Page 26 of The Bossy One

Olivia’s chipper voice rang out as I approached.

“Oh! That one’s so big!” She edged back from the worm Catie was proudly holding.

“You hold it,” Catie ordered.

“Um, that’s okay.” Olivia took a step back. “How about you return it to its home when you’re done holding it?”

“But it’s socool,” Catie pressed, and I swallowed a laugh at the look on Olivia’s face.

Apparently, I’d found my insanely chipper nanny’s weakness.

“Here,” I said to Catie. “I’ll hold it.”

Catie dropped the worm into my hand. It was cold and slimy, but undeniably fascinating.

“Did you know that if you cut a worm in half, both sides will still live?” Catie told me eagerly.

“Actually, that’s only true for some kinds of worms,” I said. “For this type, only the tail half lives.”

Catie looked down at the worm in my cupped hands. “Which half is the tail half?”

I gave Olivia a mischievous look.

“No,” Olivia said, waving her hands. “Absolutely not. We are not cutting bugs in half.”

“Probably for the best,” I agreed. “Want to put this back in the garden, love?” I asked Catie.

She took the worm and placed it back in the dirt.

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief.

Maybe playing with bugs brought out the annoying little boy in me, but I heard myself telling Olivia, “Careful. There’s a snake by your left foot.”

“What?!!” Olivia jumped to the right and clutched my arm, peeking back over her shoulder with terror. I was probably an arse for enjoying the sensation of her pressed up against me like that.

I lost the struggle to contain my laughter, and Olivia slowly relaxed as she realized I was pulling one over on her. She released me, trying to look stern as she shook her finger at me. Fortunately, she had enough of a sense of humor not to be too angry over the prank.

“That wasn’t nice,” she said mildly.

I grinned. “Whatever made you think I was nice?”

I held her gaze long enough that a blush spread across her cheeks.

That blushdidthings to me.

I stepped back, rubbing the back of my neck. Maybe Thomas had a point.

“When my mom comes back from the special hospital, we can look for bugs together,” Catie announced.

My eyes sharpened. “The special hospital?”

“For your brain and your feelings, so that you can get better if you drink too much alcohol,” Catie recited. “Do you think Mom will like worms better, or spiders?”

My eyes snapped to Olivia’s. I felt heat rush through me. And this time it wasn’t lust. It was rage.

And to think, just minutes earlier, I’d actually been feeling guilty about the idea of interviewing other nannies. Meanwhile, she’d been blatantly disobeying me, all because she thought she knew what Catie needed after six days better than I did after six years.

Olivia tilted her chin up, defiant. Like she’d been spoiling for a fight ever since we’d met on that damn plane. I thought back on all the things she’d told me—all the parents she’d defied because, as she claimed, she was looking out for the children. Was that how she’d describe this to some poor soul stuck next to her during a flight when I kicked her the hell out of my house and my niece’s life?

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