Page 32 of Single Dad's Hot Nanny

14

MIA

I had to fight back the tears that wanted to well up.

It might seem silly to get emotional about hearing “good job” from my boss, but for me, it was everything. I couldn’t recall hearing it from anyone.Ever. I stared at Michael, who seemed a little uneasy with the moment we were having.

The poor guy. With the exception of his interactions with his daughter, he was always so serious and cold. I guess being just about everyone’s boss contributed to his gruff attitude. The Michael I’d met on our date and the Michael sitting next to me now didn’t come out often.

Clearing the lump out of my throat, I quickly put him out of his misery. “Thank you, but you don’t know me well.”

I was the kind of girl to shirk her responsibilities, put off deciding what she wanted to do with her life, and get caught up with dangerous criminals because of her naivete and foolish quest for love…

“I know enough. You’re not awful, Mia Clarke. You might be a little reckless and mischievous. And I still think you’re a threat to my peace of mind…”

I rolled my eyes.

“But my kid has never been happier so…” He shrugged. “I don’t regret hiring you. I think you might just break the nanny curse.”

“Thewhat?”

“The nanny curse. All my nannies up and quit after a few months. The first and the longest one lasted over a year.” He held his thumb and index finger close together. “She wasthisclose to two years before things went to hell. After her… itallwent to hell.”

Intrigued, I twisted around in the plush seat to face him. Folding my legs under me, I asked, “What exactly happens with all the nannies?”

“I really shouldn’t discuss the nanny curse with the nanny.”

Disappointment flooded me at the thought that I wouldn’t get any more information. However, as I stared at Michael, I saw thetiniestsmile appear on his lips. There was a teasing glint in his eyes, too. I’d gotten to know Michael a little better, despite only working with him for weeks.

Being inside his home and watching his interactions with his daughter gave me a deeper perspective of who Michael Hayes really was. Plus, we did spend a spectacular night together where I’d gotten glimpses of his more laid-back, teasing side. I was sure he was humoring me because he’d witnessed my near meltdown… which I was still a little embarrassed about.

“Alright, let’s make a deal,” I said, seeing as how he was in the talking mood, which he wasn’t in often. “I’ll tell you about my boyfriend curse if you tell me about your nanny curse.”

Michael turned to me with what looked like curiosity in his eyes. “Boyfriendcurse? Well, now you have to go first.”

“My luck in the romance department hasn’t been the greatest, to put it mildly. I seem to have this unnatural ability to attract the wrong kind of guys.” I shrugged. “I just don’t understand it.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed on me. “I’m going to need evidence of this supposed unnatural ability.”

I chuckled as I leaned back and got comfortable. This was nice. It had been a while since I just let loose and had friendly chatter. Recently, the conversations I’d had were lectures from my parents and brother about my failures and lack of direction in life.

“Where do I even start?”

“Start with your first date,” Michael suggested.

I glanced at him, still unable to believe he wasreallyinterested in the subject.

“My first date…” My eyes moved around the interior of the plane as I reached for the memory. “I was seventeen, and I had to sneak out of the house for that one. My dad was super strict. He still is.”

Michael lifted an eyebrow in question.

“Yeah, I know I don’t exactly portray someone coming from a strict household. I guess the rules and rigorously straitlaced environment I grew up in made me the opposite of disciplined.” I hated feeling restricted. “My dad is a military man,” I explained.

He didn’t respond. He just watched me with those intense, penetrating, and gorgeous green eyes of his. Sometimes when he looked at me, I had to fight my body’s natural tendency to blush.

“Anyway, I snuck out to go on my first date, excited to see what the hype was all about. I pictured the guy buying me flowers and opening doors for me. You know, being wined and dined and treated like a lady. Looking back, I guess those expectations were too high to put on a seventeen-year-old boy in a rock band…”

Michael chuckled. “Probably.”

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