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“Hell no,” I exclaimed.
The twins both gasped—actuallygasped.
I turned to them. “I’m sorry. Uncle Nick said a bad word. I usually never use it,” I lied.
Annie covered Jack’s ears. “Uncle Nick, no bad words.”
“You’re right.”
She took her hands off Jack’s ears and sat back down. It was adorable. She seemed like a miniature teacher.
“I won’t do that again.”
The look on Annie’s face was so serious that I had to fight the urge to laugh.
After we finished breakfast, the twins started to yawn in unison.
“Hmm, guys, what do you say about a nap?”
To my astonishment, both of them agreed. I remembered one thing clearly from when I was a kid—I usually fought sleep like hell.
“I’ll go upstairs with them and then clean up.” Allison gestured to the table.
“No, I’ll clean up,” I said. “I made the mess, and I really don’t mind.”
“Oh, okay,” Allison said with a huge smile. She’d been doing this all by herself for so long, and I could tell she was pleased with the help.
Once they’d gone upstairs, I immediately called Frances.
“Good morning!” I said as soon as she answered.
“Hey, Nick. What’s going on?”
“Listen, I need you to organize some movers for me today.”
“Absolutely. What do you need them to bring you?”
“The couch from my cinema room.”
“I’m on it. I can get someone there in probably an hour.”
“There’s no rush. If it’s not here until the evening, it’s more than fine.” She really was a great person to work with. “And thanks a lot for organizing everything yesterday.”
“The missus liked it?” she asked.
“She absolutely loved it. You did fantastic.” I’d already put in her raise with HR, so she’d see that in her next paycheck. She was a great asset to me and my team.
“Thank you! I’ll have your couch delivered ASAP.”
“Thanks.”
Even though I wanted as few people as possible to know about our arrangement, I’d told my assistant the truth. Otherwise, conversations like this would be fucking awful.
After finishing the call, I quickly cleaned up. I’d just started the dishwasher when Allison came down the stairs.
“They went out like a light. I think they were still exhausted from yesterday.” She yawned. “As am I. God, I really do need a coffee.”
“Which reminds me,” I said, turning around. “I’d like to bring something else here besides my couch.”