The Billionaire's Widow

11

I woke up to the smell of freshly baked cinnamon buns and freshly brewed coffee. I opened my eyes just as Charlotte placed a tray of food on my bedside table.

"Good morning, Mrs. Anders."

I rubbed my eyes and sat up in bed. "Good morning, Charlotte. Am I late for work?"

She let out a soft giggle. "Well, technically no-you are your own boss. But it's almost 8 a.m."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Where are my babies?"

"They're getting ready for their day with Mrs. Karen."

I sighed. "Please get me my phone. And thank you for the breakfast."

She nodded, handed me my phone, and quietly left the room.

I called Karen immediately.

"Karen," I began.

"Hailey, good morning, dear! How are you today?" she responded, sounding full of energy.

"I'm very well. And you?"

"Marvelous, honey. Tony sends his greetings."

I smiled. "Please pass mine too. I promise I'll visit him soon."

Laughter echoed in the background. I was definitely on speaker.

"I can't wait to see you, honey," my father-in-law chimed in.

"Me too," I said warmly. "Karen, I actually wanted to tell you I'll be spending the day with the twins. They'll come another day."

Truth was, I missed my kids. It had been too long since I'd had real quality time with them.

"Actually, I was just about to call you about that," she said. "Their grandfather planned a trip to the Maldives for us this weekend. We're leaving at noon."

A romantic getaway.

"Ooh, that's lovely. Enjoy your trip."

"Thank you, honey. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye," I said, smiling as I ended the call.

Later...

"Grayson, stop hitting your sister," I warned, my hands busy pouring dough into the cupcake tray.

"But Mom! She hid my toy!" he argued.

"You ate my candy first!" Cammy shouted in response.

"Give it back!" Gray yelled louder.

"Stop!" I shouted, finally looking up. "Mommy's trying to spend time with you two, and instead of giving me a headache, how about you help me bake?"

They both stared at me like I'd grown two heads.

"Mom... are you okay?" Gray asked cautiously.

"I think she lost her job," Cammy whispered.

I frowned. "What?"