Tossing the bottle into the recycling bin, I look over the rest of today’s schedule in front of me. Normally, I have my secretary giving me a rundown in the morning and updates throughout the day, but she has the day off. There are so many mundane things that quickly add up to a huge chunk of my time—tasks that are time-sensitive, people that need to be called, people that are coming to the office, places that I need to go meet and mingle. It’s exhausting, and I wouldn’t be able to stay on top of everything without her. After today’s grueling regime, I think she deserves a raise.

Thankfully, today is Friday, and Norma will be back on Monday. With the added stress of not having a full-time nanny for Bella for the past two weeks, I have reached the limits of my capacity for everything. Glancing at the clock, I’m relieved to see that it’s already a little past noon. Samuel had been watching Bella early this morning when I brought her in. When I was on the phone, he came to let me know that he was leaving her with Laura.

I assume that Laura has taken Bella downstairs to the cafe in the building, since this is where they’ve been most of the week, except Monday, when I had lunch with Bella. Riding down the elevator to the lower floor, I think about how Laura’s face always softens around Bella. In fact, until I saw her with Bella, I assumed Laura had a permanent scowl. As it turns out, that’s only reserved for me, because she’s nothing but smiles around Bella.

The doors open, and I head to the cafe. I hear them before I see them. Bella is giggling, and I hear Laura laughing with her before gently prodding her to finish some of her sandwich.

Laura smooths a napkin down and folds it into a hat before perching it on top of her head. “Oh dear,” she says in a high-pitched voice. “The weather is so dreary today. Marques, we shall take our tea indoors. See that you close the gates. We don’t want to catch a chill now do we, Bella?” she drawls, complete with a foppish English accent.

Bella is enjoying the mock high tea with Bella’s juice box and her own cup of coffee.

“Can I have more biscuits?” Bella requests, her high-pitched voice matching Laura’s.

“Why, of course!” Laura acts as if the question is an affront. “Marques! Do bring about more biscuits and scones, and please make sure the plate is never empty!”

Bella laughs harder and pauses to sip her apple juice.

“Pinky up!” Laura reminds her in a loud whisper.

“Pinkies! Both pinkies!” Bella holds her juice with two hands and two raised little fingers.

They continue their play, and I dare not break the magic that is happening. Bella is spunky and spirited. She’s never had a problem with socializing. But never has she connected with anyone the way I see her talking with Laura on a regular basis. The only comparison I can think of is Bella’s first nanny, who was with her since her birth. She was professional and matronly, and although Bella was comforted by her, she always treated her the same as the housekeeper or the maid—with a little distance. As if she knew the nanny had a job to do, and she didn’t want to interfere with that.

But with Laura, she acts as if she’s found her best friend.

Laura is making a hat for Bella as well, customizing it to her preferences. Her long, slim fingers fold and crease carefully as if she’s crafting something special. It’s nice to see Laura with her guard down for once. She is professional, of course. But she also has an unmatched level of sophistication compared to her peers, and even those much older than her.

I’ve noted that her hair is usually in a stiff bun on top of her head, but the strands are slowly coming loose around her neck. Some flyaways come to rest around her heart-shaped face, and she brushes them away absently. I want to cup her behind the neck and feel her lips on mine. Since the night she texted me about being a virgin, it’s all I can think about. To be fair, it was already on my mind, but the text amplified my desire tenfold.

A woman brushes past me, and I realize I’ve been standing in the entryway for far too long. There will be more people filtering in so I join them at their table.

“Daddy!” Bella jumps up and down and tugs on my arm. “You have to have tea with us, right, Laura? See, but I have apple juice, and she doesn’t have tea either, but it doesn’t matter.” Bella rushes to explain the rules and orders me to sit down so I can play along.

I notice the exact moment when Laura withdraws. Her brilliant green eyes shutter, and she pastes a polite smile on her face. “You two enjoy the rest of your lunch. I’m going to head back upstairs and finish up some work,” she says, rising from the table. She smooths her skirt in the front and does a quick sweep on the back before lifting her small handbag into the crook of her arm.

This is the first time I’ve seen her in a cardigan, and I love how it molds to her form. Somehow, it doesn’t make her look mousy, but it definitely gives her a softer look than the jackets she favors.

“Why don’t you stay?” I ask. I feel bad about how I approached the situation last week and wish I could take back the words. I wanted to air out our issues that day, but I think I botched everything instead.

Laura picks up her plate of salad and gives me a polite smile. “I would love to, but I should get back upstairs. I don’t want to fall behind on anything.”

“How are you staying on top of all your work?” I feel like an ass since I haven’t even considered the amount of time she’s been giving to Bella when she could be working.

“Oh, I just take a couple files home when I need to. It’s no big deal, really.”

“Well, it’s a big deal to me,” I tell her. “Please keep a log of how many hours you’ve been putting in at home. I want you to be compensated for that time.”

Bella is not appreciative of our adult conversation and makes her point known by trying to shove her straw into my mouth.

“Of course; I can do that.” She begins to back away but moves back to the table suddenly. She dips down low and gives Bella a warm embrace.

Bella, in the middle of feeding me a biscuit, drops it into my lap to return her hug. I am happy for Bella, but can’t help feeling left out of the bond they’ve developed. “Can’t you stay, Laura? Please?” Bella pouts, and I will her to produce fake tears to seal the deal.

“I’m so sorry, Bella. I have to go. But you know what, next week, let’s tell Marques that we want a cake with tea. I think that sounds splendid, don’t you? You decide what kind of cake.”

“Cake!” Bella claps her hands. “Daddy, you have to come next week for cake and tea!”

I give Laura a grateful smile and agree with Bella. “I will, of course. How can I miss cake and tea?”

Laura is already walking away, and I watch her perfectly-shaped behind until it disappears down the hallway. Bella continues to chatter about her day and her plans for next week’s high tea. I agree with her choices and offer my own opinions.

“No, Daddy. That doesn’t make sense.” Bella sighs in exasperation. “Laura knows all about high teas, and she taught me. She’s really smart.” She begins to list all the things she loves about Laura, and I agree to each one. As she talks, my mind drifts to the trips that I have to take later next month. At this point, with no nanny, I know I have to take Bella with me. But handling her while I am busy with lengthy meetings will pose an issue.

If I tell Sam that we need to take Laura along to help with Bella, and also continue to do some work for him on the side, I am positive he will agree. Satisfied with that thought, I tune back into what Bella is talking about and find that I don’t like the direction of her thoughts.

“Do you think she’ll marry Uncle Sam?” Bella queries, her mouth full of fries. “She makes Uncle Sam laugh, too, just like me.”

I frown and don’t know how to respond. I want the idea of him marrying Laura out of her head. “I don’t think he wants to get married,” I tell her abruptly.

“Why not?” Bella looks concerned. “I thought everyone wanted to get married!”

“He does,” I correct myself. Dammit. “I just mean that he doesn’t want to get married right now.” I wonder if Sam is interested in Laura beyond a working relationship. It never occurred to me that he might like her. It’s clear that I’m more than interested, though. Shit.

“Oh.” Bella frowns and looks away. “So, people get married when they want to? What do they do until they get married?” Bella gets a faraway look in her eyes and then hits me with an even harder question. “Remember that nice lady that used to come to our house with Uncle Sam? Is that his wife?”

Oh boy. I am not prepared for these questions. “No, honey. That was his girlfriend. They aren’t together anymore.”

“Why not?” Bella prods.

“You’ll have to ask him,” I tell her. “But I think it just didn’t work out. Sometimes that happens.”

“Like with you and my mom?” Bella is astute.

“Kind of like that, yes.”

She chews on a fry delicately, dunking it in the little puddle of ketchup in front of her, nibbling it, savoring it as if she only intends to eat one.

After I tuck Bella into bed tonight, I watch her eyes dance when I read her one last fairy tale. She snuggles down deep under her covers, her nose pokes out just over her pink blanket. “Daddy,” she murmurs, “you’ll get married again, right?”

I snap the book shut and place it back on the bookshelf. “You should get some sleep,” I say quietly. I turn, smooth her hair back off her face, and plant a kiss on her forehead.

“If you do, you have to make sure she’s a real princess.” Bella yawns.

“I already have a princess,” I tell her.

“Who?” Her eyes widen.

“You, Bella.” I laugh. “You’ve always been my princess.”

“Oh, Daddy. That’s not what I mean.”

“Okay, if you find a princess for me, you let me know,” I tell her.

“I will,” Bella says, closing her eyes.

By the time I get into bed, it’s near midnight. I lay awake and think about Bella’s words from this afternoon. Does Sam like Laura? I can’t shake the uneasy feeling that comes with this thought. I smile to myself at the thought of Bella looking for someone for me. Not having known her own mother, I’m surprised she feels the void as much as she does. My eyes drift close before they pop open once more. Maybe Bella is onto something.