Page 13 of A Convenient Secret
I sigh. “It’s been a hell of a morning.”
“Daddy, money in a sweaw jar.” Zoya practically dances with excitement that she caught me cussing.
“Let’s go now,” my mom says, and my twins bounce toward the elevator.
“See you later.” Lily’s voice comes from my side, and I whip my head toward her.
That voice. Jesus.
She smiles. It seems like it’s a deliberate effort to form a smile, but it still comes out honest. Sunshine.
My jaw tightens, and I nod and then gesture toward the elevator, rushing her away. Pink ghosts her cheeks, and she hurries after my family.
I stare at the closed door of the elevator for way longer than I can afford.
Fucking hell. Lily is my new nanny.
I’ve successfully ignored her for half a year. Quite unsuccessfully, if I’m honest, since I still saw her everywhere, my mind completely ignoring any sensible notion of how wrong it was.
I have no right to think about her. She doesn’t need an older man with family to derail her life. She’s in her early twenties, for fuck’s sake.
And even if she didn’t mind that I’m at least a decade older, there is no room for any relationship in my life.
Between work and the kids, I have no time for anything else. We have a good routine. One that I fought hard to build. I can’t have it disrupted. Zoya and Zach deserve stability.
It’s one thing to fantasize about your friend’s friend. But about my nanny?
Fuck. I need to fire hertonight.
“I didn’t think it’s possible, but Declan actually can glower more.” Xander takes a loud sip from his ridiculously large cold drink. What is he, twelve?
The youngest partner at Merged is a gifted child, but sometimes I wonder if he rigged the IQ tests.
“What’s wrong?” my brother asks, and stands from behind his desk. Why we always have meetings in his office instead of a boardroom is beyond me.
“Nothing.” I take a seat in a one-seater in the farthest corner, as far as possible from slurping Xander.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I side with Xander on this one; you look like a cat peed into your favorite Ferragamos. What pissed you off?” Cormac sits in the armchair beside me.
“Talking from experience?”
Corm recently adopted a cat. Well, more like his wife did. My brother is a different man in many ways since he settled down. Case in point: the large black-and-white photograph of Saar above the sofa beside me.
I have pictures of my kids on my desk, but his approach seems a bit over the top. Despite the fact that it’s an art piece taken by a famous photographer that cost a high five-figures.
“I think he looks more like hehad his wisdom tooth extracted.” Our office manager, Roxy, waltzes in and picks up the conversation—one I care little about—flawlessly. Does she have this office bugged?
She never removes her earpiece, and sometimes, I half wonder if she’s listening to music while pretending to talk to us. But her productivity and ability to keep the office, and especially the four of us partners, organized is priceless, so she can listen to audiobooks for all I care.
What she shouldn’t do is comment on my mood. Fuck them all. If they’d had the morning I had, they wouldn’t even show up.
The most difficult part of being a father is having to constantly adjust the schedule. It doesn’t matter how prepared I am to tackle everything, to be there for the kids’ bedtime, to catch all the concerts and games, something always explodes.
“I think his new nanny quit.” Caleb, our chief operating officer, walks in. Does this office have speakers all around the floor for everyone to listen in?
“She didn’t quit,” I snap.
Not that it hasn’t been an issue before. At one point this past year, Zoya and Zach decided to drive all the nannies away. I hope it’s just a phase. As soon as they start the first grade in September, they won’t have time for their antics.
