“Outside. Let’s find out if Caro likes her pony.”
“What?” She laughed as he pulled her along behind him and won
dered how she’d ever made it through the last five years without him.
Eight
“Boss?” Robin’s voice was a little loud, which made Wes think this wasn’t the first time she’d spoken to him.
Whatever the situation going on at home, he had to focus here at work. “Sorry. Yeah. What were you saying?”
She frowned at him. “Everything all right?”
“Sure.” He pushed up from his desk, stood straight and shoved his hands into his pockets. “So what’s going on?”
She didn’t look like she believed him, but since he was the boss, she went with it. “Okay, the news from Texas Tech is good,” she said. “They’ve got the next line of tablets ready to roll before summer, with the new bells and whistles you ordered.”
“Good.” He moved out from behind his desk and walked to the window overlooking the city of Houston. While the PR and IT teams were still working on uncovering the mysterious Maverick, Wes was concentrating on the other arms of Jackson Inc. He had majority interest in Texas Tech; Texas Jets, a charter jet service; and a few other smaller yet growing companies. He’d been building his empire for decades, and getting to the bottom of Maverick’s deliberate sabotage of Texas Toy Goods was important. He couldn’t risk the man going after any of his other companies as well.
“I want to talk to Sam Holloway at Texas Jets sometime today,” he said, never taking his gaze from the cityscape sprawled out below him. “And then get me Andy at Texas Tech. I want to hear details on those bells and whistles.”
“Got it.”
He half turned from the window. “Are Belle and Caroline still in the PR department?”
“Isabelle is, yes,” Robin told him. “But Maggie from PR took Caroline down to the cafeteria for a chocolate shake.” She sighed and smiled. “That little girl is just adorable, boss. I gotta say, makes me miss my own kids’ younger days.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty great,” he said, thinking, as he had been for days now, about how Caroline had wormed her way straight into his heart, and no matter what happened between him and Isabelle, nothing for him would ever be the same again.
“She showed me how to say hello in sign language.” Robin shook her head. “Smart kid. Just like her daddy.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“Please.” Robin waved one hand at him. “No, you didn’t make some grand announcement, but I’d have to be blind to not notice the child has your eyes. Right down to the unusual color.”
“It’s not a secret,” he said, then half laughed at himself. “At least, not since Maverick blasted it all over the internet. But I haven’t told Caro who I am yet.”
“For heaven’s sake, why?” Robin asked.
She sounded completely exasperated, and Wes realized that for some reason, his assistant and his housekeeper shared the same attitude. Neither of them was intimidated by him and both of them continually seemed to forget just who was really in charge. “You know, I could fire you,” he pointed out wryly.
She waved that away with a flick of her hand. “That’ll never happen and we both know it. So why haven’t you told that child you’re her father?”
“Because I want her to know me. To—” it was humiliating to admit “—like me.”
Robin gave him an understanding smile. “She already does, boss. You can see it in the way her face lights up when you walk into the room.”
He pushed his hand through his hair. Robin was right. He’d seen that look. It had made him feel ten feet tall. So why then was he waiting to tell his daughter who he really was? He hated to think it was fear. Hell, nothing had scared Wes in...well, ever. But the thought of that little girl turning from him could bring him to his knees.
“Robin,” he said abruptly, “I’m taking the rest of the day off.”
“I’m sorry. I think I must have had a stroke. What was that?”
“Surrounded by sarcasm,” he said with a nod. “I’m taking the day off.”
“Yesterday, you took Caroline to the aquarium, the day before it was ice-skating and the day before that you and Isabelle had her riding roller coasters.” Robin tipped her head to one side and looked at him. “I’m beginning to think you might be looking for a life, boss.”
“I’m beginning to think you may be right.” He grinned and shrugged into his jacket. “Just forward my calls to my cell. I’ll check messages later.”