Those Three Words: A Single Dad, Billionaire Boss Romance(77)

She reaches for another Oreo but doesn’t eat it, just fiddles with it between her fingers.

“Warren Dorsey met my mom at the jazz club that she used to sing at—The Bluebird. She was young, really young actually. He was close to twenty years older than her at the time. She was only nineteen.

“She was naive and she thought that his infatuation was love. He showered her with gifts and even paid her rent. He’d show up to the jazz club and woo her basically. All the time she had no idea that he was already married with a family. She didn’t know who he was; he wasn’t as well known back then as he is now. He was certainly rich—richer than anyone else she’d ever met—but he was just making a name for himself.”

She places the cookie on the counter and wipes the crumbs off her fingers, taking a sip of tea.

“Anyway, she fell head over heels for him and she thought he loved her too because he told her he did. He made her all these crazy promises about running off and getting married. Traveling the world. None of it actually happened and none of it was genuine. It was a whirlwind romance. They met and fell in ‘love’ all within like three months. By month five she was pregnant and he was gone.”

“What a fucking prick,” I mutter.

“He literally just ghosted her. Poof. Everything seemed perfect between them, she told me. She said that she was excited about being pregnant and he seemed genuinely excited and happy too. He told her he was going to move her into his high-rise apartment in Manhattan. He left one night, telling her he had a business trip so he’d be out of town for a few days and that was it. She never saw or heard from him again.”

“Not even when you were born?”

She shakes her head no.

“Nope. He never paid a single cent of child support. Never sent a birthday card or asked how she was or I was. She had no idea what happened to him until one day when I was around seven, she saw a new headline about this up-and-coming billionaire, Warren Dorsey.”

“Wait. Did he lie about his name to her?”

“Not completely. He did say his name was Warren, but he gave her a fake last name. She recognized him in the photo and she realized as she read on that it mentioned his wife Cheryl and three kids, two of which were older than me.”

I shake my head. I didn’t think it was possible, but I hate that fucker even more now and I feel especially horrible for the fact that I almost did business with him. Now I understand her reaction toward him.

“Glen Silver, my adoptive father, is my real dad to me. He raised me. He met my mom when I was nine months old and stood by her side till he passed.” I laugh, recalling a memory. “Mom told me that Dad called her his desert rose for two reasons. Because he felt like his potential to find true love at that point in his life was dry and barren and because my mom was a redhead.”

“Did Warren ever reach out when your mom died?”

“No. He randomly did though for the first time about a year ago. He started calling my cell phone. No idea how he got the number. I never picked up.”

“Did he say why?”

“He left me a few voicemails saying he wanted to get to know me. I have no idea what prompted it. After those two voicemails, he stopped reaching out. It wasn’t until I started working for you that it started again. I think he knew I was your nanny and he wanted to try and manipulate me to get you to do business with him. I don’t know for sure; I’m just speculating.”

“I don’t think it’s just speculation. That man would sell his own mother if it meant he’d make a dollar. “You were right about him and me for that matter… I am better than that, Margot. I knew better.”

I turn to face her, our knees brushing against each other.

“I terminated my business with him. I’d like to say I would have anyway but I can’t say for sure. I actually had told him to go fuck himself before but I got greedy when he threw a big number at me.”

“I know. He called me.”

My head snaps up. “Did he threaten you or anything?”

“No, just thanked me for ruining his business deal. I hung up before he could say anything else. I’m not interested in his life in the slightest.”

“So,” I say, changing the subject. “What’s this new dream job you accepted?”

A genuine smile spreads across her face as her eyes light up.

“It’s actually at La Crème, Eleanor’s school.”

My eyebrows raise. “That is a dream job. Congrats.” I bump her shoulder.

“I didn’t go looking for it, just to clarify. Grace Tillmore, Eleanor’s teacher, and I would make small talk when I would drop her off. I told her about my background in teaching and she said if a position in the music department ever opened up, she’d keep me in mind. Her husband Jeff is one of the head administrators that overseas hiring new staff and he told her about an opening to be the head of the music department.”

“Holy shit! That’s fantastic, swee—” I catch myself before I finish the sentiment. I don’t really know if I’m allowed to call her that… I’m not sure what we even are.

“Yeah, I’m—happy, excited about it.” She stares down at the mug in her hand.

“You sure about that?”

She sighs. “Yes and no. I’m struggling… a lot.”