Mr. Mitchell Billionaires' Club Book 2 - Raylin Marks Page 0,71

say that my daughter knew an asshole when she saw one. In the end, her papa was the only male figure she reacted to like this. That’s why I stood in awe as I watched the way she treated Jim. This whole scene made me feel much better about being open to him wanting another chance.

I stood there, waiting and watching as Addy showed Jim her scribbled artwork for the day. God, how I wished her father could be that man to her—a dad that she would run out to and cheerfully tell him about her day. Every child needed that from their father, and Addy didn’t have that with Derek.

“So, would that be a yes, then?” Lucy asked with a laugh, breaking through my daydreaming moment.

I turned back and tried to get my mind back on track with Addy’s teacher. “When are the practices? She has to be at her dad’s after I get off work on Friday. I can make an exception, though.”

“We rehearse on Thursday and Friday nights. It ends at seven. Addy can come to see the stage, and we’ll see if her outgoing nature is still up for it. No pressure.”

“I think she’ll love it,” I said. “Seven is fine. It keeps us from sitting in rush hour traffic when we drive out to her dad’s house in Orange County.”

“This is excellent news. I’ll see you tomorrow, Avery,” Lucy said. “Good Evening, Mr. Mitchell,” she acknowledged Jim.

“Good Evening, Miss Stills,” he responded, rising up and smiling at her. “I trust your day with the children went well?”

“They were marvelous.” She smiled. “If you’ll both excuse me, a few more students are packing up,” she said and then turned to meet with another student’s father who’d just acknowledged Jim before he walked over to pick up his kid.

I turned and folded my arms at Jim and Addy, both now in a heavy conversation about what Jim would be eating at McDonald’s tonight. “Well, are we all ready for our dinner? I know I’m starved,” I said, interrupting the two.

Addison ran back over to me. “You can ride in my car, Jim,” she said.

“Yeah, Jim won’t fit in our car,” I teased. “It’s the McDonald’s right before the freeway. It’s a brand new one.”

“Text me the address.” He smiled. “I’ll meet you two there.”

Sounds great,” I said, whipping out my new phone. “I need your number.”

“Excellent point,” Jim said.

After I added Jim to my contacts, we headed to our respective vehicles. I looked up the address and texted it to Jim before I fired up my car, and we headed out.

The thought of seeing this man at a McDonald’s made me laugh. He was sporting some fancy designer, three-piece suit, a white shirt, and a burgundy tie. His taller than average height, the suit, and the painfully gorgeous looks of the man alone sitting at McDonald's would certainly make for an amusing night. Nothing like seeing Richie-Rich, slumming it at a fast-food joint.

Everything else aside, I was so hungry I could order the entire menu. The sandwich I’d ordered at lunch sucked, and the chips that came with it were all I’d been running on since noon. Jim was about to experience my wild eating habits again, and this time, it wasn’t because of his mouthwatering gourmet cooking. Tonight, I was pigging out on fries, burgers, and milkshakes. I think Jim was in over his head, no matter how fancy he was dressed. Part of me was riddled with excitement to share this time with him and my daughter. I had to admit it, I was more than excited to introduce Jim to dining out Addy-style tonight.

We were parked and out of the car before Jim arrived at McDonald’s. I would have been inside ordering while we waited for Jim to show up, but Addy insisted we stay outside just in case Mitch got lost.

Holy shit, I thought when I saw the black Bentley roll up like the president was paying this place a personal visit. The car parked in front of where Addy and I stood, watching as Jim stepped out from behind the driver’s seat like it was any other day.

“You can’t drive?” Addy asked with a laugh, poking fun at Jim as he walked toward us with a smile.

Jim’s face creased in a way I’d never seen before after Addy called him out on having a chauffeur and not understanding it.

“I can drive very well, actually.” He arched his eyebrow playfully at Addy after