Page 5 of Their Stolen Kisses
Chapter 3
Cameron
I sat on a stool at the island in the kitchen, reading a sports magazine with a completely faked air of unconcern as I surreptitiously watched Amy play with Noah in the living room.
That could be me. I could be sitting cross-legged on the floor, Stegosaurus in hand, knocking over Lego-trees and fighting little green army men with my son instead of Amy. Together, my Stegosaurus and Noah’s T-rex would eliminate the threat that the green army men posed to the forest and save the day.
It’s good for him,I told myself miserably. Noah was always so shy with Amy, but right now he was giggling and smiling. And he was such a sensitive kid, always picking up on my moods. When I worried, he worried, even if he didn’t know why. Ruining his day with my fears wouldn’t help either of us.
I set the magazine down on the counter, deposited my dishes in the sink, and swiped my case from where it leaned against the wall. “Bye, Bud. I’ve got to go to work. I’ll see you later, okay? Whoa, watch it!” I laughed, releasing the case so I could catch the armful of wriggling limbs that flung themselves into my arms.
“Can we play later?” he asked, his brown eyes serious. “The dinosaurs have to save the planet!”
I was fairly sure that in the National Geographic show that happened to be playing last night, the narrator had said something about saving the planet - but I doubted he had given dinosaurs that particular responsibility. “Later,” I promised, hugging Noah close and giving him a kiss on the forehead. “Hey,” I whispered, beckoning to him and waiting for him to lean in. “Don’t tell Amy. The cookies are on the top shelf above the stove.”
He nodded solemnly, eyes as serious as ever - but sparkling with a hint of mischief.
One last hug and a quick word with Amy about lunch, and I was on my way, case in hand and renewed worry dragging at the heels of my trendy shoes. Chloe had sounded fairly confident, as though she had plenty of ideas and merely needed to make a few calls to give me some good news. Leave everything to her? Yes, please. It had sounded like a perfect solution.
I needed a nanny. I needed an attorney. Throughout my life, I’d become used to working for what I wanted and needed. Sitting around when I had things to deal with hadn’t been good for me. Watching TV, reading a book, fixing a late-night snack - nothing had helped, and I’d ended up falling asleep far later than I meant to last night.
The result of this was that I had stopped for more coffee to drive away the tiredness from too little sleep. This caused me to get to the office ten minutes later than I intended, which was why I missed Chloe by a few ticks of my watch. My mind buzzed and my hands fidgeted, and I really wanted to know if Chloe had come up with anything before I tackled my enormous plate of CEO responsibilities today.
Too bad.
A couple hours later, Chloe walked into my office just as I decided to see if she had returned yet. “Good morning,” she said affably, clearly in a good mood.
That made one of us. “Morning,” I replied shortly, wearing my hopefulness on my face.
“I haven’t found an attorney yet, but I did find a good candidate for a nanny.”
My back snapped straight in the chair and I dropped the pen I’d been fiddling with. “Really? Who? And where?” I added as an afterthought.
“Right here at Pinnacle. You remember my secretary, right? Diana Hayes?”
Diana. Diana.I tested the name in my mind, and it felt just right. Wasn’t Diana the name of a goddess in some civilization’s mythology? Fitting. Perfect. Beautiful, just like the woman herself. “Of course.”
“She confided in me that she’s in a situation where she needs some extra income.” Chloe held up a single index finger to quell my obvious excitement. “I haven’t mentioned a position as your nanny to her yet, so don’t take it as a done deal. And I don’t feel comfortable explaining her personal situation to you, so don’t ask me. She can do that if she wants.”
“Of course not,” I said as though I hadn’t already had the question on the tip of my tongue. This could be perfect! I’d seen Diana around the office and taken note of her charms and capability, so she wasn’t a total stranger. Noah needed someone with confidence who would realize that his quietness was a shy nature hiding a great kid.
But… there was still that other problem. The one that neither Chloe nor Diana could find out about. If Diana spent time with me and Noah, could I keep my feelings in check? Could I make sure every word and action on my part was entirely appropriate and befitting for a boss-employee relationship? This morning, if Diana had been sitting on the floor and playing with Noah instead of Amy...
Hopefully, I didn’t visibly slouch with relief when I found the solution. “Could you please inform Diana that I’d like to consider her for a position as a nanny, and if she agrees, set up a meeting? Since the position will be outside of the Pinnacle building, I’d like to meet somewhere else. After work, maybe.”
“A coffee shop, then. Time-honored meeting place and all that. Sure, I’ll talk to Diana, and I’ll update your calendar if she agrees to a meeting. If she can do today after work, would that work for you?”
Today?“Uh - yeah, today works.” Chloe gave me a look but left without comment. Today! So soon. Somehow, even though today was perfect if Diana was amenable, I hadn’t expected... I hadn’t been at all prepared for...
It’ll be fine,I told myself firmly. This was exactly why I would be meeting Diana in a perfectly appropriate public place chosen and set up by my executive assistant. Diana wouldn’t suspect that a single unbusinesslike thought crossed my mind, she wouldn’t realize that my gaze wasn’t quite as innocent as it seemed, and she would definitely have no clue that I desired more from her than her skills as a nanny...
Boss-employee relationships never worked. As long as I repeated that and remembered why the words were true, this meeting would go just fine.
“You don’t even have a meeting yet,” I mumbled to myself, rubbing at my eyes. Diana could say no. Maybe she hated kids.
Fifteen minutes later, I got a text from Chloe.Diana says that she loves kids and would like to meet with you after work to discuss your open nanny position. She’ll be at that little coffee shop around the corner at 5.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or slap my own forehead.
