“Mia wandering into the executive wing?”
“Yes.”
“Calling me handsome?”
I closed my eyes for half a second.
“Yes.”
“Or assigning me a new position in your household without consulting either of us?”
His mouth moved.
He was trying not to smile.
I stared at him.
“Are you enjoying this?”
“More than I should.”
That might have been the strangest sentence Adrian Kane had ever said to me.
He glanced at Mia.
“Where were you trying to go?”
“To Mommy.”
“And how did you end up here?”
“I followed the blue carpet because her office has blue chairs.”
Adrian nodded gravely.
“A reasonable theory with flawed execution.”
Mia nodded back, equally serious.
“I know that now.”
He looked at me again.
There was no anger in his expression.
No cold judgment.
Only concern.
“Does she have somewhere safe to stay during the board presentation?”
“She’ll stay in my office. My assistant can check on her.”
“Your assistant is part of the presentation team.”
“I’ll figure something out.”
“You already tried that.”
The words should have sounded critical.
They didn’t.
Before I could answer, Adrian opened the door to his office and spoke to his executive assistant.
“Rachel?”
A woman in her late forties looked up from her desk.
“Yes?”
“Would you mind letting Mia use the small conference room beside you until noon?”
Rachel took in the stuffed elephant, the coloring book tucked under Mia’s arm, and my expression of helpless mortification.
Her face warmed instantly.
“I would be delighted.”
“That’s not necessary,” I said.
“It is,” Adrian replied. “The conference room has glass walls, Rachel is sitting ten feet away, and you have a board presentation to prepare for.”
I hesitated.
Mia whispered, “She looks nice.”
Rachel smiled.
“I have colored pencils.”
Mia looked at me with unmistakable hope.
Apparently colored pencils had defeated every safety concern I possessed.
I crouched again.
“You stay where Ms. Rachel can see you.”
“Yes.”
“You do not leave.”
“Yes.”
“No elevators.”
“Yes.”
“No exploring.”
“Yes.”
“No finding another billionaire.”
Mia glanced at Adrian.
“Are there more?”
“Mia.”
