Page 61 of Crush
Shea stayed silent.
“I didn'twantto like you. If anything, my crush on you made me even more girly and pathetic in my brothers' eyes. They teased me endlessly once they saw my stupid, kiss-covered poster of you. So there. Now you know. It was a childish crush, and I never would've imagined that it could possibly come up when I worked for you.”
Still, he didn't talk.
“Aren't you going to say something?” I asked.
He let out a deep breath. “Did youknowwho I was when you first applied for the nanny job?”
“No! Of course not. How could I have known that? Your ad had so few details in it, I wasn't even sure if it wasrealor some type of scam. I even brought pepper spray to that interview!”
“So when did you realize it was me?”
“During our interview, when that fan asked you for the autograph. And not a second sooner, I swear.”
“Really. You had a poster of me, yet you didn't recognize me as soon as I walked into that cafe?”
“No offense, but you're not the twenty-something rookie I crushed on all those years ago. You're amannow. The flowing locks are gone and you're all salt-and-pepper now. And it's not like I followed your entire career or anything. Once I stopped trying to impress my brothers, I moved on, from hockey and from that silly crush. Trust me, I had a lot of them on men I'll never, ever meet. This—us meeting—was just a freak coincidence, okay?”
“So why didn't you say something?”
“Was I really supposed to disclose during our interview? That I had an embarrassing teenage crush on you once upon a time?”
“It just seems like it should've come up atsomepoint. All this time, I thought you didn't care who I was.”
I scoffed. “Idon'tcare who you are.”
“Really? So everything that happened tonight had nothing to do with your crush?”
I took a deep breath. “I guess I can't honestly say no. Of course it's a little exciting, to think that things were meant to be this way—still, I know that's just a fantasy. But do you know what'sfarsexier than a professional hockey player about to retire? A man with a heart of gold, who is a loving, caring father to his children.”
Shea grumbled, almost dismissively.
“So, yeah,” I mumbled, “I guess I'm admitting that Istillhave a crush on you. This time, it's just for different reasons.”
“Brynn …”
“Do you want me to leave?” I asked. “I'll leave, if that's what you want. I wouldn't blame you. I haven't been professional about any of this at all.”
He put his hand on my arm. “No. I need you.”
“As your nanny,” I said.
Shea grimaced. “Yes.”
I nodded. “Right. Of course.”
“Cynthia dropped Chloe off here for the weekend. They had an awful fight. Would you be able to stay with her while I'm in Tampa? Or did you have personal plans?”
Personal plans.The idea was nearly absurd—I barely had a life outside the Ellis family anymore. And yet, here we were, making a drunken mess of it.
“I can stay,” I said quietly.
“Just a heads up. I had a chat with Chloe about everything we talked about at the gala. So, er, there's a good chance she'll be pissed at you.”
“I'll survive.”
“Brynn.”
