Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Jack
I had Tony drive us back to Lorelei’s apartment. As soon as I unlocked the door, I told Hope to go and pack a bag.
“Where am I going?” she asked.
“You’re coming home with me for a few days since your grandparents and Stella are out of town.”
She went to her bedroom, and I stood in the living room wondering if I had made the right decision. I had no choice, but I knew absolutely nothing about kids. I took in a deep breath. I couldn’t let Lorelei down. I cared about her, and she needed my help regardless of whether she wanted it. I dialed Madeline.
“Hello.”
“Madeline, make sure the guest room is ready. We’re going to have a visitor for a few days.”
“Sure thing, Jack. I’ll see to it now.”
“Thank you. We’ll be arriving shortly.”
“I’m all packed,” Hope said as she emerged from her room, holding her pink bag and a rag doll.
I grabbed her bag, and we went down to the limo. As we were on our way to my penthouse, I looked at Hope’s doll.
“What’s her name?” I asked.
“Luna. I’ve had her since I was a baby. My mommy said it was a gift from my daddy and that he’ll always be with me.”
“She’s a special doll.” I smiled and she hugged her.
When we arrived at the penthouse, Hope’s eyes widened as soon as we stepped off the elevator. Madeline entered the foyer and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Hope.
“Hope, this is my maid, Madeline. Madeline, this is our house guest, Hope. She’s Lorelei’s daughter.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Hope.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.” She smiled.
“Why don’t you show Hope to her room?”
They walked up the stairs, and I poured myself a drink. Hope would be okay here with Madeline. She knew a thing or two about kids, so she’d be the perfect babysitter for her. As I walked into the kitchen, Madeline followed me in.
“She’s adorable. But I’m really confused, Jack.”
“Lorelei is in the hospital with pneumonia. She’ll be there for a few days, so I need you to look after Hope for me.”
“Umm. Have you forgotten that I’m leaving tomorrow morning to go visit my sister in New Orleans? I’ve had this vacation planned for two months, Jack.”
“For fuck’s sake. I did forget. Can’t you change it? Please, Madeline. I need you.”
“Sorry, but no. You know she’s not doing well. We talked about this, and you said it was okay for me to go.”
“What the hell is with everyone not feeling well? I’m sorry, Madeline. You’re right. You go visit your sister. I’ll call Coco to help out.”
She laughed. “I’m not sure she’ll be any better than you. Listen, Jack, it’s instincts. You can do this. It’s not like she’s a baby. Hell, that little girl could probably take better care of you.”
“Very funny. Could you at least look after her while I go into the office for a couple of hours?”
“Of course.” She smiled.
Hope came into the kitchen, and I knelt in front of her.
“I have to go to work for a while, but Madeline is going to look after you.”
“Okay. Will you be back later?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” She smiled.
Just as I was about to walk out of the kitchen, Hope called my name.
“Mr. Sutton?”
“Yes.” I turned and looked at her.
“I don’t think you’re mean at all.”
I gave her a small smile and left for the office.
I walked into Coco’s office and shut the door.
“Hey, how’s Lorelei?” she asked with concern.
“She has pneumonia. She’s going to be in the hospital for a few days.”
“She’s going to be okay, right?”
“Yeah. They’re taking good care of her. Listen, I need to talk to you about Bradley.”
“Has he been found?”
“No. Not yet. But Ron has a lead. Bradley wasn’t the one who was stealing the money from the company.”
She looked at me in confusion as she tilted her head to the side.
“He was putting it in offshore accounts for our mother.”
“What? That’s absurd.”
“I saw the accounts, Coco. They’re in her name.”
“Why would she have him do that?”
“I think she’s running this company into the ground for some reason.”
“Have you confronted her about this yet?”
“No. I’m waiting until Ron finds Bradley, and we talk to him. I want you with me when I confront her.”
“This doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know. But we’ll get to the bottom of it. On another matter, I have Lorelei’s daughter, Hope, staying with me while she’s in the hospital.”
Coco busted into laughter. “Yeah, right. You and a kid? I find that hard to believe.”
“I had no choice. Both of Lorelei’s parents and best friend are out of the state. There was nobody else to take care of her.”
“You don’t know how to take care of a kid, Jack. Shit. You hate kids.”
“I guess I’m going to have to wing it the next few days. Would you like to come over and help?” I grinned.
“Umm. No. I’m leaving for LA tomorrow. Did you forget?”
“Damn it. I did. What the hell is with everyone leaving town but me?”
She laughed again. “You can do it. How old is she again?”
“Seven.”
“She’s self-sufficient. You just need to keep an eye on her. She can keep herself entertained. We did it as kids.”
I sighed as I got up from my chair. “Have fun in L.A. I’ll see you when you get back.”
“Oh, I will. Have fun playing daddy!” She smiled.
“That’s not even funny!” I pointed at her as I walked out the door.
After spending a couple of hours doing some work, I called the hospital to check on Lorelei. The nurse said she had been sleeping all day and that Hope and I could visit tonight but only for a short time. I hated leaving her there all alone.
I left the office around four o’clock, and when I arrived home, Hope and Madeline were in the kitchen baking Halloween cookies.
“Isn’t it a bit early for Halloween?” I asked as I set my briefcase down.
“Halloween is in two and a half weeks. It’s never too early. Is it, Hope?” Madeline asked.
“Nope. Never too early for Halloween. I can’t wait to try on my costume.”
“What are you dressing up as?” I asked.
“Cinderella. My mom is making my costume.”
“I bet it’ll be very nice. Did you cook dinner?” I asked Madeline.
“No. I’m sorry, Jack. We got so involved with these cookies that I forgot about dinner, and I have to leave in about a half hour to get ready to leave tomorrow.”
“No worries. Hope and I will stop and get something before heading to the hospital to see Lorelei. I’m going to head upstairs to change.”
“Mr. Sutton,” Hope spoke.
“Yes.” I turned around.
“Would you like a cookie?” She held one out to me.
I stood there for a moment and looked at Madeline, who was smiling at me.
“Sure, Hope. I’d love one. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she spoke as I took the cookie from her.