Page 25 of Architect's Christmas Nanny

Her luminous green eyes met his as she held out a steaming mug to him. He knew it was only tea, but Brad felt as if she were offering up something more to him—something precious.

He reached for the mug, but found himself wrapping a hand around hers instead.

“Stay,” he heard himself say, his voice deep with emotion.

She blinked up at him in confusion and the gravity of what he had just done hit him in the chest like a sledgehammer.

8

JILLIAN

Jillian gazed up into the dark eyes of the man she loved, his hand wrapped around hers, his eyes filled with hope and longing.

Stay.

It was the one word she longed to hear—the beginning of a confession, maybe the beginning of a new life for the three of them where every night could be like tonight—a life that promised to be the fun, chaotic, and happy fantasy she had dreamed of.

While she searched for a way to say yes, but more than yes, his expression suddenly changed.

“Stay and… work for me,” he said, letting go of her hand and taking his tea, the intimacy she was so sure she had seen in his eyes completely shuttered. “I’ll need an assistant at my new firm. The job comes with an apartment over the office.”

She let go of the mug, crestfallen.

Did I really get it all wrong? Do I not know him wellenough by now to see what’s in his heart? Or was I just seeing what I wanted to see?

Jillian was disappointed, hurt, and maybe just a little bit angry. But she knew she would agree anyway. She had never been able to say no to Brad Williams, and saying yes now meant staying close to Josie and watching her grow up.

But when she opened her mouth to agree, she surprised herself.

“No,” she said plainly. “I won’t stay for that.”

Grabbing her tea, she headed upstairs without stopping to see Brad’s reaction.

But she knew what it would be. Brad would be dumbfounded that his spineless, eager-to-please nanny had finally said no to him. He probably knew she harbored a terrible crush on him, and he had given her false hope by being so sweet with her tonight, knowing it would make her say yes, and then she would stick around and keep making his life easier.

The direction of her thoughts shocked her. Jillian had never had such negative feelings about her employer before.

You’re just hurting because he wasn’t saying what you wanted him to say,she told herself.He’s still a good man. He wouldn’t use you that way.

But her heart was still pounding, and the hot tea almost sloshed out of the mug as she raced up the steps like she was fleeing the scene of a crime. It wasn’t until she got all the way upstairs that she remembered that Josie was already asleep in their shared room.

Knowing she wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, andfrantic for a little space, Jillian kept going up to the finished attic. She knew it had been torn up by a squirrel, but she needed some privacy right now.

Flipping the switch on the wall lit up a simple room with a faded pink carpet and a twin bed that had been stripped of its bedding. It looked like something had chewed through some of the drywall to get into this space, trying several different spots before it was successful. The idea made her shudder almost as much as the foul-looking stains all over the carpet.

But no one else was up here, and she didn’t hear any squirrels.

She really longed for a heart-to-heart with her little sister, but she couldn’t bother Rachel at this hour and risk waking the baby. So she pulled her phone out of her pocket and started a video call with Fee, who she knew wouldn’t judge her for feeling down.

Her bestie picked up on the first ring. She was wearing a gorgeous pink dressing gown and her hair was up in some kind of bendy curlers.

“Jilly,” Fee exclaimed in delight, using the nickname that no one else ever did.

“Hey,” Jillian said.

“Oh no,” Fee said, immediately pivoting to a serious tone. “What’s going on? Who do I have to come beat up?”

“Me, probably,” Jillian said, feeling completely defeated.

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