Page 9 of Christmas in Quincy (The Edens 0.50)

Three hours after he’d hung up on me, I’d been sent instructions to get my ass to the airport, board his private plane and retrieve his daughter.

The jet was parked and waiting at the Quincy airport to take us home.

“Drink your champagne. Then we’ll go.”

“No.” Her voice was calm and flat. Resolute, but polite. “I’m sorry you came all this way for no reason, Austin, but I’m not leaving.”

Shit. Cleo rarely dug her heels in, but when she did, she planted them hard and deep.

If she didn’t leave, there was a good chance I’d get fired. Ray was normally a fair man to work for, but where his daughter was concerned, the man wouldn’t see reason.

Which was probably why Cleo hadn’t told him about this vacation in the first place.

Ray owned a cybersecurity company that had boomed over the past thirty years. Mirror Networks was valued at over fifteen billion dollars, and as the founder and CEO, Ray had a level of wealth that was impossible for me to comprehend.

He’d had a physical security company on his payroll for over twenty years. The company before mine had been his long-time provider, but when one of the bodyguards had hit on Cleo and made her uncomfortable, he’d terminated the contract immediately, as any father should.

I would have done the same.

That was four years ago and since, he’d been with my company, Garrison. I’d been a startup at the time and busted my ass to prove myself to the man. It had been the hardest four years of my damn life—and not because of Ray.

Because of Cleo.

The good thing was, Ray didn’t seem to care that Cleo hated me. As long as I kept her safe, I stayed in his good graces and his monthly payment hit my bank account on the first.

But if I went home alone, he’d terminate our contract.

The guys who worked for me had families. They needed a steady paycheck and if I lost Ray, it would take me years to replace that income, especially if he spread word around LA that I’d left his daughter in an unsafe situation.

So Cleo had to come home, whether she wanted to or not.

“The jet is waiting at the airport,” I told her.

“Great.” She threw out a hand toward the door. “Don’t miss your ride. I’ll be back after Christmas.”

“Cleo—”

“And think, you won’t have to hide out anymore. The jig is up. When I get home, you can come into the bakery and tell me all about how much you hate my food.”

Son of a bitch. There was hurt in her voice, and it was like a knife to the heart. I’d done that. I’d wounded her with my muttered critiques and blatant dismissal of anything she created.

But it was for the best. We came from different worlds.

Eventually, this feeling would go away and she’d be just another client.

“Why are you so stuck on staying?” I asked. “Is this really what you want? Christmas alone in a hotel room?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Why?” Christmas was one of my favorite holidays. Spending a day with my family was something I looked forward to all year long, and it was the one day of the year that I made sure I had off.

“The entire day is just one big show.”

“And you’re too spoiled and selfish to put up with it for a day.” It was overly harsh, but maybe if I pissed her off, she’d be less likely to stay.

“Get out.” The snarl returned. “Get. Out. Now.”

“Pack your things. We’re going home.”