The Bad Boy Next Door: A Red Hot Bad Boy Romance by Lacey Legend

and ask her to come.”
    “Oooh, I can’t wait,” Ruby said with delight. “I love children.”
    Genie’s lip twitched almost imperceptibly. “Sure, if there’s time you can meet her.”
    “Tell me more about her,” Isaac said. “What’s her favorite book?”
    “She likes Green Eggs & Ham a lot,” Genie responded.
    “Dr. Seuss is amazing,” Isaac said, thinking back to his own childhood. He wondered if the box of books he read in his own childhood were still in the attic of his parents’ home. He made a mental note to find out. The property was up for sale, but so far there had been no takers. The real estate agent was pressuring him to lower the price, but Isaac couldn’t bring himself to do it. Some part of him didn’t want to let go of the old homestead just yet.
    “How about favorite colors?” Ruby asked Genie. “Mine were pink and red when I was little. I remember I had this little princess outfit my mother made for me and I wore it every Halloween for three years.”
    Genie responded half-heartedly. “I don’t know. Purple I think. And dark blue. She likes jewel colors.”
    “I wish you had told me about her sooner,” Isaac said wistfully. “I would have liked to be there for her first word and her first step, all of those firsts.”
    Genie sighed and Ruby thought she saw the woman roll her eyes and purse her lips. “Well, you weren’t. You were gone.”
    Isaac was shocked at the tone of anger coming through. “Look, Genie, if I had known—”
    “What?” Genie asked in a low voice. “You would have defied your parents and let them cut you out of the will?”
    Isaac’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Genie.”
    Ruby watched the exchange silently, assessing Genie’s reactions to Isaac’s words. The woman’s expression didn’t match the heat of her statements. She sounded mad, but her face didn’t change, and her eyes didn’t flash as one would expect with genuine upset. It’s just a game to her, Ruby thought to herself and not for the first time. She was surprised that Isaac seemed so oblivious to the signs.
    Genie smiled and reached for Isaac’s hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap on you like that. It’s just been hard being a single parent. I’m looking forward to her getting into the private school I told you about.”
    “Private schools are nice,” Ruby said. “Tuition can be a bear though. My parents were going to send me to one, but they would have practically had to mortgage everything they owned.” She laughed at the memory. “I loved public school though.”
    “That’s nice,” Genie responded and then turned back to Isaac. “That’s why I’m glad you offered to pay Reggie’s tuition. It’s going to be a huge help.”
    Ruby’s jaw dropped. “You offered to pay her entire tuition to private school? That’s very generous of you, Isaac.” She then turned to Genie. “What does a year’s worth of tuition run at a private school these days?”
    Genie’s eyes flashed at Ruby and her mouth became a hard line. “How Isaac wants to spend his money shouldn’t concern you. It’s for his daughter.”
    Ruby didn’t let the woman ruffle her feathers. She continued, “Surely you don’t want Reggie to go to private school for only one year. She’s what, four? Five?”
    “Six,” Genie said quickly, her face reddening.
    “Well, then what you’re really asking Isaac for is to pay for at least five years of private school.” Ruby looked at Isaac and was surprised to see his eyes narrowed in her direction.
    “We can talk about it later,” Isaac said. “Genie only asked me to consider paying the enrollment fee.”
    “Yes, but if she’s working two part time jobs—” Ruby’s voice faltered and trailed off when she saw the look on Isaac’s face. The three of then continued eating in silence.
    Isaac picked up the check and left the waitress a generous tip.
    “Could we go shopping for a couple of new outfits for Reggie?” Genie asked.
    “Sure,”