Page 33 of The Bossy One

But I couldn’t think about it. So instead I was throwing myself into my job.

Catie stared up at the ceiling and swayed back and forth a little bit, considering. “We go to the bookstore all the time anyway, so that’s not really a treat. And Uncle Declan lets me have ice cream every night.”

That he did. Declan was an undeniably soft target for Catie’s sugar cons.

Catie brightened. “I want a movie night. On the big TV, not a laptop. With popcorn.”

I smiled. “That sounds perfect.”

“And you and Uncle Declan will be there, so it will be like a family movie night,” Catie added.

Oh. Afamilymovie night.

No matter how many families I worked for, it always caught me off guard how quickly kids included me in their understanding of “family.” It was a bittersweetness I was never prepared for.

Catie was waiting for an answer, so I made myself smile. “That sounds like a great idea. But I don’t know your uncle’s schedule. How about you go wash your hands for lunch and set the table, and I’ll ask Uncle Declan what he thinks.”

Catie bounded off, murmuring to herself about the merits of potential movie picks.

I climbed upstairs and knocked softly on Declan’s closed office door. I didn’t want to interrupt him if he was in a meeting.

“Come in, Olivia,” he called.

I opened the door. “How did you know it was me?”

Declan’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he talked. “You’re the only one who knocks that softly. It’s the only soft thing you do.”

“Hey. I can be soft,” I said defensively.

His smile was crooked, and a little bit wicked. “I’ll bet you can.”

I fought off a blush as he came to a stopping point on whatever he was working on and turned his chair to me. Why was I blushing?

“What can I do for you, Ms. St. James?” Declan asked, his tone something that almost sounded like it bordered on affectionate. Weird—I must have heard him wrong.

“I want to build in a fun activity Catie can look forward to each week. She wants a movie night with all of us.” I couldn’t quite bring myself to sayfamily movie night.“But I know you’re busy, so…”

“No, that sounds brilliant.” His phone started buzzing. He glanced at the screen, then swiped to answer it. “Let’s do it tonight, yeah?”

I nodded, scurrying out as he took his business call in his firmI pay your salary so impress mevoice.

I closed the door and blew out a breath. Apparently, I was having a movie night with the Byrnes.

* * *

Declan was still in his office at seven thirty when I started the microwave popcorn. Catie skipped into the kitchen, looking adorable in her purple butterfly pajamas.

I did a double take. Did those butterflies have fangs?

Catie put her hands on her hips. “Where are your pajamas?”

“You don’t have to wear pajamas to watch a movie,” I said.

“But it’s movie night,” Catie protested.

Declan strolled into the kitchen. “Mmmm, that smells good.”

I flashed him a smile, relieved he’d actually showed. Then my heart flipped. Soft pajama pants—printed with something that looked like computer code—were slung low on his hips. And a gray T-shirt curved around his biceps in a way I’d be thinking about for a while.

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