The Broken One (Corisi Billionaires, #1)(46)

Yes, that was what I’d told her many times when she’d poured it too generously on an art project. She handed me a mirror. My eyes had definitely acquired a sparkle—so had parts of my cheek. I tried to wipe some of it away, but the glitter only seemed to multiply and spread onto my hands. Looks like one more face wash for the road. I checked the time. We were still okay.

“I love it.” I handed her an imaginary stack of bills. “One million is a bargain. Thank you.” I stood and began to wet a washcloth.

Her bottom lip jutted out, and her hands went to her hips. “You can’t wash it off.”

“Oh, Ava, I can’t go to work like this.”

“Yes, you can. You’re the boss.” Those big eyes again. Dammit.

I almost said I wasn’t worried about my clients when I stopped myself. Hang on one dang minute. If I weren’t secretly hoping to see Sebastian that day, what would I have done?

I would have kept the damn glitter on and laughed with Teri about it.

The glitter stays.

I crouched down to her height. “Just this one time. Now let’s get going or we’ll have to eat in the car again.”

“I like eating in the car,” Ava said.

“I know, but I’m a better parent than that,” I joked, but the humor was lost on Ava. Single parenting had its ups and downs. On one hand I didn’t have to justify any of my decisions to anyone. On the other hand, there was no one there to share the wonder of the early years with. One day, probably before I was ready for it, Ava would be applying her own makeup and thinking more about her friends than about what I looked like.

One day the bathroom salon would close.

“Don’t forget Erica is picking you up today. You get to have dinner with her tonight.”

“Yay!” Ava did a little dance. “Can I sleep over?”

“No, honey, it’s a school night.” And I’ll probably be eating dinner right beside you at Erica’s. I blushed when I remembered Erica’s question about how long first-time sex took. Honestly, I couldn’t remember either.

Thirty minutes?

Fifteen?

If he even shows up.

I checked my phone. No message.

He’s not coming. I’m torturing myself over nothing.

I should have just said yes to Levi.

No, the only thing worse than no sex was mediocre sex.

“Mom, can I take these to school? We have to bring one hundred things, remember? It says one hundred on the box.” My delightful little daughter was waving the gift Erica had brought me the day after my date with Sebastian.

I snatched the box of condoms from Ava. I’d stashed them under the sink next to the smaller pack I’d bought myself, completely not thinking that Ava kept her extra salon supplies down there. Okay, breathe. “Yes, that does say one hundred, but Mommy needs these for . . . work.” I walked to the kitchen and stuffed the box into my oversize purse.

That bottom lip stuck out again. “Then can you send Cheerios? I need them.”

“Of course.” I poured a bunch of Cheerios into a plastic baggy, checked the time, saw we were running late, and poured more. God, I hoped it was a hundred. As I did it, I remembered doing something similar earlier in the year. “Are you sure you need these? I thought we did this in February.”

Ava shrugged.

I felt horrible that I didn’t know. I went through her backpack and looked over my stack of papers from the teacher. Nothing. “I don’t have a note saying you need a hundred things.”

Ava’s eyes widened. Her hands splayed at her sides. “We learned to write one hundred yesterday.”

“Okay.”

“And we counted to one hundred.”

“Gotcha. Take the Cheerios. If you don’t need them, use them for snack.” There probably was no note. Ava just liked to count to one hundred.

My cheeks warmed. But there would have been a note had she made it out of the house with her first choice.

That would have been bad.

Ava looked up at me with sad eyes. “Are you mad?”

“No, honey. Come on. I have an apple, yogurt, and a water for you. We’re eating in the car.”

“Your face is red.”

“I just don’t like being late. Let’s go. Grab Wolfie.”

She returned with him and we were out the door.

Her with Cheerios she probably didn’t need and me with a lifetime supply of condoms I definitely wouldn’t.



A short time later, as I walked past my secretary’s desk, she joked, “Hot date?”

I tripped and came to a spinning halt. “What?”

She pointed toward my face. “You’re all glittered up.”

I took a calming breath. She didn’t know anything about the conversation I’d had with Sebastian the day before. I laughed with relief. “Ava.”

“I figured. It looks cool, especially with your hair down.”

“Thanks.” Forcing myself into a lighter mood I struck a pose. “You should see what’s underneath.”

Teri gave me a look, then turned away.

I dropped the pose. I hadn’t meant that the way it had sounded. “Underwear. Just nice underwear.”

Teri looked up from her computer. We had another one of those awkward moments where I felt like I should apologize but was pretty sure I’d cross a whole different line while doing it. I hurried into my office before she asked why my purse was bulging.