Page 12 of A Baby Surprise For My Billionaire Boss

She walked up the wide, shallow steps that led to the front door.

Eli had the door open before she got there. “I see you found the place.”

“I could probably have found this place from orbit,” Maddie blurted. Then she felt her cheeks go hot. “Oh my God. I can’t believe I said that. Inside thought, Maddie.”

But Eli was laughing. “It’s all right,” he said. “You’re right. It’s a big house. Too big for the two of us, really, but I like to take care of my staff too. You’ll have your own suite, so there will be plenty of privacy.”

“My own suite?” Maddie hadn’t expected that. When she had told Tess she was taking a job as a live-in nanny, the two of them had joked about how she would probably be sleeping on a twin-size bed in a small room and sharing a bathroom with Charlie. It was what Maddie had expected with a job like this one, and she hadn’t even minded. It had seemed like an adventure.

But her ownsuite?

“Would you like to see it?” Eli asked. “Maybe get settled in a bit?”

“I’d love to,” Maddie said. “Let me grab my duffel, and I’ll come back for the rest of my things.”

“No, there’s no need,” Eli said.

“Oh, God, don’t tell me — you’ve got a butler or something who’s going to bring my stuff in?”

Eli burst out laughing. “No, I don’t have a butler,” he said. “But I do like to be courteous. I’ll bring your things up for you.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Yes you can. Let me take you up and you can start to get settled, and I’ll start bringing things up and putting them in the hall so I won’t disturb you while you’re getting the lay of the land.”

“All right,” Maddie said. Thatdidsound pretty good. “But I will bring my duffel with me.”

It had been in the passenger seat of the car, and she pulled it out and slung the strap over her shoulder. The bag had all the most important things she owned, the things that would make her new room — no, her newsuite— feel like her own once they were arranged within it.

It was quiet inside the house. They walked into what felt to Maddie like a massive foyer — the ceiling must have been three stories up. She looked around. “Is Charlie here?”

“He’s having a playdate with a friend of his,” Eli said. “I thought it would be better if he was out when you arrived, so he wouldn’t be all over you.”

Maddie nodded. That had been thoughtful, but actually, she thought she would have preferred it if Charlie had been here. A child’s presence would have made all of this feel a little more relaxed.

But maybe Eli had a point. It would be nice to unpack her things and settle in without feeling like she was on the job, and she couldn’t deny that Charlie’s presence would have made her feel like she needed to engage with him and entertain him. This way, she could have a few hours that were just about her and her new life.

He led her up the stairs to the second floor and down the hall. “Your room is in the same part of the house as Charlie’s, but not too close,” Eli said. “I want you to be able to get to him easily inthe night if he needs you, but I don’t want him bothering you at all hours. My intention is that your rooms should be a place for you to go when you want to be alone — when you’re off duty — and Charlie won’t be allowed to bother you here unless it’s an emergency. I know living in can be hard, and I do want you to feel as if you have your own private space while you’re here.”

“I appreciate that,” Maddie said honestly. She had wondered what to expect in that regard, whether she would be expected to always be on call and to tend to Charlie’s needs day and night. Tess had been shocked to learn that she hadn’t cleared that up in the interview and had warned Maddie that she was going to be taken advantage of by her new employer, and Maddie had been at a bit of a loss to explain why that was a risk she was willing to take. The truth was that there was something so exciting about this new opportunity — and about Eli, who she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off of — that she would have accepted almost any working conditions in the short term. At least it meant that her life was moving forward.

Eli stopped outside a large wooden door. “All right,” he said. “This is yours.”

“Should I…?”

“Yeah, go on in.”

Maddie opened the door and stepped inside. She was immediately stunned by what she saw.

The room she’d walked into wasn’t a bedroom. It was more like a living room or a sitting room — a tan couch, deep and soft-looking, positioned in front of a wide-screen TV. There was a little mini-refrigerator in the corner of the room. She went overand opened it and saw that it was stocked with a variety of drinks.

“Those are still the drinks my last nanny ordered,” Eli explained. “But give me a list of what you like and we’ll have it ordered for you. A few small snacks can go in there too — and non-refrigerated snacks can be kept in that cupboard. You’re always welcome to anything in the kitchen, but if you want to have access to something in the middle of the night, it’s easier to have it here. All I ask is that you don’t drink alcohol when you’re going to have Charlie.”

“Oh, God, of course not.” Maddie wouldn’t have even thought of doing that.

Eli nodded. “If you need help figuring out the TV, let me know, but I think it’s pretty standard.”

“I should be able to handle it.” It was the same brand that Tess had owned, though a nicer model.

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