Page 11 of The Complication
I motioned to him with one hand. “Allow Mrs. Turner to hold the baby while you take off the jacket. What you’ve done to clean the stain isn’t sufficient. If you don’t have it taken care of by a cleaner, the stain will permanently set.”
Parker glared at me, but he still handed Joy over to a thrilled Mrs. Turner, who cuddled the child close while Parker slipped out of his suit jacket. They swapped, and I escorted my assistant to the door. As I stepped into the hallway, I pulled out my wallet and handed her one of my credit cards.
“Put all the baby needs on this. Soft things. And toys, but not too noisy to distract Mr. Cain. Also, there’s an elephant on that bag. Maybe she likes elephants? And a blanket or two. Doyou think the air conditioning is making it too cold in here for her?”
“I don’t think so, sir, but I will get a nice soft blanket just in case.” She paused, looking like there was something else she wanted to ask.
“Yes?”
She leaned slightly closer to me and lowered her voice to a whisper. “It’s my understanding that Mr. Cain was out last week because of a…death in the family. Do you think this is related?”
“I intend to find out. Either way, Mr. Cain and his daughter will be cared for properly, I promise that.”
Mrs. Turner straightened, and she seemed to have a subtle smile on her thin lips. “Very good, sir. I’ll get this taken care of immediately.”
“Get her the best, Mrs. Turner. The very best you can find. And when you return, call Kaylan and ask to borrow Mr. Courtland’s bodyguard to help you carry everything up.”
“Yes, sir!” Her steps were brisk as she snatched up her purse from her desk drawer and hurried out of the office.
At least that was settled. Now, on to other matters.
I returned to my office and closed the door behind me. Parker stood in the middle of the room, rocking Joy in his arms while watching me with an expression I struggled to read. I couldn’t decide if he was angry at me or fearful.
“Sir. Mr. Foster, please call her back. This is unnecessary,” Parker began as soon as I crossed the room. I didn’t answer until I sat behind my desk.
“Now, Parker, please tell me what has happened. Starting with that phone call a week ago.”
5
PARKER CAIN
If I hadn’t been soaware of Joy in my arms, my knees might have buckled when he said my name. I couldn’t remember Declan ever saying my given name while we were in the office. It was always Mr. Cain, unless we were in bed together. Then it was a growl between calling me annoying or bastard.
Since I’d found him in my office with that flabbergasted expression on his hard face, I’d been expecting him to fire me and kick me out of the building. My assumption felt even more sound as he led me to his office for added privacy.
But he was talking about buying soft things for Joy so she could be more comfortable and letting me use his office. My brain locked up. I didn’t have it in me to fight it any longer. It was easier to go with the flow.
So, now I was sitting in my boss’s office with my daughter in my arms, and it felt like all the balls I’d been trying so hard to juggle had just come crashing down around me, and I wanted to cry.
Two days…
I’d been on my own with Joy for two days, and it was already a mess. How was I supposed to do this?
The tears fell before I could catch them, and I gasped on a lump that had formed in my throat as I’d almost cursed Molly for getting herself killed. Thinking about her was like touching a raw nerve that would send a fresh shock wave of pain through my body.
“Oh. No. Don’t. I?—”
My head popped up to find Declan coming closer with a pained expression. He pulled his handkerchief from his breast pocket and thrust it toward me.
“I don’t think you should do that. Isn’t it bad for them? Crying on them, I mean.”
A fractured laugh escaped amidst my crying, and I blindly took his handkerchief to wipe away the tears. At least there was someone on the planet more helplessly lost than me.
Declan sat in the chair beside mine and awkwardly patted me on the shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m not angry. Just…worried.” He’d paused as though he were trying to find the right word, and even after it came out, it sounded awkward.
Another bark of laughter escaped me. “Worried? You don’t even like me.”
Declan pulled his hand away and dropped it into his lap. “I don’t…hate you.” He paused and made a face. It was as if he didn’t like any of the words that were coming to him and yet he still had to spit something out. “The last time I saw you, you were so upset…from that call. And now you’re here with a daughter, but I didn’t think…” He stopped again and shook his head. “You mentioned a woman. Molly. Was she your wife?”
