The Billionaire's Housekeeper (Betsy Jones Book 1) - Unedited

The Billionaire's Housekeeper - Chapter 37

Nick sighed loudly, his fingers drumming against the desktop as he stared blankly at his screen. He paused, glanced at his overpriced watch, and felt another sigh brewing. Time was moving so slow. It was painful to sit through. The merger had meant keeping odd hours, skipping meals, and working late into the night. It was the lifestyle he had become accustomed to. Now that it was done, Nick felt deflated. Restless.

The phone rang loudly, jolting him from his thoughts. His hands knocked into a stack of paperwork on the corner of his desk. It spilled over, the tower cascading over the edge of the desk before the printed sheets fell onto the floor. The phone gave another shrill ring. Cursing, Nick drew in a deep breath and then pulled the handset from the receiver.

"Nick speaking."

"Mr Davenport, I've got Claire on the line for you. She said it's important." His secretary's no nonsense tone greeted his ear.

"Who?"

"Miss Jones's sister, sir."

"I told you not to call me 'sir'." Nick chastised in the age old battle he felt he was continually waging with this woman. "But I'll take the call."

"Nick, are you there?" Claire's voice trembled followed by a sniff.

Nick straightened in his chair. His body tense and alert, all signs of his former lethargy were gone. "Claire, what's wrong?"

Another sniffle. "You need to come. Right now. We're at the hospital."

Nick stood abruptly. "The hospital?! What the hell is going on Claire? Is it is the children?"

"No, the kids are fine. They weren't there. It's Betsy."

Nick barely stopped the phone from slipping from his grasp as terror found its way straight to his heart. "What's wrong with her?" He asked frantically, standing from his chair and striding away only to be yanked backwards by the cord on the phone. Cussing loudly, Nick ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Hang on. I'm going to hang up for a moment."

"No. Don't hang up." Claire replied desperately.

"I'll call you back in a moment from my mobile." Nick reassured her, forcing his panic from his voice. "Where's Lee?"

"He's looking after the children. I came her alone and I -." Claire broke off with a sob.

"Okay, just stay calm. I'm going to hang up but I'll call you straight back and then I'll stay on the phone until I get to you." Nick stated, pausing just long enough to hear her muffled agreement. "I'll call you in a moment, I promise."

He replaced the phone in the cradle and drew in a steadying breath. His heart was thudding loudly within his chest and his stomach twisted uncomfortably. Nick pushed his own discomfort aside. There would be time to process later.

With a flurry of action, Nick grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and snatched his phone from the desk. And then he was running. His vaguely saw his secretary stand up from her desk as he passed, her wide eyes peering at him over the top of her screen.

"Mr Davenport?" She called after him.

"I'm going to be out the rest of the day. Rearrange my afternoon meeting and hold all my calls."

"Of course," she replied, her footsteps echoing in his wake. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"No." Nick replied automatically before cursing. "Can you call the new nanny and let her know there has been a family emergency?"

His steadfast assistant gasped. "Is something wrong with the children?"

Nick shook his head, feeling only a momentary relief that his children were safe and well. "No, they're fine. It's Betsy." Nick's voice cracked over her name. He cleared his throat, ignoring the way his hand trembled as he pressed the button to the lift. "I'm not sure what the full situation is just yet." He paused and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. His eyes glanced at his watch. "Damnit it. I need to collect the children from school soon. I-."