Page 25 of Bad Nanny

I nearly choked on the pepperoni I’d snuck. “Did your conference call reset your brain or something? Or were you actually...” I mimicked a drinking motion.

“Despite popular belief, I can have fun. I save my quota for the weekends.” His gaze held mine for a moment too long, and I felt a familiar heat rise to my cheeks.

Delaney let out an excited squeal. “Look! I made a smiley face.”

“It looks amazing.” Gabriel shot me a pointed look. “See? She understands the importance of presentation.”

After we made eight mini-pizzas, I slid them into the oven and set the timer. “Should take about ten to fifteen minutes.”

“Can I go back on my tablet?” Delaney put her hands together in a plea. “Pretty please.”

“Wash your hands first.” I didn’t know if I was still “on duty,” but Gabriel didn’t say anything.

I dropped a pinch of cheese into my mouth, humming in appreciation. There was never a bad time for cheese.

“Thank you for this.” Gabriel closed the package of pepperoni and fastened the lid on the pizza sauce.

“For not sticking to the plan for lunch? I half expected you to punish me for my insubordination.”

He breathed in sharply through his nose. “Do you wantto be punished?” There was a bit of hesitancy in his voice, but the meaning was clear.

Yes, punish me!“I . . . uh . . .”

We’d already crossed the line several times, and this was just another layer. I didn’t understand it at all. I kept telling myself to stop, yet here I was, tempted to lean over the counter to tease him.

“You’ve got a little fleck of cheese...” Gabriel reached for my face, his hand touching my cheek and his thumb brushing to the side of my lip. His touch sent a shiver down my spine, and I felt the intensity in his eyes.

Seeming to suddenly realize what he was doing, he withdrew his hand, as if he’d been burned. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s come over me. I’m not usually like this.”

“I assure you, you’re not the only one acting out of character here.” I took a step back, trying to regain my composure, and managed a small laugh. “I’m not exactly helping matters.”

He looked as conflicted as I felt. “I shouldn’t have said that earlier, about the punishment. It was inappropriate. And the texts... I’m so fucking sorry.”

I glanced at the living room, but Delaney was oblivious. “I didn’t read the texts.”

He let out a sigh and his whole body relaxed. “You make me feel like an awkward teenager noticing a girl for the first time.”

That was an interesting way to put it. “We’re both adjusting to...whatever this is.”

“Your dad would literally take a hockey stick to mykneecaps if he knew. It can’t be anything more.” He reached for my hand, but I took another step back.

“I forgot the Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.” I walked quickly out of the kitchen and to my studio.

I needed space to breathe and to figure out how to stop the fantasy of us together. Yet, I found that the more I tried to resist, the more I was drawn to him.

Chapter 9

Bad Nanny

Gabriel

I satoutside the therapist’s office, the familiar silence in the hallway leaving me alone with my thoughts. Delaney was inside talking to Dr. Bowman, like she did every two weeks. I used to sit in on the sessions with her, but we’d made progress. Now, I waited outside, close enough for her to look out to see that I hadn’t left.

Every time we were here, my anger at the whole situation peeked its ugly head out of the box I’d shoved it into. So much of the trauma could have been avoided if Victoria would have talked to me.

Instead, she’d figured the day care would call me to come pick up Delaney when she didn’t show. They did, but I had been on a flight to New York for a business meeting and hadn’t gotten Victoria’s text, the day care’s phone call, or the call from Child Protective Services saying they had my daughter.

The day care had tried all the emergency contacts, but it was the worst-case scenario, with both my brothers being with me in New York and my parents out of the country. Delaney had nowhere to go, so I couldn’t fault the day care or the system for doing what it was supposed to.

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