Page 80 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

“That right there…” Ginty stared at him for a moment. He swallowed. “That’s why I went with you when you left Elite. Everyone thought I was crazy to leave the top agency in the world.”

“And I’m sure Marcus came at you hard.” His old boss had tried to sue him, but fortunately, some of Booker’s Yale law school buddies were well-connected and shut Marcus down. He’d heard Elite had since changed the terms of its contracts. His former colleagues referred to it as the Booker Clause.

“Oh, yeah. Tried to make it sound like you’d done me a disservice. But all it did was reinforce what I already knew. I needed to be with an agent who made decisions based on what’s best for my mental and physical health. Not just my career.”

“Hey, guys.” Noa came down the stairs, the little girl on her hip. She set several brightly colored toys on the floor.

The girl wriggled free. “I pway now.”

Noa bent over, so she could look the toddler in the eyes. “Stay right here, okay, Stevie girl?”

But the toddler didn’t answer. She had her tongue out, legs crossed, as she pressed different shaped blocks into a plastic box. The circle dropped right in. So did the square. But when she kept trying to jam the triangular block into the star-shaped hole, Booker got on his knees to show her where it went. “See that? It slides right in.”

“Now, dis one.” She held up a semi-circle.

“You got this,” he said. “Go on. See where it fits.”

“Okay.” She tried the various shapes, smacking the block to get it to conform. Finally, she let out a dramatic sigh. “I can’t do it.”

“I know you can.” He flicked his fingers in a gimme motion. She handed it over, but instead of taking it, he traced her finger around the shape of it. “See how it has a straight line down here?” He slid her finger along it. “And this part is round?”

She ran her finger over the semi-circle. “Go here?” She smacked it against the rectangular hole.

Again, he took her finger and touched each side. “Straight line. Rounded top.” Then, he showed her the holes. “Which one has a straight line on the bottom and a rounded top?”

She put the box in her lap and counted the holes. “One. Free. Two. A hunnert.” And then she touched the semi-circle, ran her fingers over it, looked at the block, and said, “Dis one.” It slid easily inside. When it landed at the bottom, she gave him a grin.

Those chiclet teeth cracked him up. “You got it.” He held up a hand, and she slapped it. When he settled back in his chair, he found Noa and Ginty staring at him. “What?”

“Is there anything you’re not good at? You were drafted into the NHL.” Noa started ticking items off on her fingers. “You were number one in your law school class?—”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Every year, there’s a number one. And I never played in a single game.”

With a shake of her head, Noa disregarded his comments. “You’re handsome, charming, you’re the best agent in the world?—”

“I’m sorry.” Ginty reached for her hand. “Do I need to give you two a moment?”

“Oh, God, no.” Noa burst out laughing. “Can you imagine him putting up with my moods for even five minutes?” She pressed a kiss to her groom’s mouth. “You’re the only man in the world who gets me and loves me for all my chaos.”

Ginty cupped the back of her head. “I see beyond your chaos to the smart, creative, beautiful woman you are.”

“Baby.” Her voice went all soft and swoony.

Time to get the conversation back on track. But before he could say anything, he felt a tug on his jeans. He looked down to see the little girl holding a board puzzle. As she lifted it to him, pieces hit the hardwood floor. “I got it.” He pushed his chair back and stacked the pieces onto the board. “Here you go.”

“Sit wif you.”

“You want to sit on my lap?” He looked at Noa, hoping she’d intervene. Take charge. Wasn’t there someone who could watch this kid?

But the girl was already starting to climb him.

ChapterSeventeen

Uh,okay.Booker supposed if it kept her quiet, he’d let her do her puzzle on the table.

He settled her on his lap, and while she went to town yanking the pieces off the board, he focused on the bride and groom. “All right, you two, save the canoodling for nap time.”

“I nap?” The little girl twisted around to look up at him.

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