Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 57034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
But it was the way his face scrunched up that made me curious.
“I don’t know if that’s a rude word. I don’t have any friends who are in that line of work. I wasn’t that kind of broke.” Dally must’ve said something fascinating back because Milo shrugged. “Government assistance and looking cute.”
There were different kinds of poor?
No…there was no way to ask that without sounding like a dick, so I decided to keep that question to myself.
“Yeah, leaning against a fancy car and everything.” Pausing, Milo shrugged again and I started to wonder if he knew Dally couldn’t see him. “I don’t know. Big but not an SUV. Some kind of fancy sedan?”
He was trying to kill me.
“He’s pouting. So it’s expensive and I’m supposed to know what it is.” Nodding to whatever Dally had said, Milo shrugged once more. “I’ve always worked clothing retail, not cars. His watches are incredible, though.”
Okay, that was better.
“And now he’s happy again. Okay, I’m hanging up because my prince is here and if I keep talking, he’s going to end up frowning again.” Milo giggled. “Cars. I know. Yep. Bye.”
Disconnecting the call, he pretended to cross his arms and glare at me. “You’re my surprise. He’s been blowing up my phone with weird texts for the last hour.”
“That’s not technically my fault.” I wasn’t taking all the blame for it. “Victor needed better gossip to one-up Dally and we both knew that you’d already told him everything. So I had to help Victor. He’d been tortured enough today. I couldn’t let him lose the gossip war.”
Milo did his best to roll his eyes and look like it was a ridiculous idea. “I did not tell him everything.”
Bullshit.
He managed to keep a straight face for about three seconds. “Just most things.”
Now that, I believed.
“So you see why I had to help poor Victor?” There was no way around it. Eventually, I was going to have to end up buying Milo a private plane just so Victor didn’t always lose. “You should be grateful that I didn’t do something more dramatic.”
Cocking his head, Milo stepped closer. “What would be more dramatic?”
Before I could come up with a good response, he straightened, looking startled. “Wait. Pretty Woman pose. Fancy car. Big house. You have a housekeeper, don’t you? You’re not cleaning those toilets.”
I fully admitted to not following the logic that got us there, but I nodded. “It didn’t come up before.”
Sighing, he shook his head. “Well, at least I can tell them that I’m not going to be your maid.”
“Who?” Finally giving up on him greeting me properly on his own, I straightened and stepped closer. “Come here. You’re too far away. I’m not the chauffer. You’re supposed to say hello to me and greet me appropriately. I’m your Daddy.”
There had to be rules for that kind of thing.
Giggling, he made a piss-poor attempt at looking apologetic as he pressed himself against my chest and smiled. “Sorry, Daddy. Hi. It’s nice to see you.”
“Hello, it’s nice to see you, too.” Still pouting because it was making him smile, I kept my hands high enough not to shock anyone walking by. “Now, who was asking if you’re a maid?”
I wasn’t sure if I’d missed a conversation he had with Dally or if it was something weirder.
Milo shrugged. “The people who keep calling?”
Something weirder.
My brain actually stopped working for a second before Milo patted my cheek. “It’s okay, Daddy. Not everyone has a sane family. Not everyone has a family.”
“Mine is not sane.” Wait. Who didn’t have a family? “Aren’t you some kind of cousin to Dally?”
Milo blinked. “No. His family kind of adopted me when I was young and living next door in a foster home. Even when I got moved to a new home, Dally kept me and his parents just followed along, making me as much a part of the family as they could.”
Foster care.
Things started to come together but I nodded and kissed his forehead. “That makes sense. But yes, mine are the crazy kind and they’ve completely lost the plot. I was going to warn you about that, though. Honestly. I just thought I had more time.”
I hadn’t.
Milo was doing his best to take it seriously but his grin was peeking out. “Did you know it’s terrible that you want me to be your live-in maid? Oh, but according to the pictures they saw, I’d be cute in a skirt.”
What?
Pictures?
A giggle escaped as I just stood there dumbfounded. “My favorite was the voicemail where a couple of women wanted to know where to buy a prostitute.”
Head cocking, Milo continued before my brain could catch up. “But wouldn’t that be rent? I mean, they’re not planning on keeping anyone, are they?”
“At this point, I don’t know but I will have someone watch them more closely.” I was taking that cost out of their inheritance, though. “Victor has explained several times that you are not for sale in any way.”