Josh didn’t need to glance down at his son to know that Jordan’s eyes were most likely wide open. Anytime someone talked to him about dinosaurs, he was all in.
“And then I pretend that the broccoli pieces are trees.” Beth picked up her fork and glared at the broccoli. “It says, please don’t eat me.” Beth flicked her gaze over to Jordan and wiggled her eyebrows. “But I don’t care.” She shoved the broccoli into her mouth while growling. Then she chewed dramatically and dropped her fork next to her plate. She leaned back and patted her tummy.
“I’m a big T-Rex. I eat everything,” she said with a smile and a wink.
Josh smiled back. Was it wrong that he thought she was adorable? And the fact that she had his son completely enraptured made her even cuter.
Jordan turned around to look at Josh. He had a look in his eyes that said, this lady is crazy.
“Well, it’s what true T-Rex fans do,” Beth added.
Ooo, Beth was good. Setting the bait.
Jordan furrowed his brow as he turned back to Beth and folded his arms again. “I’m a true T-Rex fan.”
Josh was skeptical that this would work, but he was willing to give it a shot. After all, she looked as if she knew what she was doing.
Jordan pushed off Josh’s lap and slipped to the floor. Then he climbed back onto his chair and poked a few times at his broccoli. Then he growled and shoved one into his mouth, where he dramatically chewed it—just like Beth had done.
Beth cheered and clapped. Then she reached over the table to high-five him. “Great job, Jordan.”
Jordan had swallowed by now and was looking pretty proud of himself. “I did it, Dad,” he said after slapping Beth’s hand.
Josh tousled Jordan’s hair. “Great job, buddy.” He allowed his smile to remain as he turned his attention over to Beth, who raised her gaze up to meet his.
“Thank you,” he mouthed.
It may have been his imagination, but he swore he saw her blush. “Of course,” she whispered.
If he’d had a hard time not staring at her before, he was in deep trouble now. She returned to her quiet conversation with Dean, who was seated next to her.
“I think that settles it,” Sondra said, loudly.
Everyone at the table turned to study his mom.
“What’s settled?” Josh asked, furrowing his brow. What was his mom up to?
Sondra gave him a sly smile. “I was going to tell you that I was asked to help cook at the Honey Grove retirement center and won’t be able to watch Jordan while you are at work.”
Josh stared at his mom. Was she serious? Her promise to help with Jordan had been one of the reasons he came home. “What?”
“What’s going on?” Jimmy asked, his deep voice booming through the room.
Sondra shot him a look, but Josh wasn’t interested in whatever strange plot she was concocting. He couldn’t work and watch Jordan. Why would his mom do this to him?
“Calm down, you two,” Sondra said, glancing between Josh and his dad.
“Be calm, Ma? You told me you could help, and now you’re saying you picked up a job at the retirement center?” He dropped against the back of his chair and let out his breath. Stress pressed down on his chest. What was he doing? He was an idiot if he thought he was fooling anyone about his capability to function.
“Right. But that’s why I invited Beth over here.” Sondra nodded at Beth, who had looked up with her brow furrowed.
Uh oh.
“She’s looking for a job, and you need a nanny. It’s a match made in heaven.” Sondra practically sang out the last sentence.
Josh glanced over at Beth and gave her a small smile. “I’m sure you don’t want to watch Jordan.” This was not what Josh wanted, Sure, Beth was adorable and sweet with his son, but involving himself with anyone right then, even in this capacity, was not what he wanted.
He needed to get his life figured out before he invited anyone non-family into it. She deserved a sane and put-together boss. And that was not Josh. Not right now, anyway.
“I mean, you’d help Josh out, wouldn’t you Beth?” Sondra asked.
Josh about fell out his chair. What was his mom doing?
Beth was studying her, and he saw her flick her gaze over to him before nodding. “Well, if he needs help, I’m happy to.”
There was no way he could say no, now. Not when she said something like that. He furrowed his brow, angry at his mom for dragging Beth into this. “Are you sure? I mean, you must have better things to do with your time then help me out.”
Beth drew her eyebrows together. “I’m, um…” She fiddled with her silverware. “It would actually really help me out, too.”
Now it was Josh’s turn to feel confused. Why would she need this job? She’d graduated from college. The last he’d heard, she was living in Pittsburgh with a career and a fiancé. Being a nanny seemed beneath her.
Josh shifted in his seat as he glanced down at his son, who was busily eating his broccoli like a T-Rex. Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, having her around. But, he knew she had more going for her than he did. He needed to make it clear that if she wanted out, she was more than welcome to leave. He didn’t want her to feel like she was stuck helping him out.
“Well, let’s do this for now. And if you find something better, I won’t be disappointed.” He gave her a wide smile and a wink. And then felt like an idiot. What was he doing? He was about to employ this woman. Flirting—or whatever he was doing—was pretty inappropriate.
Beth pinched her lips together and nodded. “Sure.”
Sondra clapped her hands together and cheered. “Well, that just makes me happier than a dead pig in sunshine. I was sure I was going to be in big trouble, overbooking myself like that.” She grinned at Josh, who tried not to shoot her an annoyed look.
Hadn’t he just told her that he wasn’t looking to bring people into his life right now—that he was a mess and it wasn’t fair to bring anyone into his disaster zone?
But he should have known better. His mom always had a plan of her own, and she rarely changed it for anyone. His mom was going to get her way one way or the other. He really should be used to that by now.
Dinner wrapped up and, needing something to do, Josh grabbed his plate and declared that he would do the dishes. Once he was in the kitchen, he filled the sink with warm water. Just as he poured in some soap, causing bubbles to rise up, he heard his mom’s voice from the other room.
“Be a dear and help Josh with the dishes.”
Josh winced. Was she talking to Beth? Probably. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. But he knew that he wasn’t ready to decide how he felt about anyone other than his son.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Beth walk into the kitchen. She tucked her hair behind her ears and glanced around. He wished he could read the look on her face. Was she happy? Sad? Frustrated? She was their guest, and yet his mom had no problem employing her in more ways than one.
“Wanna dry?” he asked, grabbing a dish towel and holding it out.
She studied it and then took it from him. “Sure. I mean, if that’s okay.”
Confused, Josh kept his gaze on her for moment longer than he should have. But then he scolded himself and shrugged. “Of course. I hate dishes. I need all the help I can get.”
She chuckled. The sound was soft and melodic. And he liked it. Was it bad that he wanted to hear it again?
He turned back to the sink and dunked a stack of plates into the water. Beth stepped up to the counter and waited as he washed the first one. After it was clean, he handed it over to her. For a brief moment, her fingers brushed his, and sparks of electricity shot up his arm.
It surprised him so much that he almost dropped the plate back into the sink. Thankfully, Beth had a good grasp on it. After she rinsed it off and dried it, she disappeared to stack it in a cupboard.
They worked in silence for a few minutes. The quiet was killing him.
“Are you happy to be back?�
�� he asked, turning to study her.
It wasn’t until now that he realized how close they really were. She was inches from him as she stood there, rinsing a cup.
She shrugged. “I guess. I mean, it’s good for me to be back. It was needed…” she said, her voice trailing off.
Josh furrowed his brow. What did that mean?
She glanced over at him and pinched her lips together. That reaction intrigued him. Was she hiding something? When their eyes met, he saw something there—hurt? He wasn’t sure, but for some reason, all he wanted to do was figure out what it was.
“What about you?” she asked as she grabbed another cup and rinsed it off.
Josh wanted to jump back to talking about her. To ask what was bothering her. But it wasn’t his place. Sure, they’d grown up together, but that didn’t mean she had to tell him all her problems.
So he sucked in his breath as all the feelings about his move and his ex-wife flooded his systems. “Not how I saw my life going,” he said as pain jabbed his ribs. Why couldn’t he be strong enough to be okay with this? Cindy was a horrible person. He should have expected she’d do something like cheat on him and leave him.
He saw Beth nod as she dried a cup. “I get that.”
When he turned to look at her, his heart sped up. There was a look of understanding in her eyes. Like she knew what failure felt like. For the first time in a long time, he felt as if someone else understood what he was going through. He felt a connection with Beth that he hadn’t thought he would find here in Honey Grove.
Sure, there was attraction there, but what he was feeling was something more. She knew what it was like to have her entire life turned upside-down.
Coming back to Honey Grove was the last thing she’d wanted as well. But, as life always does, it decided to make a joke of them, so here they were, drying dishes in the kitchen of his childhood home.
He couldn’t help but smile at her. “Well, Beth, I’m glad we’re back here, together.”
Her eyebrows rose as she studied him. He pinched his lips together when he realized how that must sound. “I mean, it’s nice to have friends around,” he hurried to tag on.
Her cheeks blushed as she took the mixing bowl from him. “Friends,” she said softly.
He nodded as she finished drying the bowl and slipped it into the cupboard behind him. They worked in silence until Beth got a call on her phone and she excused herself, saying that she was needed at home.
Josh nodded at her and couldn’t help but watch as she walked from the room. There was something different about her that intrigued him.
“See you tomorrow?” he asked her retreating frame.
She paused just inside the door. Then she turned and smiled at him. “Definitely.”
He nodded and she gave him a small wave as she disappeared. As he turned back to the sink, excitement bubbled in his chest. He didn’t care if it was wrong—he was excited to see her again, tomorrow. For the first time ever, he wanted to thank his mom for interfering. Maybe she was right. Perhaps Beth was who he needed right now.
If anything, she wouldn’t ask him incessant questions. Even though he didn’t really know her anymore, he suspected that she knew just what he was going through. And right now, he needed someone like that in his life.
Chapter Four
Beth woke up the next morning feeling excited and terrified at the same time. She swallowed as she stared up at the ceiling while the early morning light lit up her room. Thoughts of Josh and their conversations yesterday flooded into her mind.
She was working for Josh Braxton—the guy she’d crushed on for as long as she could remember.
Not only was she going to see him every day, but she’d talk to him, take care of his son, and be in his home.
Sighing, she covered her eyes with her arm. What was she doing? Was she an idiot? Did she think that working for Josh would make him realize that he’d been missing out his whole life and come rushing to declare his love for her?
Ugh.
The lightening of her stomach, and the fact that her heart was picking up speed, told her that was exactly what she thought.
Her phone buzzed, the alarm finally ringing. Not wanting to sit in bed and dwell on her stupidity, she pulled off the covers and headed straight into the bathroom. Maybe if she busied herself with getting ready, she wouldn’t have time to convince herself to cancel on Josh.
Right now, the thought of being around him terrified her more than the thought of not having a job.
After she was cleaned and dressed, she settled on an off-the-shoulder peasant top and cut-off shorts. After slipping on her sandals, she threw her hair back in a braid, dabbed a bit of makeup on her face—not enough that made her look like she was trying—and headed out of her room.
Her mom was sitting in the living room when Beth got downstairs. Her shoulders were slumped and her eyes were drifting closed and then back open as the voice of a newscaster carried from the TV. Beth tiptoed past the chair and into the kitchen, where she grabbed a banana.
After eating it along with a container of yogurt, she headed back into the living room to check on her mom before leaving. Just as she adjusted the blanket on her mom’s lap, Joanne’s eyes fluttered open. Beth gave her a small smile as she reached over and grabbed a footrest from the other side of the chair.
“Where are you going?” Joanne asked. Her forehead furrowed as she studied Beth’s face.
Beth glanced up at her mom as she carefully lifted her feet and set them on the footstool. “I told you. I’m the nanny for Josh now.”
Butterflies took flight in her stomach. She muscled them down as much as she could, but they were persistent little buggers.
Joanne reached out and grasped Beth’s hand. Her expression had morphed into one of panic. “You won’t…I mean, don’t say anything,” her mom rasped.
Beth hated how secretive they were being about this. She could think of a lot of people in the community who would be more than happy to help out her family. But, if it was her mother’s wish, it was the least Beth could do.
So she nodded. “Of course. Mum’s the word.” She lifted her finger to her lips.
Her mom settled back into the chair and let out a breath. “Good.” With that, she let her eyes drop closed.
Taking this as her cue to leave, Beth grabbed a glass of water and an applesauce from the kitchen and set it on the side table next to her mom. After adjusting the volume on the TV so Joanne could sleep, she grabbed her purse and slipped out of the house.
It took all of a minute to cross the road and climb the steps that ran up the side of the garage. She paused just outside of the door to Josh’s apartment. She took a few deep breaths and then reached up and knocked.
The muffled sound of cartoons could be heard from where she stood, along with Josh’s voice.
“Get the door, JP,” he shouted.
Just from the tone of his voice, she could tell that he was stressed. Instantly, she felt bad. It was her job to lighten his load, and yet she had spent so much time getting ready that he was now irritated.
The lock clicked and the door opened. Jordan stood there in his superhero pajamas, staring up at her.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
Beth smiled. She couldn’t help it. She liked Jordan. “I’m here to hang out with you.”
Jordan wrinkled his nose. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
She shrugged. “Good. ‘Cause that’s not what I am. I just promised your dad that I would spend some time with you while he goes to work.”
Jordan studied her a bit longer and then shrugged as he held up a remote tucked in one hand. “My show is playing.”
Beth nodded as he turned and headed into the small living room to the right. He jumped a few times on the worn leather couch before settling in. Taking this as her invitation to come in, Beth stepped inside.
The Braxton’s hadn’t updated the furniture in this apartment in ages, but it was clean and homey. She
took a deep breath as she slipped off her purse and set it next to her sandals by the door. To the left was the kitchen. It was small. Two main countertops, a refrigerator, and a small stove filled the room.
It probably didn’t matter, though. Mrs. Braxton would be insulted if Josh decided to eat here. She walked along the outskirts of the room, running her fingers along the smooth countertops.
“You’re early,” Josh’s deep, playful voice filled her ears and caused her to shiver.
She swallowed, hoping to squelch the feelings that had risen up inside of her, and turned. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I can come earlier tomorrow.”
Josh looked as if he’d just stepped out of the shower. His hair was damp, and she could smell hints of his mint shampoo. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt and jeans. He ran his hands through his hair. “I think I can manage.”
Beth eyed him. Even though he looked put together, she could see a hint of stress lingering around his eyes. She could only imagine what he was going through. At least when Zander had dumped her, all she had to worry about was herself. Throwing a kid into that equation had to be rough.
She gave him a small smile. “Well, I’m just a phone call and a minute sprint away.”
Josh chuckled. “It would take you a minute to sprint here?”
Heat raced across her skin, and she was pretty sure it settled in her cheeks. Josh’s gaze moved to her face. His teasing look turned into an apologetic one, and it made her feel terrible.
“It’s okay. Everyone here knows I’m the slow one in the Johnson family.”
Josh nodded just as an alarm filled the air. He reached behind him and grabbed his phone. “Crap. I’m late.” He glanced up at her. “Any questions?” he asked as he made his way over to the door and slipped on his boots.
Beth nodded. “Allergies?”
“None.”
“Eating time?”
Josh’s gaze made its way over to Jordan whose head was peeking up over the back of the couch. “He’s good at letting you know. And if that doesn’t work, whenever you eat, he’ll eat.”
“Great. Anything else you want us to do?”
Josh finished lacing up his shoes. “Just keep him alive?”
Her Boss: Braxton Brothers Series Book One Page 3