed at that. Noah had never had any trouble getting dates, but I think that had a lot more to do with his good looks than with his charm or romance. “You might want to practice in front of a mirror or go online for tips.”

“Har, har,” he said. “I'm not that bad.”

“How are you here, anyway?” I needed to change the subject before he started listing all the women he'd successfully gotten to go out with him. “Is Jill running the company?”

“We sold it. Alex Owings owns our hotels now.”

That shocked me so much, I almost dropped Sophie. What had he done? That company meant everything to him. My heart pounded with fear. “Oh, Noah, why? Please tell me you didn't do this for us.”

He leaned in close and stroked my cheek, his gray eyes warm with fondness. “Don't look so sad, Aubrey. I wasn't happy there and the company was on the verge of going under. I sold it for me and for Jill. I need to figure out what I really want, and Alex has what it takes to make the most of Dad's properties, the ones he keeps at least.”

“Alex Owings? I wouldn't trust him to take care of a plant I liked.”

Noah narrowed his eyes. “You worked for him, you know better than that.”

I shrugged. “He's good at his job, and he's magic for making money. He'll make whatever properties he doesn't sell into luxury destinations or at least popular destinations. I just thought you'd want someone who'd take the kind of care with the properties that your father did, who'd put some heart and soul into it, not just cold rationality.”

“Honestly,” he said. “He'll do what I didn't have the heart to do. He'll do what's necessary to make the properties worth saving profitable. Jill's working for him now, so she ought to keep him in line.”

I gasped. “Why would she work for him? Doesn't she hate him with every bit of polish in her manicure?”

“He made it part of the deal of the sale that Jill be his CFO. She insisted it would be fine, but I'm worried she's just saying that so I won't worry…”

“Then she'll quit,” I said. “He can't force her to stay.”

Noah nodded, but he looked doubtful. “Tell me the truth, how bad was he to work for?”

I considered for several long moments. “I enjoyed working for him. He has high expectations for his staff, but he also has high expectations for himself. I wouldn't date him, he's terrible at relationships, but he's not mean or cruel or even particularly selfish. He just doesn't spend much time thinking about other people's feelings. Expediency, efficiency, and money are his priorities.”

He smiled, looking reassured. “Jill can get behind that philosophy. She'll probably be okay.”

“Of course she will. She's tough.”

“Okay,” May said, stepping back into the living room. “I've got milk.”

Noah reached for the bottle, which was exceedingly brave of him. Of course, he hadn't been around for any of the previous attempts at feeding Sophie with a bottle. He motioned for me to hand him Sophie. She started screaming as soon as I reached down and detached her mouth from my breast.

Noah didn't flinch, he took her from my arms, snuggled her close, and put the plastic nipple to her little mouth. I smirked, feeling more than a bit smug, when she twisted her face away and screamed louder.

He spoke to her in a soft, sweet voice and shook a bit of milk out onto her lips. I doubted very much that she was hungry and figured she liked the comfort of being close to me as much as she liked the food when she nursed. She kept screaming and Noah kept trying, long past the point I would have given up and just put her back to my breast.

Finally, Sophie opened her mouth and closed it on that plastic nipple. She must have been worn out from crying, because her little eyes shut as she suckled and drank. Noah smiled at me, clearly proud of himself. “Open your present,” he said in a low voice.

I didn't have to be asked twice. I grabbed the box and ripped into it like a starving woman going after a bowl of pasta. Inside was a coffee mug with a picture of a fierce grizzly and the words 'Mama Bear.' Next to it was a tea infuser and several varieties of loose-leaf tea.

“I called the clinic where your doctor works and they told me all those teas are perfectly safe for you to drink while you're breast-feeding. You can't have caffeine, but I thought it might be nice to have something warm and soothing to drink when it's so cold out.”

I wasn't much of a tea drinker, but his thoughtfulness was so sweet I figured I might become one just because every time I drank it I'd think of him and his sweet gesture. “Thank you,” I said. “I love it.”

He smiled and slipped the bottle from Sophie's loose-lipped mouth. She was sleeping so soundly, she didn't even flinch. May took the bottle from him and returned to the kitchen. I picked up my gift and followed her in. I made tea for all of us and we enjoyed a few moments of peace while Sophie slept in Noah's arms. I'd probably never be a lover of tea, but it was nice to have a warm drink. And it was nice to sit comfortably with May and Noah, to watch Sophie so relaxed and easy in her father's arms. I could picture us as a family so easily it made my heart hurt.

Noah carried Sophie to her bassinet in my room. When he walked back into the living room, I expected him to tell us he had to leave, but he sat on the couch.

“I should go,” May said. “I've got to work tonight, and Mom said she could use an extra hand this morning.”

“Thanks for your help,” I said.

She nodded. “I'll be back later to help with the night shift. Now that Sophie will take a bottle, maybe you can get some sleep.”

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