He tilts his head, and a smile tries to tug at the corner of his lips, but Jones gets that under control quickly as he stands up straighter.
“Don’t worry about anything. We’ll park the truck for you and bring your items up,” he says as he opens the door for me.
“Oh really? That’s so nice,” I tell him. “Now listen, don’t judge me too harshly because this was last-minute, and I was tossing things into any bag I could find. My parents took all the luggage on their vacation, which, mind you, I wasn’t even asked to go on with them. I would have said no, but still, the offer would have been nice.”
I blurt out everything and leave myself a tad out of breath.
“It’s the thought that counts,” Jones agrees.
“Exactly, see you get it,” I say as I hop out of the truck. “So with that said, these trash bags aren’t trash.”
I nod to the bed of the truck, and Jones steps around to peer down at them.
“I understand,” he says, holding out his hand for the keys.
“You can drive a stick, right?” I hand them over.
“I think I can manage.”
“Great, just watch the second gear; it gets sticky.”
This time he doesn’t fight his smile, but I swear it’s laced with amusement.
Chapter Two
KELLAN
“Mr. Eve, development has requested a video conference in half an hour. I’ve forwarded you the link.”
“Goddamn it, Edith. I told you I wasn’t going to take any more meetings today.” I look up from my computer screen to see my secretary looking at me with a bored expression.
“Yet I seem to remember a certain CEO telling me to ‘get the entire fucking development team on a call before I shove my fist up Watson’s ass and use him as a puppet.’”
Edith’s impression of me is spot on, but I’m not about to tell her that. It will only encourage her to keep doing it. She’s been with me since I took over at Secure, a software company that specializes in data protection. She was here when the company was founded, and she’ll likely be here long after I retire. Edith is my right hand, but I’m not entirely convinced she’s not a vampire. Nothing about her has changed since I got a part-time job here in high school as an intern. Almost twenty years later and she still doesn’t have a single salt and pepper hair out of place.
“Fine, but after that, clear my schedule. The new nanny is coming today, and Aurora asked me to be there when she arrives.”
“Maybe I should ask your niece for tips on bossing you around.” Edith stares down at me, and I roll my eyes.
“Like you need any help. Besides, I’m not sure I need another woman in my life reminding me how I’ve failed them.”
“Come on, Kellan,” Edith says as she rounds the desk. It’s not often she calls me by my first name, though I’ve told her to do it countless times. “With help on the way, things are bound to get better.” She places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a small squeeze before letting go. “It’s not like they can get any worse.”
A month ago, I would have agreed with her, but after the phone call I got in the middle of the night, everything changed. Now I know exactly how much worse things can be, and I’m not trying to tempt fate.
“It’s fine,” I say, brushing off the frustration and exhaustion. “Will you do me a favor and?—”
“Go check on Aurora? I already did before I came in here, but I’ll go by and check again,” Edith says as she grabs my empty coffee mug and leftover lunch container off my desk. “She’s set up in the conference room today.”
“Thank you,” I tell her as I run a hand through my hair.
“Anything else?” she asks before she goes to the door.
“No, that’s all for now.” I go back to my computer screen and try to focus on work.
“Mr. Eve?” Edith says, and I look up from my computer. “Try not to be so hard on yourself. Most people don’t get a ten-year-old out of nowhere, but Aurora is a special child. You’ll both be fine.”
I nod as Edith exits my office, but I don’t know if she’s right. How can a child be fine if they’re stuck with me as a guardian? Me, the person who didn’t want kids. I never even put my cock inside a woman because I didn’t want to risk it. The universe has jokes.
