Page 13 of Falling for the Nanny

I swallowed and fought the urge to fix my ponytail. “I told Mrs. Barnes. I wanted to move in before I go to work, because I go straight to the restaurant right after Little Tykes, and I didn’t think you’d want me here at midnight.”

His gaze sharpened. “I thought the contract was clear. Taking care of my daughter is your only job.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alyssa’s mouth tighten. I felt my own back stiffen. “The contract was clear,” I said, my voice steely in a way I usually reserved for exceptionally rude customers at the bar. “As of my start date, which is Monday, taking care of Lily is my only job.” Though it made my heart beat dizzyingly fast, I met his hard stare with my own and refused to break eye contact first.

His gaze didn’t soften, but he gave me a nod and a faint, sardonic smile. Then he glanced down at the smartwatch wrapped around his tanned wrist, just below his expensive-looking cufflinks and said, “Make sure you lock up when you go.”

The three of us must have held our breaths all the way through the yard, out the gate, and back into the car, because there was a collective whoosh when we got in.

“Is he always that intense?” Parker asked, his tone somewhere between disbelief and admiration.

“Yes,” Alyssa said for me.

“He orders a Manhattan like he’s interrogating a terrorist,” I agreed, following the curve of the circular driveway back to the street.

Alyssa twisted around in her seat to look back at Parker. They conferred silently for a moment, and then Parker said reluctantly, “Uh, you know, if you needed to move in with us for a few months while you found something else, that would probably be okay.”

“It would be more than okay,” Alyssa said, turning back to face me. “It would be fun!”

Parker’s face disagreed. “You’d have to pay rent, but yeah, could be fun,” he muttered.

My heart was still beating overtime, but I did my best to make my voice breezy and unconcerned. “Thanks, but this is going to be great.”

“Great,” Parker said, relieved.

“Great,” Alyssa repeated, unconvinced.

“Great,” I confirmed. And it would be.

I’d just have to show David King he couldn’t push me around first.

CHAPTER 8

DAVID

Between meetings, I reviewed Cat’s contract, wondering why the hell I hadn’t put a dress code in there somewhere. I’d just never needed one before. Mrs. Barnes wore matching separates with flowers stitched over the pockets, not shorts so short I could practically see the curve of her ass at the top of her long, shapely legs. And then the damn t-shirt that shouldn’t have been sexy but somehow was. The outline of her bra through the thin fabric sent my brain places that Mrs. Barnes’ matching separates never did.

As if conjured by my thoughts, Mrs. Barnes appeared in a classic navy-blue number, looking like the grandmother I never had. “What if I doubled your salary?” I asked rhetorically without looking away from the screen.

She made an exasperated noise in the back of her throat. “It’s a little late for salary negotiations, isn’t it, David? I came to make sure you can still take me to the airport tomorrow morning.”

“Of course, Mrs. Barnes,” I said, resigned. She was flying out of Dulles on a ten am flight. Lily and I were taking her, and then I was taking Lily directly to brunch afterward. We could both drown our sorrows in a vat of maple syrup.

Mrs. Barnes glanced at my computer screen. “Why are you looking at Ms. Bowen’s contract? I don’t suppose you’re thinking of doubling her salary?”

“You’re right not to suppose that.” I closed out of the document and leaned back in my chair. I couldn’t very well tell Mrs. Barnes the real reason I’d been looking. It would be hard to explain why I didn’t want Cat Bowen walking around in shorts and a t-shirt.

Mrs. Barnes sent me an astute look, as though she could read my mind, but all she said was, “She’s going to be good for Lily, just wait and see.”

I grunted noncommittally. I doubted that she would have a chance to be good or bad for Lily. I was going to humor Lily for a few months on this, but then I’d find a way to move Cat Bowen along. I didn’t know how yet, but I would figure something out.

I always did.

* * *

The weekend passed too quickly. Lily and I took Mrs. Barnes to the airport on Saturday morning, and then for the first time in a long time, we faced the prospect of the weekend without her. It felt strange in the house without her. Unbalanced. It was a good thing we’d eaten our weight in pancakes at brunch and didn’t need to eat again until dinner, because I wasn’t used to cooking anymore. I took Lily out every Friday because it was Mrs. Barnes’ evening off.

I was almost relieved on Sunday evening when Cat arrived. I watched on the security camera as she said goodbye to the same friend who had been with her on Friday morning. Then the friend drove off, and Cat watched her go. I couldn’t read her expression, but I sensed trepidation when she finally turned around and swept her gaze over the house. Was she regretting her decision to take the job? Was she going to make my life much easier by quitting?

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