Rubin laughs. “Well, I’m biased, so I’m always going to say my brother is the best artist in the universe, whether it’s true or not.”
“Should we be hiring him?” I ask.
“Nah. He’s a freelance illustrator. He mostly does drawings for children’s books. Working on his own schedule suits him better than a regular nine-to-five.”
“Well, if he’s ever looking for work, tell him to send me his CV. Assuming he’s as good as you say he is.”
“He is,” Rubin and Rowan say simultaneously.
“Nigel has given us the day off,” I say quietly to Rowan.
“He has? Why?”
“As a thank you for covering for him while he went to Hawaii.”
“Hawaii? Wow. He must be so jet-lagged.”
“I’m not sure he was gone long enough to get over the initial jet lag from flying out there.”
Rowan laughs. “Probably not. The day off, huh? Whatever will we do with ourselves?”
“I’m sure we can think of something.”
“I bet we can.”
I nudge him towards the door. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“Chat tomorrow?” Rowan asks Rubin.
“You bet. Have fun with the boss.”
“Oh, I will.”
With that, we leave the office, our arms around each other’s waists.
18
ROWAN
We’ve barely stepped out of the lift when Damon stops.
“Wait here. There’s something I need to do,” he says.
I frown. “That’s cryptic.”
“I’ve had an idea I think you’ll love. Let me see if I can make it happen. Okay?”
“Okay, Daddy. I trust you.”
He smiles, kisses me, and steps into the lift. I watch the doors close and then join Abbey at the front desk. She’s adding tiny, sparkling gems to some of her nails.
“I don’t know how you have the patience to do that,” I say.
She shrugs. “I like having pretty nails, and it’s a lot cheaper to do it myself.”
“I bet.”
“I could do yours if you want?”
