“Lauren tells me what she needs, I provide it. Quietly. That’s why it can’t go through the foundation, I don’t want to risk her getting wind of who her benefactor is and getting all huffy again.”
There was something so touching about a tough guy, hard and determined, with a soft center. Hunt came across as a driven, hard-as-nails businessman, but he hadn’t forgotten where he came from or who helped him along the way. And, she might be wrong, but she suspected that Miss Mae was more of a mother figure to him than his own mother had been. The rift between them still seemed to have the power to scorch him.
And, if Miss Mae was as fond of Hunt as he was of her, she had to be hurting too.
“How long ago did this happen?”
Hunt wouldn’t meet her eyes and Adie knew he didn’t want to answer her question. “Hunter?”
“Twelve years ago,” Hunter reluctantly admitted. When she stopped and just stared at him, he lifted his hands. “She’s stubborn!”
“You haven’t spoken to her in more than ten years?” Adie demanded, her voice rising.
“Oh, we’ve spoken, we’re not that bad. We lunch every couple of months—at her favorite diner—and she always insists on paying for her half.” Hunt scowled, obviously irritated. “But she won’t hear of me paying for anything else because she promised me, over a decade ago, that she’d never take a cent from me. I’ve offered to buy her a bigger house and a new car but she keeps refusing.”
“Wow, that’s taking stubborn to a whole new level.”
“Tell me about it,” Hunt grumbled.
“Come on, she must know you are paying for the kids’ Christmas presents,” Adie protested.
“I’m sure she suspects, but since the social worker won’t discuss the donation or tell her where it comes from, her pride will let her accept the help.” Hunt looked frustrated. “Damn, she’s a handful.”
“But you love her.”
Hunt’s shrug was as much confirmation as she was going to get, but actions said so much more than words. It was obvious he absolutely adored Miss Mae.
“So, it looks like we are going to spend the morning buying Christmas presents for a bunch of kids,” Adie said, tapping her foot on the sidewalk.
Relief softened Hunt’s mouth and the tension in his body eased. “I’ll pay you for your time, of course, but I’d like to keep this separate from the concierge business.”
Please, she wasn’t going to take payment, not for this.
Touched by his willingness to do what was right, Adie slowly nodded. “I am very happy to spend loads of your money and I’ll even help you wrap the presents but it’s going to cost you.”
“I just said that I’d pay you,” Hunt pointed out, but his mouth twitched at the corners, indicating his amusement. Funny how she was learning to read him.
Adie placed a hand on her stomach. “That’s not the type of payment I was talking about...”
Humor touched Hunt’s eyes. “What are you thinking? Flowers, dinner, a helicopter ride over Manhattan?” He flashed her that sexy half grin. “A night of unbridled passion?”
Adie rolled her eyes. “Nice try, Sheridan. Nope, you need to feed me. A girl can’t shop on an empty stomach.”
“That I can do,” Hunt said, placing his hand on the small of her back and steering her down a narrow street. “I know a place where they serve the best bagels in the city. But feel free to change your mind. Especially about the night of passion.”
“Don’t tempt me, Sheridan,” Adie muttered.
When Hunt laughed, Adie realized she’d spoken out loud.No, Adie, don’t even think about it!
But how could she not?
Six
Hunt, in the middle of composing an email, felt the car stop. He lifted his head to look out the window. Pete had parked in his usual spot next to the portico of The Stellan and was leaving his seat to open the door for Hunt.
Hunt saved his work, closed the lid to his laptop and shoved it into his briefcase. He shook his head when his car door opened. Pete was in his seventies, it was cold enough to freeze nitrogen and the rain was turning to sleet, but despite telling him a hundred times that he was more than capable of opening his own car door, Pete was old school and refused to listen.
It had been a day from hell, Hunt thought, as he left the car and thanked Pete. The assistant Hunt was sharing with his CFO was out sick and he’d spent the day tracking documents and files, searching for emails and answering his own phone.