Delinquent Daddy (Banks / Kincaid Family #2)(82)

Letting out a little sigh of frustration, Ellie ran her hands through her hair and turned in a slow circle. She went about closing all the wall panels Cameron had just opened. Then she returned to the secretary's outer office and sat in one of the black leather waiting chairs.

Boston showed up less than five minutes later. She could hear his voice mixed with a stranger's as soon as the elevator doors opened down the hall. Clasping her cold hands together in fear, she waited until he and his client, an older gray-haired man, appeared in the door before she pushed to her feet.

"Ellie?" Boston said and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Hello," she said, sending an apologetic look his client's way. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. Cameron said I could wait here until—"

"Nonsense," Boston's companion told her. "I was just popping in to schedule another meeting with Kincaid here.

Then I'll be on my way. We just got back from dinner," the stranger explained as if he thought Ellie should be privy to everything Boston did.

"Cassie?" Boston asked, looking concerned as he stepped toward her.

"She's with your mother?"

That news stopped him cold. "My mother?"

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"Diane seemed more than happy to watch her for a few hours."

It took a second, but Boston finally treated her to a slow smile. "I'm sure she was," he murmured. Then he realized he still had a client standing there, watching them.

"I'll be right with you," he said quietly, giving her a slightly concerned look before turning back to his job and flipping open a datebook that lay on the secretary's desk.

But just as the two men began to hash out their schedules, the phone rang. Boston frowned at it and looked indecisive for a moment before he turned the datebook toward his client.

"Just pencil in any free spot during the weekdays," he told the man and quickly started for the open door of his office. "I have to get that."

The man waved him on distractedly as he studied the open dates.

Wondering if she should just go, Ellie stood there fidgeting.

The client finally chose a time and after writing it in, he glanced her way. "Could you tell him I picked the fourteenth at ten?"

Ellie offered him a warm smile. "Sure," she said.

He nodded and left.

Boston was still on the phone, looking engrossed in his conversation. Ellie bit her lip. This was a bad idea; she should go.

But before she could turn her hide around and get out of there, the phone in the reception area of his office rang again.

Ellie glanced at it and then into the doorway at Boston.

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Letting out a small sigh, she reached for the secretary's phone and pressed line two.

"EarthNet," she answered. "Boston Kincaid's office."

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Delinquent Daddy

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Chapter Twenty-Two


As soon as Ellie set the phone on the cradle, it rang again.

Someone had wanted to cancel an appointment. Since Boston's planner had been sitting right there in front of her, Ellie had twisted it around and penciled in the cancellation.

She then wrote down a note to inform Boston of the news.

Gritting her teeth as the phone rang again, Ellie leaned forward to peek through the opened doorway into Boston's office. He was still busy with his first call. The phone kept ringing.

"Oh, all right," she muttered. "I hear you. EarthNet." She changed her tone to "pleasant secretary" as she picked up.

"Boston Kincaid's office."

There was a pause. Then, "Ellie?"

She frowned. "Yes? Who is this?"

The male on the other end chuckled. "It's Cam."

She felt herself flush from the base of her neck all the way up to the top of her head. Busted. "Oh...uh, hi," she offered, not sure how to explain herself.

"Hello again," he returned cheerfully. "Whatcha doing?" His tone had lowered to a husky pitch as if to ask, Whatcha wearing?

"I...uh, well...Boston's on the other line and..." Hmm.

"Well, the phone was just ringing and..."

"You thought you'd just answer it, hmm?" he finished for her. He sounded more amused than he did annoyed about the fact she was answering Boston's phone, so she shrugged.

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"I thought I could take a message just as well as an answering machine, and his customer's would be more pleased with a more personable...uh, human voice."

"Mmm hmm," Cameron replied as if he didn't buy such an excuse.

Not sure what he really thought her ulterior motive was, Ellie shifted uneasily and scratched at the back of her neck.

"So, uh...can I leave a message for you?"

"Actually, I was just being snoopy. I wanted Bos to give me the dirt on what you're doing here. But...since you're still there, guess I'll just have to pry later."

Ellie laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't even gotten to speak to him yet. First there was a client, then a phone call. I'm just sitting here, twiddling my thumbs and waiting my turn."