Page 38 of The Widower
Today, I needed to get out of that mansion as fast as possible. My daughter had probably already pushed Colin to his limit just by stepping into a place he’d explicitly forbidden anyone to enter.
“Ready to go?”
“Aww, but I wanted to stay.”
I smiled and shook my head.My daughter… always something new.
“Wanting isn’t the same as getting. Let’s go—now.”
“Fine,” she muttered, giving me those puppy-dog eyes but nodding anyway.
We were heading for the exit when I saw Colin standing right by the front door. Great. Judging by his look, he wanted to talk. Maybe even fire me—at this point, nothing would surprise me.
“Do you need—”
“Don’t you think it’s exhausting for your mother to bring Hanna to work most days?” he cut me off, leaving me blinking in confusion.
“Yes, very. But I don’t have much of a choice, and—”
“I’ll give you one,” he interrupted again.
Of course. Colin Adams could probably set a world record for cutting people off mid-sentence. I had no doubt this would keep happening for as long as we worked under the same roof.
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
I tensed. The voice in my head immediately chimed in: ‘You’ll have all the time in the world to take care of your daughter—you’re fired.’
Yeah, that’s exactly what I heard loud and clear.
“Your daughter can stay here every day.If she wants to, of course.”
“Really?” Hanna looked up at Colin and smiled. He… smiled back.
What the hell?
In what alternate universe was I living? The man who never showed affection to anyone was suddenly smiling at my daughter. Sure, he ignored me completely when he did it, but still…
“I don’t see any problem with it,” Colin said, his gaze fixed on mine.
“I thought you’d be upset since… you know.She invaded your privacy. And that’s kind of on me.”
“Oh, there’s no doubt it’s on you.”
There it was—the Colin I knew.
“Hanna talked to me,” he continued, “and she was just looking for a bathroom. I’d rather she come with you.”
I’d have to adjust her preschool hours, but luckily she was on break this month. Colin offering this arrangement actually lifted a huge weight off my shoulders—though it also made me nervous. The man wasn’t exactly known for being generous, and Hanna wasn’t exactly known for staying still.
“Fine by me,” I said carefully.
“Good.” There was a faint hint of warmth in his voice, which immediately put me on edge. Why was nice Colin suddenly making an appearance?
“Does that mean I can play here every day, mister?” Hanna asked.
“What did I tell you about calling him ‘mister,’ Hanna?” I chided gently.
“Sorry, Mommy.”
