Page 32 of Snowed In with My Best Friend's Dad

"Anything I need to know about, Con?"

"All the messages are on your desk,” she said without looking up from the work she was doing. Connie was a no-nonsense battle-axe who made my life as a CEO amazingly easy. She could be grumpier and meaner than me, which served me well since she did a fantastic job at being my gatekeeper. Very few people got through her. The only ones who got automatic access were Lindsay and Duncan. She scared most people off so thoroughly that they didn't bother to try and come back.

“Thank you. Did you have a nice holiday?”

She shrugged. “I’m glad to be back at work and away from the chaos.” She finally looked up from her computer. “And you?”

“Glad to be back at work myself.” I headed into my office and got to work.

At lunchtime, Lindsay came strolling in. My daughter could exasperate me, but I loved her beyond belief, so seeing her put a smile on my face. I rose from my desk to give her a hug.

“I brought your present. I’m sorry I missed Christmas at the cabin.”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry, I left your present at home.”

She plopped down on the couch in my office. “That’s okay. It wasn’t too weird with Mira, was it? She usually keeps to herself.”

I swallowed, putting my focus on the package Lindsay gave me to avoid giving away my secret. “It was fine. What did you get me? Another tie? Cuff links?”

“Open it.”

I tore the paper and opened the box. Inside I found shaving and grooming supplies and a massage gun.

“You’ve been so keyed up lately, I thought a little massage and spa would be good for you.”

I laughed. “I didn’t realize I was stressed.”

She studied me, her eyes narrowing in scrutiny. “Maybe all you needed was some time at the cabin. You don’t seem so stressed now.”

Again, Miranda and her sweet body came to mind. Worse, I wondered what sorts of things I could do with her and this new massage gun. Fucking hell. Now Miranda was on my mind and I really wanted to ask Lindsay how she was doing.

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

“Of course. Do you have time for lunch?”

“For you, always.” I rose from the couch and got my coat. “I’m assuming Miranda arrived home okay?” I kept my body turned away from Lindsay.

“Yes. She, of course, went right to the books. The semester hasn’t even started and she’s already studying. And don’t say you think I should take after her.”

I shrugged. “A little studying on your part couldn’t hurt.”

She threaded her arm through mine. “Dad, I want to start a business and I figure the best place for me to learn about that is at Dad University.”

Was I tickled that she wanted to become an entrepreneur like her dad and learn all I had to impart? Of course. But that didn’t mean I wanted her to give up on her studies.

“How about lunch and you can share this business idea you have with me?”

Her smile was brilliant. “I’ve got it all figured out.”

“You still need to study, Lindsay.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know. Come on. I want Irish stew. It’s so cold out today.”

I took Lindsay to one of the many Irish pubs in the area for stew, enjoying how she chattered away about an idea that involved art and antique curation.

“So you want to open an antique store? An art gallery?”

She rolled her eyes in a way that suggested I was dense. “No, silly. Well, not really. I want to help people find great works of art.”

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