After meeting Julie’s son at the hospital, I spent the next week making sure that I was nowhere near the house when Julie was there. I left a list of things for her to do and then stayed far enough out of temptation’s reach. Seeing her with her son was like being dunked in a bucket of ice water. I’d never seen such love in a woman’s eyes before, not even with my own mother. I knew right then and there that I could never touch her. Someone like me would only spoil the purity in her.

Unfortunately, there were things that I couldn’t avoid, and Darleen’s phone call to say that she was coming back to work was one of them. I almost fired her over the phone when I realized what she’d done, but I wanted to see the shock on her face when she realized she’d been caught. I wanted her to know that all of her well-laid plans and dreams for our supposed future were shattered.

I wanted to make sure that Darleen Mason never darkened my door again.

I’d given Julie plenty of work to keep her busy in her office and told Darleen to meet me on the deck. If I could help it, I wanted to spare Julie from whatever hateful lies Darleen would spout when she realized who had taken her place.

The woman arrived in a skin-tight dress that showed off every curve of her body and was so low-cut that her fake boobs were practically spilling out. She walked confidently on matching stilettos, and when she stepped up to the deck, she removed her designer sunglasses and pursed her pink lips my way. “Did you miss me?” she asked in a husky voice. For a horrifying moment, I thought she was going to try and kiss me.

“Actually, I’ve gotten along just fine without you,” I said coldly and pointed to the chair across from me. “Sit down, Darleen. We have a few things that we need to discuss.”

There was real fear in her face, and her eyes widened when she glanced at the papers on the table as she sat down. “I’m sure you recognize those,” I practically growled. “Those are the non-disclosure agreements that you signed when you started working here. You violated every single clause in that document when you hired someone else to do your fucking work for you. Did you really think that I wouldn’t find out?”

“She’s lying,” Darleen spat instantly. “She’s just a homeless whore that I paid to run a few errands. If she told you that she’s been doing everything, she’s lying. She just wants to drive a wedge between us, baby.”

Baby? I shuddered. “Funny. The first words out of her mouth were to protect you. When I read her emails on your computer, I lured her here thinking that she was a corporate spy or the press. She wanted to protect you, yet here you are blaming her for everything. I saw the documents that you sent her, Darleen. I read every single email. I even asked to see the text messages, but Julie said she deleted them. I could get a court order for them, you know. I could sue you for everything that you have.”

Her face crumpled, and crocodile tears rolled down her face. I didn’t buy the act for a minute. “I did it for you, baby. You were always stressed out, and you were giving me too much work, but I couldn’t say no because you’re so important to me. I just wanted to give you some peace of mind. I won’t ever do it again. I promise.”

“No,” I said coldly as I stood. “You won’t because you’re fired. I’ve hired Julie to take your place, and in the week that she’s been here, she’s done the job far better and faster than you ever did. Get out of my sight, Darleen.”

I thought that she would take the hint and leave, but it turns out that I underestimated Darleen Mason. She stood, and the fake tears were gone. Instead, her face was dark and stormy, and when she opened her mouth, she threw a temper tantrum for the ages.

“Fired?” she shrieked. “Do you have any idea what I’ve put up with in the past year? You are the coldest and most self-controlled man that I have ever met! You’ve got a stick so far up your ass that you get pissy if even one sock is out-of-place in your sock drawer. You can’t for a single second just relax and smile. I don’t even understand how you’ve never once hit on me. I think you’re fucking gay, and the women on your arm are just for show. You replaced me with a whore so poor that she couldn’t even afford groceries when she answered my ad. She practically kissed me, she was so grateful for work. She’s the type of woman who will get knocked up and handcuff you for the next eighteen years. Mark my words, you are going to rue the day you chose her over me.”

I was about to show Darleen just what happened when I lost control, but a moving shadow caught my eye. Turning my head, I saw an unmistakable mop of blond hair. “Tyler,” I growled. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Darleen whirled around, but I moved quickly and blocked her view. I was not about to have her harass Julie’s kid. “Leave,” I hissed at her. “Before I call the police.”

She shot me one last angry look before she turned and flounced away. I could practically feel the steam rolling off her, and I had a bad feeling that it wasn’t over. Turning, I looked down at the child with a frown. “Tyler?”

“You said a bad word,” he pointed out. “But she said worse.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

He ducked his head, and I could see that the stitches had been removed. “I’m supposed to be hiding from you because Crystal is gone, and Momma didn’t think you’d be happy to know that I was here. I was doing a good job too, but that woman screamed so loud, and I just had to get a look at her.”

Unable to help myself, I chuckled. Trust Darleen’s temper tantrum to pique a child’s interest. “So you’ve been hiding from me all morning, huh? Where have you been?”

“Mr. Daniel said I could play in the garden, but when it got hot, he told me to come inside. Ms. Sarah gave me a couple of muffins, and Mr. Daniel told me to watch some television, but I don’t really watch television, so I was exploring and pretending that I was on a top-secret mission.”

Now his butler and cook were conspiring against him? Wonderful. “And what was the top-secret mission?”

“To find my daddy.”

He whispered the last bit as if it was a secret, and it wasn’t the first time that I wondered about his father. “Your mother doesn’t talk about him?”

Tyler shook his head. “I don’t want to ask her because I think it might make her sad, and I don’t want her to be sad. She cries sometimes when she thinks that I’m sleeping.”

The kid had a heart of gold. He’d never make it in the world if someone didn’t give him a firm hand. “I think you’ve been hiding long enough. Come on, let’s go find your mother.”

“She’ll be mad.”

“She won’t,” I promised. “It’ll be okay.”

To my surprise, the boy slipped his hand in mine, and I had no choice but to lead him into the house. It felt strange to hold his hand, not because his hands were so tiny but because I simply didn’t hold hands with people. “I like your house,” he said conversationally. “Our room is kind of small, and the sign buzzes at night.”

“The sign?”

“Uh-huh. The egg sign outside our motel.”

My heart squeezed in my chest. They were living at the Sunny Side Motel? Good God, the woman was living at a hooker motel? What the hell else didn’t I know about Julie Dennings?

“Are you a prince? Is this your castle?”

“Believe me, I’m no one’s prince,” I said darkly as I stopped at the open door. At the sound of my voice, Julie looked up, and I could see the resignation on her face.

“Tyler, are you okay?” she asked softly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. I couldn’t help but notice that her first thought was of her son and not about her job.

“I’m sorry, Momma, but the woman was shrieking, and I just had to see her.”

“Darleen.” I quietly filled her in on the details, and she pressed her lips together. I could see the wheels in her head turning as she tried to figure out what to do next.

“I know that we never talked about having my son here, and I should have asked. Crystal is out of town today and tonight, and I don’t know anyone else to watch him.”

It was not okay that she brought her child into work with her, and it was even worse that she didn’t tell me about it, but when I spoke, I didn’t tell her any of that. “It’s okay. Just let me know next time, and I’ll make arrangements so that he can be entertained here while you work.”

Her mouth fell open in surprise, and I knew exactly how she felt. I was fairly surprised myself. “Thank you,” she muttered.

“Have dinner with me tonight.” What was wrong with me? Every single word out of my mouth today had a goddamn mind of its own. “A working dinner. I have a few things that I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Crystal won’t be back until the morning,” she said, and I watched, fascinated, as her chest flushed. Everything she felt was so openly written on her face and in her body language. I’d never seen anything like it.

Tyler tugged at my hand. “I can stay here,” he whispered. “Mr. Daniel promised me popcorn and movies next time I came over.”

“There you go,” I said simply. “Tyler will gorge himself on popcorn and animated movies while we’re gone.”

I could see the hesitation in her face, but she nodded. “Great. I’ll make reservations at Terrence tonight.”

“Terrence?” Her eyes widened. “I don’t have anything to wear at a place like that.”

“I’ll take care of that as well. Daniel will have everything that you need when you finish.” I checked my watch. “I’ll be back to pick you up seven.”

Releasing Tyler’s hand, I left the room before she could protest even further. I knew I should be concerned about having a child in the house, but I also knew that Julie wouldn’t let it affect her work. This was my one chance to get Julie out of those ridiculous cut-off shorts and into something worthy of her.