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“Excellent, Beckett. You caught me as I was closing up.” They were only open until 3:00 p.m. on Mondays.
“About that. I need a big favor.” I jabbed at the elevator button. “Zoey ripped her Halloween costume.”
He knew my daughter and had met her a handful of times when I’d come in to get fitted for a custom suit. I hoped her ability to make friends with everyone had weaved its spell, and Frank felt compelled to help.
When the silver doors opened, I rushed inside and hit the button for the floor on which I’d parked my car.
“While I’m sorry to hear that, I'm not sure why you think I can do anything,” he responded gruffly.
“Frank, I wouldn't ask unless it was important. With her mom gone, I need to make sure today is magical. And I can’t do that with a ripped costume.” I stepped out of the elevator and headed toward my car, parked in the executive parking lot.
“Beckett, I get it, but I need to get home to go trick-or-treating with my grandchildren.”
I yanked open my car door and sat inside. The buttery leather molded to my frame. “Please, Frank. I don’t know who else to ask. She was hysterical. Zo and Heather had decided on this costume before she died. They ordered it together. I can’t tell her I can’t fix this.”
He sighed and was quiet long enough that I was sure he’d deny my request. “Okay. I’ll call my wife and let her know I’ll meet her at our son’s house.”
My shoulders dropped a fraction, and my head tipped back to lay on the headrest. Relief surged through me as I put the car into drive and sped out of the garage. “I’ll pay whatever I need to compensate for your time.”
A rusty chuckle filtered through the phone line. “If I knew how valuable I was to you, I’d have increased my prices for your suits well before now.”
He listed a price to fix Zoey’s dress.
“That’s too low. I don’t want to take advantage of your generosity.” I zipped into another lane, bypassing the slower vehicles around me.
“You’re not. I’m doing this for your daughter.”
“Thank you, Frank. You are truly a fairy godfather tonight.” Someone laid on their horn as I cut them off.
“Don’t tell anyone else. I don’t want my customers to think I’ve gone soft.”
“You got it.” I checked the clock on my dashboard. “I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
“See you then.”
“Bye.” Frank ended the call.
The second I heard the dial tone, I called Zoey. “Get ready, kiddo. I’ll be at the house in ten minutes.”
“Thank you so much, Daddy!” she yelled into my ear. “I’ll be outside waiting for you with Lila.”
I was determined to give my daughter the best life I could. And if it meant doing everything in my power to make her happy, I’d do it.
Chapter Two
WREN
Iresponded to an email from Virginia London, a parent of my student Violet. She had asked for daily emails with updates about Violet’s progress. Her daughter was an excellent student, and honestly I wasn’t sure why a daily report was needed. Even though she wouldn’t be pleased, I’d informed Mrs. London that I could accommodate a weekly report, and if any concerns popped up, we could revisit the schedule. We were only two months into the school year and email requests like this were becoming routine from her. She seemed to think I only had one student to work with in my classroom.
I rechecked my watch. Fury, an emotion I’d begun associating with Beckett Hunter, raced through me. Each nerve ending tingled with anger directed solely at him. “Asshole,” I muttered under my breath.
I should’ve known that a meeting with me held little urgency for an important billionaire like himself. Didn’t he understand I had things to do too? Standing around waiting for him to show up was not one of them. Ruby expected me at her bakery, Red’s Sweet Salvation, to finish setting up for the Halloween party she was pulling together for the neighborhood kids.
I had unlimited patience with my student’s parents, but not for Beckett,asshole extraordinaire,Hunter. The only redeeming quality he had was his daughter, Zoey. I adored her and wanted to help her heal.
When her mother passed away this summer, I’d taken her under my wing as soon as school started, knowing how hard it was to lose a parent at such a young age. I wanted to support her in a way I didn’t have growing up.
I sucked in a quick breath. My heart wrenched in my chest. It didn’t matter how much time had passed. I still missed my mother.