Page 11 of One Night With The Nanny

“I’d like to talk to her myself. No offense, but I doubt she tells you anything.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Max said. “She keeps her AirPods in and tunes me out most of the time. She loves basketball and is in theater and she’s passionate about art. She’s an excellent little actress, singer, and artist.”

“I can definitely work with that,” Reid said, rubbing his hands together. “I practically raised two theater kids because our parents were super busy. Can you bring her here?” he asked, and Max winced and shook his head.

“She will bolt as soon as she realizes why we’re here and that you’re practically a psychologist.”

“Probably,” Reid conceded. “I don’t approve of lying to children, but we can tell her we’re…friends and you’re just stopping by for a cup of coffee and to hang out. And I’m not working for you, I just happen to be a family and childcare specialist.”

Max blinked at Reid. “How do I get her to willingly hang out with me? I had to drag her into a limo kicking and screaming on her birthday. How am I supposed to get her to come with me to a friend’s place for coffee?”

“You’re right, it’s weird and she’ll see right through it,” Reid agreed as he stood and went to pace by the windows. “Let’s try reverse psychology… She won’t be interested in meeting anyone if she knows it’s about her. Let’s make it about me, and I’ll come to you,” he suggested and Max sat up straighter.

“You’ll come to our place and meet Mia?”

“Sure.” Reid shrugged. “I’m free most evenings and I never mind having someplace else to be between seven and ten p.m.. Gavin and Dash can get very loud.”

“Hmmm… Have you considered moving out?” Max asked.

“Not once and I never will,” Reid stated, sweeping the subject aside. “Here’s what I want you to do: tell Mia you’re having a friend over on…? When are you sure she’ll be free?”

“She doesn’t have any rehearsals or practice and usually comes home for dinner on Wednesdays.”

“Excellent…” Reid rubbed his hands together again, grinning at him. “Don’t tell her anything except that you’re having a friend over for dinner and that it would be cool if she wanted to join us. But also say that it would be totally cool if she didn’t.”

Max frowned, looking dubious. “That’s it?”

“That’s it,” Reid said with a wiggle of his brows, feeling rather devious himself. “If I know anything about teenage girls, nothing on earth will keep her from being there. She’ll have to be there.”

“Why?” Max beat a knuckle against his lip as he studied Reid. “And why would I suggest that we wouldn’t want her ther— Oh.”

“Exactly.” Reid’s smile stretched as he marveled at how perfectly simple and smart his plan was. “And you’ll deny it and we’ll tell her we’re just friends, but she’ll do what they did,” Reid gestured around them vaguely, still mortified as he heard the echoes of his supposed friends’ and family’s laughter. “She’ll want to put her nose in it too and get a closer look at me and while she is, I’ll talk to her,” he explained.

“Talk to her?” Max still sounded hesitant. “She’ll know this is a setup and send you packing,” he predicted.

“It’s not a setup, is it? I’m your friend and I’m coming over for dinner. I’m hoping she’ll talk to me, but I don’t have any other agenda. I just want to talk to Mia and see what your dynamic is like in an environment where she feels safest and most comfortable.”

“I’m willing to give it a shot if you think it’ll work,” Max said, offering Reid his hand.

“If I think it’ll work?” he muttered and gave it a quick shake. “Watch: Mia will be my biggest fan before the night is through.” With any luck, Reid would sort out a plan for Max’s girls and send the Margrave on his way in a few days, without any more mess or drama.

4

The following Tuesday morning, Max prayed that Reid was as good as Agnes and Walker had promised while eyeing his youngest daughter cautiously across an expanse of bright white marble. She was shoveling cereal into her mouth as she watched something on her phone and would be out the door as soon as she slurped up the milk.

He folded his newspaper and tossed it on the island, causing her eyes to tighten warily as they flicked from the screen to Max.

“I was wondering…” he started, rubbing a spot on the island next to the paper. “Do you think you’ll be home tomorrow evening?”

“Maybe… Why?” she asked slowly, her eyes narrowing even more.

Max remembered Reid’s directions and remained casual, offering her a shrug and a bored wave. “No reason, really. I’m just having a friend over for dinner and I didn’t want it to be weird if you came home and he was…here,” he said, inwardly praying he wasn’t overdoing it.

Mia’s eyes were huge as she took out her AirPods. “You mean, like a date?”

“No!” Max said immediately, shaking his head. “It’s definitely not a date and you’re welcome to join us for dinner if you don’t have anything else going on.”

“I don’t think I have anything else going on,” she said, snorting. She put her earbuds back in and picked up the bowl to drink from it, then paused. “So, do you…like this guy?” she mumbled into the bowl, momentarily stunning Max. He was hoping it would be as easy as Reid had promised, but Mia was already asking questions.

---