Every Way (Brush of Love 4)

“Well, give Hailey my love. I’ll definitely scoot by for breakfast soon.”

“If you want to see her, you’ll have to get there around seven,” I said.

“I’ll definitely scoot by for dinner on my day off sometime soon,” he said, chuckling.

I clapped Drew on the back before he took on his next client. My stomach was rumbling with hunger, and I had thirty minutes to track down food before I had to go sit down with Ellen. I wasn't quite sure what she wanted to discuss, so I tried to brace myself for everything. New projects that needed to be approved, old projects that needed more coordination, last-minute meetings that made it onto the schedule. I walked into the meeting with my mind set on working the rest of the day, but I was pleasantly surprised as to the topic of conversation that was being focused on.

“The efficiency of this foundation has improved by eighty percent, and that’s with you being overseas,” she said.

“Well, I’m glad things are going well. I tried to take on all I could while I was touring,” I said.

“The fundraising efforts you initiated were beyond successful, and the new method of money dispersal is a hit with everyone. You’ve really proven yourself, Bryan.”

“I’m glad I can help. I’m excited about getting in here tomorrow and having a regular presence.”

“And we’re ready to have you. How did Hailey’s tour go?”

“Better than we could’ve ever expected. We were able to pay off the loans she still had out on her gallery as well as invest in our baby’s college fund. I’ve been told it’s never too early to start one of those.”

“Oh, how is she doing with the baby? She’s, what? Six months along?”

“Seven,” I said. “And it’s going. She’s hit that stage where she’s done being pregnant, and she isn’t feeling herself anymore.”

“Struggling with how her body is changing?” she asked.

“In part, yeah.”

“Well, a woman’s body changes a great deal when she’s pregnant, but it’s nothing to be concerned about. Plus, she’s a lucky woman to be carrying your child. I have to say, I’m a bit jealous.”

“What?” I asked.

“You heard me,” she said, grinning.

Her comment had me on high alert. When I had taken this job at the foundation, I’d made it clear to her I had no sexual interest in her. I’d made it clear that I was in love with Hailey and had even made it a point to call her and announce both our pregnancy and our engagement when Hailey agreed to marry me. I had yet to be in the office full-time with her, even though I was working for the foundation around-the-clock, but I figured this misunderstanding between us had fallen by the wayside.

But her comment was making me insecure about this job again, and I wasn't sure what to think of it.

Had my comment about Hailey's struggles opened some sort of door for her? Was that something I shouldn’t have mentioned? I didn't think anything of it while we were talking. She was only asking how Hailey was doing. I figured she was taking an interest in my home life since the foundation seemed to operate as a massive family.

But now I was beginning to question her motives for hiring me and asking how Hailey was doing in the first place.

“Having a child is a wonderful blessing,” Ellen said. “The fact that the two of you are expecting is an absolute joy. I wanted children with my late husband. I wanted to fill his home full of them. I wanted a massive family and lots of grandchildren, and I’d dream about it every night as I fell asleep beside him.”

“Why didn’t you two have children?” I asked.

I was trying to put the focus back on her instead of me in order to stray away from the topic of Hailey. I was no longer comfortable discussing that with her, not until I could pinpoint her actual motives and put her in her place again if it was necessary.

“Between our active careers, we just never found the time. We kept putting it off and pushing it away, and then his death took everyone by surprise. Now, I’m a bit too old to be doing that kind of thing,” she said.

“Many women in their thirties are having chil

dren nowadays,” I said.

“Thirties? Oh, Bryan. You flatter me.”

Shit. This woman wasn’t in her thirties? I figured she was thirty-eight or thirty-nine, and now I had unwittingly paid her a compliment. I needed to get this meeting back on track and back into a business-like tone. I was digging a hole I didn’t need to be digging, and now I was digging it further without a damn flashlight to light the way.

“I’m forty-three, hardly an age where a woman could have a child and give it the best it needs. The foundation is my child now. My legacy. And I want you to know I appreciate how much you are helping with that legacy with the professionalism and the intelligence and the skills and ideas you’re bringing to your job. I’m tempted to bump your salary with all of the work you’ve already accomplished,” Ellen said.