“What did Katrina need?” he asked.
“She had some questions about sex, and I had to share something with her that you may have mixed feelings about. I told her you and Cecelia didn’t consummate your relationship until your junior year of college.”
His eyebrows raise. “How did you know that?”
I need to tread carefully. I don’t want him to think I’m a snoop. “After Cecelia was found, and I decided to continue working with you for the long term, I read her journals—but not for blackmail material or anything. I was looking for insight on how to raise her girls the way she would have wanted. Her journals helped me with that. She also gave me some directions on how to manage you.”
He looks a little pale. “How much sex did she talk about?”
“You’re welcome to read them. They’re not that salacious. They’re her feelings—how she felt about the girls, her family, dealing with the death of her estranged brother, what she wanted for herself and for your family.”
Nate looks away. “I know where they are, but I’ve worried reading them would put me in a black hole I can’t dig out of.”
I nod. “When you’re ready, I think you’ll like them. They’ll also probably eventually help the girls—particularly Bex—who’s worried about losing her memories of her mom.”
He nods.
“I also need to tell you that while I know you don’t want Katrina to be sexually active—and we can talk to her about abstinence—she probably needs to go on birth control. If nothing else, it will regulate her periods. But she’s curious, and one thing I know well is that when you’re sixteen, nothing is more important than fitting in. She thinks all her friends are having sex. I told her they most likely aren’t—”
“Have you seen her friends? They all look twenty-five and act like they’re thirty.”
I grin. “To me they’re little girls who are insecure and boasting about conquests they aren’t having. I stressed to Katrina that when the time came, she should use a condom, and I’m going to show her how to put one on.”
“You’re what?”
“We’ll use a cucumber, and she’ll learn how to roll it on. Don’t get too worked up.”
His jaw clenches. “I’m already there.”
“I can tell. If we approach it the way we have alcohol and tell her we want her to talk to us about it, she will. If we don’t, she’ll do it behind our backs. I’d rather we have an open relationship, and she talk with us. This is what Cecelia wanted. She didn’t want it to be like when she was in high school.”
Nate’s face looks stormy. “This should have been a conversation we had first. This is not at all what I want for my daughter.”
“I understand how you feel.”
“I don’t want her dating. I don’t want her looking at boys. And I most certainly don’t want her on birth control and using condoms.”
I let him spew what he needs to say. I probably did overstep my bounds, but Katrina needs a female to talk to. And telling her boys are out of the question will make them more interesting and a way to piss off her father—which she likes to do, when he’s around.
“I’m sorry we didn’t talk about it first,” I say when there’s a pause. “I wasn’t prepared for the conversation. It just happened. But I don’t want her used by someone or pregnant before she finishes high school.”
Nate puts his elbows on his knees and runs his fingers through his hair. “I don’t either. I just don’t know what to say to her.”
“She needs to hear that you’ll love her no matter what.”
“Of course, I will. She knows that.”
“I think since she’s become the all-knowing teenager, she may have forgotten that important piece of information. And, I think you need to be honest and to tell her why you and Cecelia waited.”
He looks up at me and fidgets. “We weren’t that innocent, though.”
I smile. “You don’t have to tell her that part.” I stand and adjust my shirt. “I’m going to lie down while I can. You should do the same.”
I move to the common area and settle on the couch. It’s a bit short and takes me a minute to get comfortable. Italians obviously don’t like to lounge around on the furniture on the weekends.
Just as it seems I’ve closed my eyes, I hear an alarm going off. When it doesn’t stop, I follow it into Nate’s room. He’s completely out, and two hours have passed. He’s going to need to get down to the poker tournament shortly.
I stop the alarm on his phone and shake him. “Nate? Your alarm went off. Do you need to go downstairs?”
He mumbles something I can’t make out. I feel terrible that he’s so tired and I’m making him get up. I shake him again. “Nate? You need to get up. Your alarm went off.”
His arm snakes around my middle and he pulls me into the bed with him. I can feel him behind me and smell his pine, leather, and citrus scent. He’s waking all of the parts of my body I turned off when I decided I would stay at this job. My feelings startle me, and I quickly stand.
Nate rolls on his back. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay. You were half-asleep. Don’t you need to get downstairs?”
“Yes. But I’d rather stay here with you girls.”
“Daddy?” Bex rubs her eyes as she enters the room.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“I’m hungry.”
“I’ve got an idea,” I say. “Let’s get ready for tonight. We can get snacks and watch your daddy start his poker tournament. I bet if you bring your cards, we could get our own card game going.”
Bex seems instantly more alert. “Great idea.”
She rushes off, leaving Nate and me alone, and the air is thick. I liked lying with his body close to mine. I push that to the back of my mind. “I’ll see if Katrina wants to join us.”
I walk back into the dark room. “Katrina?”
There’s a moan beneath the covers.
“Are you hungry?”
Another moan.
“Your dad, Bex, and I are going downstairs to get some food before the poker game, and the plan is to stick around until dinner.”
She throws the covers back and sits up, but she’s looking down, her hair covering her face. “I guess.”
“Come on. Many of these people were your mom’s good friends. I bet they have some funny stories about your dad, too.”
She lifts her head and smiles. “Jim is usually the one with the best stories.”
“Let’s head down and see what good ones he can tell you tonight.”
She jumps up and tries to smooth the waves in her hair. “I need to do my hair, and I’ll be ready.”
“Okay, but we’re leaving in five minutes.”
She jumps up. I pull out an outfit for her and her sister, and I grab myself a pair of black pants and a cute sweater.
We all quickly dress and are out the door. Nate’s still yawning, not quite his sharp self.
“Let’s find you some serious caffeine,” I suggest.
“Sounds good. I may fall asleep at the table otherwise.”
As we enter the barn, I’m taken aback. This isn’t a place for animals. This is a giant party room with a commercial stove and full kitchen. The game and activities are all set up, and there’s music playing over the rumble of voices.
“It’s a party,” I announce.
The girls and I beeline for the food, but Nate gets barely three feet in the door before he’s stopped by his friends. The buffet is mostly antipasto plates. We load up and find a table, and we’re quickly joined by several of the wives and girlfriends of the players. The girls are greeted warmly and spoken to as adults, and they are jubilant.
I look over at Nate, still trapped by the door, and he gives me a shrug. I spot an espresso machine and head over. Nate drinks his espresso with a twist of lemon. I find that and then reach for the shaker.
“You do know that’s salt, right?” says Viviana Prentiss, who made her billions with a company that makes robots for assembly lines,
as I prepare the drink.
I nod. “Yes. It takes away some of the bitterness in the coffee.”
“It does?”
“Try it. It doesn’t take but maybe a half of a pinch to do the job.”
Once I’ve prepared a double espresso, I add a homemade biscotti to the plate and walk it over to him. One of Andy’s many brothers is engrossed in conversation with Dillon and Landon. It seems to be about the boat they took from the would-be yacht thieves.
Nate smiles. “Thank you.”
I pat him on his forearm. “You’d better win tonight.”
“Promise.” He turns back to Dillon and Landon. “Now don’t make a liar out of me. I’m in it to win.”
When I return, the girls’ table is full. Katrina is in deep conversation with Hadlee Fisher Newhouse, her pediatrician. Hadlee has known Katrina longer than I have, and they have a great rapport. Bex has talked Emerson Healy and Cynthia Wellington, who are both partners at SHN with Mason Sullivan, into another round of Crazy 8s. She’s quite the card shark, and she keeps doing her celebratory dance, which has everyone entertained. I take a seat across the room from the girls, with the poker tables in between us, and keep my eye on them.
Caroline Arnault comes and sits down next to me. She’s all smiles and relaxed. “Hey, I’m so glad you’re here with Nate and the girls.”
“Aren’t you getting married? I can’t believe you’re not more stressed,” I say with admiration.
“You should have seen me before we left San Francisco. I was a bear. I think Mason was having second thoughts.”
I look over at Mason talking with Nate and Dillon. He finds Caroline and winks. “I don’t think so,” I tell her. “I would bet you couldn’t get rid of him if you wanted to. He’d hunt you down.”
She sighs with a warm smile. “I suppose that’s true, and I’d do the same. He’s the yin to my yang.” She turns in her chair to face me. “Speaking of someone who has laser eyes for their partner, what about you and Nate?”
My eyes widen. “Uh, I’m the person in charge of his daughters. Also, trust me, today he’s not happy.”
“Why?” She sounds truly concerned.
“Do you remember what it was like to be sixteen?”
“Unfortunately.”
“He and Katrina are struggling. I’m mostly on her side, which he isn’t too crazy about.”
“Let me guess, he wants to send her to an all-girls convent school?”
I nod. “Yes!”
“The girls I knew who went to those schools were the wildest.”
“I tried to explain that, but I’m not sure he heard any of it.”
“Stand your ground. That’s what Cecelia would do.”
“That’s what I figure. Overnight, Katrina has changed from his little girl who was once kidnapped into a sixteen-year-old in a twenty-five-year old’s body, and she’s a man magnet. I feel like I should put a neon sign around her neck that says, She’s sixteen, her father is a trained killer, and he’s a billionaire, so you’ll never be able to hide.”
Caroline laughs loudly. “That is all completely true.”
“I know.” I sigh. “It also doesn’t help that she’s the spitting image of her mother at that age.”
“How’s he doing?” Caroline’s voice drops with concern.
I know he wants his friends to think he’s moving forward, so I go with the same thing I told Greer. “I think he’s seeing someone. There are times he doesn’t come home at night.”
“Well, she’s not important to him—not the way he looks at you.”
“You don’t have to inflate my ego. I’m here to take care of the girls. Before too long, I’ll be an afterthought. They’ll move on with their lives, and I can do the same.”
“Will you nanny again?”
“No. I was just a fill-in for the weekend. I’ll go back to my old job.”
Caroline stops and looks at me. “You’re not a nanny?”
“Nope. I’m an accidental nanny.” I force a smile. “But I wouldn’t trade my time with the girls for anything. They are a complete delight, and why I’ve chosen to stay as long as I have. And as crazy as Nate’s schedule makes me, I’m glad I can be there to offer some stability.”
She shakes her head. “I’m more convinced than ever that you and Nate belong together.”
My mouth falls open, and before I can even begin to formulate a reply, someone catches her eye, and she excuses herself. The girls are still busy playing cards and talking to the other women. Caroline thinks Nate and I belong together? So not what I expected. I’m just the nanny, aren’t I?
Chapter 5
Nate
I keep one eye on Lilly and the girls most of the evening. Bex is happily playing cards with the wives and girlfriends. Katrina takes breaks from her phone when someone approaches her to talk. Lilly is always nearby. I saw Caroline talking to her, and Kate wandered over as well. She fits in well with my friends, and they certainly don’t seem to think of her as the help.
At the appointed time, Mia gathers everyone around. “I’m pleased to see so many of you this evening. We’re as big a group, as we were last time in DC. I appreciate everyone making an effort to be here early.”
“Like it was a tough decision,” Landon says. His fiancée, Tinsley, elbows him in the gut.
“Since I didn’t have to do much beyond pick a menu, I’ve come up with what are considered typical poker prizes,” Mia explains. “Rolex has agreed to alter the face of their Presidential watch. The winner will receive a timepiece with a face that looks like the one behind me. If we have a female winner tonight, she’ll get the women’s version of the watch, should she choose.”
A banner unrolls behind her, and it features the logos of all the agencies and non-profits we’ve contributed to. It’s very tasteful and quite beautiful.
“The first person to go out will receive this no-name digital watch,” she continues. “It will have to be worn to the wedding later this week, and pictures will be taken.”
The group snickers.
“I have various other prizes to offer throughout the games, but I’ll keep them a surprise for now. So, with that, I’m turning it over to our poker concierge, Gillian Reece.”
Gillian stands and goes through the same rules we hear each time we meet. “We have twenty-four players, which makes four tables of six. We’ll work our way down to twelve players tonight. Minimum buy-in is five-hundred K. No cap. However, no companies, properties, or other high-end items may be bet until the final night. We’ll take two bio breaks—the first at ten, when we’ll also enjoy a fine Italian dinner. The second will come at midnight. Tomorrow we’ll meet again at four o’clock and play to the magic of finding our six finalists. Okay, please come on up and pull a wooden chip for the seating arrangements.”
When it’s my turn, I dip my hand into the dark purple, velvet bag and pull a natural, wood-colored chip. I make my way over to the coordinating table and sit with several people from Mason’s office and a woman I’m unfamiliar with. I extend my hand. “Hi. I’m Nate Lancaster.”
She gives me a half-smile. “Hello. Shelly Davis.”
“Nice to meet you. Do you play often?”
“I’m afraid not, so I’m expecting to be the winner of the no-name watch,” she says with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Don’t mind her,” says William Bettencourt, one of the partners at SHN, from his seat next to her. “I hear she’s a real shark.”
“Don’t believe everything you hear,” she warns. She seems to be eyeing William’s left hand, where there happens to be a platinum wedding band.
“Are you a friend of Caroline or Mason?” I ask.
“I work with Caroline,” she says quickly. “But tell me all about you.” She smiles up at me from beneath her eyelashes.
She’s flirting, but she wears too much makeup to be my type. Despite the buy-in for the game, I can smell her desperation. She’s likely looking for a wealthy husband. No, thank you.
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I point to Katrina and Bex. “Those two young women over there are my daughters.”
“They’re beautiful.”
“Thank you. It’s all their mother.”
Shelly looks over at Lilly. “Your wife doesn’t look old enough to have children that age. I need to get her secret.”
I smile at her. I’m not a self-centered jerk, but my face has been plastered all over the papers since my wife passed. There’s no way she doesn’t know Lilly isn’t the girls’ mother. She’s fishing for me to say whether she’s the nanny or maybe my girlfriend.
“I’m sure she can tell you,” I reply. “I don’t pay attention.”
The game starts, and as usual, we begin by playing conservatively. I’m happy with my pair of fives when the flop gives me another five and the river gives me a pair of Jacks. I have a full house. I nudge the pot a little with the minimum bet, and the only one who bites is Shelly. She doesn’t have anything in her hand, so I win.
“I totally thought you were bluffing,” she says with a wink.
“You never know,” I respond.
We play several more hands, and Lady Luck is on my side. I don’t win them all, but I’m clearly on fire tonight.
When we break, I walk over to Lilly. “I think you’re my good luck charm.”
“I think it’s having your girls here with you,” she responds. “You are killing it, though.”
“I am. I’m hot.”
She turns red. She thinks I’m hot. That’s a start, though of what, I’m still not sure. Katrina wanders over and gives me a giant hug. “I’m tired, Daddy. I think I’m going to head up to bed.”
I trust her about as far as I can throw her. “You don’t want any dinner?”
Katrina shakes her head. “I had plenty of snacks earlier. I’ll be fine.”
Lilly looks at me, and I can tell she has the same doubts. “I’ll grab Bex, and we’ll all walk up to the room and turn in,” she offers.
Katrina’s face falls. “You don’t have to do that. I can keep going.”
She walks back to the table where she was sitting and gets on her phone.
Showdown: Tech Billionaires Page 5