“Yes, you’re the famous owner of the JAXS shoe brand. I have to say that I’ve a few pairs myself.” She takes her eyes off Tyler and shoots a smile at me.
“Thank you. I’m lucky that a lot of people like them. They’re comfortable and I’m always coming up with new ideas. I’ll also need you for other services. . . ” I let my voice trail off. I’m not sure how I’m going to come out with the next part, without sounding desperate.
Shelly stares at me, a little confused, as she waits for me to continue.
“I need you, as well,” I finally tell her, bringing my hand up to the back of my neck, before starting to rub it. I quickly push my hand down again.
“I mean I’ll need you for parties and gatherings. Not just to do with the business but also with my family. You know, just as well as everyone else does, that my family is very wealthy. We patronize charities, we do things for the community,” I tell her.
“Shelly didn’t mention anything about that.” I can see by the look on her face that she’s not feeling it. At least that’s what it looks like.
“I can pay you extra money for occasions like that,” I point out to her, letting her know that there’s something in it for her.
“That’s fine. I can do it, but I have one question.” She continues to look at me. I’ve never met a woman so confident in herself.
“What’s that?” I ask, not hungry any longer. I’m just happy with the way our conversation is going.
“Why do you need someone like me on your arm? You’re a very handsome man, I must say. It’s not hard to see that. Why would you need me to be your date?” She isn’t smiling or flirting. I can tell by how she sits up straight that it’s important to her. She slowly reaches for her glass of wine and sips it.
“It’s simple. I prefer to have a real woman standing beside me. I don’t want some ditzy blonde, who is going to giggle at everything I say, and I don’t want to have a woman that drools over me. You don’t do either of those things. I have to say that having you on my arm will cause some curious looks, because it’s not every day that I have a beautiful woman alongside me. I usually go to these functions with someone my parents have brought over or I go solo.”
I grin, when I see the blush of red hit her cheeks.
Chapter 4
Shelly: Accepting the Job
I do everything that I’m supposed to when it comes to taking care of Tyler, as if it’s a real physical job interview. Kevin doesn’t ask me to help Tyler clean up, and I soon realize that Kevin was right about one thing. Tyler seems to like taking care of himself. I notice that his toys are picked up, and his bedroom floor is clean.
“Is there anything you don’t know how to do?” I kid Tyler, as I turn on the television in his room while he hops into bed.
“I don’t know how to do a lot of things.” He surprises me with his reply, but I keep my composure.
“Name a few,” I challenge him with a smile.
“I don’t know how to swim. I don’t know how to hit a ball. I don’t know how to shoot hoops, or how to blow bubbles when I have gum in my mouth.” He shrugs his shoulders and I see that he has many other things that he doesn’t know how to do, on his mind.
“Your father has a pool out back. Haven’t you asked him?” I keep my tone light.
“No, I don’t want to bother anyone. I was told that where I was going, I had to be good. Being a burden isn’t something that I want to be.” He shocks me with his vocabulary.
I also don’t know how to respond to something like that.
“I hope that you do stay, though,” he tells me quickly, before I hand him the remote and he pulls the sheet up over himself.
“Me too.” I smile down at him, suddenly seeing how lonely he must be. He knows the word ‘burden’. Did someone tell him that’s what he was, wherever he was before?
I don’t know why, but I do know that there’s more that I want to know about Tyler. I want to teach him things. I want to see that smile on his face whenever I can. I want to be the one who makes his eyes shine bright. I noticed that for the first time, when we were downstairs, as he listened to Kevin and I talking.
“Hope to see you tomorrow,” I tell him, shutting off the light.
“Can you leave the door open just a little? I’ve noticed that the hall light is on at night and I like to have a night light,” he tells me.
His voice is small, the voice of his age, and I assure him that I’ll leave the bedroom door open just enough so that the light shines through.
I leave the room and head towards the stairs, to go back down to the dining room where I left Kevin, but I see him standing in the doorway of a room. It startles me just a little.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” His voice is soft.
“You didn’t.” I don’t mean to glare at him, but I do.
“I did and it’s alright.” He grins at me.
“Tyler and I–” I don’t get the rest of the words out, because he cuts me off.
“I know; I heard everything. I’d like you to start tomorrow, if you want the job.” He sighs, running a hand up and down the back of his neck.
“I do want the job. Thank you for this opportunity. However, have you tried talking to Tyler? If you heard him, you know why he doesn’t ask you for help doing things,” I point out to him, testing him.
“I’ve tried talking to him, but I’m new to all of this. What do you do when a child is dropped off on your doorstep? What do you do when you’re told that the mother can’t take care of the child anymore, with no further explanation of why she can’t? It’s not as if I can ask him why his mother left him,” he whispers to me.
In that moment, as I look into his eyes, I can see that Kevin is just as scared as Tyler is. That Tyler isn’t the only one who needs comforting, and reassuring that everything is going to be alright.
“I don’t mind helping, and I don’t mind teaching you things that someone your age should know about children. I’ve worked with a lot of them, but one thing is certain – he needs to open up, Kevin,” I tell him calmly.
“He has spoken to you, even if it was only a little bit. He’s opened up more this evening, than he has since he first got here. I was thinking I wanted you to be my maid, and yes, you will have to take care of messes and stuff like that, my work area, my bathroom – everything that pertains to Tyler and me. I’m not as clean as Tyler, though. I have to admit that. However, maybe that’s the wrong job description. I’ll just feel better knowing that Tyler is in good hands.” He laughs and I give him a small smile.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I nod my head, feeling proud of myself and of the compliment that he gave me.
I just hope that I don’t regret it later.
I don’t know much about Kevin’s family other than what Jenny has told me. I’m sure that I’ll see more for myself, only I don’t know how much I want to see.
“Don’t worry about anyone other than Tyler. He is your main focus,” he assures me, as if I need reminding.
All I care about is that little boy and making sure that he’s well taken care of.
Chapter 5
Kevin: Alone
I head to bed shortly after Shelly leaves, but I don’t sleep. I heard the conversation that she had with Tyler and I’ll be sure to pick up a night light for his room. I’ll show him that I’m willing to listen to him, and that I’m willing to make this as easy for him as it should be for me.
“I’m the parent now,” I whisper to myself as I close my eyes. I take a deep breath and relax a little.
Just as I’m about to fade off to sleep, my phone rings, I don’t want to answer it, but it could be Shelly. I didn’t see her phone number though, as I would have expected. I didn’t give her mine either, but maybe Jonathan did.
I pick up the phone without looking at the number.
“Hello?”
Whoever is on the other end doesn’t say anything; there’s just static, but I can hear breathing as well on the other end of the l
ine.
“Hello, who is this?” I ask again, this time getting annoyed.
I know that someone is there, but I can’t tell who it is. I don’t like the feeling.
Just before I hang up, I hear something, though. I don’t catch it really; all I know is that it’s just one word. The phone crackles and I’m suddenly afraid it’s going to explode at the other end of the line, so I hang up quickly.
Looking at the caller ID on my phone I think about calling it back, but it’s restricted and I’ve no idea who would want to call me this late at night.
There’s no way that I’m going to sleep now; and there’s no way that I’m going to tell anyone about it. My mother will look at me as if I’m crazy. My siblings will look at me as if I’m working too hard when, to be honest, I don’t work hard enough, not since Tyler has come into my life.
I take a deep breath, and then I hear a knock on my bedroom door.
“Who is it?” I bark, almost jumping out of my skin.
“Darla,” she calls through the door, a little surprised by the way I answer.
“Come in, come in,” I tell her, wishing that I could make my voice calmer, but it cracks and when she opens the door, she isn’t smiling at me.
She has a worried look on her face and I begin to squeeze the back of my neck with my hand.
“What’s going on?” she asks me, closing the door behind her.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to speak to you like that.” I try to give her my best grin but even that doesn’t help my case.
She can already tell that something is off with me.
“Nothing is the matter.” I try to tell her.
She gives me the look that says she’s not buying it at all.
“There was this phone call. I can’t explain it. I just got off the phone, before you knocked on the door. I guess I’m a little jumpy,” I finally admit to her.
“What did they say?” Darla asks me, sitting at the foot of the bed.
“I don’t know; that’s the thing. It was all muffled; crackly. It was as if they were on a payphone if I had to guess. They said something, though. I think it was a name. I just can’t tell what name they said,” I mutter, glad that I’m not alone now.
“Well, the security system’s in place, and the doors are locked. No one can get in,” she assures me.
“I’m not afraid that someone is going to come in.” I roll my eyes at her.
“I know that. I’m just letting you know. However, you should start worrying, Kevin. There are so many things that we don’t–, people that we don’t know,” she points out to me.
“Shelly wouldn’t have done that. If she’d somehow gotten my phone number – she could’ve gotten it from Jonathan – well, I know that she wouldn’t call like that. She would try to call back.” I try to guess who might have called.
“I’m not talking about Shelly. The vibe I got from her tonight is that she’s outspoken, but she has a good heart. Did you see the way that Tyler was looking at her?” Darla asks me.
“Yes.” I smile, nodding my head, and feeling a sense of calm wash over me.
“I’m just saying that you’re a dad now. You have to start thinking like one. It’s not about you anymore, so things like that should scare you a little,” Darla explains gently.
I nod my head.
She’s right.
It’s easy to forget that I’m a father. I’ve always been one, only I didn’t know about it, until recently. Now, I want to be the best father that I can be, and that means protecting my son. I can’t only think about myself anymore.
“Could it have been someone from his mother’s side of the family? Maybe it’s someone asking for help? Those are the questions that should be going through your head.” Darla tries to steer me in the right direction.
“Someone asking for help?” I ask her, a little confused.
“In every family, someone is reaching out, asking for help. You know that your mother tries her best with your father, but there are times when she looks at me and I can see her eyes are begging for help. There are things that you just see.” Darla gives me a sad look.
My father.
The man is mean. He has always been mean and I don’t know how my mother puts up with him. I don’t know how we had survived our childhood.
“I’m just saying. It could’ve been someone trying to get in contact with you so that they could see Tyler. Visit him. Maybe it’s someone trying to warn you.” Darla continues to guess, and this makes me anxious.
“Why would anyone want to take Tyler from me?” I whisper to her.
“I’m not saying they would take him. They can’t do that, legally, Kevin; but, you have to ask yourself why was Tyler brought here? Why now, after six years?” Darla asks me in a voice that’s just above a whisper. It sends a shiver down my spine.
I ask myself that same question every day
Chapter 6
Shelly: My First Day
K evin sends a moving van for me, not that I have much. It’s just clothing and some furniture that I’ve collected while I’ve been living with Jenny, for when I got my own place. I don’t have to lift a finger as Jonathan helps load my belongings into the van.
“Just get in the limo and go over. We’ll have your things there, shortly,” Jonathan assures me.
This is something that I’m not used to. I don’t think that I’ll ever get used to it.
“It’s alright, Kevin and Tyler are waiting for you.” Jenny looks at me when I give her an uneasy look. I want to take care of my things, myself.
Maybe that’s something that I’m going to have to talk to Kevin about, as well. I didn’t expect him to get me a van to move my things. I didn’t expect him to get me a limo. It’s not that far of a walk and that’s how I got to his place for dinner, last night.
As I make my way to the limo, the driver gets out but I shake my head at him.
“I can get it myself,” I tell him boldly.
“Mr. Adams. . . ” the driver tries to tell me.
“I don’t care. I’m not royalty. I can get the damned door myself.” I glare at him and he takes his hand off the handle.
I open it roughly and get inside, closing it behind me, as I hear Jenny laughing. I didn’t know that she was even listening to the conversation or saw what was going on.
I feel the car pulling away and in minutes, I’m at Kevin’s house. I get out without needing the driver’s help there. The front door is open for me and I don’t like it, but there’s nothing that I can do about that either.
A butler is standing there, just waiting for someone to come up the steps. He’s expecting a visitor with a smile on his face. I smile at him and walk into the house.
Kevin is there to greet me, also with a smile on his face. He is wearing plain clothes – jeans. Tyler is in shorts and a tank top. Well, at least they don’t go around dressed up in suits all the time.
“I don’t need help,” I tell him, wanting to get it out of the way.
“What are you talking about?” he asks, raising his eyebrows.
I can tell that Kevin thinks it’s funny that I’ve spoken up.
“I don’t want anyone opening doors for me; I don’t want to be going around in a limo. I can drive. I choose not to. I can do things for myself. There was no need for you to send that van over to pick up my belongings,” I tell him, as calmly as I can.
“I wasn’t saying that you needed help, Shelly. I was just saying that I’d like to help you.” Kevin grins at me. His teeth are so perfect.
The way he looks at me makes my heart flutter, and I have to remind myself that I am here for Tyler; not for some romance that comes out of the blue.
I’m not that type of woman.
“I’m ready.” Tyler steps in front of Kevin and we look down at him, both of us completely confused because we don’t know what he’s ready for.
“I would like to try swimming.” He keeps his eyes on mine.
“That would be great, only I don’t
have my swimming suit with me.” I bend at the knees so that I’m eye-level with him.
I want him to know that he’s important without coming out and saying it.
“If you go upstairs to your room, you’ll find that Jenny didn’t take a lot of things when she moved out. I’m pretty sure that she has bathing suits up there,” Kevin tells me as Tyler takes my hand and starts to leads me toward the stairs.
I didn’t realize that he already had a room for picked out me, or that it was Jenny’s old room. As well as I know her, I’ve never been inside her childhood home. We’ve always hung out away from the house. In fact, I realize that she’s always made some sort of excuse for why I couldn’t go to her old house, which I always found odd.
“Thank you. I’ll pick something out and I’ll meet you downstairs?” I ask him.
He nods his head and leaves the room closing the door behind him, leaving a bigger smile on my face than when I first set eyes on him today.
I go over to the walk-in closet and see that Kevin is right. There are a lot of bathing suits. I take out a pink one. All she has are bikinis. I slip into the en-suite bathroom that runs off the bedroom. I’ve never had a bedroom with a bathroom in it.
I put on the bikini and notice that my body’s features are showing. My cleavage is tight, and the bottom of the bikini shows off the roundness of my cheeks.
I look in the mirror and blush. I’m surprised at how great I look!
Grabbing a towel, I wrap it around my waist and tie it into place, before heading downstairs and meeting up with Tyler.
As soon as I hit the bottom stair, I look up and notice that Kevin Adams can’t seem to keep his eyes off me. I try not to notice him noticing me, but it’s hard when his blue eyes are so full of desire.
“Come on,” Tyler tells me, breaking the silence.
He leads me outside to the pool.
Chapter 7
Kevin: My Desire
The Nanny (Family Secrets Book 1) Page 2