Shelter With A Billionaire

I hurried downstairs to the foyer. I thought it must be Mike's personal assistant. I unlocked the door and found a tall blonde woman wearing a pair of sunglasses while on the phone. She brushed past me as she stepped into the house. 

"Uh huh, Mr. Russo will be available next week. Goodbye." She spoke with a valley girl accent. She hung up and turned to me as she took off her glasses. 

"Hi," I offered a smile and extended my hand. "You must be—"

"Helen Cade, Michael's personal assistant, here to pick up the litter." She shook my hand. It was surreal; she had been at least twenty-one. 

I frowned. "You mean kids."

Helen shrugged unapologetic. "Right. We have to get moving, and fast, I have a three o'clock appointment with my therapist."

I nodded. "I'll get them."

The second I mentioned shopping, the girls screamed with delight, while the boys had an opposite effect.

"Man, shopping's so boring." Jay groaned as he climbed downstairs. 

"You said it," Noah shook his head. 

"I wonder if Abercrombie's on sale today." Millie mused. 

Tommy shot Noah a thumbs down behind the girls. 

"Dude, check out the hot blonde," Noah signed at Tommy, who snickered and froze when I shot him a disapproving look.

Helen, who was typing on her cell phone, looked up at the kids with a bored look. "Alright kids, let's get moving. Oh, I'm told you're deaf, Pedro." She stared at Noah and began to make quick movements with her hands.

Hello, nice...cow...are you?

I narrowed my eyes at her attempt at American sign language. 

"Um, it's Noah, and you just called him a cow," Millie pointed out. 

"Actually, you're not wrong." Beth said dryly. 

Noah rolled his eyes. 

Helen gave a nervous chuckle and clasped her hands together. "Whoopsie, that online translator must be on a fritz."

Noah smirked with a knowing nod. "You don't have to sign with me, baby; I can hear you loud and clear."

I pursed my lips at his flirtation while Helen remained oblivious by giggling."Well, aren't you just adorable?"

Noah frowned with disappointment as Jay snorted into his fist. 

Helen gestured for the door. "Let's go."

We walked out of the house, and I shut the door behind me.

A flashy black minivan was parked in the driveway, while a stoic man in a suit waited for us. 

"That's Slingshot, my chauffeur." Helen told me. 

Slingshot opened the door for the kids to climb in. 

I spin my head at her quickly. "Uh, how exactly do you pay Slingshot on PA's salary?"

Helen flipped back her voluminous hair. "Oh, my dad picks up the tab. I'm trying to be independent and make my own money from this job."

I narrowed my eyes at the comment and climbed inside. 

The kids's chatter and the occasional text chime filled the air as Slingshot drove us. I noticed Noah kept staring at Helen's back; she sat in front, eyes peeled on her phone.

Nothing like a seventeen-year-old crushing on an older woman. 

"Did your mom name you Slingshot?" Kimiko asked the chauffeur curiously.

Low snickers erupted in the car. 

"No." Slingshot answered, and that was all he ever said to us.

We got to the mall at about one-fifteen, and he pulled up at the parking lot. We moved for the entrance. 

Slingshot seemed to be following us. As we walked in, I could see the food court on the second floor; the smell of baked goods filled the air. I wondered if we could have the time to have some lunch there. Pop music blared out of a stereo. 

"Okay, it looks like we'll split up; the ladies come with me, and the boys go with Slingshot to the men's department. He'll keep an eye on you," Helen ordered. 

"We don't need a babysitter," Jay said.

"Yeah," Noah and Tommy agreed. 

"Let's go," Slingshot growled at them. They moved quickly with him in tow.

"Oh, make sure you get some nice underwear!" I called after them.

"We don't know you, lady!" Tommy called back, and I felt my face heat up as a couple of people walking by glanced at me. I straightened and tried to play it cool. 

"Let's check out H&M; they have some cute stuff," I told the ladies. After we got off the escalator, I pointed at the store ahead. 

But Beth spoke up, "Great, I'll be right next door. I need to get some new fishnets and a couple of clothes."

I rolled my eyes. "That's a no-no on the fishnets."

Beth groaned. "Seriously?"

Helen winced as she did a double take at the Hot Topic store in horror. "Hot Topic? Are you going to a funeral?"

Beth shrugged. "It's more of my style."

Helen began to laugh, nudging an unamused Daphne to join in. "Yeah, that's cute, but honey, that gorgeous red hair on you deserves some pastel."

Beth appeared unconvinced with a shrug. "No thanks, I'm good."

I sighed and looked at Helen. "Don't bother, I think Beth deserves to explore her sense of style; after all, she's growing."

"Omigod, Christine." Beth's pale cheeks turned bright pink.

Millie clasped her hands and batted her lashes with a sing-song voice. "Into a beautiful black orchid." 

Beth gave an eye-roll.

Then, with her normal voice, Millie said, sidestepping Kimiko. "Outta my way, Kimiko, mama needs to shop." She stomped for the entrance to the store. 

With a dramatic sigh, Helen turned to Beth. "Just text us when you're done."

Beth spun on her heels for the department store.

The rest of us strolled into the store. I helped Kimiko pick out some clothes, shorts, pants, and blouses. Millie seemed to be in her element as she tried on her clothes. Daphne did the same.

"Look girls, we're on a budget and can't buy more than we normally would." I warned Millie, who spun in a blue minidress. 

"Ah, that looks cute on you." Helen pulled me aside and shot Millie a thumbs up. She looked at me. "Listen Carla—"

"Christine."

"Don't be shy; Mike's picking up the tab, and we don't want the kids to feel as terrible as they already are." 

I lifted a brow at her motherly tone. "How old are you again?"

"Twenty-three." She answered.

Oddly, she looked younger than that. I shook my head. "Well, if you say so."

"Good." Helen nodded. 

Kimiko wandered over to a display of ballet slippers and squealed with delight. "Oh, look! Purple ones!"

I smiled, "You like them, sweetie?"

Kimiko nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, please; I've never wanted anything more in my entire life."

I pushed my tongue in my cheek, remembering a few other things she'd said the exact words to: a dollhouse, Bunny, a cat, to which I said no because the twins were allergic. 

Helen, who was browsing a pair of black knee boots nearby, chimed in, "Are you into ballet?"

Kimiko turned to her and shook her head. "Nope."

Helen's eyes flickered with something I couldn't recognize but went back to checking out the boots.

I helped Kimiko try on the shoes; they fit perfectly. Then I noticed Millie was talking to a dark-haired teenage boy in a green polo work shirt for an electronics store. She twirled her hair with a finger as she spoke to him. 

Ruh-roh.

That was not a good sign.