Page 10 of One Night With The Nanny

He could prepare two cups of coffee and pretend to be competent for twenty minutes. In the end, Reid would explain that he no longer worked as a nanny, but that if he did he would never work for someone he had been intimate with. But he would hear Max out and see if one of the agency’s other nannies would be an appropriate fit. Reid filled two cups from the French press and carried them to the table by their saucers, offering Max a polite nod while lowering into his seat.

“Now, tell me, how old is your daughter?” he asked while adding sugar to his coffee. He regretted not having a notebook handy but would jot down a few quick notes as soon as Max left.

“I have two,” Max began, already grimacing and squirming as he raised his cup and sipped. “This is very nice,” he stalled.

Reid coughed softly. “You have two daughters?”

“Mia is seventeen and Sophia is twenty-four.”

“Wait. Why do you need a nanny?” Reid asked and Max shook his head.

“I don’t. Mia would go ballistic if I told her I’d hired a nanny, but Agnes said you could size up the situation and tell me how to fix things with her. She said you were the best.”

“I mean…” Reid shrugged, resting his arm over the back of his chair casually. “Family and child psychology is kind of the family business. I was raised by therapists,” he added with a pointed look. “But we’re not talking about me. What’s going on with your girls?”

Whatever it was, it hurt Max deeply. It was obvious by the way he sat forward, fidgeting with his watch, a stunning Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711, as he sniffed and cleared his throat.

“I don’t think they have ever forgiven me for the divorce. Or, for marrying their mother, Ella, if I’m being honest. They never refer to her as anything other than Ella.”

“When was the divorce?” Reid asked, holding his breath and hoping it wasn’t very recent.

“Thirteen years ago.”

“Ouch,” Reid whispered as he rose and went to open another bottle of champagne. Max looked like he could use a drink, but it was too early for whiskey or cognac.

“It was never a…true marriage,” Max continued. “We married when we were twenty and I made it clear that I was…” He coughed again, blushing into his coffee. “We agreed that she would pursue her own interests and that I would not make any demands upon her time, beyond what was necessary to produce an heir.”

“It was an arranged marriage,” Reid summarized and Max bowed his head.

“Everyone who matters has known for a while now, but being gay was not an option for me thirty-three years ago.”

“I’m very sorry.” Reid felt legitimately bad for Max as he tried to imagine the years of fear and incredible pressure. “How was that for your girls?”

“They stayed with me, most of the time, and I did my best to be there for them and traveled as little as possible. But Sophia always wanted a ‘normal’ mother and acted out if I made her come home. She was away in boarding school when Ella announced that she wanted a divorce, and Sophia never came back after that.”

Reid filled one of his simple glass flutes and set it in front of Max. “Where is she now?”

“Thank you,” he said quietly, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat back with it. “She lives in Tribeca with her husband, Kyle, and their twins, Ava and Alexis. The girls are nine months old, but I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing them in person.” His voice had cracked and a tear rolled down his cheek. Max sniffed and dabbed it away with a handkerchief, quickly erasing the evidence. “Mia starts university in the fall and I’m afraid she’ll shut me out too, after she leaves. No matter what I do, it only makes things worse with her.”

“Okay,” Reid said with a decisive nod, before he could talk himself out of it.

Regardless of what may have transpired between them at the Baccarat, Reid couldn’t turn his back on Max and coldly send him on his way. Not when Max truly wanted to fix his relationship with his girls. Reid had seen far too many parents who didn’t care in his many years as a nanny, working with the privileged and wealthy. It tugged on Reid’s heartstrings and he sensed that Max had already swallowed a lot of pride to come to Briarwood Terrace and ask for help in person.

“I’ll help you fix things with Mia and I’ll see what I can do about Sophia.”

A startled gasp burst from Max. “You will?”

“Of course. It’s clear you love your daughters and you’re obviously willing to go to extremes if you’ve turned to Agnes Cameron for help.”

“I did sense that she was up to something, but I had no idea it would be this…” he cringed, earning a caustic snort from Reid.

“Diabolical? Or catastrophic?” he asked. “It’s a nightmare and we’re going to forget that the other thing ever happened if you want my help.” He widened his eyes expectantly at Max, refusing to blink until he agreed. “I have a little brother so I can do this for hours.”

“Why?” Max asked, frowning as he set his glass down and leaned forward. “What if I don’t want to forget, Reid?”

“Then, you need to leave,” he said firmly and pointed at the door. “You might be an aristocrat out there, but this is my kingdom. And, in here, we do things my way.” He punctuated the statement with a firm tap on the table.

“We’ll see,” Max said, smiling patiently at Reid. “As you said, we’re not talking about you. Let’s stick with Mia for now. What would you like to know? Mia and I are not as close as we used to be when she was a little girl, but I do my best to keep up with her interests.”

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