a few years younger, in need of some financing.
Despite her wariness, nothing set off any alarm bells until that phone call and then her mother’s accident.
“Mommy?”
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” She skimmed her fingers through Ethan’s curly brown hair. “It’s late.”
His eyes grew round. “Can I look at the accident now?”
“I think that’s been all cleaned up.” At least she hoped to God it had been. “Let’s have some breakfast. Are you hungry?”
“Uh-huh.” He smacked his lips. “Is Mr. Brown eating breakfast, too?”
“You remember Mr. Brown from last night?” She tilted her head, wrinkling her nose. Mike must’ve made quite an impression on Ethan, which meant she couldn’t get her son out of here and with his grandparents fast enough. She didn’t want to confuse him or get his hopes up.
“Mr. Brown was giant, like Hercules.” Ethan raised his hand over his head as far as he could.
“Yeah, he’s tall.” She grabbed him under the arms and tickled. “Now let’s go eat.”
The smells of bacon and coffee coming from the kitchen lent an air of normalcy to the house after Claire had made her way through the cleaning crews in the great room. The giant Christmas tree she’d lit up with a thousand bulbs last night had shed its gold ornaments in the blast and now stood in the corner, a forlorn reminder of the Christmas spirit.
Ethan had shoved through the dining room doors first and came to a halt in front of Mike, his plate piled high with eggs, bacon and Jerome’s flaky biscuits.
Mike eyed Ethan over the rim of his coffee cup. “Who are you, the cook?”
Crossing his arms, Ethan stamped his foot. “I’m Ethan. I saw you last night.”
“Oh.” Mike snapped his fingers. “You looked a lot smaller in bed. I thought you were a little boy, but you’re not. You’re a big boy.”
Claire pulled out a chair with a smile on her face. Mike must have kids of his own, and if he wasn’t divorced, he should be after the way he’d kissed her last night. No happily married man would be kissing a woman he’d just met like that—assignment or no assignment.
Ethan climbed into the chair next to Mike’s, studied his plate and proceeded to ask Liz, the maid, for the same food Mike had.
Claire tilted her head at her son. “Are you sure you can eat that much?”
“I’m hungry.” Ethan patted his tummy.
“How’s your nose? Any sniffles or coughing?”
“Nope.”
She turned to Mike. “Ethan’s been having some problems with allergies, and the doctor is thinking it might be asthma.”
“He looks good to me.” Mike winked at Ethan.
“Ms. Chadwick, do you want anything besides coffee this morning?” Liz poured a stream of brown liquid into her cup.
“Just some orange juice.” When Liz finished pouring the coffee, Claire tipped some cream into her cup and dipped a spoon into the white swirl.
“Did you get a good night’s sleep despite everything?” Mike broke open a biscuit, and steam rose from the center.
Did he mean despite the murder of the director, or the kiss? She watched his strong hands as he buttered one half of the biscuit, then tore off a piece and popped it into his mouth.
Swallowing hard, she shook her head. “I didn’t get much sleep at all. You?”
“Slept like a baby.” He winked at Ethan again, who giggled.
“You’re not a baby.” Her son jabbed a fork in Mike’s direction.
Claire drew her brows together as she glanced at Ethan’s eyes, shining with clear hero worship. Since he’d started kindergarten a few months ago, Ethan had been asking more questions about his father and had become more aware of the absence of a father in his own life. She didn’t want him getting too attached to Mike, especially since he’d seemed to form an immediate liking for him.
Like mother, like son.
“I don’t even know why anyone would say they slept like a baby when they slept well.” She pinched Ethan’s nose. “Because you certainly didn’t sleep all through the night when you were a baby.”
Ethan giggled again and Mike added his loud guffaw just as Spencer walked into the dining room.
He raised his brows. “What a nice family scene, especially on a morning like this.”
Claire jerked her head around, her finger to her lips. “Shh. Not now.”
Spencer shrugged and refilled the coffee cup in his hand. He took a seat across from her. “When do you plan on telling him?”
“In our own time, Spencer.” She sent Mike a look from beneath her lashes. “Did you learn anything more about what happened last night?”
“The Security Council had an emergency meeting this morning, and the FBI gave us an initial report.”
She folded her hands around her cup, trying hard not to break it. “Anything you can pass along? Has anyone claimed credit?”
“Not yet.” Spencer slurped at his coffee. “Too bad this had to spoil your visit, Mitch.”
Mike reached across the table and curled his fingers around Claire’s. “I don’t plan on letting it ruin my visit. Of course, it’s a tragedy, and I’m sorry it happened in front of your house, at Claire’s event, but nothing can get in the way of our happiness.”
She sent Mike a weak smile. He was really laying it on thick.
“My house?” Spencer folded his arms on the table. “Is Claire hiding assets from you already?”
“Sir?” Mike’s fingers dug into her hand.
“This house belongs to Claire.” Spencer spread his arms. “This house and everything in it.”
“Mitchell and I haven’t gotten around to detailing our assets yet.” Heat crept up her chest and she took a gulp of chilled orange juice to keep it in check. She and Mike should’ve been covering this ground last night. Nothing much got past Spencer.
“Our—” Mike slid a glance at Ethan, busy marching his dinosaurs over a mound of scrambled eggs on his plate “—courtship was fast.”
“I have to admit, when you showed up last night, it was the first I’d heard of you, but then, Claire plays it close to the vest. So your announcement didn’t surprise me in the least, and it was quite welcome.”
“I’m glad you approve.” Mike gave her fingers one last squeeze before releasing her hand. “Are we still on for sightseeing today, or did the...accident change our plans?”
“I don’t see any reason why your plans should change.” Spencer pushed back from the table. “You might find a few monuments closed for security reasons, and you might have to drive through a few security checkpoints.”
“Maybe we’ll take a drive down to Virginia, Mount Vernon.” She tugged on Ethan’s ear. “You’re going to Mallory’s birthday party today.”
Ethan dropped his dinosaurs. “She’s gonna have cupcakes. She told me at school.”
“And pony rides.” She handed Ethan a napkin. “Wipe your face and I’ll help you get ready to go.”
Mike placed his own napkin by the side of his plate and smiled at Ethan. “Will you bring me a cupcake?”
“Yes. What color?”
“Surprise me.”
Spencer