Page 15 of Bad Nanny

Me: Can you two be serious for two seconds? I’m in crisis here. Laney is already practically in love with her.

Noah: That’s a tough call. Laney is starting school in August. You won’t need a full-time nanny anymore.

Lex: I imagine Gabe will still want someone available. Laney will have a hard time starting school, and who knows what will happen.

Me: You’re right... and I’d love to start going on short business trips again. Fuck.

There was no way I could keep flirting with Josie. I didn’t need to give her the wrong idea, and it would be nice to keep the same nanny for a while. The turnover probably didn’t help Delaney’s mental health. Or mine.

I headed back downstairs, determined to keep my distance. My choices wouldn’t only affect my daughter, but my business as well. If I crossed the line with Josie, her father probably wouldn’t be happy, and the potential fallout was disastrous.

Brett Hastings was a prominent figure in not just the hockey world, but in the entire sports industry. If I got on his bad side, teams wouldn’t hesitate to switch to our competitors for apparel, equipment, and uniforms. I didn’t sacrifice my twenties to lose everything because my dick couldn’t ignore a pretty woman.

And man, was she pretty.

As I stepped off the stairs and turned toward the living room, I nearly tripped over my own feet at the sight of her standing next to the couch while Delaney showed her how to work the TV. I was sure she knew how, but the way she pretended not to for the sake of my daughter made my resolve fly right out the window.

“This button turns on the surround sound.” Delaney looked over at me as I walked into the room. “Daddy, Josiehas never worked a controller like this before. I’m teaching her, though.”

Josie winked at me. “And you’re a very good teacher, Laney. I think I’m now an expert TV operator.”

Delaney giggled, which made my eyes burn yet again. “You’re silly. You have to practice.” She turned on the streaming app and started scrolling through the movies.

I was tempted to have another drink, but I didn’t need to lower my inhibitions, so I went straight to one of the chairs.

Delaney frowned at me as she and Josie sat down on the couch. “Daddy.” She patted the seat on the other side of her.

With a sigh, I stood, aware that Josie was watching me. “What movie did you pick?”

“Mommy’s favorite.” It surprised me that she spoke about her mother so nonchalantly. She hardly ever brought her up without getting upset. This was either going to be a great step forward for her or a setback.

Josie’s eyes were locked on the screen. “The Land Before Time? Are you sure you don’t want to watch something newer? It’s a pretty old movie.”

“I like this one.” Delaney hitplayon the film. “Ducky is my favorite.”

“I’ve never seen this.” I looked at Josie, who was biting her lip. “What’s wrong? Scared of dinosaurs?”

She gave me a tight smile and grabbed a throw pillow, hugging it to her chest. “Terrified.” Why didn’t I believe that?

Twenty minutes in, I realized why Josie had been tense. Delaney had moved to the area rug, so I scooted over next to Josie and put my arm around her. “You should have said something,” I whispered in her ear.

She cried into the pillow she’d been clutching, and I stroked her hair. Delaney glanced at us, tears streaming down her face, but she turned back to the screen. This movie was all kinds of traumatic. It was possible I’d seen it when I was really young and had blocked it from my memory, because watching a dinosaur cry over his dead mom was heartbreaking.

“I’m fine.” She was barely audible with the pillow against her face.

I pulled the throw blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over both of us before scooting even closer. Our sides were touching completely now, the warmth of her body giving me goose bumps. That was a surprise.

Josie turned her head on the pillow to look up at me, her eyes red and puffy. “What are you...” Her quiet voice trailed off as I brought my fingers to her cheeks to wipe her tears. She shut her eyes and let out a shaky breath.

What I should have done was move back to my seat or grab her some tissues. Instead, I ran my fingers along her jaw and to her lips. They parted on a small gasp, her eyes flying open.

Josie lifted her head, her watery brown eyes searching mine for an answer to what I was doing. My heart overpowered my head, and I leaned in slowly, giving her time to pull away.

But she didn’t. Why didn’t she?

Our lips met in a soft kiss as the forgotten movie played in the background. All common sense had left me, and I buried my fingers in her hair, deepening the kiss.

Josie returned my kiss with equal intensity, one of herhands landing on my chest before it clutched at my shirt. I pulled back, not sure what the fuck I was doing.

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