Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Okay, so maybe I took a couple of seconds to wiggle my butt in his plush, leather executive swivel chair. I didn’t want to know how many thousands of dollars this thing cost, but the way it felt left me sure that it was worth every freaking penny. It was going to be hard to go back to my average drone chair after this.
Would he notice if I sneaked this chair out of his office and into mine?
Yeah, he would.
Pre-baby Me might have done it. But then Pre-baby Me didn’t want to be hired on permanently.
Post-baby Me desperately needed the permanent, full-time gig.
Whatever. No more wasting time. I needed to get as much done as possible before Joy woke from her nap and needed a diaper change and food.
After logging into the computer, I found the correct report and double-checked every damn page prior to emailing it to Declan with yet another apology. Mrs. Turner returned to the office as I finished working through my overflowing inbox, and she had two more men in tow, carrying a ridiculous amount of baby supplies. There was a new Pack ’n Play, a bouncy chair with an activity center, another activity mat where Joy could lie on her back and play with toys that dangled above her. There were also blankets, soft stuffed toys, and other random things I’d never seen.
But what boggled my mind the most was that everything appeared high end. Was there such a thing as Baby Neiman Marcus? Because if there was, Mrs. Turner had gone shopping there.
“Mrs. Turner, I…I don’t know what to say. This is too much. Mr. Foster couldn’t have meant for you to get so much.”
“He did,” she replied with absolute confidence prior to ordering her unknown porters to open boxes and put things together.
I jumped to the two strangers as they started attacking the boxes, waving my hands around like an idiot while trying to command them in a whisper. “Wait. Don’t open things. We need to return them.”
They paused and looked at the older woman, who shook her head. “Get to work.”
And that was the end of listening to me. They were on the fast track to turning one-third of Declan’s spacious office into a high-end Babies “R” Us showroom. How the hell was I supposed to get this all home? Where would I even store it? No, I had to return it all.
Except for maybe the bouncy chair.
Joy woke up during the construction, and Mrs. Turner put her in the chair. Within seconds, my little one not only figured out how to bounce herself, but she went to town on the toys in front of her, squealing and making the most delightful noises.
I also liked the pink elephant plush toy.
And that gray cloth wrap carrier could be handy. It would snuggle her against my chest and allow me to hold her, hands free. I could get some typing done while holding her.
“Before I forget,” Mrs. Turner said as her helpers carried the empty, collapsed boxes and other packing materials out of the office. “Mr. Foster told me to order lunch for the entire department from that deli down the block. It should be here in about thirty minutes. After the food is set out, I’ll come in and watch Joy for you while you fix your plate.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Turner. For everything. Really.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled at me and patted my left arm. “You’ve got that same lost look my sons had when their first borns arrived. You’ll figure it out.”
God, I hoped she was right.
Mrs. Turner left me alone with Joy, and I sank into a chair near her. Her wide blue eyes were locked on the colorful toys as they spun and rattled under her pudgy fingers. The panic that had plagued me almost from the moment my eyes opened this morning released me from its grip.
Of course, now that Joy was settled comfortably and happy, my brain went in search of something new to worry about, because why the fuck not?
Declan Foster had become a complete mystery to me in a matter of minutes. I had expected to be fired on the spot for bringing Joy into the office. If not fired, at least sent home without pay because this was a place of business and not a daycare.
Instead, he’d given up his office and bought all these things for Joy to make her more comfortable while she was here. No one could have expected him to do these things.
No. One.
The world’s grumpiest, most socially awkward, reticent man had helped some hopeless loser he didn’t fucking like? Yeah, I still didn’t believe it, and I was looking at the proof as it filled the room. Not to mention, this was the same man who’d seemed terrified at the mere mention of children when we’d lightly discussed them one week ago.