by Holly Rayner
Ben’s face fell, as if he was thinking about something unfortunate.
Maia wondered if it had something to do with his brother’s situation, but she didn’t want to pry. “Abrupt changes can be tough on kids,” she said. “I’ll do my best to keep up any routine he may have developed at home. We’ll have a regular bedtime and get-up time, and we can arrange to have meals at a nice hour. Joy does great with regular routines, too.”
“You know your daughter well,” Ben said.
Maia nodded and sipped her drink.
Ben appeared thoughtful. Through her lashes, she caught sight of him eyeing her, just as she’d eyed him a few moments earlier. She was glad she’d freshened up her makeup, and she hoped the candlelit ambiance was doing as many favors for her appearance as it seemed to do for Ben.
“You’re a good mom,” Ben said after a moment.
Maia smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’ve had a crash course in it,” she said. “I’ve been a single parent since Joy was just four months old.”
She thought over the many near-panics she’d experienced as a new mom, struggling to raise a baby on her own. There had been many firsts, and not all of them good. She recalled Joy’s first fever, the first time she bonked her head on a chair, and the time she’d knocked down a cup of Maia’s hot tea and had to go to the emergency room.
“It was terrifying at times,” Maia said, “but we got through everything and I learned a ton along the way.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and lifted her chin. “And I don’t mean to complain at all. I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m playing the role of a victim. I love my life with my daughter. I feel very blessed.”
Ben nodded in understanding. “I can see that,” he said. “Good for you.”
A moment of silence passed between them, and Maia wondered what her boss was thinking. When she glanced at him, she blurted out one of the many questions she’d been wondering about all day. “What about you?” she said. “Do you have any children?”
Ben quickly shook his head. “No, no,” he said emphatically. “Not me.”
“Ah,” Maia murmured. “And is there a Mrs. Briars? I mean, you don’t wear a ring, but—” She abandoned her line of questioning abruptly, feeling like she’d said too much.
Ben was always so mysterious about his private life. She didn’t want to invade his personal affairs, but she also desperately wanted to know: would there be another woman in the home that Ben had invited her into for the next two weeks?
The answer mattered more to her than she cared to admit.
When Ben said, “No, I don’t have a wife or girlfriend,” she felt a rush of giddiness surge up through her.
Ridiculous, she told herself. I’m just going to his house to be a nanny—that’s it.
No matter what logic she used, though, the giddy feeling did not go away as the meal progressed. She felt as if she was walking on air as he led the way out of the restaurant to a massive, new-looking SUV that a valet attendant had positioned in front of the restaurant’s front entrance.
Maia helped Ben situate the two toddlers in the twin car seats she’d suggested he install that day, and then she hopped into the front. Ben closed the door for her, and Maia caught sight of two young women on the curb watching enviously.
They think he’s my adoring husband, she realized, driving our children and me home from a dinner out.
She smiled at the women and gave a little wave, feeling overcome with happiness.
As Ben got into the driver’s seat, he looked out her window toward the women she’d waved at. “Do you know them?” he asked.
“Nope, just spreading the good cheer,” Maia said, settling back into her seat.
It was a treat to travel by car rather than the subway, and Ben’s car was luxurious to the max. The soft leather seat beneath her emitted warmth, and she realized it was heated. The dashboard in front of her was lit up with so many dials and screens, it looked like an airplane cockpit.
The last car she’d been in was her father’s twenty-year-old pickup, back when she and Joy had traveled to Iowa for their annual visit. Before that, she’d borrowed Caroline’s rusted Toyota Camry, which had windows that rolled up manually and a sunroof that leaked when it rained.
In addition to being perfectly clean, new, and decked out with every amenity one could wish for, Ben’s SUV also smelled wonderful. Maia inhaled and realized that she recognized the smell: it was Ben’s aftershave. She caught whiffs of it on occasion at work, but only a faint trace. Now, the smell was stronger, and she realized how much she liked it. Warm spices mixed with just a hint of vanilla.
Mm, she thought, looking over at him. His cheek and jawline glistened as though he’d shaved just before meeting her out for dinner. She saw contours in his high cheekbones that she’d never noticed before. And for the first time, she noticed, too, the blond hairs on the back of his neck and the strong curve of his jawline.
He has a very kissable neck, she thought, noting the exact place where she’d place her lips.
The thought flitted into her mind before she was even aware of it. She had to look away from him to avoid having another inappropriate fantasy.
The interior lights of the car dimmed. Ben pressed a button on his steering wheel, scrolling through music stations.
“Ah—a good one,” he said, as he reached an alternative rock song that was in the top forty that month. “I like these guys. They’re good.”
Maia had to agree. “I love this song,” she chirped. She grinned. “I didn’t know you liked music.”
Ben laughed. “Everyone likes music, Maia,” he said. “Right?”
She giggled. He was right—it had just never occurred to her that her boss, who was always so businesslike at work, might rock out to alternative hits during his off-hours.
She looked out the window with a smile still playing on her lips. He’s kind of fun outside of the office, she thought to herself. What a surprise!
The light was fading to midnight blue out above the skyscrapers that zipped past. A hazy peach glow hovered over the city, melting into the dark blue above. Buildings were dotted with squares of yellow and white lights.
Maia sighed and took in the beauty that was New York City. As a child, she’d always dreamed of moving away from her small town in Iowa to the Big Apple. But never in her wildest dreams did she fantasize that she’d be traveling down city streets with a man as handsome and successful as Ben Briars at her side.
This is just for two weeks, she thought, as she stole another glance at her gorgeous boss. But I’m going to do my best to enjoy every minute of it.
Ben flicked his eyes away from the road, in her direction. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“Perfect,” she said honestly. “Everything is just perfect.”
Chapter 5
Maia
Maia narrowed her eyes and scanned the row of cabinets in the sleek, modern kitchen. She wanted to prepare breakfast, but she had no idea where to start. Her examination of the cabinets gave her no clues, so she walked up to one and opened it.
Rows of fancy glassware lined the shelves.
She’d been hoping for something like pancake mix or boxes of cereal.
Nope.
She moved on to the next cabinet.
At the table, Joy was giving Colby a rundown of the way she and her mother usually started the day. “Then I read my books and Mommy takes a shower. You know what a shower is?”
In their little dynamic duo, Joy had taken the role of teacher while Colby played an admiring student.
“Shower?” he said with curiosity. He pushed Pete the Penguin across the glossy tabletop and made a loud swishing sound as if maybe Pete was skating or skiing. Maia wasn’t sure what was going on in the child’s active imagination, but she was sure it was something. Colby seemed to be an expert at coming up with elaborate make-believe games on the fly.
He’s such a cute kid, Maia thought happily as she sidestepped over to the n
ext cupboard. This time she was met with rows of elaborately blended protein mixes, which hardly looked kid-friendly.
Struck out again, she thought.
As she flipped open the next four cabinets in a row, she thought over how well the night before had gone.
Once they’d arrived at Ben’s townhouse, which was actually a renovated industrial building with five stories and ceilings so high that Maia felt she was in a museum rather than a home, Ben showed them to the guest room where she and Joy would be staying. It had been Maia’s idea to set Colby up in the room adjacent, so when the door between rooms was open, Colby would not feel alone. The plan had gone splendidly, and both children had fallen asleep happily and slept soundly.
Maia, however, had been unable to sleep. She’d laid awake for some time, staring at the grand but sterile surroundings that she found herself in.
Ben was puzzling in many ways, and she’d hoped that seeing his home would give her more clues about who he was as a person. This was not, however, the case.
The home looked as though it was staged for some kind of open house. Everything was perfectly arranged, and most rooms looked sparse and impersonal. She almost expected to see price tags still on the crisp, stiff duvet cover that lay across the king bed where she and Joy were snuggled up.
Now that it was morning, she’d been examining Ben’s home with fresh eyes, looking for clues about his life. Even with a well-rested and sharp mind, she still had trouble picking up anything.
Except for the fact that he doesn’t spend much time in this kitchen, she thought.
She spied a bowl of fruit and felt hope, but as she picked up one of the oranges within, she realized it was fake.
Sheesh! she thought, moving to the fridge.
The appliance looked more like a futuristic cryotherapy chamber than the refrigerators she was used to. A digitized monitor on the stainless steel door informed her that of a Wi-Fi connection and that “Smart App Shopping” was enabled.
She pulled open the door. Inside, neatly organized boxes filled each shelf. The top appeared to be lunch options, and the bottom two shelves contained prepared dinners.
She pulled one out and was reading the label when she heard the sound of footsteps on a stairway just beyond the kitchen area. She looked up in time to see Ben jog down the last two stairs.
His soft gray T-shirt hugged his biceps and pecs in a way that the formal attire he wore at the office never did. He wore a pair of athletic shorts low around his hips, as well as his usual wireless earphones. Sweat dripped from his brow, and he seemed consumed with what he was listening to as he pulled a small towel off of his neck and used it to wipe his brow. Then he flipped the lid of a small hamper positioned by the stairwell and tossed the towel into it.
Maia’s breath caught in her throat as she watched her boss pull off his T-shirt. His muscles rippled as he flung the tee into the hamper, then he headed for the kitchen, finally turning his gaze upward and catching sight of Maia.
Maia managed to close her mouth, which she realized was hanging open. As Ben pulled his headphones from his ears, she cleared her throat. “Hi, uh—” she began, her heart pounding furiously.
His abs were even harder and more enticing than she’d imagined, ever since catching a glimpse of the photograph of him on the beach. In person, his body was a million times better than the photo, and that was saying a lot, given that the photograph had given her hours of pleasurable fantasy scenarios to work with.
She felt her cheeks flush and forced herself not to dwell on the fact that her boss was now standing half naked before her. The fabric of his athletic shorts was so thin, she could practically imagine what it would be like to see him fully naked, and that made her cheeks heat up even more.
This isn’t helping, she thought, as she pulled her eyes upward and met Ben’s amused grin.
“Hey,” he said. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you’d be up yet.”
“I’m an early riser.” She bit her lip.
“Me too.”
“I see that. You’ve been… um… running?”
“Every day,” he said. Then he reached past her, into the refrigerator. The musky smell of his sweat was intoxicating, and her knees suddenly felt weak. He pulled a water bottle from the fridge and twisted off the cap. “Are you finding what you need? Did the night go okay?”
He looked over at the table where the kids were situated. Maia had positioned pillows on top of each of the chairs, to boost Joy and Colby up so that they could see over the edge of the table. “They look happy,” he noted.
“Happy,” Maia agreed with a nod, “and hungry.” She held up the box in her hands. “And somehow I doubt they’re going to eat”—she glanced at the box’s label and read it aloud—“wild mushroom risotto with leeks and fennel.”
“No?” Ben said. “Why not?” He took a swig of his water.
“Because,” Maia said, while tucking the box back into its place on the refrigerator shelf. “They’re three, and Colby already told me that he likes ‘this many’ different kinds of food.” She held up her hand, showing off five fingers.
“Apparently, dosed with ketchup,” Ben said with a chuckle.
“He told me that, too,” Maia said with a laugh. “So, I’m starting to think you live on pre-packaged meals and protein shakes.” She crossed her arms and looked up into her boss’s blue-gray eyes.
“Something wrong with that?” he asked. He reached past her again, brushing her shoulder just slightly, and closed the refrigerator door.
Maia felt a rush of pleasure fill her. It was nice to stand this close to Ben—especially given his incredibly handsome post-workout attire. Adding to her happiness was the fact that his tone was light and friendly.
Are we flirting? she thought. It had been so long since she’d done it, she was having trouble remembering how it went.
“Well, it just seems like it might be boring,” she said. “Always eating the same thing all the time.”
“Boring but efficient,” Ben said proudly. “Takes me five minutes to whip up a shake or heat up a meal.”
“Wait—you heat them up in the microwave? Like, you’re saying you live on microwaved food?”
Ben chuckled again. “Hey, I have many talents, but cooking isn’t one of them. It was either go this route or hire a private chef. And I’m a guy who likes my space. I didn’t want some staff member living here in my home with me.”
As Ben said this, his jaw tightened just slightly. Maia realized he was uncomfortable about something, then she figured out what it was.
He just said he doesn’t want a staff member living with him, she thought. Like me. I’m a staff member.
“Sorry,” he said. “That came out wrong.”
“No, no,” she said quickly. “I get it. You like your privacy.” She backed away from the fridge. “I get that.”
Ben took another long drink of his water, and Maia wondered what he was thinking. When he spoke, he looked at her. “I’m used to having my own space, but I also love my brother. Sometimes a person has to make sacrifices for their family members. I’m glad to be able to give Colby a place to stay while Nate is out of town. And that means I’m also glad that you’re here to help out. This is a big help, Maia, and I’m grateful to you.”
Maia was struck by her boss’s sincerity. He often only delivered clipped one-sentence instructions at work. She felt honored that he was taking the time to explain his feelings to her.
“My pleasure,” she told him with a nod. “I’m happy to be able to help. You know, seeing as we’re all going to be living here together for the next two weeks, I think it would be a good idea for me to stock up this kitchen with some kid-friendly foods, if that’s okay with you.”
Ben reached for a black leather computer case which was propped on a stool by the kitchen’s center island. He pulled out a thin wallet, then extracted a credit card from within.
Stepping forward, he slid it across the counter to Maia. “Go nuts,” he said.
<
br /> “Thank you,” Maia said, accepting the card. “I’ll get supplies for some nice fresh, home-cooked meals that Colby and Joy will love.”
And that you might like, too, she thought.
“And speaking of dinnertime,” she went on, “I’d like to feed the kids at six. Does that work for you?”
“Why would it have to work for me?” Ben furrowed his brow, as if he didn’t understand the question.
“You’re going to join us for dinner, right?” Maia asked.
Ben gave her a blank stare, as if it was the first time the thought had even occurred to him.
Maia didn’t wait for him to answer. She was used to reading her boss’s expressions. She lowered her voice so the children at the table wouldn’t hear and said, “Ben, you should be home for dinner. Colby is here because you’re his uncle. He was going on and on last night before bed about how excited he is to be staying with you. He said you’re the best uncle in the world.”
“Well, the kid only has one uncle,” Ben said, tossing a glance over at the table.
Maia grinned. “Okay, but still. He thinks the world of you.”
“He does?” Ben looked surprised to hear this.
Maia nodded. “Yes.”
And how could he not? she wondered. You’re pretty freaking amazing.
Instead of voicing this sentiment, she went on. “I think he’d really like it if you were here for dinner tonight.”
“At six?” Ben said. “Why so early?”
“Well, they’ll go to bed at seven thirty or so, and if we eat early, it will give us all some time to play afterward.”
“Play… what?” Ben asked, sounding puzzled.
“You know, games,” Maia said. She slipped the credit card into the pocket of her slacks. “Whatever the kids want to play.” She couldn’t help but smile as she said dreamily, “It was always my favorite time of day, you know, as a kid.”
“Did you grow up in the city?” Ben asked.