“The answer is no. Find yourself someone else.”
But Scarlett knew there was no one else. If she sent anyone other than herself or Henry, the Rylon lawyers would make mincemeat of them. No one could go for the jugular as she or Henry did—and the bastard knew it.
“What’s it going to be, Scarlett?”
She wanted to play the only card left in her deck—threaten to call the old man and see what he said—but that would only alienate Henry even further. She would agree to it for now simply because she was pressed for time, knowing Wynn would have the final say in future dealings with the firm. Once they cleared the Rylon hurdle, Wynn wouldn’t even need to sign any more documents for a while. It would give her time to regroup and think of a way to approach Henry and gently wrestle back control of Wynn’s affairs without Wynn learning she willingly pawned him off.
“Done. And I’ll counter that. I have time off coming. Would you clear with HR for me to take the next three weeks off?”
“That long? Does this have to do with what’s been on the news? Your brother being shot?”
“Yes. That’s why I can’t be at the signing tomorrow. I need the time off, Henry. I can also work from home to clear my desk and if anything else comes up.”
Wynn climbed into the car, dropping the gas receipt in the cupholder and starting the car again.
“Agreed,” Henry said begrudgingly but she knew he was secretly pleased to now claim Wynn as his personal client. “Email me what you get after you’ve reviewed it. I’ll look over it, as well. After all, I’ll be the one advising Wynn Gallagher now.”
“Thank you, Henry,” Scarlett said, mustering all the politeness she could and then ended the call. Looking at Wynn, she said, “Henry Lymon will be handling everything with Rylon and will be your attorney of record for the foreseeable future while I take a short leave to help care for Rhett. Henry is very bright and will take over for his father someday so you’ll be in good hands.”
Wynn pulled the car back onto the street as guilt flooded Scarlett.
How was she going to tell Wynn about the deal she’d made with the devil?
CHAPTER 16
London greeted them at the front door, holding a baby with her same strawberry blond hair and bright blue eyes, though the baby’s eyes were starting to droop.
“Come in,” the singer said, ushering them into the large foyer. “I was about to put Madison down for the night.”
“Can I hold her?” Scarlett asked.
London handed the infant over and Wynn saw Scarlett’s features soften as she cooed to the bundle in her arms.
“How are the kids?” he asked.
London gave him an approving look. “Surprisingly, they’ve held up well. There were a few tears when we picked them up. But overall, they’re proving just how resilient kids can be.” She turned to Scarlett. “Help me put Madison down and tell me about Rhett before you gather the kids to leave,” London suggested.
Wynn trailed after the two women as they went down a long hallway to a nursery. Scarlett stopped in the middle of the room, slowly swaying back and forth with Madison as she told London the latest on Rhett’s condition, including how the stalker who’d shot him had died. Then London kissed her daughter’s forehead and nodded to Scarlett, who placed the baby into her crib and raised the bar. She stroked the infant’s cheek and stepped back. Wynn saw Madison’s eyes close and her chest rise and fall in sleep.
He told London, “I don’t know anything about babies but this nursery is so warm and welcoming. The colors. The furniture. The mural. If I were a baby in this room, I might not want to grow up.”
London smiled. “Thank you, Wynn. Knox designed the furniture and I worked on the color palette. In fact, we’re about to launch Monroe Design Line, based upon what we’ve created for Madison. It will include furniture for infants and toddlers, as well as paint, bedding, and wall hangings. I like a soft, gender-neutral palette so a nursery can be for either a boy or girl. That way, parents don’t have to buy new items if they have a different sex the second time around. Scarlett’s drawn up all the incorporation papers. We’ve chosen our manufacturers and an ad agency which will handle all of our marketing and social media needs. We’re really exciting about the start-up and the jobs it will bring to the area.”
“It seemed a natural extension, considering London’s lullaby CDs, especially now that she and Knox are parents themselves,” Scarlett explained. “Best of all, one hundred percent of the profits will go to Knox’s charity foundation.”
“He has one like Rhett?” Wynn asked.
“I’m very proud of my husband,” London said, her love for Knox reflected by the glow on her face. “He has dyslexia and believes early intervention will really help children in learning coping and reading skills. His foundation provides for teacher training to help recognize the signs of dyslexia and also funds an educational company that creates materials to be used with children diagnosed as dyslexic. Some money also goes into adult education. Imagine going into a restaurant and not being able to read the menu because all of the words were squiggly.”
“How does he handle reading scripts?” Wynn asked, curious about a central part of any actor’s preparation and one that would be difficult for Knox with his disability.
“It’s difficult for him still,” London admitted. “He has a great ear for dialogue, though. I tape the
