“It's a bad idea,” he said to himself. “I should stay away from her.”
Hopeful Dreamer looked up at him and huffed a contrary opinion as she looked at her new friend.
“Right, because a romantic tie to the woman whose kids broke into my house is a good idea,” he told the horse. “Especially with everything else going on.”
He could have sworn Hopeful rolled her eyes at him and shrugged. Yet, somehow, he found himself agreeing with the horse.
Chapter 5
Mia
“I've got the kids, Margie, so you go to your doctor's appointment and take your time,” Mia said into her phone as she pulled up to the school pick up/drop off area. She was about ten minutes early, but that was good since it meant she got a better spot.
“Thanks, Mia,” Margie, the kids' foster mother told her. “I know this wasn't the plan. This was the only time my doctor could see me, though.”
“The plan was for you to take these kids because no one else would. I pulled you out of retirement because I was desperate for these kids to have one more chance,” Mia replied. Margie had been one of Mia's best foster parents before she retired and Mia had begged her to come back. “You were the only person I knew of that would take three kids out of the blue. Especially three troubled kids on the verge of being separated.”
“I just wish I were younger so I could keep up with them better,” Margie said, sounding glum. “You were right. They're good kids.”
Mia smiled. “You're doing more than I could have ever asked, so thank you.”
“You be careful, Mia,” Margie warned. “I know how attached to your charges you get. I don't want you to get hurt. They aren't your kids. They're the system's. You're going above and beyond for these kids, and I don't want you to burn out.”
Mia sighed. “I know. It's just the situation. I would do this much work for any of my kids.” In her mind's eye, Mia could see the disapproving look Margie was giving her.
“If you say so,” Margie replied. “I just don't want you getting too attached and having your heart broken.”
“Thank you,” Mia told her, trying not to take Margie's concern personally. “You go to your doctor appointment as planned. I'll take them to the ranch and get them some dinner. You make sure that doctor gives you a new hip or something so you can keep up with these kids.”
Margie laughed, and they both hung up with smiles.
Mia checked her watch. She was still early for the bell, so she took out her phone and pulled up Google. It was time to find out more about Carter and that stupid smile when she didn't recognize him was about.
“Carter and Stone Mountain Ranch,” she murmured as she typed in the search bar. She hit enter, not expecting much.
Nothing came up. The only hit was for the address of the ranch, which wasn't even correctly labeled on the map. It felt a little weird, like someone had manipulated the search results.
Mia frowned slightly and tried again. She didn't think the trophy was Carter's, but it was something worth putting in the search bar. She didn't really have very many other ideas. “Carter and car award.”
This time, her eyeballs nearly fell out of their sockets.
He wasn't the manager or some ranch hand or random hired help. He was Carter Williamson, owner and CEO of W Motors, makers of the fastest electric cars on the planet. She'd assumed he was a random employee, but instead, he was the freaking billionaire owner.
Mia sank down a little lower in her very worn seat as she scanned his bio. She skimmed the article, trying to read it as quickly as possible before the kids got out of school.
Carter Wagner Williamson (born 18 July) is an American business magnate, investor, engineer, and philanthropist. He is the founder, CEO and product architect of W Motors as well as several other smaller companies. As of March, he has an estimated net worth of $14.8 billion, making him one of the top 100 wealthiest people in the world.
Due to a recent lawsuit, the safety of the airbags in W Motors came under question. Several owners were injured, and one woman killed when the airbags failed to deploy properly during accidents. It was found that the owners had made modifications to their cars that caused the airbags to malfunction. W Motors was found innocent of all charges, but Carter Williamson still replaced all the affected airbags to make sure his cars remained safe despite no court order to do so.
Stock prices surged after the announcement, and yet again W Motors is the favorite to win the Safest Car award for the fifth year in a row.
Mia swallowed hard and continued to read through the article as quickly as she could.
Williamson has never married. He has stated in several interviews that he does not wish to have children.
In addition to helping to design the cars he manufactures, Williamson is also known for raising horses. He spent time on his uncle's farm as a child and has stated that the experience is one that shapes how he views the world.
In addition to properties in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, Williamson owns a working ranch in Tennessee, three beach houses in various locations, a home in California, and several yachts. Many of these are rented out to charity organizations when not in use.