Page 14 of The Rogue

And hold the fuck up.

I drag my gaze back to hers. “Did you sayonlyjob?”

She rolls her eyes and whips out her phone, swiping the screen open and shows it to me. “See?”

I wince. “The fuck happened to that thing?”

She tucks it in her back pocket and keeps her eyes on me. “Chucked it across the room when I saw the post.”

I cock my head. “Disappointed I don’t need a love interest?”

“You kidding? That’s the best fu—” She glances over my shoulder. “Freakingpart. Which is a pro on this list. Aren’t you even curious to see it?”

Yes.

“No.” Then I step out onto the driveway and close the door behind me. “Now I get why you didn’t show up at my dad’s inn. You’ve really got some nerve coming back here. I should have you arrested for trespassing and theft.”

“Theft?” She scrunches her nose nervously, and fuck, it’s cute. “Is staying at a hotel room without ever booking it really considered theft?”

“It’s a goddamn crime, Tessa,” I bark, taking a step toward her, getting a whiff of baked goods and flowers off her skin.

She pulls her face away from my advancement but not her feet. “Can I interview for the position of Jackson’s nanny?”

“You just did.” I back up. “And you didn’t get the job.”

She sucks in a deep breath, her eyes drifting like she’s buying time. With new determination, they meet mine again. She pulls out a worn piece of paper from her other back pocket.

“Pro: Wiggles already knows andadoresme, I mean come on, even you have to admit that.”

I fold my arms, my chest puffing with irritation.

“Pro: I may not have experience, but I’m playful and totally not looking for a love story.”

I feign sleepiness.

Her eyes flutter from me to her list. “Pro: Job comes with a free room—” She scrunches her face. “Shoot, that one was for me only.”

Nowthatmakes me laugh in her face. “When do we get to the cons?”

She flips over the list, scanning it.

“Not mine. I already know them. Tell meyours.”

She deadpans me. “I don’t want to work for you any more than you want me.”

My eyes sweep over her. Intrigued as fuck how she ended up here. But the last time a woman intrigued me enough to trust her, I got burned. I step back into the house. “Then it’s settled. Goodbye, Tess.”

I shut the door, releasing a ragged breath.

With a heaviness in my chest, I pace my living room. This has to be some sick joke. Tessa knows I’d never in a million years hire her.

Hell, I even made it clear last year when she offered to watch Jackson for one night for Chase’s bachelor party.

I hated how much I wanted to take her up on the offer. And being the dick that I am—overcompensated for it in my response when I told her she wasn’t exactly the ideal candidate to care for a child.

The hurt in her eyes that day haunted me all night.

I release a breath and stride back to the door, swinging it open. Tessa is seated on the hood of the beaten-up Camry she arrived in. Her chin resting on her knees like she’s waiting for a pickup truck.

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