Brother to the Boss (Managing the Bosses 8)

He smiled at her. “I hope so. In the meantime, I’d better go make sure nothing disastrous has happened in the kitchen before the news crew goes looking for dinner, and you should probably get back to your student.”

The hand on his bicep squeezed, just gently, and then she dropped it back to her side. “See you tonight?” she asked before she turned away.

“Oh,” Mark said. “Definitely.” He grinned at her. “We’ve got to celebrate, after all.”

She laughed, and then she was heading back toward the client, and Mark turned and started up the slope, willing nothing to have gone wrong.

Chapter 3

It was six o clock, and Alex still wasn’t home.

Jamie sighed, and rolled the truck in her hand gently across the floor so that Benton could grab it. He giggled as it came within his reach, and gave it a shove as hard as his little body could muster, sending it skidding back toward her. She smiled despite her frustration with her husband. It was hard to stay angry around the twins when they were happy, like they gave off an aura of joy that the rest of humanity was helpless to resist. Beside her b

rother, Lilli was playing with the toy horse, flopping it back and forth in imitation of the way Christine usually played with them.

It had been a week since her sister was able to drop by for a visit, and she’d looked a little more stressed than Jamie would have liked. Obviously transitioning into the work force hadn’t been entirely smooth, no matter how much Mark praised her work ethic. Jamie had told him to make sure and keep an eye on her sister, make sure that she didn’t buckle under the weight of new responsibilities. Thankfully, he’d said she seemed to be doing better lately. Jamie would have to see Christine for herself to be sure, but if she was happy in her job then Jamie was happy for her.

She rolled the truck back toward Benton, and wondered if she should maybe call Alex. She hadn’t heard from him at all since he left for work, aside from one brief text saying that he’d be home a little later than he’d planned on and that he loved her. But that had been two hours ago, and he’d assured her that he would be home by five. Sighing, Jamie unfolded herself from the floor and took her phone off the table, sitting down again just in time to have to dodge the toy truck that would have made a very uncomfortable landing.

“Give Mommy just a second, Benton,” she said, returning the truck to him again. “She’s got to see where Daddy is.”

Benton, of course, didn’t understand, and immediately pushed the truck back with both hands. Jamie hit speed dial for Alex’s number and sent the diecast toy rolling across the floor again.

All she got was the voice mail, and her mild annoyance abruptly became concern. What if he had already left work? What if something had happened? Ignoring the truck this time when it came to a stop at her feet, Jamie dialed the number for the front desk on Alex’s floor.

“Reid Enterprises,” a vaguely familiar woman’s voice said after two rings. “This is Emelie speaking. How may I help you today?”

What was the PA doing answering the front desk phone?

“Miss Eriksson, this is Mrs. Reid. I can’t seem to get a hold of my husband, and I was just wondering if you can tell me where he might be.”

“Oh, Mrs. Reid,” Miss Eriksson said, the smile in her voice somehow audibly becoming a little brighter. “Mr. Reid is still here in his office. He’s been in there all afternoon working on one of the big investor’s accounts. Did you need me to get him for you?”

Of course he was. Just like that, Jamie’s annoyance was back. Why hadn’t he at least texted her again to let her know what was going on? Why hadn’t he picked up her call?

Benton, denied his back and forth game, had crawled across the floor and reclaimed the truck himself, rolling it into Jamie’s leg. She gently took it and set it a few inches away, silently encouraging him to drive it another direction.

“No,” she said. “Thank you. I just wanted to make sure that he hadn’t left the office yet. If he does emerge, tell him that his wife called?”

“Of course, Mrs. Reid,” Miss Eriksson said. “I’ll be sure he knows as soon as possible.”

“Thank you,” Jamie said. She paused. “Oh, and Miss Eriksson? Why are you answering the front desk phone instead of Justin, if you don’t mind me asking? Is he okay?”

“He went home sick this afternoon,” Miss Eriksson said, obviously not bothered by the question. “I just rerouted the front desk calls to my personal phone so that we wouldn’t have to bring someone else up from downstairs to take care of them. It’s been a slow enough day that I can field the calls and do my own work. But I’m sure Justin will be back in a day or two.”

“If you see him before I do, tell him I said I hope he’s feeling better, could you? And thank you for letting me know.”

“Not a problem, Mrs. Reid. Have a lovely evening.”

“You, too.”

She had to give it to Miss Eriksson. The woman was a very efficient PA. Maybe not quite as efficient as she had been if you asked Alex, but she knew how to do her job. Although she’d had misgivings about them hiring another PA early on, Jamie was glad now that Alex and Zander had someone to help them keep things running smoothly. They didn’t have time to take care of all the little things that needed to be done every day on top of their own jobs.

Benton rolled the car into her leg again, and Jamie laughed, standing briefly to put the phone up on the table again where neither of the twins could get their hands on it, then took the truck in hand and drove it in a circle around Benton, toward Lilli.

At least, she thought as she settled down again between them, making engine noises for the truck that attracted Lilli’s wide-eyed attention, she had the twins. And she wasn’t going to let a little thing like Alex being late to ruin her evening or theirs.

***