Capture Me: Alpha Billionaire Romance (Hollywood Dreams) by C.J. Thomas

office,” Dani murmured. Her knee bounced up and down, like the nervous rhythm attempted to keep time with my heart.
    While still upscale, I couldn’t picture a more opposite waiting room to Dad’s if I’d tried. Half the room was still under construction from the recent office move and remodel. Based on the upgrade in location, Edward had landed some pretty big clients over the last year. The half of the room that wasn’t sectioned off with wall-length plastic had a cozy vibe, something I would have never placed in a law firm. Probably why they were redoing the windowless room. Though it did nothing to calm Dani. I held her hand and her knee stopped for a moment before starting up again.
    “We’re here together,” I reminded her.
    Dani shook her head and eyed the large bag I’d brought with us. “All those letters . . .”
    I should have never called Dani into Dad’s office when I found all his overdue notices. I don’t know what made me think he would have talked to her, especially if he hadn’t talked to me.
    Edward popped his head out of his office. His short stature appeared even more abbreviated compared to the door nearly three times his height. “Come in. Come in. We have much to discuss.” He slipped his head back in so fast, it reminded me of those whack-a-mole games. He had that same scrunched up face the little figures had just before you smacked them over the head.
    I draped my arm around Dani’s shoulder and gave a small squeeze as she stood. Her knee-length blue sundress swayed as I followed her into the office.
    Two broad, leather chairs—that seemed much more fitting for a law office than where we’d waited—were pulled out from the table, clearly waiting for us.
    “Please, sit. Sit.” Edward gestured to the chairs even though they were the only real place for us to go in the room.
    It occurred to me that he hadn’t met our eyes yet. I pulled out a few of the overdue notices I’d found on Dad’s desk. No point in letting them sit unanswered through whatever he wanted to tell us. “I realize that you called us in here to discuss our parents’ estate, but I want to make sure we also get to these before we leave.”
    Edward dropped his head as though he’d fallen asleep in his chair. Dani and I shared a look. He finally breathed a long nasally whistle before looking us in the eyes. “Here’s the way it goes . . .” Before he finished the sentence, he popped out of his chair—which barely changed his height from sitting—and began to pace along his side of the table.
    Dani pressed her palms against the table. “Stop. Stop!” She blew out a breath when he turned to her. “Please, just tell us what’s going on.”
    Edward rubbed his hands together and nodded. “Okay.” He frowned, maybe remembering something he’d planned to recite. “Your father made a few ill-advised decisions regarding new acquisitions. He was too stubborn to come to me until a few weeks ago. We were working through options but nothing turned around in time.”
    “Edward, please.”
    He looked at me, surprise at my interruption, making his eyes widen.
    Dani leaned forward. “Tell us already.”
    He nodded and opened his arms to us with a long pause, when all we wanted was information. “The savings accounts are depleted and both life insurance policies were canceled when Dani turned eighteen.”
    “That was just a few months ago,” Dani said, like it was her fault. “Isn’t there a way to reverse—”
    Edward shook his head.
    “There’s still the house and company, right? There has to be some money there.”
    “Last year they took out a second mortgage to pay off the debt on the company.”
    “Where . . . where does that put us?” Dani asked in a voice so small I barely heard her words.
    Edward clasped his hands in a very final way. “The good news is that there is no longer a heavy debt.”
    I closed my eyes. “I suppose there’s that.”
    Dani’s knee hadn’t stopped moving in the last