Page 51 of Reputation (Tempt)

“It would distract from all the other bullshit, while reframing me as the family man I really am. Everyone loves a wedding. Look at the royal family. A negative story crops up in the press. What better way to squash it than with a wedding?”

“Right, but this time, there would be no wedding. I mean, how do you suppose we’d explain that?”

“When the time comes, we’d release a joint statement that we decided to part ways. Mutual decision. Nothing but the utmost love and respect for each other. The usual.”

Yeah. The usual bullshit. “Mm-hmm.”

“You don’t like it.”

“No,” I said. “Because first of all, I’m your nanny.” Well, former nanny now since the Hartwell Agency was going to fire me if they hadn’t already. “So I’m not sure that lends itself to respectability. And, secondly, everyone will know you dumped me.”

“Yes, it would be better if we’d met a different way. But this makes the story more believable. We spent so much time together. I saw how wonderful you were with my daughter. And it only made me fall harder.”

For a minute, evenIbelieved him. And then I remembered who he was and what he did for a living.

“As to the breakup—” He waved a hand through the air. “That’s how everyone does it. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth.” When he saw I wasn’t budging, he said, “Look, we have plenty of time to figure that part out.”

“And Brooklyn?” I asked, voicing one of my biggest concerns.

“Yeah.” He sank down in the chair and cradled his head in his hands. “I don’t like the idea of lying to my daughter, but if we do this,everyonehas to believe it’s real. Especially her.”

“And how’s she going to feel about the engagement?”

He chuckled. “Are you kidding? She’ll be ecstatic.” I didn’t doubt that.

I adored Brooklyn, and the last thing I wanted was to hurt her.

“And when we inevitably break up?”

“I’m sure she’ll be upset,” he said. “Even in the time you’ve been with us, she’s grown very attached to you.”

“I don’t like it,” I hedged, thinking about the impact on Brooklyn more than anything.

“I appreciate how much you care about my daughter. It would only make our fake engagement seem more believable.”

Wow. He had an answer for everything. It almost made me wonder if he’d planned this. Surely…

“I’m just saying,” he continued. “I think we could turn this into an opportunity. A mutually beneficial way to improve both our careers.”

I nodded slowly, even though I didn’t want to admit it. Still, that didn’t mean that I should pretend to be engaged to Nate Crawford. I mean…was he out of his mind?

“No,” he said, making me realize I’d said the last part aloud. “Look—” He moved closer, his expression softening. “I know it sounds crazy, but I think this could work.”

“Right,” I scoffed, clinging to my humor. My armor. He’d gotten too close earlier. I’d nearly fallen for his act. “Because I love media attention, and I want everyone to think I screwed my boss.”

“That’s not?—”

“Oh, come on.” I flung my hands in the air. “We both know that’sexactlywhat people will say. Hell, I’m sure they already are. Saying I’m a gold digger and worse.”

I thought of the parents at Brooklyn’s elite private school. I remembered the curious whispers and the barely concealed interest the night of her school play. That had been uncomfortable enough, and pretending to be Nate’s fiancée would magnify that by a thousand.

“Maybe, but they don’t matter,” he said. “And it’s not like you need this job anyway.”

I jerked my head back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” he said.

“No.” I moved closer. “If you have something to say, say it.”

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