Page 20 of Taming the Boss

We headed out and he kept looking back at the glass windows until I finally realized he was trying to see the lights flash as he walked.

“Here, let me show you.” I took out my iPhone and took a couple pictures as he walked away before I handed him my phone. “Look how sharp you look, Owen.”

He laughed, clutching my phone. “Yeah, Baddie! I like these.”

“That’s great. I think they’re super cool.”

We crossed the lot to the car and Jude put the bag in the trunk. “Now what?”

“I have to get back to work, remember?”

Jude frowned as if he had forgotten entirely about my job. What the hell?

I helped get Owen into his car seat and waited as Jude opened the passenger door so I could get in the car. “How much do you want just to…come home with us?” he asked in a low voice near my hair. “We had fun, right?”

Come home with them? To just start the nanny job now? He hadn’t even seen my resume yet or called my references.

“Um, yeah, I guess, but Mr. Brooks expects me to come back.” Not that I’d even officially clocked out for lunch when I’d run after Jude.

“Okay.” He seemed disappointed.

“But I can still help you with your son,” I said a few minutes later when he returned to Brooks’ Greenery and stopped the car just down the block. “If you want. Just check out my resume and let me know if you need my help.”

I waited a beat to give him time to reply, but he did not.

“Bye, Owen,” I said over my shoulder. “Enjoy your new sneakers.”

“Bye, Baddie!”

I climbed out of the car and shut the door, then I stood there as Jude pulled away, not knowing if I’d ever see him or Owen again.

Chapter 4

It had already been over a week, and I still hadn’t secured a damn nanny.

Unbidden, an image of Maddie helping my son tie his shoes formed in my head. Her long hair trailing along the floor as she made him smile so easily.

Something I was not able to do myself. And hey, she could still help me with my son if I wanted her to.

I had wanted her to. I’d been prepared to offer her whatever she wanted to just come home with us and…stay.

But she’d had to get back to her job at the florist. The ball was in her court, obviously.

Clearly, she’d had no idea how many resumes I had waiting for me from incredible applicants.

I had none. None. How was that even possible? Did people not need to work in this town? Or was my inbox not functioning? That had to be the reason.

Technical difficulties.

I started to write a strongly worded email to the newspaper about their obvious issues before deciding a call was better. More direct. So they would know I wasn’t someone to be trifled with, even incidentally. Maybe I’d even warrant personal service—as I should, for fuck’s sake.

I’d just call and make my opinion known.

Fifteen minutes later, I’d been transferred no less than four times and my requests to talk to a supervisor had netted precisely nothing. Oh, that wasn’t true. I’d listened to a lot of classical music while I was on hold.

I hung up and demanded for Caro to contact Laken. I had no idea what she could do, but surely someone could do something.

“What about that Asher guy you mentioned?” I finally demanded a few minutes later. “Can he look into this issue?”

---