Page 19 of Nanny for Grumpy Grant

---

He hesitates.

I smile, softer now. “I’ll take good care of her, Grant. I promise.”

His eyes meet mine. Something shifts in them—something warmer than before.

“Thanks,” he says.

And then he’s gone.

The door closes behind him, and the house settles into quiet.

I look at Emily, who beams up at me and holds out a block.

“Your turn,” she says.

I sit on the rug beside her.

Maybe I was wrong this morning.

Maybe this won’t be such a disaster after all.

6

GRANT

The road back to Carter Ridge winds through hills dusted with golden brush and early fall light. Normally, it calms me. Clears my head.

Not today.

Today, my brain is a minefield—and every step leads back to Ivy Walker.

The way her arm brushed mine in the reading nook.

The soft curve of her mouth when she looked up at me.

The smell of her hair. Citrus and something warmer.

It had been one second—barely that. Nothing happened.

And yet… it happened.

I replay it in my head like a damn teenager with no self-control.

What is wrong with me?

She’s Emily’s nanny.Her nanny.

I grip the steering wheel tighter and blow out a sharp breath. No. Absolutely not. That’s a line I won’t even toe.

For Emily’s sake.

If anything went sideways between me and Ivy—anything even close to inappropriate—Emily would pay the price. She’s already lost enough. She needs consistency. Trust. Not a father who can’t keep his head on straight around the babysitter.

Employee,I remind myself. She’s an employee. A smart, capable one—but that’s it.

And ten years younger.

Jesus.

---