“I’mthe only here. And no one has reported a missing kid in the building. Trust me, I checked.” I rubbed my temple.
“Was there a note? Or an email?”
Brilliant. That was actually a good idea. “Let me check.”
I switched to speakerphone and set my mobile down. Gently, so I wouldn’t wake the baby, I felt around the blankets. Sure enough, tucked in the outer edge, I found an envelope. I didn’t recognize the writing as I ripped the letter open.
Joseph Winston Sokol
I read the birth certificate. The mother was Harper Sokol—No father listed. “Casey.”
“Did you find something?”
“His name is Joseph. I think I’m the father.” I raked a hand through my hair and sat on the edge of the sofa. “Why did she leave him?”
“What are you going to do?”
When I didn’t respond, Casey switched to work mode. “Okay, first things first. Does he have formula and diapers, extra clothes? And do you have baby care for the rest of the week? I can’t fly out for another week, I have client meetings, but I can check with my local resources and see if anyone can recommend a temporary nanny.”
“Wait. I can’t keep him.” What the fuck was I saying? It wasn’t like someone had dropped off a puppy. Of course, he was staying. “I mean, I’ll check on all that stuff for tonight.”
“I hate to do this to Ms. Vendetti, but I think you should call her. She’s a local and might know someone.”
“Why would I call her?”
“She’s your executive admin, your right hand.”
“Hmm, about that.” I cleared my throat. “I fired her.”
“Already? Why? She was perfect. Overqualified, if you ask me.”
Yeah, she was. She was smart and witty. Beautiful. I opted for the truth. “I met her last night at the Crucible and brought her home.”
“Bloody hell, Declan. What happened?”
“Nothing, actually. She was wasted.”
“You didn’t have sex with her. That’s good.”
I should be offended that she wasn’t asking.
“Of course, I didn’t.” Though I did spend the better part of my day thinking about it.
“That’s actually good news.” She clicked her teeth then released a long breath. “Call her and tell her she has her job back. Trust me, she wants this opportunity in the worst way possible. She’ll do whatever you need.”
Whatever I need? A bloke should be so lucky. “What makes you say that?”
“She wanted the programmer position. But apparently, Nicolas’s wife and Isla are sisters, but they’re sort of not talking right now. Long story short, Nicolas offered Isla the executive admin job to ensure her time at Windsor Financial Holdings was temporary. But Declan, looking at her interview results, we would be stupid not to hire her on permanently.”
“Is that so? How old is she anyway?”
“Twenty-five.” She blew out a breath, as if she were at the end of the line with me.
Asking about Isla’s age didn’t mean I was interested. She looked young. And apparently was quite accomplished.
“You’re calling her, yeah? You could lose the contract over this.” She went silent, which meant she was worried.
Karma was truly a bitch. I fired Isla, and now she was my only hope to keep my own job. If she could be my nanny for a day or two while she helped me find a full-time person, I might have a chance to finish my contract with Nicolas and also find Harper. She and I still needed to talk logistics. Was she really giving up her baby? Why now?
