Page 25 of Lucky Strike

I sit next to him, putting a napkin on my lap. “Me, too.”

He sets his dinosaur on the table beside his plate. “Why is your napkin down there?”

“Because I don’t want to make a mess.” I place one across his lap with a smile. “See? If any food falls down there, this will catch it.”

He smooths his little hand over it, offering me a sweet—if not bemused—smile. Man, he’s cute—a little heartbreaker already.

“So, what do you think?”Conlan asks. We’re standing in the doorway to Liam’s bedroom, where I just got a masterclass in all things prehistoric. The whole room is decorated with dinosaurs, from the bedsheets to posters to a string of origami dinos hung across a corner.

I keep my eyes on the little boy playing a few feet away. The dogs, Shelby and Bacon, are lounging nearby, though the gray one trots over when it sees us. “I think he’s great.”

“He is great.” Conlan turns to me. “I meant about the job.”

“Are you offering it to me? Officially?” I pat absently at the gray dog, who keeps sniffing my jeans. “Because you didn’t seem to want that a few days ago.”

“That was a knee-jerk reaction,” he says. “Shelby, stop that.”

Shelby does not stop that. “Why?” I ask as her cold nose swipes my hand.

“Because we have history.”

My heart clunks as I step back into the hallway. “Ancient history. As ancient as Liam’s dinosaurs.”

He almost cracks a smile. “Fair enough.”

“Is that really why you took issue with me?”

After a long pause, where he seems to be choosing his words really, really carefully, he says, “It was one reason. I can’t afford distractions.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.”

Conlan narrows his eyes. “Why not?”

Because getting over you the first time was hard enough. “Because I can’t afford distractions, either.”

He’s silent a beat, maybe letting my words sink in. “I’d like to show you the rest of the house, if you have time. The au pair suite is on the top floor.”

Interesting. They’re usually on the first floor, with private entrances, or right beside the children’s rooms. “Okay.”

“Are you absolutely sure about this?” He peers closely at me, as if he’s trying to see past my skin and into my brain. “Because we won’t go any further if you’re going to back out.”

“Conlan,” I say, exasperated. “I don’t have the luxury of backing out. I need this job.”

“You need it, fine, but do youwantit?” he presses.

Is he going to make me beg?“I do. And you want me to take it. You won’t find a better nanny for your son.”

“Trust me, I’ve heard.” He slides his hands into his pockets. “I’ve been apprised of your qualifications several times over by Nola and Maeve. And your résumé. I even called Jessa Kent.”

“And ran a background check, I’m sure,” I mutter.

“Of course.”

I keep my eyes fixed on his, hoping my surprise doesn’t register. Background checks are par for the course in this industry, but I didn’t expect someone who’s known me as long as Conlan to do one on me. But he must see it, because he cocks his head. “It’s been just my family and me for a long time, Bria. And a very small, very tight group of friends. It’s difficult to let someone else in, especially when it comes to my son.”

“But you know me,” I whisper, stung.

“Iknewyou,” he corrects me. “Ancient history, right?”He’s so different now.The thought repeats in my head, over and over. Caution and discretion are not words I’d have used to describe Conlan, but that’s who he is now. I wonder if something happened to make him this way. It can’t just be fatherhood. “Can I trust you?”

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