Page 9 of The Bossy One

I looked at Declan pointedly.

“She can have anything she wants,” Declan answered distractedly. He dug out his wallet and passed me a glossy black credit card like it was spare change.

I opened my mouth to gently suggest a less sugary alternative, but then I remembered I was supposed to try to do exactly what the client asked.

I blew out a sigh and headed over to the cookie display case, Catie’s hand in mine.

* * *

Sixteen hours later I found myself in Ireland, dragging my and Catie’s suitcases behind me.

We’d flown in a private plane this time. It wasn’t my first time flying private—one of the hazards of nannying for the rich and rude. But it was the first time the flight crew had ever been that deferential and eager to please. Apparently, Declan was a bigger deal than I’d realized. That didn’t help my nerves much—flying was definitely not one of my favorites things—and the knowledge had made my stomach twist uneasily. In my experience, the more “important” the people I worked for were, the worse they were at being a decent boss and a present parent.

I’d done my best to shove my nerves aside for the rest of the trip. Now that we’d finally landed in Shannon, I noticed something else weird about the airport.

No one was rushing. The place was calm and quiet, which I found highly unnatural for an airport.

At least this didn’t seem to have anything to do with Declan.

Welcome to Ireland, I thought.

Declan walked next to me, his overnight bag slung over his shoulder. A sleeping Catie had her head nestled on his other shoulder as he carried her like she weighed nothing at all. Even in her sleep, she held on tight to him.

Either she was naturally cautious, or something had happened in her life to make her feel insecure, even in her sleep. I thought of the note Sunny Days Childcare had sent me, letting me know the mom was in rehab, and that I wasn’t supposed to mention it to either Declan or Catie.

I cleared my throat. “So, are all Irish airports this calm or—”

“I appreciate your willingness to take this job. But you should know this is temporary,” he interrupted.

Right. I’d forgotten how much he hated small talk, aka being a normal human being.

“Yes.” I gave him my best cheery professional smile. “The job description mentioned this was only for a few months.”

“No,” he said gruffly. “I mean your agency offered to send me another candidate as soon as they find someone else who meets all of my requirements. And given our…interaction…on the plane, I’m inclined to accept their offer. If I believe whoever they find is a better for Catie than you…” His tone said he imagined they would be.

My mouth felt dry. If I lost this job, I’d lose my spot at Sunny Days. And while there were other live-in nannying agencies in Minnesota, they paid a lot less and didn’t vet the nannies or the clients, which meant you’d spend a lot more time hunting for jobs, and a lot less time working.

What if I had to stop nannying entirely, and find some soul-sucking office job? Or leave Minnesota, and start over somewhere new, where I didn’t have any friends or connections?

I clamped down on the panic-inducing thought.

That wouldn’t happen. All I had to do was win Catie and Declan over.

I realized Declan was still waiting for my response.

I tipped my chin up and gave him my most dazzling, confident smile. “Good idea. Catie deserves the best possible nanny.”

I just had to show a rich, grumpy asshole that that was me.

Easy, right?

3

DECLAN

“This is beautiful,” Olivia said softly, looking out the passenger window. I tried to see it through her eyes. Fields of emerald green grass, cut through with old rock walls, underneath a thick layer of mist. A few of the towns we’d passed through probably looked quaint to her eyes, with their narrow streets and short, colorful buildings.

But to me it just looked like home.

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