Daddy by December (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) by Judy Angelo Read Free Book Online

Drake
said with a chuckle.  “It was all my idea.”
    “See?” Jessie piped
up.  “I told you.”
    Meg looked back at
Drake.  “I don’t know…” she began.
    “Just say yes,” Drake
said then he gave her a teasing grin.  “Remember, I have information I’m sure
you want.”
    Meg sucked in her
breath then shook her head and exhaled.  “You drive a hard bargain, Drake
Duncan.  All right, I’ll do it, but just this one time.”
    One time is all I need.  
Drake gave a nod of triumph.  “That’s settled then.  Now leave Jessie to have
her snack.  We can squeeze in another half hour before I have to head out for
my meeting.”  Meg nodded and picked up her notepad.
    As Drake turned to go
back to his desk his eyes caught Jessie’s.  She’d just taken a huge bite of her
chocolate cookie and she gave him a wide, cookie-crumb smile.
    He couldn’t say for sure,
but it certainly looked like little Jessie was on his side.  Thank God for
that.  Where Meg Donovan-Gracey was concerned, he needed all the help he could
get.

CHAPTER
FIVE
     
    The black one, the red
one or the gold one?  Heavens, the decisions a girl had to make.
    It was Saturday night,
a whole five days since Drake had asked her out, and she was in a pickle.  It
wasn’t her dress she was worried about although she still hadn’t made up her
mind which one to wear.  It was the whole idea of going out with him that was
driving her crazy.  She’d agreed to go out with a man she’d hated – no, that
was too strong a word – held a grudge against for the past ten years and all
he’d done was ask her out and she’d given in.
    Of course, there had
been the issue of the information he’d promised to give her.  What in the world
had he and Jessie been talking about?  She was dying of curiosity.  Jessie
tended to be a very vocal child and would say anything in front of practically
anybody.  She shuddered to think of what she’d said to Drake.  But, she’d been
asking herself for the past five days, was that the only reason she’d accepted
his invitation?  She sincerely hoped that was it.  In her heart, though, she
knew better.  Her heart, that treacherous part of her, still had a very soft
spot for this man she’d adored in her younger, immature days.
    But goodness, she was
older now and far more experienced.  She’d even been married to a man she’d
loved and admired.  So why did her heart pound at the thought of going out with
a man who had hurt her so badly?  She gave a deep sigh.  Obviously she had
learned very little over the years, least of all how to protect her heart.
    The babysitter came at
six-thirty and at seven o’clock on the dot she heard the doorbell ring.
    “I’ll get it,” Jessie
yelled and before Meg or Amelia could stop her she was racing down the hallway
toward the front door.
    Meg grabbed her purse. 
“You have my cell phone number?”
    “As always,” Amelia
said with a roll of her eyes.
    “Good.  I’ll only be a
couple of hours, okay.”
    “No rush.”  Amelia
pointed to her bag on the floor.  “I have my laptop.”
    “And call me in case of
emer-”
    “Mrs. Gracey, go.”  The
teenager took her by the arm and turned her toward the door.  “I’ve been
babysitting Jessie for two years now.  I know what I’m doing.”
    “Okay, okay.  I’m
going.”
    “Thank you.”  Amelia
said, laughing at her.
    Feeling just a little
bit on the nervous side, Meg followed Jessie’s path and there,  standing in the
doorway stood Drake, heart-stoppingly handsome in dark-gray suit, his shirt
open at the collar.  Goodness, he was almost Brad Pitt handsome, with his dark
blond hair just touching the collar of his shirt.
    “Bye, Drake,” Jessie
said with a wave of her hand then turned and ran back the way she had come. 
    “Mr. Duncan to you,
missy,” Meg called after her but she’d already disappeared into the den where
Amelia was waiting for her.
    Now Meg was completely
alone with Drake, not