Page 9 of Falling for the Nanny

“Come on,” Lily said eagerly, opening one of the glass French doors. “Let’s check the temperature.”

“We can check, but I guarantee you it’s still too cold.” Alyssa and I had lifeguarded in high school. In Northern Virginia, the water didn’t really get warm enough to swim comfortably until mid-June.

We walked past a conversation pit–the kind where the wrought iron furniture and the durable cushions probably cost close to my college education–out onto a paved pool deck. The water sparkled invitingly in the bright May sun, but when I reached in to check the thermometer, it gripped my hand like an icy glove.

“Sixty-five,” I read. I dropped the thermometer back into the water with a splash and shivered. “Way too cold, Lily.”

“She knows.” The voice came from above, startling me. I shaded my eyes and looked up to see the dark figure of David King leaning over the railing. The sun was behind him, shading his face and making it impossible to see his expression, but he sounded displeased.

I felt a shiver run up my spine of a different sort as I felt his gaze on me. It was as much a shock as the water. It ran down my body like an icy droplet, from the crown of my head down to the pointed toes of my sensible flats. I stared back, though I didn’t have the protection of the shadows to hide my frank appraisal. He struck the same imposing figure in his casual button up and pants as he did in the suits he always wore into the restaurant. In his own home, his air of command was even more pronounced. He was ruthlessly handsome, absurdly wealthy, and tremendously powerful.

The unholy trinity in an employer.

I tore my gaze away and smiled wistfully at Lily. It would have been fun to be her nanny. It would have been fantastic to live in this house.

But it was a good thing that there was no way I was getting this job.

CHAPTER 6

DAVID

“No,” I said to Mrs. Barnes when she came into my office after walking Catherine Bowen out to her car.

She settled herself in one of the chairs across from my desk and angled it so she could look out the window. “I think yes,” she said firmly. “That is who I want to take care of my Lily.”

“Tough. I want you to take care of my Lily, and I can’t have that either.”

Mrs. Barnes sighed as though she expected this. “David, I have to start dinner in a moment, so please don’t belabor this.”

I raised my eyebrows. “I thought I’d been fairly succinct, actually.”

“There’s a shorter way to end this conversation, and it’s with you agreeing to give Cat a trial run.”

A trial run was tantamount to hiring her. All nannies were in a probationary period for the first three months. “No,” I said shortly. “Not Catherine Bowen.”

Mrs. Barnes sent me a stern glance.

“That’s the best I can do, Mrs. Barnes. Please, don’t let me delay dinner.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m hungry.”

Not even a flicker of a smile. “Why not Catherine Bowen?”

“Because she’s practically a kid herself,” I nearly groaned. “I want an employee, not an adoptee.”

Mrs. Barnes’ look grew more annoyed, if that was possible. As if she could see through my flip response. We both knew that there was no way someone would confuse Cat Bowen with a kid. Her outfit had been demure, but it didn’t hide her hourglass figure. The slim waist before the flare of her hips. From my position above, I had inadvertently gotten a look down her shirt at the generous breasts the blouse had camouflaged.

And of course, there was the insurmountable object of her looks. I’d noticed that she was beautiful in the restaurant, but it was somehow more pronounced in this setting. There was no way I could have her around all the time. Living here. Swimming in the pool with Lily. It would inevitably lead to trouble, and that was the last thing I needed.

Mrs. Barnes rose to her feet. “I didn’t want to do this, but you leave me no choice, David.”

I watched her cross the room, back ramrod straight. “Please tell me I’ve forced you to tell your daughter she’ll have to hire her own damn nanny because you’re staying in Virginia,” I said ironically.

Mrs. Barnes didn’t dignify my comment with an answer. Instead, she walked over to the double doors of my office and pushed one open. Lily was standing just on the other side. My daughter padded in, looking sheepish and hopeful. Only the small white teeth gnawing into her lower lip gave away that something else was going on.

“Lily, teeth,” Mrs. Barnes and I said at the same time.