Lex wrinkled her nose. ‘I know, I do too, especially in this weather. The tyres are smoother than I’d like.’ She hesitated before speaking again. ‘I know it’s expensive, but I think we should put them in a cab.’
Cole cranked his head to look at her tyres and noticed that they definitely needed replacing. In wet weather, they would slide all over the road.
‘I’ll pay for it,’ Storm offered.
Addison shook her head. ‘Honey, you paid for the flights to Durban, and you’re going to be entertaining the girls for the next three weeks. You need to save your money. I think the house credit card has a little room on it, Lex.’
Lex nodded. ‘Okay, cool. Let me just park and I’ll order one.’
This was ridiculous. There was a perfectly good SUV sitting right there, with a full tank of fuel, doing nothing. He saw Lex’s eyes widen as he stepped out from behind the pillar and her gorgeous mouth dropped open.
‘Good morning, Lex,’ he said, deliberately formal.
Her face pinkened under her freckles. ‘Uh...morning.’ He walked up to Addison, holding out his hand. ‘I presume you are Addison Fields? I’m Cole Thorpe.’
Addison looked a little dazed but she put her hand in his. ‘I’m sorry we haven’t connected personally before now, Mr Thorpe.’
‘I hear Jude Fisher has been running you ragged,’ he replied. He looked down at the two little girls who were looking at him with wide eyes through the back window.
‘Sisters?’ he asked, aiming his question at Lex.
‘Yep. This is my middle sister, Storm, and Nixi and Snow are in the car,’ she told him.
Cole looked down at the little girls, who couldn’t have been more different in looks if they’d tried. The older was a dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty while the younger had Lex’s red hair, complexion and eye colour. This was what Lex’s little girl would look like, he realised—all long limbs, pale skin, red hair and freckles.
Addison bit her lip, looking embarrassed. ‘I know I’m late, Mr Thorpe, but I’ll be up in a minute. I just need to sort something out.’
In other words:shoo. But nobody told him where to go or what to do. He looked at Lex and nodded to the SUV. ‘There’s no need to order a cab.’
Lex’s eyebrows raised in silent disapproval of his eavesdropping. He shrugged. ‘Voices travel in empty spaces. Use the company car to take your family to the airport, Lex. The roads are slick and it’s the safest option in the rain.’
Lex lifted her nose in the air and her mouth thinned. He knew that she was about to refuse but Addison beat her to the punch. ‘Thank you so much, Mr Thorpe, that’s incredibly generous of you. We’ll contribute to the cost of the fuel.’
He appreciated the offer. ‘That’s not necessary, Addison. I am aware of how hard you’ve been working lately, and I’m happy to help.’
Still looking at Addison, he asked her whether she was free to meet with him shortly. ‘I’ve been meaning to catch up with you and chat about your future with Thorpe Industries.’
He saw the flash of fear in her eyes and immediately looked at Lex and saw the same scared expression on her lovely face. Storm just bent her head and looked at the grubby floor. The realisation that the three women were terrified Addison was going to lose her job hit him with all the force of a sledgehammer, and he was reminded that his actions had real-life, real-world consequences.
Judging by the fact that they were debating whether to hire a cab or not, money was very tight.
‘Half an hour?’ he asked Addison before looking at Lex and handing her the keys to the SUV.
‘Drive safely, Lex. It’s horrible out there,’ he told her, sounding serious.
‘Yes, I know.’ She nodded, swallowed and nodded again. ‘Thank you. I appreciate you letting me use the car.’
She didn’t like him knowing they were in a jam but wasn’t too proud to express her gratitude. He was already deeply attracted to this woman. He didn’t need to like her as well.
He heard the lift open behind him and nodded. ‘Have a good trip, ladies. Addison, I’ll see you in half an hour. Lex, I’d like to see you when you get back too.’
‘Me?’ Lex responded, confused. ‘Why?’
He couldn’t tell her that he needed to know that she was back safely, that he needed to see her face, so instead of answering he stepped into the lift and hit the side of his fist against the button to close the lift doors.
He glanced at his watch as the lift took him to his penthouse office. He didn’t have any trips scheduled for today, and after hearing that Lex needed some time off last night he’d given her the rest of the weekend off, telling her he wouldn’t need her again until Monday morning.
Right, he had a couple of hours to work out a reason for wanting to see her again. He was a smart guy. He was sure he could find something to tell her that she would believe.