At the Millionaire's Request by Teresa Southwick

Author:Teresa Southwick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2006-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

“Gavin?”

He turned at the sound of Lenore’s voice. The small brunette in her neat navy suit stood in his office doorway.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Sean is wondering where M.J. is.”

“Gone.”

The expression on his housekeeper’s face told him she wanted to say something along the lines of “duh,” but she held back. Unlike M.J. who said whatever was on her mind.

Lenore’s normally warm brown eyes turned cool. “Sean is actually quite bright. When he didn’t see her at breakfast, he noticed right away that she was missing.”

Was that sarcasm? This woman’s well-bred way of saying “duh?” Gavin leaned against his desk and folded his arms over his chest. Nothing went on in this house that Lenore and her husband didn’t know about and he wondered if M.J. had spread rebellion in the ranks during her stay.

Tension knotted inside him. This was his house and he did what was best for everyone in it. Damn, that made him feel as autocratic as his father. But he was trying to do better and just because he’d sent Sean to his room for a time-out didn’t mean he was like the old man.

“Gavin?”

He looked up. “Hmm?”

“You need to explain to Sean why M.J. is gone.”

“Tell him she was let go.”

“He’ll ask why.”

Did she want to know for Sean or herself? Gavin didn’t miss the censure mixed with questions in her eyes.

He fired her because she’d hit a nerve. It was a knee-jerk reaction. But maybe it was for the best. No maybe about it. After kissing her, letting her go was definitely the wisest course of action.

“He doesn’t need to know why,” Gavin snapped.

“I can’t do that to him.” Lenore’s mouth tightened. “He won’t accept it.”

“Something’s on your mind. Tell me what you really think, Lenore.”

The housekeeper nodded. “M.J. is good with Sean. She made a difference in him even a blind man could see. He’s not the same boy you brought home from the hospital. He’s coming back to us, Gavin.”

“You think I was wrong.” It wasn’t a question.

“I can’t say.” M.J. would have said. And then some. She would have told him this was a hill to die on and he needed to show up for the battle.

“Where is Sean?”

“In the family room.” M.J. would have told him he was ignoring his son. Or that he was running away. Or that he was avoiding the hard stuff.

She would have been right.

He nodded. “All right. I’ll talk to him.”

Gavin found Sean sitting in front of the sofa, half-heartedly walking the dinosaurs up and down his thigh. When he noticed someone in the doorway, his face brightened for a split second before disappointment dulled his eyes.

“Hi, Seanster.” Gavin sat on the sofa and the boy leaned against his leg. He brushed his palm over the soft hair that was as dark as his own.

Sean looked up. “M.J.?”

“She had to go away, buddy.”

He shook his head. “No.”

“I’m sorry.”

One question hovered in the solemn dark gaze Sean turned on him. “Why?”

“It was time,” was all Gavin could think to say.

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