by Sandi Lynn
“Desperate times call for desperate measures. Anyway, I made it very clear it was a short term thing.”
“How old is this woman?”
“I don’t know. Twenty-five, twenty-six.”
“Is she at least hot?”
I gave him the look like he didn’t even have to ask.
“That hot, huh?”
“Yeah. She’s a beautiful woman.”
“So what’s her story? Why would she just randomly move in with some guy and his kid?”
“Stop saying that about her being my kid. I’m sure Georgia needs the money, and my penthouse is more enticing than that hostel she was staying in.”
“And why do you suppose that is, Julian? If she’s twenty-five or twenty-six and staying in a hostel, she obviously doesn’t have her life together. This is so unlike you. You don’t go for women like her.”
“I’m not going for her. She’s taking care of Ella, so I don’t have to. That’s it. In a couple days, when the paternity test shows I’m not the father, both Ella and Georgia will be out of my life.”
“We’ll see. When are you getting the paternity test done?”
“The lab is sending someone over this afternoon.”
“Don’t you need Ella here for that as well?”
“Shit. I didn’t think about that. Damn it.”
“Just give Georgia a call and have her bring her over.”
“I can’t. I don’t have her number.”
“You don’t have your nanny’s phone number?”
“No. I’ll call my apartment building and have the doorman go up and tell her.”
“Bro,” he said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m beginning to worry about you.”
Georgia
As soon as Ella finished her bottle, she fell asleep. So I carefully took her upstairs, laid her on the bed and shoved pillows all around her while I took the quickest shower ever. Thank God I didn’t have to wash my hair. After stepping out of the shower, I checked on her and she was still asleep, so I quickly threw on some light makeup, brushed my hair and threw on a pair of black leggings and a long burgundy sweater. I decided since I would be staying for a while, I’d unpack my suitcase and put my clothes in the dresser drawers. The guestroom I picked had the best view of the city, not to mention the décor. A queen-size bed with a pillow top mattress, a large dresser in white, two matching nightstands and a white chest filled the space. The walls were painted a light gray with white crown molding throughout. The room was truly elegant and the bed extremely comfortable. Too bad I didn’t get a good night’s sleep in it. But tonight would be different. Julian might not care about his daughter, but I did. He sure as hell didn’t have any trouble sleeping.
Ella stirred and when I looked over, her eyes were open, and she was smiling at me.
“Hello, Ella.” I grinned at her. “Did you have a nice nap? Let’s change your diaper and get you into some fresh clothes. We have some shopping to do today.”
She cooed and smiled at me. She seemed to be a happy baby, despite everything that was going on. After changing her, I picked her up from the bed and took her downstairs. The elevator dinged and scared the shit out of me.
“Oh, hello there, Georgia.”
“Hello, Louis.” I gave him a confused look.
“Mr. Cambridge called the lobby, and he wanted me to come up and tell you he needs you to bring the child to his office immediately.”
“Did he say what for?”
“No, I’m sorry. He didn’t.”
“Thanks, Louis. I was just about to head out, anyway.”
“Hello there. You sure are a pretty girl.” Louis smiled at Ella. “What’s her name?” he asked.
“Ella.”
“Such a pretty name for a pretty girl.”
Ella was all smiles at him.
“It surprised me when Mr. Cambridge walked into the building with her last night.”
“You didn’t hear it from me, Louis, but Ella’s mother dumped her on Julian and ran for the hills. Apparently, he knew nothing about her.”
“Well, I’m not surprised.” He rolled his eyes. “Women constantly come and go here. I honestly don’t know how he keeps track of them all.”
“I’m not surprised.” I rolled my eyes.
“The two of you aren’t—”
“Oh God, no. We just met last night at Target and he hired me to be Ella’s nanny until he works things out.”
“What’s he working out? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“He doesn’t believe Ella is his daughter. But I know she is. She has his eyes and his nose. I’m sure he sees it but refuses to believe it.”
“Probably so. If you put Ella in her car seat, I’ll take her down for you.
“You’re the best, Louis. Hold on a second.”
When I stepped into the building where Cambridge International was located, I was instructed to take the elevator up to the twentieth floor. Once the doors opened, I stepped out and was kindly greeted by an older woman sitting behind a mahogany desk.
“Good afternoon. How may I help you?” She pleasantly smiled.
“Mr. Cambridge sent for me. My name is Georgia.”
“Ah, yes. Take this hallway all the way down and his office is on the left.”
“Thank you.”
When I reached the end of the hallway and made a left, I came across another woman sitting behind a desk.
“Can I help you?”
“It’s about time you got here,” Julian spoke in an irritated tone as he opened his office door.
“Sorry. Blame the traffic. It’s horrible in this city.”
“Come in here. This is Martin, and he’s from the lab that is performing the paternity test. He needs to swab Ella’s cheek. When do you think I’ll have the results, Martin? Tomorrow?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Cambridge, but tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we’re closed on Friday. The earliest you’ll have the results are Tuesday.”
“That’s unacceptable, Martin. I need those results ASAP.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s a holiday weekend.”
“How much?” Julian asked.
“How much what, sir?”
“How much will it cost for me to have those results on Friday?”
“I’m sorry,” Martin spoke as he packed up his bag and headed towards the door. “You’ll have the results on Tuesday.” He shut the door as he walked out.
“Damn it!” Julian shouted.
“Okay. Clearly, you’re pissed off, so I’m going to go. I have to go buy formula.”
He looked at me and shook his head as I walked out.
“I think your daddy has some anger issues. I hope you didn’t inherit that,” I whispered to Ella.
Chapter 6
Julian
I sat in my chair as rage soared through me. There was no way I could stand another six days of waiting. I needed to get those results and put it behind me so I could get on with my life.
“Hey, Julian,” Kevin spoke as he stepped inside my office. “The specs are back for the app.” He set the file on my desk.
“Thanks.” I rubbed my face.
“What’s wrong? Did something go wrong with the test? Oh, by the way, I saw Georgia walking out with Ella. Damn, Julian. She is hot. I honestly don’t know how you’re going to live with that and behave yourself.”
“I can behave just fine. Apparently, because of Thanksgiving tomorrow, I won’t have the results of the paternity test until Tuesday.”
“I’m sorry, man. It’s not too long.”
“It’s eternity.”
“Listen, bro, tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we’re going to hit the bar like we do every year, get wasted, watch some football, and you won’t even have to think about the paternity test. Oh, shit.”
“What?” I asked.
“What about Georgia?”
“What about her?”
“Are you just going to leave her alone on Thanksgiving?”
; “She won’t be alone. She’ll be with Ella. Her job is to take care of the kid, so my life isn’t disrupted.”
“I guess. Anyway, look over those specs and tell me your thoughts. I’ll catch you later,” he spoke as he pointed his finger at me before walking out the door.
I arrived back at the penthouse around seven o’clock, and when I stepped off the elevator, I smelled something delicious. After setting my briefcase down, I went into the kitchen and found Georgia cooking and Ella sitting in some kind of saucer looking thing.
“What the hell is that, and where did it come from?” I asked.
“Hello to you too.” Georgia smiled. “That is an activity center. She loves it.”
“Where did it come from?”
“Target. I picked it up when I went to buy some formula. Along with a few other things.”
“What kinds of things?”
“A few toys, some clothes, a snowsuit and a pack n’ play.”
“A pack what?”
“A pack n’ play. I have it up in my room for her to sleep in so I can get some sleep and not worry about her falling off the bed.”
“How much did you spend?”
“Oh. Not much. Most of it was on sale. I hope you like pasta.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Suit yourself. I’m starving. You haven’t even acknowledged Ella. She’s smiling at you.”
I looked down at her, and she let out a laugh. Shaking my head, I went into the living room and poured myself a drink.
“You know what, Julian. I don’t care if you’re mad. That child needs things and I need her to need things so I can sleep and take a damn shower!” she snapped at me.
“Fine. Whatever. It’ll all be gone soon. The last thing I need is my home turned into a child’s playground. By the way, I need your phone number in case I need to get a hold of you. I forgot to ask you earlier.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and typed in the numbers as she rattled them off.
She walked out of the living room and went back to the kitchen. I could hear Ella crying, and as much as I tried to drown it out, I couldn’t.
“What is wrong with—Where the hell did that come from?” I asked as I pointed to the highchair sitting in the corner.
“Target. She needs a highchair to eat in.”
“Why? She drinks from a bottle.”
“I bought her some cereal and jars of baby food. She’s six months old and she should be on solids.”
“How the hell do you know so much about kids?”
“I just do.” She turned away from me and reached up into the cabinet.
I shook my head and went upstairs to change out of my suit. Not only was I stressed, I was frustrated and had a lot of anger pent up inside me. After I changed into more comfortable clothing, I headed to the kitchen to eat some of the pasta Georgia made that smelled so good.
“I changed my mind,” I said as I sat down at the table. “I am hungry.”
“Okay.” Georgia smiled as she prepared a plate and set it down in front of me.
She took the seat across from me and picked up a small divided plate with god knows what on it.
“What the hell is that?” I asked.
“Ella’s dinner. This is sweet potatoes, and this is apple strawberry banana. Look, she loves it.” She grinned.
“It looks disgusting. On the other hand, this pasta is superb. I can’t remember the last time I had a home cooked meal.”
Suddenly, my phone rang and when I picked it up and looked at it, I saw it was my housekeeper, Roz.
“I have to take this,” I spoke as I got up from the table and walked into the other room.
After ending the call, I sighed and went back to the table. I must have had a disappointed look on my face because Georgia asked me if everything was okay.
“That was my housekeeper, Roz. Her father took a turn for the worse and she doesn’t know when she’ll be coming back, if at all.”
“I didn’t know you had a housekeeper.”
“She takes care of this place for me.”
Suddenly, Ella grabbed the spoon from Georgia and baby food flung and hit me in the face.
“What the hell?”
“Oh my God.” Georgia laughed as she grabbed a napkin and handed it to me.
I shook my head as I wiped it off.
“You missed a spot,” Georgia said.
“Where?”
“Right here.” She pointed to her forehead.
“Is it gone?”
“No. Here, let me.” She grabbed her napkin, walked over to where I sat and dabbed my forehead with it as her face was mere inches from mine. I could feel her finger run over the spot where my scar was.
“How did you get this scar?” Her voice was soft.
“Compliments of Ella’s mother.”
Georgia took a step back and cocked her head at me.
“Really?”
“Yep. After our weekend together, I told her it was fun, and she’d never see me again. She became furious, accused me of using her, and then she threw a vase at me. I ended up with six stitches that night.”
“Wow. You must have really done a number on her mentally for her to react like that,” Georgia spoke as she sat down and began feeding Ella.
“Watch her with that spoon,” I spoke. “I guess she wanted more, and I’m not willing to give anyone more.”
“I understand that,” she said, and I looked at her in confusion.
“You do?”
“Yeah. If you’re not comfortable with yourself or your life, why would you give anything more to someone.”
“I’m extremely comfortable with myself and my life. That has nothing to do with it.”
“Then what does it have to do with?” she asked as she fed Ella a spoonful of food.
“Nothing. It’s just how I am.” I got up from the table and put my plate in the sink to avoid this awkward conversation with her. “You never told me your last name. I think I have the right to know since you’re living in my house.”
She turned and looked at me with a smile on her face. “It’s Beckham. Georgia Louise Beckham.”
“Any relation to David Beckham, the professional soccer player?”
“Who knows. Maybe.” She shrugged.
I let out a chuckle. It had been a while since I’d done that.
“Can you run that baby cloth on the sink under warm water, please? Make sure it’s not too hot. I need to wipe Ella up before I take her upstairs and give her a bath.”
“You’re giving her a bath?”
“Yes, silly.” She laughed.
I handed her the warm cloth and watched as she cleaned Ella’s face and hands.
“And how are you going to do that? Isn’t she kind of small for the bathtub?”
“I bought a baby seat for the tub.”
“Great. I suppose that was on sale as well?”
“Yeah. Sure.” She grinned at me as she took Ella from her highchair. “Do you want to hold her?” She held her out to me.
“Um, no. I’m good.” I turned away. “I’m going to do some work in my office.”
Chapter 7
Georgia
I gave Ella her bath, changed her into a pair of new warm sleepers and laid her down to sleep in the pack n’ play I picked up for her. She was absolutely adorable, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with her. I couldn’t stop thinking about Julian and how he refused to hold her or even talk to her. It bothered me a great deal, and I wanted to have a serious conversation with him about it, but it was too soon. Once the results come back and he finds out he is her father, maybe he’d come around.
I went downstairs and when I passed his office, I noticed him sitting behind his desk, rubbing his forehead.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I stood in the doorway.
He looked at me for a moment and then diverted his eyes to his computer.
“I’m fine. I just have a headache.”
“Oh. Okay,” I said as I walked away.
Walking into the kitchen, I opened up all cabinets looking for a pain reliever. I didn’t find any, so I went into the bathroom off the foyer and checked. When I opened the medicine cabinet, I found the shelves lined with Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, Sudafed, Pepcid and cold relief medication. Grabbing the bottle of Motrin, I shook three orange pills in my hand, fetched a glass of water from the fridge, grabbed the baby monitor and went to his office.
“Hold out your hand,” I spoke.
“Why?” He glanced up at me.
“Just do it.”
He held out his hand and I dropped the pills in his palm and handed him the glass of water.
“Take these. It’ll help your headache.”
“Three? You’re only supposed to take two.”
“Trust me. Two doesn’t do shit.”
“Thanks.” His sighed.
I took a seat on the gray leather sofa sitting against the wall across from his desk.
“So, what kind of company is Cambridge International?”
“We’re a tech development company. We write software and create apps, among other things.”
“Wow. And you’re how old?” I asked as I slightly narrowed my eye at him.
“I just turned thirty last month.”
“And you own the company yourself?”
“I have a partner. His name is Kevin, and he’s also my best friend. We started creating apps when we were sixteen. When we were eighteen, we sold our first app and made a decent amount of money. We rented an apartment together, bought more advanced equipment and invested some of the money in stocks based on a software program Kevin developed. We made a fortune from that, and I developed the app to go with the software. We presented it to four different companies, and they all wanted it. A bidding war began, and the company that paid the highest got it. And that is how Cambridge International started.”
“Why ‘Cambridge’ and not your two names put together if he’s your partner?”
“The app idea was mine to begin with. I asked him if he wanted to join in. When we were thinking about naming the company, he’s the one who suggested Cambridge International because international countries were already contacting us about our services.”
