“She’s mine.”
“Yours?” I looked down at the little girl and then back ather mother. The resemblance was uncanny. The little girl was even holding hernose slightly in the air like she was looking down at me even though sheliterally had to look up at me. “You have a…kid?” I couldn’t imagine Poppybeing a mom. A mobster? Sure. A mother? It didn’t quite fit. But the little mini-herscowling back at me begged to differ.
“Funny,” Poppy said. “I know everything about you and youknow nothing about me. It’s good that I’m here so we can rectify that.” She putthe child down on the ground. “Go play,” she said and gestured toward myshelves that held nothing to play with. And then Poppy sat down without beinginvited.
I watched the little girl walk over to one of my shelves and inspectsome of the framed pictures. Why did I have a feeling that she was somehow trainedin surveillance even though she couldn’t be older than Scarlett? The way she examinedthe people in the picture sent a chill down my spine.
Poppy cleared her throat. “I heard about your eventfulevening.” She started straightening a few things on my desk.
I just stared at her.
“Uncle Richard’s angry with me. So I’m here to apologize.”
I leaned forward, resting my hands on my desk. “It doesn’tmatter what you say. I don’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth.”
It was like she didn’t even hear me. She just blinked andcontinued on with whatever she’d planned to say. “Obviously I’m not going tohurt a child. As a mother, I would never.”
“So you brought your kid here as a prop?”
“I brought her here to show you that I’m a caring mother.”
Well, it wasn’t working. She’d barely even looked at herdaughter this whole time. “I didn’t know that you were married.” I wasn’t surewhy the hell that was what came out of my mouth. I didn’t care if this womanwas married. For all I knew the little girl in the corner who looked like shewas about to smash a paperweight was just an actress.
Poppy raised one of her penciled-in eyebrows. “Divorced,actually. I’m very much single, Matthew. For the record. But I have a feelingthat’s about to change.”
I wasn’t sure which was worse. Nigel or Poppy hitting on me.
Just as I expected, I watched as the little girl dropped thepaperweight onto the ground. It shattered and for just a second a smile spreadacross her face.
Poppy snapped her fingers. “Behave, Gigi. Children are to beseen and not heard. How many times do I need to give you simple instructions?”
Gigi’s smile immediately disappeared and she had her lipstrained in a thin line, showing no shock or guilt or anything. Like a weirdlittle demon child.
“Do we understand?” Poppy asked.
“Yes, Mother.”
“Now apologize to the gentleman.”
“Sorry, sir.” Gigi curtseyed and then just stood therestaring at the floor.
I knew she’d deliberately smashed it. But I still felt badfor her. Her mom was Poppy. Wasn’t that punishment enough? She didn’t need tobe reprimanded any more by me. “It’s alright. Just be more careful. You cankeep playing.”
Her eyes lit up and she turned around to touch more expensivethings.
I cringed.
“So where were we?” Poppy asked. “Oh, yes, I don’t hurt children.So as long as you understand, I’ll just let Uncle Richard know you and I are ongood terms and we can move forward from this hiccup of a misunderstanding.”
“You swear you’re not going to hurt Scarlett?”
“I don’t recall ever saying I would hurt her. You’reputting words in my mouth.”
“Poppy.”
“What I implied was more of a kidnapping situation, but alas.I won’t do that either. Because I’m a mother and all that. You have my word.”
“That’s the whole problem. I don’t trust your word.”
She sighed, looking human for the first time since she’d walkedback into my life. “Look, my uncle is really hard to please. As you know. I wasjust trying to get the results he wanted. And I mean…I did. You went to go talkto him. Or yell at him I guess. You didn’t give him a chance to tell you thenews.”
“What news?”
She smiled. “It’s not mine to share. And I’m not even surethat you’ll care. For some reason he thinks you will. He’s off his game.” She lookedover at Gigi to make sure she wasn’t breaking anything else. “Which is why I’llbe taking over operations soon.”
Okay.
“Just me at the head of the whole business. All alone.” She touchedher chest and for some reason it seemed like she just did it to make me look atthe tops of her breasts.
Where the hell was she going with this?
“You know what? We’re going to need more time to catch upthan just a 15-minute meeting made at the last second, don’t you think? Andmaybe more privacy too. A relaxing night just the two of us. Let’s do dinner toproperly catch up and I can tell you all about my plans for the company.”
Is that what she called her illegal dealings? A company? Giveme a break. “I’m busy.”
“Tonight? Well, let’s do tomorrow night then. I’ll arrange itwith your secretary.”
“She doesn’t arrange my personal schedule.”
“All good secretaries do.”
“She’s actually an administrative assistant. And she’s fantasticat her job.”
Poppy laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re dating her. Isn’t she alittle old for you? Certainly there are people in your life a little more suitable.A certain someone right under your nose, perchance?”
“Who I’m dating is none of your business.”
“So you are dating someone? Well, that should make thingsinteresting. Let her know I’ll be preoccupying your evening tomorrow night. Noreason for her to wait up for you.”
“I’m not going out with you.”
“I never said it was a date. That was all you. I’ve alwaysloved a man who’s forward.”
I sighed. “Poppy, we’re not having dinner. No matter what youwant to call it.”
“Then I’ll just have to tell the hitmen to go forward withtheir plans.”
I froze. Last night Mr. Pruitt said he hadn’t hired hitmen tofollow me around. I knew he was lying. But for her to actually sit there andadmit it? Why hadn’t I recorded this conversation? Damn it. “Mr. Pruittsaid he wasn’t having me
