Read Online Star Promise by G. J. Walker-Smith - Free Book Online Page B

bachelor had been reduced to watching chick flicks in his spare time. Whether he’d admit it or not, he was whipped. And whether I’d admit it or not, I was happy for him.
    ***
    My office was far nicer than I deserved, considering the lack of aptitude I showed when it came to working there. Sitting at the massive oak desk reminded me of a king holding court, but the moment was always fleeting. I was merely a prince. The real king’s court was much more impressive.
    My father insisted on monthly staff meetings. Everyone would file into the boardroom at eleven and spend twenty minutes waiting for him to arrive. Being purposefully late was tactical and obnoxious, but no one said so out loud. They were too busy making sure they had their game faces on in case he called on them to speak.
    I wasn’t quite so diligent. I used the spare time to text my wife or check my emails, which is exactly what I was doing when Ryan called me.
    My phone sounded embarrassingly loud in the quiet room, and all twenty people sitting around the table stared at me. Fearing that their glares might burn a hole in my skull, I left the room to answer it.
    “Please tell me you’re not calling me to pick Bridget up,” I said, wandering toward the viewing window at the end of the corridor. “I can’t leave the office yet.”
    Ryan didn’t need me to collect her. He needed cleaning instructions. My errant child had made the most of the few minutes Ryan spent in the shower by giving herself a makeover – less than twenty-four hours after promising me that her face painting career was over.
    “She’s covered in Bente’s lipstick,” he told me.
    I should’ve been angry, or at the very least annoyed, but the panic in Ryan’s voice amused me. “Lipstick?” I asked. “Did she steal it from your purse while you were watching Dirty Dancing ?”
    “She’s your kid, Adam. I’m perfectly happy to leave it on her.”
    I didn’t doubt him for a second. “Well, how bad is it?”
    He likened her appearance to Sebastian from The Little Mermaid . We both knew Sebastian the crab well. The Little Mermaid was Bridget’s favourite film, and we’d been forced to sit through it a million times. “She could now get a job as his stunt double.”
    It must’ve been bad. I thought back to the day before when I’d tried smudging the red ink off Treasure, and then imagined Ryan doing the same thing to Bridget. “What goes on must come off right?” I asked encouragingly. I wasn’t exactly an expert when it came to makeup removal, and red lipstick seemed pretty heavy duty. “Look for anything that says ‘remover’ or ‘antidote’ or ‘face cleaner’,” I suggested. “It’ll be there somewhere.”
    After complaining about the amount of crap now residing in his bathroom cabinet, he made the mistake of asking Bridget to look. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that she’d use the opportunity to scope out her next arts and crafts project. I absently gazed out the window at the bustling city below while I waited for him to speak again.
    “Eye makeup remover,” he said finally.
    “Good enough,” I replied.
    Ryan vowed to give it a shot and ended the call. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and continued the mindless window gazing as if I had nowhere else to be.
    It didn’t last long. My father called out from the boardroom. “When you’re ready, Adam. We don’t have all day.”
    I made my way back without a word. If I’d answered him, there was a danger I might’ve spoken truthfully: I wasn’t ready. I would much rather have been at home with my little girl Sebastian.
    ***
    Bridget wasn’t up to the half-hour walk home from Ryan’s apartment, which was a shame because we had a lot to talk about.
    “We went to the park and my legs are tired,” she complained. “I did lots of flying.”
    It took forever for her to pull the huge scarf out of the front pocket of her dress. It looked like a magic trick gone wrong. I took it from her,