Page 43 of Nanny for the Protector

We were so concentrated on the cutting that I didn’t realize Cara had been watching until the tomato was all finished up. I raised my gaze to her. She slid a glass of wine in front of me across the kitchen island with a sneaky smile.

I picked up the glass and narrowed my eyes. “What’s that face?”

“I just wanted to make sure I was on hand in case you cut yourself.”

I laughed and sipped my wine. I felt so at ease. The three of us here in the kitchen, laughing and cooking together, felt so utterly domestic in a way that Lucy and I had never had. The last time that feeling was present, Lucy was a baby. And even then, Lisbeth always had one foot out the door. That sense of a family unit was always floating out of my grasp. “Up until yesterday, I’d never hurt myself in all my years of cooking.” I handed Lucy the cutting board. “Pour the tomatoes into the bowl and then we’ll start on the cilantro.”

“That’s a pretty good track record, I have to say.”

“Exactly. Don’t worry about me, Cara.”

“Oh, Wesley. I’m built to worry. It’s my job.”

“Okay, now.” I put the cilantro out on the cutting board. “You need to go over there.” I pointed to a stool at the opposite end of the island.

Cara shrugged, then sat down with a glass of wine in front of her.

I was about to get started on chopping the cilantro, but my heart was beating terribly fast. “And turn around.”

She looked puzzled. “Why?”

“Because you’re…you’re making me nervous.”

Cara’s eyes widened, as if something clicked into place.

Oh shit, too late now.Yes, she was making me nervous in every way possible. I wasn’t just attracted to her. I wanted to look good in front of her. And that was making this whole arrangement very complicated.

“Cara! Turn around! You’re making Daddy nervous!”

“Sorry! I’ll turn around.” Cara turned around as I had requested, and I tried not to linger on the way her hair tumbled past her shoulders. I struggled not to think about what it would feel like in my hands. I stifled a moan, took a breath, and turned back to the task at hand.

Lucy and I chopped up the rest of the vegetables. In the meantime, Cara left briefly and returned with a sheet of paper, scissors, and tape, working quickly on something I couldn’t see. “Lucy, come here.”

Lucy leaped off her stool and rushed over to Cara.

“If you’re going to be a chef, you need a hat.”

My little girl gasped as Cara revealed her creation. From just paper and some tape, she’d created a chef’s hat. “Put it on, put it on!”

Cara placed it delicately on Lucy’s blonde hair.

“How do I look, Daddy?”

I grinned. “Amazing. Exactly like a chef.”

Lucy threw her arms around Cara, thanking her profusely. It was clear that she loved Cara. And for that, I was grateful. But also…terrified.

I let my eyes linger on her. Yes, she was young. Very young. Early twenties…that seemed a world away from me. But she acted so mature. I could picture her as a mother herself one day. And I’d be remiss not to admit that I could conjure up a whole fantasy where I was the man who made her one.

What kind of man thinks about his nanny like that?

Chapter15

Cara

I washed the dishes in the sink while Wesley and Lucy played a game of Battleship at the kitchen table. I wouldn’t let Wesley lift a finger when it came to cleaning up after he had done everything but kick me out of the kitchen to keep me from making dinner.

“D5.”

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