Page 16 of Working For A Billionaire

"That never works with her," I respond with a sigh.

With a nod, she opens the door to the office as my mother approaches. Mrs. Thatcher gestures for my mother to enter, which she does without saying a word.

"Hello, mother. What brings you in today?" I ask, still feeling pleased with the progress I've made today.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" She asks with a raised eyebrow as she takes a seat on the couch.

"I had a good meeting with Shawn Anderson for one. For another, I am going to be a father," I reply, before I have a chance to stop myself.

I have to admit that I wasn’t planning on telling her this. I actually wasn’t planning on sharing this until the baby was born. And here I am, spilling the beans before the time is right.

"I beg your pardon?" She asks, looking confused. "That's impossible."

I thought that at first, but again… here I am.

"No, mother. I can assure you that it's not impossible. You are going to be a grandmother." Since I’ve already started this conversation, I might as well bite the bullet.

"Who is the mother, Harrison?" She inquires, still in disbelief. "I wasn't aware you were seeing anyone."

"It's no one you know," I respond.

"Well, it is someone I should get to know, don't you think? After all, the woman is carrying my grandchild. I want to meet this woman." I can’t even tell what my mother’s tone of voice is. I think we both believed we would never be having this conversation, and neither of us knows how to act.

"You will meet her soon enough, mother. Her name is Riley. For now, you will just have to be patient." That is all I manage to say, when she abruptly stands up from the couch, which takes me by surprise.

"Well, I must be going. I just stopped in to say hello," she says as heads for the door.

"To say hello?" I repeat.

"Yes, Harrison. I will talk to you soon."

She exits the office before I can speak, leaving me wondering what just happened. I rake my fingers through my hair, trying to calm down. I know this isn’t good. Mother never comes here for nothing other than to say hello. Ridiculous. I return my attention to the papers in front of me, feeling the good mood I was in fading away.

It's mid-afternoon when my cell phone rings. The number isn't familiar, but I answer anyway.

"Harrison?" a woman's voice says overly familiarly. "This is Amy, Riley's mother. I have been trying to get ahold of Riley all day, but she isn’t answering. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine," I reply, caught off guard by her call. I know Riley asked if her mother could have my number, but I didn’t think the woman would actually call. I try to reassure her, nonetheless. "She is probably working in the nursery. I'll tell her to call you when I get home."

"She isn't doing anything strenuous, is she?" She asks with concern. "It's not good for the baby."

I roll my eyes, understanding now why Riley feels the way she does about her mother. "I am aware of that, and I can assure you that she isn't doing anything that could harm the baby."

"Is she eating enough?" She continues her interrogation. "I don't think she is gaining enough weight. You don't want a malnourished baby, do you?"

"Of course not," I scoff. "The doctor says her weight is fine."

"Okay," she concedes. "Please, just tell her to call me immediately."

"I will give her the message as soon as I talk to her," I assure her, hoping it brings an end to the conversation.

When the call has ended, I dial Riley's number and wait for her to answer but hang up when I hear her voicemail.

Another hour goes by, and I call again, getting the same result. Concern and frustration creep up on me, sending my thoughts in different directions. Could she be hurt? Maybe she's asleep. What if she fainted again?

I spend another hour trying to focus on earning reports and checking my phone. My concentration is wearing down by the second. Unsure of what to do, I dial Gloria's number and then Jasper's, neither answers.

After a few minutes of getting lost in my thoughts and nervously tapping my pen on the paper on my desk, something I haven't done since high school, I get up and walk out of the room.

---