Baby Benefits Read Online Free PDF Page B

failed miserably.
    “You’re worried you’re going to fall in love with this kid of his. That after a couple of weeks of dealing with the charming little tot, you won’t want to quit. You’ll be afraid of leaving her at the mercies of Darth Vader.”
    “I—” She started to deny it, but then shrugged. Why bother? “I guess I am.”
    Yes, the girl was adorable. And yes, Raina nursed a serious hankering to scoop the imp up in her arms, nuzzle her head, and suck in a big ol’ lungful of baby smell. And of course, the idea of getting attached to Isabella scared her. After all, she’d made a pledge to herself. Kids were not in her immediate future. It was time to put her own needs first for once.
    But Isabella was only part of the problem. It was Derek who really had her worried. He was hard enough to resist as it was. Toss in an adorable kiddo and Raina may well be doomed. After all, was there anything sexier than a man with a baby? Look what had happened to Lucy, after all. She’d fallen for the Dex/Isabella combo like a ton of baby formula. Raina, already nine-tenths of the way to hopelessly devoted to Derek, didn’t stand a chance.
    Of course, she couldn’t explain that to Lavender. She just wouldn’t get it. Raina had exerted far too much effort over the years convincing her family Derek was a jerk. They saw him as…well, the nickname said it all.
    Lavender would never understand how Raina had seen past all that to fall in love with him.
    She dropped her head back into her hands. “I should have just quit. If I’d stuck to my original plan, I’d never have to even walk into the office again.”
    Let alone see Derek, she added to herself with misery.
    “So do it.”
    “What?” Raina looked up.
    “Go back there tomorrow and quit. For real this time.” Lavender sliced through a carrot with a bloodthirsty flourish. “Go all Donald Trump on him and fire his sorry butt.” She punctuated each of the last four words with an emphatic chop.
    Raina tried not to wince. “But the money,” she protested.
    “Forget the money.”
    “I can’t forget the money. That bonus is the difference between whether I leave Messina Diamonds to look for another job as an executive assistant or go back to culinary school.”
    Lavender rolled her eyes, then opened her mouth and snapped it shut again several times in an exaggerated mime of struggling for words.
    “What?” Raina asked innocently.
    “Don’t you ‘what’ me.” Lavender pointed the tip of the knife in Raina’s direction. “How many times do we have to go over this? You are not allowed to go back to work. You’ve served your time. The next stop for you is culinary school.”
    “Which costs a load of money. Which I don’t have. Which means, the next stop for me is gainful employment.”
    “You have money, you just don’t want to spend it.”
    Raina pressed her lips together. “How do you know—”
    “Momma told me, of course. Did you really think she’d keep secret a savings account with that much money in it?”
    “That money isn’t mine,” Raina stated firmly.
    “Of course it’s yours. You earned it.”
    “I earned it for Momma. And you kids.”
    “You’ve been providing for Momma and us for nearly a decade now.” Lavender’s tone made it sound like a bad thing. “It’s time to provide for yourself for a change. Besides, we are doing fine. You said so yourself. Momma’s got disability checks, the house is paid for, and we all have scholarships and financial aid.”
    Lavender looked so smug, Raina didn’t bother to argue with her. Raina wouldn’t be dipping into the family’s savings to pay her tuition to culinary school. Yes, for the moment, everyone was provided for. But Raina knew all too well that accidents could happen without warning. Her mother’s stroke nine years ago had taught her that lesson.
    But there was no point in arguing with Lavender about it. And thankfully, Raina was saved from having to do so by the ringing of