“How do you know that?”
“I saw them one night having dinner at Sage and they were arguing. Your mother was pointing her finger at him. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I could tell she was angry.”
“Did they see you?”
“No. They didn’t.”
“How long ago was this?”
“About a month ago. I remember because I took my boyfriend there for his birthday. I’m not going to get in trouble, am I?”
“Of course not. I appreciate you telling me. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Thank you, Mr. Sutton.”
As I was walking back to my office, I saw Lorelei come out of the bathroom.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine. Are you?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” she spoke with a hint of an attitude and sat down at her desk while I went into my office and shut the door.
****
A few days passed and I still hadn’t talked to my mother about the accounts. Nor did I tell Coco what I found out. I was waiting for the private investigator with the hopes he’d find Bradley first. Lorelei and I held very small conversations during the day and they mainly concerned work. I had some paperwork to give her, and when I opened my office door, I saw Hope run to Lorelei and give her a hug.#p#分页标题#e#
“Hey, baby, what are you doing here?” she asked.
“We wanted to know if you want to go to lunch with us. Auntie Stella said it would be okay to come here and ask you. Plus, I wanted to see where you worked. Hi, Mr. Sutton.” She smiled as she looked at me with her blue eyes.
“Hello.”
“This is my Auntie Stella. She picked me up from school today because I got out early.”
“Nice to meet you, Stella.” I nodded.
Her eyes shot daggers at me and I knew right then and there that Lorelei told her everything. She looked at Hope, who was staring up at her, and then she looked back at me.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Sutton. Lorelei has told me a lot about you,” she spoke deadpan.
“I bet she has.” I set the papers on Lorelei’s desk. “I need you to look these over and make the corrections.”
“Sure thing.”
I walked back into my office and by the time I reached my desk, Hope had followed me in.
“I like your office, Mr. Sutton. It’s so big.”
I sighed. “Thank you, Hope.”
“Hope, leave Mr. Sutton alone. Sorry, Jack. I’m heading to lunch now,” Lorelei spoke.
“No need to apologize. Enjoy your lunch.”
“Can Mr. Sutton come with us?” Hope asked as she took hold of Lorelei’s hand.
“No, Hope.”
“Why?” She looked up at her.
“Thank you for the offer, but I have a meeting to attend. Maybe another time, Hope.”
“Okay.”
Before walking out of my office, Hope turned her head and looked at me over her shoulder. “It was nice to see you again.” She smiled as she gave me a small wave.
“It was nice to see you too.” I leaned back in my chair and watched them leave.
She was the spitting image of Lorelei and she even had the same smile as she did. Even though I was still hurt by Lorelei for not telling me she had a daughter, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Especially at night.
“Who was that little girl with Lorelei?” Coco asked as she walked into my office.
“That would be Hope, Lorelei’s daughter.”
“Excuse me?” She sat down across from my desk.
“Her daughter.”
“I didn’t know she had a daughter.”
“I didn’t either until a few days ago,” I spoke.
She narrowed her eye at me as she chewed on her bottom lip. “What’s wrong? I can tell something’s bothering you.”
“Nothing,” I replied.
“Shit, Jack.” She shook her head. “You slept with her.”
I looked down, picked up a paperclip from my desk, and began playing with it.
“Yep. I did. I made a horrible mistake.”
Coco arched her brow. “You’ve never said you made a mistake sleeping with a woman.” She paused for a moment when I looked up at her. “Oh no, Jack. You have feelings for her, don’t you?”
“It doesn’t matter if I do. I can’t get involved with her.”
“Why? Because she has a child?”
“Yes, Coco.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
“Because children ruin relationships. You of all people should know that.”
“Huh?” she asked in confusion. “Is that the reason you aren’t fond of children?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
Coco’s phone rang. “I have to go and take this call. We’ll talk about this again. But if you want my honest opinion, I think Lorelei is exactly what you need, regardless if she has a kid or not. I’ll see you tonight at the launch party.”#p#分页标题#e#