Eligible Ex-husband - Marie Johnston Page 0,2

squeeze and chortles in a way that lets me know she’s fully Team Natalie.

Aleah gives Natalie’s arm a squeeze. “Don’t forget to stretch. See you Thursday.”

Natalie nods, her gaze dropping. I take the opportunity to soak her in. She has her rusty brown riotous hair pulled back in a ponytail, but it looks like she kissed an electrical socket. Our five-year-old daughter Maddy got her hair. It’s lighter like mine, but uncontrollably curly like Natalie’s.

“What are you doing here?” Natalie’s stare is wary and I hate that I’m the reason for it. Especially since she has every right to think this isn’t a simple visit.

“I have to go out of town,” I say.

“So?”

She isn’t going to make it easy. “I’m dropping the girls off.”

“Simon.” Can she sound more disappointed? “All they asked for was a week with you after school ended. You said you’d work from home or they could be in the office with you.”

“We have all of summer vacation to get a week in.”

“No, they have swimming lessons and sports camps and playdates with friends.” Her gaze strays to the car where Helena’s arranging a plane and hotel rooms. Nostrils flaring, she says, “Take them with.”

I can’t have heard her correctly. “Natalie, be serious.”

“I am. It’s your week. I have things to do.”

“Like what?” I have no right to ask, but I’m insatiably curious about what she’s been doing since she quit working for the company and this is the perfect excuse to ask.

“I’m training.”

“I can see that.” I meant to keep the wry tone out of my voice. It’s something that pissed her off to no end in the year before she sprang the divorce on me.

Her scowl deepens. “I have online training. For a job,” she finished defensively.

My brows pop up. She’s going back to work? When we graduated and opened Gainesworth Equity, we agreed that she’d perform assistant duties but otherwise be the primary stay-at-home parent and we’d live off mac ’n’ cheese until the business took off. Those years had stretched out until my brother died and left me money. That money that bought the house I no longer live in and was the jumpstart my business needed. I’ve worked three times harder than ever since to make Gainesworth Equity what it should be.

It’s all I have left of Liam.

Natalie walked away from the company when she walked away from me.

“What kind of job?” I don’t consider the possibility that she won’t tell me until she presses her lips together. I’m hanging on the answer, hoping information will fill part of the hole she left.

A car door opens behind me and since it’s either one of our daughters or Helena, I bite back my shout to leave me the hell alone. I haven’t had a moment alone with Natalie since I moved out.

“Simon, we need to get going to catch the plane.”

I hold my hand up to let Helena know I heard, but don’t take my eyes off my wife—my ex-wife. “Look, Natalie. Remember Liam’s best friend, Graham Morgan? He’s been relentless about buying controlling shares of companies I’m looking to invest in, and when I called him to discuss why, he said he’d only talk to me if I could fly out.”

She knows exactly who Graham Morgan is. My brother had run off with Graham’s fiancée and raised Graham’s daughter as his own. The problem was that Graham hadn’t known he was a father until after Liam died. Another question that kept me awake—did Liam know?

Natalie’s pretty lips turn down. “Do you think he really can push you out?”

My gaze is caught on her mouth, but I nod. “One or two companies won’t break us, but more than that could be serious. I need to know why he has me in his sights. He’s too savvy of a businessman to let a grudge affect his decisions.”

She rolls her lips in, her gaze darkening as it lands on the car. She isn’t jealous of Helena, is she? I know my assistant is considered quite attractive. But Helena’s married and I figure I should wait to date until I quit fantasizing about my ex-wife when I jack off in the shower. Whenever I do choose to date, I’ll sure as hell stay away from my employees.

I only have two. I was about to hire more and expand when Natalie slapped the papers on my desk. It took two people to replace her, but it gave me something else to think about when my personal life