The Perfect Gift

C H A P T E R 🎄4

L I S A

I watched the kid I was almost certain was my son leave with Rosie. Playing with him had seemed so natural. I actually hadn't really thought about what I was doing. I just jumped right in.

Smart kid. Imaginative, too, and a real charmer. He's going to have the world by the heart when he grows up, for sure.

But is he mine? My blood? My child?

Proof that what happened between Rosie and me that night was more than just a one-night stand? Or am I putting way too much on this kid who I barely even know?

I spent a lot of time reflecting that morning. I made my calls, networked with my board, and tried to negotiate the buyout of Stereo-Dyne.

But in the back of my mind, Rosie and Miles dwelled heavily.

I'd never been broody or given to bouts of melancholy. But let's just say finding a woman I'd been hunting for years—who'd had a kid who might be mine—had a way of throwing me off my game.

I got a phone call around noon, interrupting my brooding. It was Ellie, Rosie's mom.

"Hello, Lisa. How are you this fine morning?"

I smiled despite my melancholy. She was a pleasant person to talk to. A lot like her daughter. At times.

"I'm just fine. How are you?"

"Good, good. I arranged for childcare, so if you would be able to come out to the gallery in, oh, say an hour, we could discuss this matter with my daughter."

I felt my stomach twist up in knots but managed to keep my anxiety at bay and out of my voice. "Sounds great. I'll see you then."

I headed back to my hotel room and engaged in a bit of healthy preening. I took a nice bath, sprayed my favorite perfume, the one I'd been wearing that night in Cabo—and had worn almost every day since—and arranged my hair until it was looking just right.

My appearance, at least, would not be at issue. I slipped on a pair of shades and strode out of the hotel lobby.

The sounds of construction emanated all around me. I had paid for their speed, not their silence. There was a bonus in store for them if they finished ahead of schedule, so they were highly motivated to succeed.

Of course, I didn't make the bonus too lavish because I didn't want to encourage a rush job to grab the extra money. Just a token of appreciation for a rapid response, as I saw it.

I drove to the gallery in my Lambo, mostly because I knew Miles would get a kick out of it. Rosie wasn't really impressed by stuff like that— and never had been as far as I knew.

I parked outside the gallery and went inside, where I found Ellie on the phone with Rosie standing nearby, Miles's hand in her own.

"Well, I have to say, this is not very professional behavior. And your references were so glowing!" Ellie said.

She gasped as if she heard something on the other end that offended her. "Well, I hope you don't kiss your mother with that mouth. Good day!"'

She ended the call and sighed. "What happened, Mom?" Rosie asked.

"It was the babysitter. She said that she can't come today because, and I quote, 'Mike was making out with Becky in the back seat of Owen Rogers' car, and she so can't even today because Becky's not even hot.'"

"I see," Roseanne sighed. "There goes our babysitter."

"Oh, and furthermore, she told me I sounded old and boring. I'm going to send an email to her references this instant."