“You know what they say about worrying.” I agree.
When silence answers me, I shake my head. “Uncultured, both of you.” I flip the grilled cheese and smile at them over my shoulder. “When you worry, you have two bad days instead of one.”
Sophie rolls her eyes, but I see a smile tug at the corner of her lips. She sits in Nick’s lap and gently pats his chest. “We’re going to be okay.”
He nods, but I see the nervousness in his eyes. I finish his drink since I know he won’t and feed Sophie. She praises my grilled cheese as if she’s in a five-star restaurant but then yawns. She covers her mouth, tries to stop it, but another one makes its way out.
“I think I need some sleep.”
“Feel free to take tomorrow off.” Nick offers.
“Sure, I’ll go see my dad.”
“Nope.” I tug her ponytail. “You’re coming in to work. I have emails out the ass and need some help scheduling everything since Sasha’s gone.”
Sophie looks between us like we’re conspiring against her, then nods. “Fine. But only because you need me.”
“And because it’s your job!” I call after her.
She flips me off, but I chuckle and shake my head. Nick gets up and heads to bed after a moment. Roman’s nowhere to be seen, and Holden is working, I’m sure. So I go to Sophie’s bed, cuddle against her, fuck her again, and then we drift off to sleep.
Work is pretty straight forward even with Sophie helping me schedule everything out in my office. I’m tempted to have her schedule some time for sex, but I know she didn’t sleep well. She was up and down all night, tossing and turning, waking me up every time she got out of bed.
No matter what she says, I know this is hard on her. She doesn’t want to upset her dad, and she really doesn’t want to deal with all this extra stress. All of that is understandable, but I know it’s only going to get worse until she faces it.
I get a call from the temp who’s covering the front desk. “Um, there’s a lady here.”
“Okay.” I switch to speaker, and Sophie looks up. “Does she have a name?”
“Diana Lane.” The guy says after a minute.
Sophie’s back straightens, and she swallows hard. Her mother? I arch an eyebrow at her, and she nods once. I clear my throat. “Send her directly to my office, please. Show her the way if no one else is up there.”
Sophie straightens herself out and gives me a look as if begging me to stay quiet. I arch an eyebrow. If her father knows, wouldn’t her mother? But when a woman walks into my office, my eyes catch.
She has red hair like Sophie, deep blue eyes, and honestly, she’s gorgeous. I see where Sophie gets her looks. Her mother is thinner, but she looks like she knows what she wants in life and is ready to take it. Her heels click on the floor as she walks forward.
There’s not a trace of shyness in her step, and I can tell her white dress is high quality, just like that wrap or whatever she has with it. She flashes a smile. “Hello there. I’m Diana.”
“Hi, Mom,” Sophie says softly.
“Hi, baby.” She cups Sophie’s face. “Look at you, all professional and busy.”
“Why are you here?” Sophie escapes the hold.
Diana looks between me and Sophie, an obvious question in her eyes, but then she drops into the last free chair and turns her attention to me. “Apparently, the hotel I’m staying at is fully booked for this weekend, so I had to check out. I don’t really have anywhere else to stay, and Miles mentioned that you all live in one big house … do you have an extra room I could use?”
I share a look with Sophie. This would mean that we’d have to go back to sneaking around much earlier than planned. Plus, I’d have to ask the guys before doing anything. I clear my throat. “I’d have to talk to the guys. We make decisions together when it comes to guests.”
“How … democratic.” She treats me to a smile that’s bright and sweet. “I totally understand.”
I send a group email and get approval. I nod. “It’s a go. You can stay for as long as you need.”
“So accommodating. Sophie, you’re lucky to be around such good role models.” Diana purrs, giving me a look I recognize.
I’ve seen it on Sophie’s face. It’s curiosity with a tinge of heat. Only Diana’s is stronger. She eye fucks me quickly, then claps her hands together. “Well then. I just need an address and maybe someone to show me where I’ll be staying.”
“I’ll take an early lunch and get you set, Mom.” Sophie volunteers.