“How tragic. Remind me to smuggle in a box of Cocoa Puffs sometime.”
He grinned, and for a second, I saw Griffin in him—only there was mischief hiding there. Such a sweet kid, and too easy to fall for.
We put on our coats and headed downstairs. McDaniels held the door open for us, with a tip of his cap. “Have a nice day, Theo. Miss Jessa.”
“You, too.” I winked at him.
Brock waited at the curb, engine idling, wearing his usual expression of silent judgment.
“Morning, Brock,” I called sweetly.
He grunted, every day the same.
Theo climbed into the backseat, and I followed. It wasn’t until we pulled into the school drop-off line that he suddenly shot upright on a gasp, eyes wide.
“I forgot the permission slip!”
“What slip?” Griffin must have gone over school things last night while I rested. What was missed?
“For the museum trip next week. It’s due this morning or I can’t go.” His voice rose, panic setting in. “Dad was supposed to sign it last night. It’s probably on his desk. Now I’m going to miss the whole trip, and I’ll miss out on seeing the mummies and dinosaurs and?—”
“Hey.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “Take a breath. We’ll figure it out.”
“You don’t understand!” His fists clenched, jaw tight—mini-Griffin in full meltdown mode. “If I don’t turn it in, I have to stay in the office all day while everyone else goes. Mrs. Callahan will think I’m irresponsible, and?—”
“Theo. Shh.” I waited until he looked at me. “You’re not irresponsible. Your dad forgot. That’s on him, not you. And guess what? I can fix this.”
“How?” His brow slowly unfurled.
“I’ll go back, grab the slip, and bring it to the school office before lunch. Problem solved.”
He blinked, uncertainty flickering across his face. “You’d do that?”
“Absolutely. You think I’m going to let you miss dinosaurs and mummies because your dad’s brain lives in spreadsheets?”
A laugh burst out of him, surprised and genuine. The tension melted from his shoulders.
“Thanks, Jessa.”
“Anytime, kiddo.”
Brock caught my eye in the rearview mirror. For once, his expression wasn’t stone. Almost… approving?
We dropped Theo at school, I saw him off, and then hopped back in the SUV. “Back to the penthouse, please. I need to grab that permission slip.”
Brock pulled into traffic without a word. I wondered if I’d missed another rule, something ridiculous like, “If Theo forgets something, don’t retrieve it. It teaches him a lesson.”
When we pulled up at West Tower, Brock’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it, frowning. “Mr. West texted. I have to pick him up from a meeting across town. Can you handle getting the slip to the school on your own?”
“Absolutely. I can walk.”
“Use the company card and hire a ride share.” He handed me a sleek black credit card withWest Gamesembossed in gold. “For Theo-related expenses.”
I stared at it. “You’re trusting me with this?”
“Mr. West trusts you. That’s enough.” He pulled away before I could respond, leaving me standing on the curb holding more spending power than I’d seen in my entire life.
The weight of the card in my palm felt surreal. Two days ago, I’d been sleeping in my car, counting quarters for coffee. Now I held a black card with unlimited access to Griffin West’s empire.
