A Little Surprise For The Boss. Elizabeth Lane

still doesn’t mean I have to be babysat. Mrs. Calloway won’t let me out of her sight. She’s a nice lady, but she drives me crazy. She even sits right by the pool when I’m in the water. Last year I asked her if she could swim. She shook her head. If she had to rescue me, she’d probably drown.”

      “Mrs. Calloway is just doing her job,” Buck said. “The agreement I have with your mother says that while you’re here you have to be supervised.”

      “Why can’t I just hang out with Terri?”

      Buck ignored the slight jolt triggered by the mention of Terri’s name. He wondered what she’d thought when she’d discovered the new tires on her Jeep. He’d done it in the spirit of helping her out, but would she see it that way? Maybe he should have left well enough alone.

      “Terri has to work,” he said. “I need her help in the office.”

      “Then why can’t I hang out with you?” Quinn asked. “You’re the boss. Nobody tells you when you have to work.”

      “The boss has to work the hardest of all. That’s why he’s the boss. I’ll be busy all day tomorrow. But Terri will pick you up in the afternoon. You’ll be fine.”

      “Sure.” Quinn sighed like a deflating balloon and slumped in the seat. She was silent till the Hummer pulled into the driveway and stopped. Buck had barely switched off the engine when she opened the door, piled out of the vehicle and ran to the fence, where Murphy was waiting to welcome her with barks and whimpers of joy.

      “Hi, Murphy!” She reached her small hands through the chain links to pet the huge dog, whose wagging tail could have felled a forest of small trees. “How’ve you been, boy? Hey, I can hang out with you, can’t I? At least somebody’s got time for me!”

      Giving Buck a meaningful scowl, she stalked onto the porch and waited for her father to unlock the front door.

      * * *

      The next morning Terri came in early, opened the door to Buck’s private office and left something on his desk. He wouldn’t be happy when he found it, but she was braced for the storm. If the boss man didn’t like it, he could fire her.