"You didn't like that, did you? Having someone taking over your personal stuff?"
"Um, not really," she admitted. "I'm sorry. I feel like I'm being so ungrateful but it feels weird to have someone telling me when I'll be going here and there."
"I know it seems strange and invasive but she's truly just there to make sure that you don't get over-scheduled. In the future we'll have dinners and charity events to attend. It helps to have someone keeping track of all those details and making sure that you have a dress for each event. She handles car service so I don't have to think about it."
"I guess. It's definitely going to take some getting used to. Anyway, I probably won’t be gone long. I'm sure your sister was just being polite when she invited me to come along.”
Trent paused, the cup halfway to h
is mouth. “Um, I have to warn you that knowing Sophia, you’ll be gone until this evening. Her shoe fetish rivals yours.” He put his mug down on top of her dressing table and pulled out his wallet. “Oh yeah, you’ll need this.”
A small twinge of unease hit as she accepted the card he held out. It was a black American Express Card. In her name.
“This is mine?”
He shrugged absently. “I had you added to my account as soon as you agreed to come.”
It was such a small thing to cause these insidious feelings of shame. She’d never been the kept woman type and despite knowing that her relationship with Trent wasn’t that way, had never been that way, it still made her uncomfortable to have him giving her what was essentially a direct line to his bank account.
“I thought these were an urban legend. I didn’t think anybody actually had these.”
It was a stupid thing to say but she felt like she had to say something. He was still watching her so she slipped the card into her wallet.
“It’ll get easier,” he promised quietly.
They both turned at the sound of heels echoing from the living room. Mara stood uncertainly and slipped her arms into the cardigan she'd selected. She stood on tiptoe and kissed Trent’s cheek. “Well, I guess I'd better go. I don't want to keep Sophia waiting. Have a good day, honey.”
He grinned at her syrupy-sweet endearment. “You too, dear.”
She walked out to meet Sophia who stood in the living room, tapping the toe of her Jimmy Choo pump against the hardwood.
"I'm ready," she said.
Or not.
Chapter Ten
TRENT WAS IN the middle of answering emails when his phone rang. He'd given explicit instructions not to be interrupted if possible so he knew that something big must have happened. When he heard who was downstairs, he immediately gave his approval. The elevator opened a few minutes later and his old classmate, David Baxter, walked in.
Six feet of muscle and tattoos, with his dark hair cut close and spiked up slightly in the center, Dax was an intimidating sight. He looked like a meathead but Trent knew from experience that he was as sharp as a razorblade and twice as lethal. He was also a damned good private investigator.
He grinned at Trent when he saw him. "It's good to have you back, man. How have you been?"
"Better now." They clasped hands and Trent gestured at the chair across from him. "Have a seat."
Dax shook his head. "You won't want to shoot the shit when I tell you what's going on. James flew in to LaGuardia last night. He's at the Waldorf."
Anticipation spiked Trent's blood. "He didn't go home?"
There was no change in Dax's expression but Trent could feel the disapproval palpably. "No, sir."
"Maybe that's a good thing. I don't want Avery to even know he was here unless he's staying."
Trent immediately closed his laptop and strode to the elevators. Without another word, Dax fell into step behind him. They rode the elevator down in silence. Trent took a deep breath. There was no part of him that didn't want to throttle his brother on sight but he was going to keep his cool for Avery's sake. And for Travis. In this entire situation, they all needed to think about the welfare of the little boy they all loved first and foremost.
He turned to Dax. "You don't have to come along. You've done your job and found him. Now I just have to make him see reason. Hopefully he'll do the right thing and I can let Avery know what's going on."
"I'm coming with you. Just in case he doesn't see reason."