Page 42 of Her Billionaire Bargain (Kensington Square)

We started walking down the hall toward the stairs that led to the second floor. “Good question. What do you say we see if your mom is hungry yet? I think the deli closes early on Sundays—” I broke off as Shelby appeared on the landing, the large stained-glass window behind her sending shafts of rainbow light over the blondish-brown waves tumbling over her shoulders.

Rainbows were apparently the day’s theme. I was becoming inordinately fond of them.

“Mama, are you hungry?” Berry bounded up the stairs. “I want a double decker club. Do you think they have those? Both ham and turkey.”

“Maybe, sweetie. We can look at a menu online.” Shelby swallowed hard and came down a couple steps as her gaze met mine.

Her expression was far too grave for a lunch conversation.

“Get a lot of work done?” I asked as cheerfully as I could manage while my lower back tightened. Always where I carried stress and why I scheduled regular massages.

“Yes. I talked to Ro, our office manager, and she’ll have the contract ready for you to sign by later this week.”

“Oh, great. Whenever you need me, I can come by to sign it. Or you can courier it over to my office—”

“If by courier, you mean I can drop it off, yes, I can do that.”

“Or I can meet you. Wherever or whenever.” I cleared my throat as Berry looked back and forth between us as if she was vastly entertained.

“Whatever.” Shelby waved it off. “The papers should be ready by midweek. And yes, I’m hungry now.”

Bob trotted up the stairs to join our conference, and Berry immediately started begging to take him to go pee. I tried to explain I just usually let him into the yard, but she wanted to “take him out” so “she could watch him carefully” and I didn’t have the heart to say no. Shelby agreed, so Berry instructed Bob to follow her into the back.

A moment later, the back door thunked closed and I pounced.

“What’s wrong?” I demanded.

Shelby blinked then brushed her hair back. “I lost my hair tie,” she said vaguely.

“So? Your hair is beautiful. Leave it down.” I climbed another step until I was officially taller than she was again, although she remained two stairs above me. “Shelby, what’s wrong?”

“What are you doing Saturday night?” she blurted.

TEN

I’d officially lostmy mind.

It was Saturday night, the night of the annual Tri-State Animal Foundation gala, and I was sorting through my closet faster than Bob could eat his Milk Bones. Which was damn fast. The dog was a Hoover cloaked in fur.

That dog was why I was in this pickle. Bob and my ex. My ex was even more to blame.

“Shel, chill out. You just gotta make an appearance. Looks good for Designing Women to be involved in charity work in the community.”

“Yeah, yeah. As Judge Davenport knows it looks good for him, and why I’m sure he will be there too. Ugh.”

“I didn’t think of that. Man. Sorry. But it’ll be a brief appearance, and you drew the short straw because Avery is still visiting her folks. I went to the last two shindigs.”

“What about Dahlia?” I grumbled. “She excels at this crap.”

“She did the last three before mine. What’s wrong with this one?” TJ snatched up the slinky red dress that showed off my rack to maximum advantage and had a daring slit that revealed far too much leg.

I’d bought it for my pre-pregnancy body and had not tried to shove the current incarnation of my figure into it yet. That meant it had been taking up valuable closet space without being worn for nearly nine years.

“I don’t think it fits anymore.” I went back to rifling through hangers. “I should’ve gone shopping. None of these work. I probably don’t fit in a single one.”

“Have you tried any of them?”

“No.”

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