CEO Daddy (Crescent Cove 6.50)

“Snug, your favorite person is home.”

I grinned. “All in one piece?”

“Yes. How’s my Lily girl?”

“She’s good. Teething we think, and on the verge of walking.” Another of Hannah’s video clips had shown Lily attempting another step. That one I’d received while running as if a serial killer was chasing me on the treadmill Sunday morning.

My life might be fucked up, but I was in excellent cardiovascular shape.

“And I have a surprise for you.”

“Funny that.” I glanced back at the screen where I’d paused the video on a still of Hannah leaning over Lily’s high chair. Her sweater draped just right so that I could imagine what she would look like with a swollen belly.

Soon enough, I’d know for real.

I cleared my throat. “I have a surprise for you too, Gran.”

“Oh, do you now? Is your surprise that you’re finally getting along with that sweet girl? She doesn’t know you only strike out like a bear when you have a burr in your paw.”

With effort, I dragged my gaze away from Hannah. Her honey-colored hair had tumbled into her face and she was caught in a laugh, her dancing blue eyes alight. I loved seeing her happy. Moments like that had been far too rare between us. Other than the snowy afternoon we’d spent with Lily, I’d barely even seen her smile. I needed to change that.

Just as soon as I broke the news to my grandmother that she was going to be that title twice over in a matter of months.

“My paws are just fine. How was your trip?”

“Don’t try to change the subject. I hope you’re doing better with Hannah. She’s a lovely woman, and she stepped up when we needed her most despite your bad attitude.?

??

“Yeah, about that—”

“Hang on a second. Chris, can you grab that bag for me? Thank you, sweetness.”

I frowned. “Chris? What happened to…Harry? Was that his name?”

I hadn’t paid all that much attention once I’d ascertained that her last boyfriend seemed to be a decent guy. She never dated anyone questionable, so I dealt with most of her relationships the same way I did with the ones I wasn’t having—I buried myself in work.

And now work wasn’t a refuge any longer. At least not for me.

“Oh, Harry met someone in Virginia actually. Nice woman. Killer poker player. Do you know he won over a grand on our last hand the final night of the trip? I still think he cheated.” She laughed, her voice lacking rancor.

“Wait a second. Harry left you for another woman and then took one thousand from you in cards? And you’re laughing? Also, since when do you bet that kind of money?”

“We were on vacation,” she said as if that explained everything.

“And that’s where you met Chris?”

“Yes. He lost his wife last year and this was his first trip. He nearly aged out of the group, but they let him in, thank goodness.”

I frowned. “Aged out? How can you be too old for a seniors’ group?”

How old was this guy, anyway? Did he even still have teeth?

“Not too old, too young. Let me talk to you later, Snug.” She turned the phone into her shoulder and had a hushed conversation with her younger man, ending it with a laugh before returning to the phone. “We’ll talk tonight, all right?”

Gran hung up and I decided I’d dealt with enough insanity for one day. I didn’t have any more meetings, thank fuck, and I had gone to the gym this morning before heading in. The only thing left to do was for me to go home and help Hannah with Lily. She was probably overworking herself as usual, juggling far too much.

As if cooking a vast menu for humans wasn’t enough, I’d seen scribblings in the margins of the Lily-related notebook we passed back and forth with recipes for dogs and cats.