It was beautiful to me.
There was a bed.
A locking door.
A crib the front desk employee rolled upstairs.
And silence.
Real silence.
Daniel checked the hallway while I settled Lily.
When he finished, he stopped near the door.
“Ms. Walker?”
“Yes?”
“Would you like my number?”
I hesitated.
“For security?”
“For emergencies. Mr. Prescott asked me to make sure you had a contact who wasn’t him.”
I looked past Daniel.
Adrian was standing near the window.
He pretended to be interested in the parking lot.
That small consideration affected me more than I wanted it to.
I entered Daniel’s number into my phone.
“Thank you.”
He left.
Adrian remained.
For the first time since the airport, we were alone.
Lily had fallen asleep almost immediately, curled sideways in the crib with her stuffed rabbit under one arm.
I sat on the edge of the bed.
Adrian stood near the desk.
Neither of us seemed to know what came next.
Finally I said, “You probably have someplace important to be.”
“Several.”
I looked up.
“And you’re still here.”
“My driver has instructions not to leave without me.”
“You really are a billionaire.”
He smiled.
“Unfortunately.”
“That doesn’t sound unfortunate.”
“You should see the meetings.”
I laughed quietly.
His phone vibrated.
He ignored it.
“Why were people filming you?” I asked.
The question had bothered me since the plane.
He put his hands in his pockets.
“My company announced a restructuring yesterday.”
“That sounds boring enough that nobody should photograph you sleeping on an airplane.”
“It would be, except part of the restructuring involves our healthcare division.”
Prescott Health.
Even I knew that name.
Hospitals, clinics, medical technology.
“My board wants me to spin it off,” he said. “I don’t.”
“So people are interested because you might lose?”
His mouth curved slightly.
“That’s one interpretation.”
“What’s yours?”
“That people like stories more than facts.”
His gaze moved toward Lily.
“A billionaire arguing with a board is dull. A billionaire secretly traveling with a mysterious woman and child is apparently fascinating.”
My embarrassment returned.
