Irene had heard all the scuttlebutt about Addison Kane from the other nurses, and she wasn’t a stranger to reading newspapers. She knew the woman was powerful and had the wherewithal to get what she wanted, but for the second time, Irene found herself impressed by the billionaire. Right then and there, Irene Rumsey decided there was more to Addison Kane than met the eye. Much more.

***

A short time later, while Addison was slowly making her way through her container of ice cream, Robert had finished his first and had just opened another.

“I’m not sure that much ice cream is good for you,” she said.

“A little too late for me to worry about that, now isn’t it?” Robert said, raising his eyes. “The damage has already been done. Nothing left to do but live life until I don’t have one to live.”

“That’s a bit cynical, don’t you think?”

“No, it’s just truthful,” Robert said, putting down his spoon. “I suppose if I had a clean bill of health it would be different, but I don’t. So, why worry about having too much of this or having too much of that? I’d rather die knowing I had the pleasure of tasting the finest scotch or the tastiest ice cream than to die wishing I had.”

There were not many who impressed Addison, but standing in her kitchen, she found herself fascinated with Robert, and as she mulled over his point of view, she found herself in agreement. “Makes sense,” she said, nodding.

“So,” Robert said, stopping long enough to take another taste of his dessert. “What do you do?”

“Sorry?”

“For a living...what do you do?”

“Oh,” Addison said, putting aside the container in her hand. “I own a company that buys other companies that are in trouble financially or otherwise, and then I turn around and sell them for a profit. I do the same with real estate and new technology, as long as it’s worth my time.”

“By the size of this house, I’m thinking it’s worth your time.”

Addison nodded again. “I do okay.”

“So, the chances of you continuing to need a house manager are good then?”

“I don’t see any change where that’s concerned. Why?”

“Well, you said Joanna was doing a good job, so I know she’ll be okay.”

Addison frowned. “You think a lot about death. Don’t you?”

Robert sat straight on his stool. “I’m not thinking about death. I’m thinking about life...my daughter’s life. I’m all she has, and I want to make sure she’ll be all right after I’m gone. Nothing wrong with that.”

“No, I suppose not,” Addison said as she stared at the man. “Can I ask what happened to her mother?”