Page 18 of Who’s Your Daddy (Dadcoms #1)

Cal

“ T hat’s what I’m talking about.”

With a grunt, my brother swings at the Ping-Pong ball. He misses, and as it bounces across the floor, he glowers at a gloating Brian.

I grin. This is exactly why I got this table. Everyone’s been so bloody tense since we moved to Jersey. We’re three single lads living together. Sure, we’re also dads—well two of us are—and we’re kind of disasters at the dad thing, but we can still make the best of the situation.

“Brian.” Lola’s angry voice is choppy coming from the walkie-talkie.

Truly this system is bloody brilliant. I brought the men upstairs to blow off steam and to give Lola a little peace. But she can still reach us if she needs to.

Immediately his shoulders straighten and he drops the paddle. “Yes?”

“Judge Gasper called. Instead of sending the letter to the court on Friday, Amy mailed an empty certified envelope, so our objection was not filed in time. If you have any chance of winning Peterson’s case, you better get down to the courthouse right now. ”

With a glare at me—as if this is my fault—he holds down the button on the side of the walkie-talkie and grunts. “How the fuck did she do that?”

“I don’t know.” Lola’s voice is robotic. “When I asked, her response was that ’ s so weird, right ?”

I grimace. Amy is definitely not Lola’s favorite person.

“Need me to get the orange suit?” I offer when Brian sets the walkie-talkie down.

He shakes his head. “This is a three-year custody battle with six experts. Not even a Callahan special can fix it.”

Sully points at me. “We should go back to the office.”

Agreeing, I follow them down. Then, for the rest of the day, I endure Lola’s glowering. Every time she looks at me, she huffs, like I was the one who sent the empty certified envelope.

I’m bloody thrilled when my mobile rings offering me a distraction. “Fisher, my man,” I say after seeing his name flashing on the screen, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

With a scowl directed at me, Lola pushes away from the table and struts out of the conference room. And damn does she look good doing it.

“Calling to confirm that you’ll be at Libby’s event now that your brother cancelled.”

Fisher is a man of few words, so the lack of pleasantries doesn’t shock me. We attended Harvard together, and, over the years, we’d see each other here and there. But that ended a few years ago when his brother died and he moved to a little island off the coast of Maine to raise his niece.

We reconnected this summer when I ran into him with his girlfriend, actress Elizabeth Sweet. Now he’s living in Boston again.

“What do you mean my brother cancelled?” I scan the empty reception area.

Fisher grunts. “No fucking clue. Just told me he couldn’t come. I figured you’d know. Don’t you work with the guy?”

I chuckle. “He uses fewer words than you. ”

Fisher sighs on the other end of the line. “This event means a lot to Libby.”

I know it does. It’s a fundraiser for a children’s charity that assists victims of abuse. This summer, after years of suffering, Libby went public with a bombshell of a secret. Now the entire world knows why this means a lot to her.

“Where and when?” I ask.

“It’s this weekend in Boston. We’ve got a block of rooms reserved.

The Langfields, Millers, and Berkshires will be there.

” For a grumpy bastard, he’s a fucking genius throwing those names around.

Not only are they the wealthiest families in New England, but they’re all clients of our firm in some way.

We absolutely shouldn’t miss this event.

Though there’s absolutely no way Brian will let me go in his place since the Berkshires will be there. At least not alone. They’re one of his biggest clients. The moment I mention it, he’ll panic that I’ll fuck it all up.

But if I brought Lola…

The thought echoes through my mind like a siren’s song.

“Text me the info. I’ll be there.”

“Really?” Fisher’s tone is laced with surprise.

“Yes, and tell the lovely Libby that she better save a dance for me.”

He lets out a derisive grunt. “Her dance card is full.”

Chuckling, I end the call without saying goodbye. He probably hasn’t even noticed since he’s too busy hoarding his favorite toy.

Lola breezes down the hall, and when she catches sight of Amy, who’s staring at her phone while she stands in front of the photocopier, she lets out a judgmental huff.

It hits me then how to get exactly what I want.

It’s so easy it’s criminal.

She’s going to walk right into this one.

Pocketing my phone, I stroll down the hall, an easy confidence pushing me toward my brother’ s office. “Knock knock.”

“Oh, I know this one,” Amy calls as she rushes toward me. “Who’s there?”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Sighing, Lola strolls back this way.

She’s like a lioness pacing her land. Setting her boundaries. She may say she hates this place, but she hates the presence of another woman even more.

I grin at Amy. She’s beautiful and sweet, but she’s got absolutely nothing on Lola. That’s no surprise. There isn’t another woman in the world who could compare.

Lola is perfect.

Even her annoyed little huffs have my heart racing.

I smooth down the front of my shirt. “Well, Amy, I’m glad you asked.” I glance at my brother. “Apparently the who’s there is a pissed off Fisher Jones and Libby Sweet.”

Sully straightens in his seat. “What?”

It’s rare that I have the opportunity to scold my brother. He’s always right, he’s always serious, and he’s always been the one doing the right things.

I’m going to enjoy this.

“You bailed on Libby’s charity event this weekend.” I pinch my chin, like I’m deep in thought. “The charity event the Berkshires are attending.”

He rolls back a few inches. “I sent a donation and I’ve already got a meeting with Henry scheduled for next month.”

Henry Berkshire is the patriarch of the family but Sully knows as well as I do that billionaires don’t do real business in formal meetings, they do it at events like this.

To remain on their radar, we have to be seen.

We have to be important. That means being in the places where important people are also being seen.

Like this charity event.

“Why did you cancel?” That’s what I can’t figure out. It’s unlike him to waste an opportunity like this.

He rolls back up to his desk and laces his fingers on the top of it. “It’s our anniversary weekend.”

I frown. “Your anniversary? Like the day you observe to celebrate a marriage? To the wife you’re divorcing?”

“You’re getting divorced?” Amy interjects, her voice laced with interest.

I don’t even bother fighting a scowl as I turn to her. But she’s utterly oblivious.

“No,” Sully says this to both of us, his tone clipped.

I roll my eyes. “This again.”

“I originally said yes to the event thinking Sloane and I could have a weekend away. I thought—” He snaps his mouth closed and shakes his head.

I’m not surprised he’s locked himself down. He’s not an emotional guy. It’s why he’s getting divorced. If only he would get out of his own damn way, stop thinking so hard and show some bloody feelings, maybe he could salvage the relationship.

“She finally agreed to let T.J. stay over this weekend. I won’t miss the chance to show her he’s safe here.”

The floor above creaks loudly, making us all look up.

Amy squeals, clapping and bouncing on her toes. “Can I go say hi to Sebastian?”

In unison, Sully and I say, “no.”

Then Sully shakes his head. “I’ll send a bigger donation.”

I strike at the opportunity he’s laid out for me. Pushing forward from where I’m leaning against the wall, I grin. “I’ll go.”

He shakes his head. “You can’t fucking handle this.”

Pushing away the hurt that bubbles up at his response, I continue the act. “Why? I’m excellent at schmoozing and giving away our money.”

Lola snorts from where she’s standing at the photocopier, pretending—badly, I must say—not to listen.

“No,” Sully groans. “The Berkshires are our biggest client. Brian can go. ”

“No, he can’t,” Lola says, suddenly standing in the doorway.

“We were just granted an appearance in front of Judge Gasper. Brian has to fix the empty certified mail debacle.” She narrows her focus on Amy who’s once again staring up at the ceiling, completely unaware of how Lola would probably like to pummel her with her tiny fists.

“Oh, I love Joey Berkshire,” the ditzy intern says.

Huh. Maybe she’s listening after all. Joey is the youngest of the three older Berkshire daughters. She just won Dancing with the Stars and has millions of followers on Instagram. On top of all that, she and Libby Sweet are friends. I can’t imagine she won’t be at this event.

This is my cue to go in for the kill.

Tongue in my cheek, I shrug. “Okay,” I say, tone easy, posture relaxed, “Amy can go with me.”

If I thought Lola’s little angry huffs were adorable, they’ve got nothing on the fire-breathing dragon she morphs into as she looks from me to Amy to Sully.

She balls her tiny hands into fists, her chest heaving with angry breaths, and my cock jumps.

“Absolutely not.”

I’ve witnessed plenty of angry tirades from this woman. I’ve pissed her off more times than I can count. But I’ve never witnessed this tone from her. It’s as if the devil himself has possessed her. Or maybe it’s Sebastian.

Every single head snaps in her direction.

Even Brian peeks in, hand on the door as if her words forced him back. “What’s going on?”

“This one,” Lola thumbs at me, “suggested that he go to the Sweet charity event this weekend because this one”—She jabs an angry finger at my brother—“cancelled. He doesn’t want to go without Sloane.

And these two seem to think that this one”—Her voice pitches higher as she motions toward Amy—“can handle mingling with our biggest clients.”

Lola’s practically steaming now, her face red, fly-aways escaping her braid. She’s completely unraveling .

Because of me.

She’s jealous over me .

I think.

Just one more tiny push to confirm it.

“What’s the problem? Amy would look lovely in a dress”—I give the girl a wink—“and she can help me make conversation.”

Lola throws out an arm. “I just caught her chatting with the wall.”

“I was talking to the ghost,” Amy retorts.

Biting back the laugh that wants so desperately to escape, I say, “No fair, Sebastian hasn’t talked to me yet. I even left dinner for him last night.”

“These two cannot represent the firm,” Lola hisses.

Crossing my arms, I lean back against the wall, my job here done.

Brian, Sully, and Lola talk over one another, arguing it out. In a matter of seconds, I see the lightbulb click on behind Sully’s eyes. This is it. It’s bloody brilliant and the only real answer to this problem.

“You’re right, Lo,” he says. “You’ll go.”

Bingo.

“What?” the fiery little object of my affection growls.

“Yes, you and Cal.” My brother turns to me. “I’ll watch Murphy. The boys have hit it off. Spending the weekend together will help T. J. settle in. And it’ll make Sloane more comfortable. All settled.”

They walked right into my plan.

“No.” Lola shakes her head, though her voice is resigned.

I push off the wall and take a step closer. “I’ll get you a green dress to match your favorite crystal heels.”

She whips around, and when she realizes I’m so close, her eyes widen. “How do you even know that I own those?”

“You gushed about them to Sloane the night you bought them, and then you got all frowny upside downy when she asked when you’d have the chance to wear them. Tell me, Lola, have you ever worn them? ”

She studies me, her brows knitting together tightly.

With any luck, she’s finally getting it. Finally understanding just how long I’ve been cataloging her every move.

She blows out a breath, eyes falling closed. “Fine. But we’re flying straight home after.”

I grin. “ Whatever Lola wants… ”

“I can’t believe this.” With that, she storms out of Sully’s office.

Even though she’s a little ball of anger, I’m smiling. And I’m pretty sure I won’t stop.