I Won’t Be In On Monday (The Annoying Hot Bosses Club #3)

Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

R emington

“Am I not going to school today, Daddy?” Canyon asks me in an excited voice as we walk through the entrance of the law firm. It’s still early, and I feel guilty for waking her up at 6:00 a.m. I shake my head and give her a wry smile.

“No, you are going to school. I have an early call and meeting with a very important client. Once I finish that up, I will head over to your school and drop you off.”

“Oh.” She looks disappointed. “I don't have to go. Maybe I can help you in the office, along with Juniper.”

“Today, you will go to school, but maybe when it’s your break, we can see about you doing a little job in the office,” I offer before I realize she’s probably far too young to be working. Even at her dad’s office.

"Ooh, will I make money?" I stare at her for a couple of seconds as we wait for the elevator. How is my young daughter so focused on money? She's just a kid. She couldn’t look any more like a little kid if she tried. Her hair is in pigtails, and she's got a wide smile on her face. Her familiar big brown eyes look back at me.

"You know you're only seven, Canyon. You don't have to worry about money."

"Mommy says you’ve got to count every single penny because it counts."

"Does she now?" I feel slightly guilty about her comment. I wonder if Karen and Canyon were a lot worse off than I'd initially realized. "Does your mom talk a lot about money?" I ask her hesitantly as we step into the elevator.

Canyon nods vigorously. "All the time.When I want to get a new Barbie she says, ‘No, you can't get it.’ When I want a new teddy bear, she says, 'No, you can’t get it.’ When I tell her I want to go and get burgers or pizza she says, 'No, you can't get it. Money doesn't grow on trees, Canyon.’ And so I asked her where does the money grow and can we go there and pick some?" She looks at me innocently, and I try not to laugh.

"Well, money doesn’t grow on trees, Canyon. In fact, money is quite hard to come by."

"But you have a lot of money."

"Why would you think that?" I ask, wondering if Karen had some sort of ruse to get a hold of my fortune. She had to know that Canyon would be well taken care of. I immediately dismiss the thought because if Karen is after money, she would have contacted me a lot earlier on and likely taken me to court for child support.

"Because Mommy told me you have lots and lots of money and because I'm your daughter, you'll share some with me. She said that if I wanted to go to Harvan or something, she might not be able to pay, so I might not be able to go. But if I'm a good girl with you, you might pay for me."

"Harvard,” I correct her automatically. “Canyon, don’t worry about college. You just do your best in school, and I'll definitely take care of it." I frown slightly but try to hold back my frustration. I don't really appreciate Karen having had that conversation with Canyon, but I realize that I'm in no position to be upset. Maybe she's been struggling for years. A feeling of guilt washes over me.

I continue walking down the corridor to my office, with Canyon traipsing happily beside me. I'm glad that she's young enough to not really dwell on the challenges of life for too long.

I'm surprised to see Juniper sitting there at the desk, looking like a breath of fresh air on a dewy morning.

“Morning, Mr. Parker,” she says with a nod, and I see a flash of something in her eyes. Is she mad at me? "Morning, Canyon."

"Morning, Juniper." Canyon runs up to her desk with wild hair. She’s taken out her pigtails and created her own style. My lips tremble at the sight. She’s so cute. "How are you this morning?" she asks in her sweet, polite voice.

"I'm good, but what are you doing here? Don't you have school today?" Juniper looks up at me with an accusing glance like I'm already failing as a dad.

"I do have school, but Daddy has an important meeting, and he said I needed to come here first, and then he's gonna take me to school."

"Oh, okay." Juniper looks at me. "You know you can drop the kids off early at school. There's a program for working parents."

"No, I didn't know that. How do you know that? I thought you didn't know much about kids?"

"I don't, but I grew up in New York, and my dad was a single dad who had to work, and oftentimes I had to go to school early," she says. "But I'm sure your meeting with Mr. Gallagher will be quick, and you can get her to school on time.”

“I’m sure it will be quick, as well." Though we both know that's not necessarily true. Liam Gallagher is one of the firm’s most important clients. He is a self-made billionaire from England, though I believe his parents were Irish. He owns businesses all over the world, and I take care of the contracts for those businesses. So, when Liam Gallagher wants to talk, I make sure that I'm ready. "I'm just gonna go into the office now." I look at Juniper and then smile at Canyon. "Would you like to come inside with me and see my office?"

"I want to hang out with Juniper," Canyon says, and I look over at Juniper to see if she's gonna be upset.

"That's fine," she says, smiling. "I'm just going through some files, so I don't need too much quiet."

"If you're sure," I say, and she nods. I’m not sure if she really means it, but at this point, I don't have time to figure it out. "Thanks, Juniper. You’re the best.”

“I know!” she says in a teasing voice. “I’m the best assistant ever.” There’s a slight edge to her tone, and I pause for a moment, wondering if she’s being sarcastic, but I shrug and head into the office instead of furthering the conversation. If something needs to be said, it’s not a good idea for it to be said in front of Canyon.

I take a seat behind my desk, open my laptop, and wait for my emails to load. I can't help but think of Juniper as I stare through the glass windows and watch as she whispers something to Canyon. It must have been funny because Canyon is bent over giggling and hitting her palms against her legs. I wonder what she said. Is it about me?

Juniper must have sensed me watching because she stands up and heads to my door and opens it. "Hey, I’m just gonna take Canyon to the break room, get her some milk and maybe a doughnut. Is that okay?"

"Sure, that's fine," I say, nodding. "Appreciate it."

"No worries, Mr. Parker," she says. "A good assistant always makes sure to do the best job possible." There she goes again, using the words good assistant . She closes the door and heads down the hallway, and I try to think why she's being like this. Wouldn't she appreciate the fact that I think she's the best assistant in the firm? I sigh as I click on my top email. It's from Liam.

Hey, there's been a slight change of plans, but we'll chat soon. I stare at the email for a couple of moments, then stand up and grab my cell phone. I call Liam to see what the change of plans are.

"Hey!" he says. "Morning, slacker."

"Morning, Liam. What's going on?"

"I sent you an email."

"Yes, but your email wasn't informative. We were meant to have a call in about ten minutes about the Montague hotels, right?"

"Yes, we were," he says. "But there's been a slight change of plans."

"So, are we still having the call or not?” I ask him.

“No, but we will be chatting in your office in about five minutes?" he says. "My taxi just dropped me off outside. I just need to get through security, and I'll be up."

"You're in New York? I thought you were still in London, closing the Instinct deal, and you had to be there."

"Things have changed," he says, sighing. "I'm gonna be in New York for the next six months."

"Oh, I had no idea."

"Yeah, and I actually need a favor from you.”

“You do?”

“I kind of need some office space that’s not in my building.”

“Oh, and you'd like to set up an office here?"

"If you’ve got a spare office and an assistant, that would be great,"

"You know, I'm sure we can find something for you. I will have to speak to the other partners, but I think it'll be fine."

"I do bring in $50 million to your law firm each year."

"I'm pretty sure it will be fine," I say, chuckling. "Do you need a coffee or a bag or anything? Do you want me to have something prepared for you when you get up here?"

"We'll figure it out when I get there. I'll speak to you in a second." He hangs up, and I turn the cell phone over and place it on the desk. Juniper walks back with Canyon, chewing on a donut. She gives me a little wave and then takes a seat. I head out to the door. “So, there's actually been a change of plans,” I say, looking at Juniper.

"Oh? What do you mean?" She frowns slightly as she takes a sip of her coffee.

"Well, there you are, Remington," Liam says in his very distinct and smooth British accent. Juniper looks up at him, her eyes widening as he heads towards us in his navy blue power suit and crisp white shirt. He looks like a cross between an action movie star and a boxer, and I can see Juniper's eyes widening. He takes a look at her and smiles. "You must be the famous—or should I say infamous—Juniper that I've spoken to on the phone so many times?"

"Yes, I am. Who are you?" she asks, looking confused.

"I'm Liam, Liam Gallagher." He holds out his hand. "Nice to make your acquaintance."

"Oh, my gosh, you're Liam Gallagher?" She blinks. "I thought you were, like, sixty."

He chuckles slightly. "Do I sound like I'm sixty?"

"No, but..."

"But what?"

"I guess I just assumed you were older because you own so many businesses, and you're so..." She pauses and blushes.

"I'm so what? Ridiculously good-looking?" he asks.

She giggles like a schoolgirl, and I watch Canyon staring at her in surprise.

"I mean, that wasn’t what I was gonna say, but..."

"Morning, Liam," I say, feeling slightly annoyed at the banter between the two of them.

"I'm coming," Liam says with a shrug. "Good to see you, Remington." He places his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. "It's been too long."

"It’s been, like, four months."

"Something like that. Well, nice making your acquaintance, Juniper." He looks down at Canyon. "Is this your little girl? Is it bring your kid to work day?"

"No, that's not my daughter."

"That's actually my daughter, Liam," I say. "Canyon, I'd like you to meet Liam Gallagher. Liam, I'd like you to meet my long-lost daughter, Canyon."

"Whoa!" Liam looks taken aback for a couple of seconds but quickly composes himself. He looks at Canyon and then looks at me and nods. "I see the resemblance. It's nice to meet you Canyon. You’re a very pretty little girl.”

“Thank you.” She swallows. “I just met my daddy, but he's nice."

"I think he's pretty nice, too," Liam says and nods.

"Shall we get to work? Come on," I say, leading him inside the office and closing the door.

"Holy fuck, you didn't tell me you had a daughter," he says and then slaps his hand to his mouth. “This room is soundproof, right? They can't hear me?"

I chuckle slightly."They can't hear you. But yeah, I just found out recently myself."

"You were dating the mom, or…?"

"No." I shake my head and take a seat.

"Worst nightmare." He grins as he takes the seat across from mine.

"I mean, it's not exactly my worst nightmare, she's my little girl, but I wasn't exactly prepared to be a father just yet."

"I feel that," he says. "From what I gathered, you never wanted to be a father."

"I mean, I wouldn't say that. It's just not been in my ten- or twenty-year plan. Now enough about my sperm. What's going on? How's everything going?"

"You tell me. You're handling my business."

"I mean, I do the contracts, but the accountant handles the numbers." He sits back and grins.

"And you see those numbers. We both know then I'm doing fairly darn well." He shrugs. He looks over his shoulders at Juniper. "Are you gonna give me her?"

"What?" My tone coldens. "What are you talking about?"

"As an assistant, you told me she's the best."

"Yeah, she's the best, and I need the best. You can find someone else. She's my assistant."

"Since when did you become so possessive?" he says, laughing. "I kind of feel like she'd be the perfect fit for me."

"What does that mean?" I say, narrowing my eyes. I know that Liam is unlike me in that he doesn’t mind sleeping around with some of the women who work for him.

“Hey!” He holds his hands up. “I don’t mean like that.” He pauses. “Well, maybe I do mean like that. You know I've always had a thing for sexy nerds."

"She's not a nerd, and she's not sexy."

"She's got a body under that shirt, and I want to take that shirt off."

"Really, Liam?"

He starts laughing."Okay, I'm joking. I don’t really want to take that shirt off, and I'm not really into sexy nerds, but she's hot, and I do know that she makes a good assistant because I’ve had so many dealings with her.”

“You’re not getting my assistant.”

“Fine,” he says, “but you can help me find someone.”

“I’ll see what we can do.” I’m pissed off, and now I don't want him in the office. Who knows what he will try and pull to get Juniper away from me.