Daniel laughing as he adjusted the sails, completely fearless in the face of a sudden squall."Come on, Roarke!Live a little!The best sailing happens when you stop trying to control everything!"
I'd told him to be more careful.
To think about safety protocols.To consider the risks.
Six weeks later, a freak storm caught his boat in the Med and he never came home.
"Mr.West?"
I turn to find Claire standing behind me, her hazel eyes expectant.
"Sorry.Just checking our position."
"How are you feeling about the launch?"
"Confident.The numbers are solid, the venues are booked, and the PR strategy is—" I stop."Why are you asking?"
"Because you spent the morning learning show tunes from a parakeet instead of reviewing investor presentations."
"Point taken."
Claire steps closer, lowering her voice."The nanny replacement interviews.Do you want me to move forward with scheduling them?"
The question hangs between us like a challenge.
I should say yes.Mia’s contract is only for the month.
And I should be lining up her replacement.Someone competent.Professional.
Forgettable.
Someone who won't make Isla laugh like that.Who won't challenge me or make me remember what it feels like to want something more than quarterly profits.
"Sir?"
"Hold off," I hear myself say."Until after the launch.I don't want any disruptions before then."
Claire's smile is curious."Of course.No disruptions."
As she leaves, I grip the wheel tighter and stare out at the Mediterranean horizon.
In a week and a half, the charter division will launch—hopefully successfully.
Mia will move on to whatever comes next.And I'll go back to my singularly focused, routine life.
The thought should be comforting.
Instead, it feels like drowning.
10
SEAS THE DAY (AND THE BILLIONAIRE)
MIA
By evening, the August heat in Nice has mellowed into something almost tolerable, though Bianca's artist loft still feels like the inside of a pottery kiln.
Sprawled across her paint-splattered couch with my laptop, I scroll through nanny job postings while she clatters around her kitchen making what she optimistically calls "dinner."
