Page 27 of Taming the Boss

He started the car and clenched the wheel. “He has a goddamn fever.”

“Owen?” I wanted to saw off my tongue as he cut his chilly gaze to mine,

“Why the hell isn’t Sydney here yet,” he said under his breath as he started the engine. It purred to life with barely a vibration.

Sydney who? But I wisely didn’t ask as he veered away from the curb mere moments after Dare did the same with my car.

I wasn’t sad to see my Honda go. She’d been nothing but problems lately.

As Jude clenched the wheel with both hands, I followed instinct and reached over to touch the back of his hand. “He’ll be okay,” I said softly. “Don’t worry.”

Shocking me, he turned his hand over and threaded his fingers through mine before he moved our joined hands to his thigh. “Thank you,” he said tightly. “Thank you for being here, Maddie.”

Nodding, I said nothing and curled my fingers tightly into his.

Chapter 6

I had no clue what the hell was happening.

Or what I was doing.

All I knew was that Maddie’s soft fingers felt damn good tucked into my palm, as if I was who she trusted to take care of her. To provide everything she needed.

Fat chance, but the thought was still a comfort.

The first thing I did was call the florist. The owner of Brooks’ Greenery, Alan, apologized profusely and he told me he’d hold my refund until I had time to go pick it up.

“Does your admin normally help with Owen?” Maddie asked after I’d ended the call.

“No. Not in her job responsibilities.”

“But she’s willing to help out?”

“Temporarily.” It was hard to keep the ice out of my tone. Admitting I needed help on any level ever was akin to losing a finger.

That hadn’t been allowed in my home growing up. I didn’t want Owen to be raised with the same dysfunction, but I wasn’t sure how to move beyond it.

Unless I decided to seek therapy, as my far braver sister had done years ago. Was still doing, in fact. Finding a therapist here she liked as much as the one she had at home had been one of the reasons she’d delayed moving. I had no clue if she’d secured someone yet.

“Until you hire a nanny,” Maddie added, fisting her other hand—the one I didn’t have in a chokehold—in her lap.

“Until I hire a nanny,” I repeated quietly, letting my gaze drift to hers as I rounded the curve of the lake road that would lead us home.

To my home. Not us. Man, maybe I had a fever, not Owen. Or I’d infected him somehow with some virus that was making us all hot. And potentially half-baked.

You’ve been alone too long. That’s all. You’re lonely. Just need to get a woman underneath you…

“Do you have any other applicants? I mean, besides me?”

“No.”

The truth was, after the last time I’d complained about having no other applicants but Maddie, I hadn’t checked again. Because I didn’t want anyone else, and that was a damn problem.

I hadn’t read about her experience or checked her references.

As for vetting her? Nope.

My dick found her just fine and that kind of behavior was not acceptable when it came to my son. For one, how did I know I could trust her? She seemed to be a well-known member of the community, but I had no clue if she knew anything about dealing with children. She’d certainly seemed to have a natural ease with him when we’d gone shopping, but that could have been an isolated event.

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