Boss I Love to Hate An Office Romance - Mia Kayla Page 0,33
chicken and broccoli pasta.
I noticed his feet were bare and had a strange urge to snap a picture for Ava. She’d appreciate the sight of his bare feet and elbows, too.
“So, about the deal …” My voice trailed off, nerves getting the words stuck in my throat.
“Do you mind if we talk about this after dinner?” He flipped the chicken on the pan. “I have some stipulations.”
“What kind of stipulations?” I asked, eyebrows shooting to my hairline.
“After dinner.” Then, he smiled and poured the pasta into the boiling pot.
Great. Same old BILK. He’d made a deal with me, yet he was the one with stipulations. That was what I got for making a deal with the devil.
Laughter filled the kitchen. I knew there was an eighteen-person dining room because I had seen it when the girls took me on a tour, but we were all seated in the intimate table for eight in the kitchen.
“Do you cook every day?” I asked, making small talk. Over conversation with the girls and watching Brad interact with his nieces, the tension in my shoulders eased up.
Mary chimed in, bouncing in her seat. “No, yesterday, we had McDonald’s, and the day before that, we had Taco Bell, and then we had mac and cheese yesterday, too.”
Brad continued to cut up some more of Mary’s chicken. “Mason is the stickler when it comes to everything organic and healthy. He called, and I promised I’d cook dinner tonight.”
Sarah laughed and then stuck some pasta in her mouth. “He’s the food Nazi. He wanted me to e-mail a breakdown of everything we had eaten over the weekend. He wanted pictures, too, for proof, but I told him we hadn’t taken any.”
Oddly enough, I could see that in Mason, him being the finance and numbers guy. He was meticulous in the office and picky about his lunch—from what his secretary had told me.
“I’m the cooler uncle, aren’t I?” He teasingly pushed at Mary’s side, his eyes playful.
“Yes, you are.” Mary's cheeks puffed out, her mouth full of food.
“He’s the one who hired the babysitter?” I asked.
“No. Charles and Becky did.” Brad stabbed his fork into the broccoli and fed Mary. “Here, you didn’t have enough broccoli.” He slipped more onto her plate. “They didn’t think Mason and I could handle the month they’d be gone on their honeymoon.” A devious grin crept up his mouth. “Mason will be pretty pissed that I fired her. But, hell, she was irresponsible and late, and I didn’t feel the kids were safe with her. She was always nose deep in her phone, and,” he added, just above a whisper, “everything Mary says goes, which can’t be good.”
“I heard you,” Mary said, mid-chew.
“You’re just as guilty.” Sarah outed him. “Mary gets whatever she wants from you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Brad chuckled.
Mary reached into Brad’s pocket and plucked out a sugar packet. She opened it and poured it on top of her pasta. When Mary shrugged, the whole table laughed.
“It’s because you’re so cute. I can’t help it, now can I?” Brad picked up a broccoli floret and stuffed another one in Mary’s mouth.
“So, who’s going to watch them now?” I asked.
“Charles comes back in three weeks, and Mason comes back Wednesday.” He sighed heavily. “I’ll have to deal tomorrow and then work with Mason until Charles get back.” He reached for his wineglass and tipped it back. “We have Leilah, a teen who lives down the street. She can watch the girls until we get home. I’ll have to do pickup and drop-off for a bit.” He placed his glass down on the table, his tone turning serious. “I couldn’t stand Annie watching the kids when I didn’t have peace of mind. It had to be done.”
Knowing how much he loved his nieces and putting myself in his shoes, I would’ve done the same thing. With family, I’d rather not take chances. And, with Annie not doing her job, it was affecting Brad’s work schedule.
I sipped my water and crunched on the ice. “I can pick up Mary from school again if you’d like.”
I was doing this guy way too many favors, but I felt bad for him. He’d been strung out lately with the Titan deal. Picking up the girls wasn’t hard. It was a matter of principle, but I guess principle flew out the door when I’d made him make me a deal he still didn’t know about.