Haley's Bay 01 - The Billionaire's Nanny

by Melissa McClone

  “That’s not what I’m doing.” Avoiding his family hadn’t entered AJ’s mind. He wanted to spend more time with Emma alone, preferably in bed. Talk about crazy. What were they going to do? Play Words With Friends? Maybe he bumped his head and hadn’t realized he was the one with an injury. Nothing else would explain his desire to play hooky from life with her. “You heard what Grady said.”

  “I did, but I’m okay. Really. You, however, look tired and a little dazed,” Emma continued. “Rest while I’m out.”

  He bolted upright, sending Blossom to her feet. “You’re not going to the meetings alone.”

  “I won’t be alone. Charlie can accompany me.”

  “I’m going.”

  Her slanted mouth was a new look, but the way her gaze narrowed was familiar. She would let him have it in three...two...one...

  “You wouldn’t be going if Libby were here. You wouldn’t go if your family didn’t think I was your girlfriend.” She pursed her lips. “I’m still your personal assistant and have a job to do. Let me do it.”

  He liked when she spoke her mind. “What kind of boyfriend would dump an entire birthday party on your lap? Especially when she hurt her head.”

  “A typical one. Most guys aren’t event planners.”

  “But my family will think—”

  “You said you didn’t care what they thought.”

  AJ didn’t want to care what his family thought. He told himself he didn’t care, but a part of him still did. A big part, unfortunately. He didn’t know why.

  “You said you only came back to Haley’s Bay for your grandmother.”

  “I did, but I want my grandmother to know I put some thought into this and didn’t leave all the details to Libby and you.”

  His words didn’t ring true. Not to him. No doubt Emma would see right through them. Because until this moment, he’d planned on letting her handle everything while he was here, from the party to his family. He didn’t know what had changed or why he was fighting Emma on this. He’d known her for a day, but she’d earned his trust and could make independent decisions.

  “You’re here,” she continued. “That’s more than enough for Lilah. Enjoy your vacation. Spend more time with your grandmother and family. Relax.”

  “I’m going.”

  Emma toyed with the quilt, her fingers working back and forth along the edge. She didn’t look nervous, but something was on her mind.

  “What?” he asked.

  She released the blanket and stared at Blossom, sleeping at the foot of the bed. “It’s...nothing.”

  The way her eyes clouded told him the opposite. She wanted to say something. “Come on.”

  “If you want to go to the meetings, go. It’s not my place to stop you. You’re the boss.”

  “I am.” Except he didn’t feel in charge around Emma and that bothered him. Being in Haley’s Bay was messing with him. He hoped things would be back to normal today. “We’ll formulate our plans for the day over breakfast.”

  “Okay, but I’m getting dressed first. I’m not used to working in my jammies.”

  “Me, either. Not sure they’d pass as office chic.”

  “You could be the trendsetter.”

  “The company has a casual dress code, but pajamas would be pushing it.”

  “Even for you?”

  “Especially for me. Though if there’s ever a day I telecommute, I’ll have to make it a PJ day.”

  “Until you have a video chat to attend.”

  “Shirt and tie and pajama bottoms.” He played along, liking that she was smiling again. “No one would ever know.”

  “I’m sure telecommuters have lots of ‘no one ever knew’ stories. Especially before video calls became the rage,” she said. “I cared for three children one summer. Their mother liked to have conference calls while taking bubble baths. Claimed the acoustics were better in the master bathroom.”

  “I never knew acoustics were so important.”

  “I think she liked the idea of being naked in the tub and no one on the call knowing.”

  He wouldn’t mind seeing Emma naked in a tub. No bubbles required. Water wouldn’t even be necessary. He grinned at the image forming in his mind. “I’ll have to listen more carefully the next time I’m on a call.”

  “Don’t be too distracted.”

  “Never. Well, unless I hear splashing.”

  With a smile, Emma gave a slight shake of her head. “Good thing you don’t have to worry about being distracted by me. I’m taking a shower so no splashing.”

  The thought of her undressing to take a shower was definitely distracting. He hadn’t slept with a woman in a while. As in having sex, not for concussion checks or a fake relationship. Something about his “usual type” had lost its appeal. Declan hadn’t been far off. AJ was ready for a change, though he’d never have an affair with an employee. A man could dream, though, and Emma...

  She crawled out of bed, giving him a full view of her in her pajamas, a camisole and coordinating shorts. No panty hose.

  ...had the sexiest legs this side of the Cascades. Long, firm, the perfect amount of muscle. Man, she’d look great in a pair of heels and a short cocktail dress. “You’re a runner.”

  Lines creased her forehead. “I jog. Only once or twice a week. I do run after children. That amuses them to no end.”

  “If you want to jog here, there are trails.”

  “Thanks, but I didn’t think there’d be much downtime so didn’t pack my running shoes or clothes.” She picked up Blossom from the bed. “I’m going to take her with me in case she needs to use the litter box.”

  Lucky cat. Though seeing Emma in the shower with water streaming down her body would be wasted on the feline. “I’ll see what’s going on with my grandmother and touch base with Charlie about the meetings.”

  “I texted him today’s itinerary last night.” Emma cradled Blossom like a baby. “Charlie will be here at nine-forty. That gives us an hour and a half to get ready and have breakfast.”

  Too bad they weren’t a real couple because AJ knew exactly how he’d want to fill that time—an hour in bed sans jammies followed by a shower for two. His groin tightened. Now that would be a perfect morning.

  Thinking about Emma, dressed or undressed, turned him on and made this faux dating thing work. It was also making him crazy in the presence of her barely clothed, hardworking, likes-to-jog, unpampered body.

  What was happening to him? The damn cat wasn’t annoying him as much. He brushed his hand through his hair. Once Emma finished in the bathroom, he needed a shower. A cold one.

  * * *

  Emma walked out of the ten o’clock meeting at the party rental place in Astoria, Oregon, with an odd feeling in her gut, one that had nothing to do with the man at her side. Oh, being near AJ brought tingles and knots, butterflies and chills, but those were good feelings. Unexpected, unwelcome, but okay. What she felt now was more...not foreboding, but troubling.

  Charlie opened the door. She slid into the limo, feeling more comfortable inside the fancy car than yesterday. The air-conditioning soothed. The coast stayed cool, even during the summer months, but the meeting had sent her blood pressure spiraling and her temperature soaring.

  AJ followed her into the car. His bare leg touched hers for a nanosecond. Long enough to make her catch her breath. Blossom’s sleeping between them last night had been a blessing. Waking to find herself spooning him would have been as much a nightmare as a pleasure. At least they wouldn’t be forced to pretend to be dating here.

  The door slammed. A minute later, the limo pulled onto the highway, heading north toward the Columbia River and Haley’s Bay, Washington.

  AJ leaned back against the seat, then stretched out his legs. He looked liked a guy on vacation in his blue shorts, green-and-white-striped polo shirt and flip-flops. “Tony seems a little laid back. More interested in surfing than the party rental business.”

  “So laid back he’s flat on the sand at the beach.
” The last thing she wanted to do was send AJ back into business mode, but this was too important not to deal with now. “We need to find another vendor to supply the tent, tables, chairs and dance floor for the party. Tony seems like a nice guy, but he’s going to flake on us come Saturday.”

  AJ straightened. “We have a signed contract.”

  “Not everyone treats a contract the same way.”

  “You didn’t mention any concerns during the meeting.”

  Emma appreciated how AJ let her handle the meeting. He must be a good boss, not one who micromanages his staff.

  “I wanted to hear what Tony had to say. I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, but what he said increased my worries.”

  “What worries are those?”

  “I researched the vendors Libby selected, and checked the most recent reviews. Tony’s parents retired. He took over their business a week after Libby negotiated the contract with his father,” Emma explained. “Tony’s been a no-show for events five times in the past month. Your grandmother’s party is the only thing listed on the upcoming event whiteboard. And his phone didn’t ring once while we were there.”

  “I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Libby gave me a list of things to look for with vendors. She’s more experienced with event planning and knows what can go wrong. That’s why she wanted me to meet with each in person.” Emma might not have taken on a party of this scale, but she trusted her instincts. “I’m concerned we’re going to find ourselves scrambling if Tony doesn’t show up the day of the party. That’s why I suggest we hire another vendor. You’ll lose your deposit with Tony’s company, but have peace of mind of knowing we’ll have the supplies we need the day of the party.”

  “Sounds like a good plan. I don’t want anything to go wrong with the party. Do you have someone else in mind to hire?”

  Emma nodded. “Libby spoke with four different vendors before deciding on Tony’s parents. I have the names and numbers. She did her homework, and until the change in management, made the right choice, especially since Tony’s parents know Lilah. I’ll find out if her second choice is available.”

  “Call now.” AJ smoothly launched into CEO mode, and she noticed the change in his expression. Hard. A little ruthless. Nothing like the guy she’d woken up with a couple hours ago, who sang her ’NSync songs every two hours to keep her upbeat about the concussion checks. “They can email the contract. I’ve got a hot spot and wireless printer here in the car.”

  “That’s convenient.”

  “Some issues are time sensitive. I need to work on the road.”

  “No wonder you need a vacation. But it’s still hard to turn off the CEO, isn’t it?”

  He shifted positions. “Sometimes, but I’m trying.”

  Harder than tough decisions to make and firing people must pressure AJ to always be “on.” He needed to be the smartest one in the room, the director of the action. His following her to the meeting, that was about her ridiculous twenty-four-hour watch, nothing else. Other than attending, he deferred to her. That made her warm with pride. Emma pulled out her notebook and cell phone. She made the phone call.

  Ten minutes later, she gave another party rental place AJ’s credit card number, then disconnected. “All set. Contract is being emailed. I’ll have Charlie drive me up there later to drop it off so I can meet them.”

  “Charlie will drive us there.”

  She knew better than to argue the point. “Fine.”

  “We have nearly two hours until the one o’clock appointment. Time for some R & R.”

  “You deserve it,” she said.

  “Not for me. You.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s time for you to see Haley’s Bay. We can have lunch and walk around town.” He flashed her the same charming grin she’d woken up to this morning and made her heart bump. “What do you say?”

  Spending more time with AJ without working on the party wasn’t the smartest move. But they did have time, and she wanted to see the town. This was also one way to make sure he relaxed. “Sounds great.”

  The limo pulled to a stop in the harbor’s small parking lot. Charlie opened the door, but AJ was the one who took her hand to help her out of the car. “Ready to see Haley’s Bay?”

  “Yes.”

  Emma knew he disliked his hometown, no doubt blaming the conflict with his dad and what happened with his ex-fiancée. But AJ didn’t look miserable here. He’d smiled last night. He was smiling now. Maybe she’d been correct. Maybe he was letting the past interfere too much. Hating Haley’s Bay could be his defense mechanism.

  “Anything in particular you don’t want to miss?” he asked.

  “The candy store. Your sister Bailey told me they have the best saltwater taffy around.”

  “Taffy equals sticky hands.”

  “I have wet wipes in my tote bag.”

  “Then I’ll have some, too.” He held her hand. “Not sticky now.”

  She looked down at her hand in his. “What...?”

  “This is a small town. My brother is a cop. My dad and brothers might have come in early. Who knows what my two sisters are up to. Not to mention my mom, grandmother, cousins and friends.”

  The charade. She’d forgotten for a moment and thought he was really holding her hand. Silly.

  “Okay.” Emma didn’t mind. She liked holding his hands. More than she should. She also liked kissing but that was a little too real. “Let me put on my pretend girlfriend persona.”

  Maybe if she kept her self separate from the role-playing, things would be easier to handle and not so confusing, especially the kissing part.

  He squeezed her hand. “I’m ready to be the perfect fake boyfriend.”

  The longing in her heart for a relationship with a real boyfriend nearly overwhelmed her. Visions of candlelit dinners and making out on a bench by the water swam before her eyes. Where had that come from? Her dates had always trended toward the pizza-and-bowling combo, and the nice-but-not-memorable category. Emma pasted on a smile and tilted her head toward the line of shops across the street. “Let’s explore Haley’s Bay.”

  * * *

  An hour later, AJ held open the door of the seafood café where he and Emma had eaten lunch—salmon coated in a rice flour batter and waffle-cut French fries. Not the fish and chips he’d grown up eating, but tasty. The best part of the lunch, though, had been talking with Emma. She was closemouthed about her life before meeting Libby but he knew Emma had had a far rougher beginning than him, and was drawn to Haley’s Bay for its picturesque beauty and curb appeal.

  “Admit it,” Emma said on the way out the door. “This town isn’t purgatory on earth.”

  Compared to whatever she’d faced that put her into the foster care system, Haley’s Bay must seem perfect. AJ knew better—small towns were not judgment-free zones—but he didn’t care enough to correct her because he couldn’t stop smiling. She made him, in a word, happy, a way he wasn’t used to feeling. Oh, he was content. He had a good life, but happy? That wasn’t a word he’d use to describe himself.

  But he was having his best day in forever. Better than his last merger. Better than his last million-dollar fund-raiser. Funny considering the most exciting thing they’d done was have a souped-up seafood combo and fire a lazy party guy who reinforced AJ’s belief that inheriting a company made you less invested than if you’d been a founder.

  He joined Emma on the wood-slatted sidewalk. The sun was high in the blue sky. A nice wind off the water turned the weather vanes on top of shops. “I may have exaggerated.”

  She peered into the window of the souvenir shop next door. “If this is purgatory, I’m in.”

  “You didn’t grow up here.”

  “I wish I had. Especially now that I know you give full-ride scholarships to any honor roll student who gets accepted into a four-year university. That’s so generous of you. Obviously all the people who came to the table are grateful.”

  “I h
ave a foundation. The money needs to be given away. Kids who live in towns like this don’t always have the means to attend college.”

  She turned away from the display of seashells, beach towels and sun hats. “Kids like you.”

  Her gaze pierced deep inside him, as if she could see straight to his soul. He looked away. “I earned a full ride. If I hadn’t, I’d have wound up at the local two-year college or not gone at all. I don’t want others to find themselves in the same position.”

  The soft smile on her face filled him with warmth. She pointed to his heart. “This town will always be a part of you. Right here. Welcome home, Atticus Jackson Cole.”

  His throat tightened. Something about this woman made him feel things he’d either forgotten or never known. He was a computer programmer. Code, he understood. Logic ruled his world. Emotion played a minor role, except, as Emma discovered, when it came to Haley’s Bay and his family.

  AJ didn’t understand. How could she read him when he was so practiced in not giving his thoughts away? Her ability bothered him, left him feeling exposed. He knew exactly what would soothe him. “The candy shop is up ahead. Let’s try some of that taffy Bailey told you about.”

  He opened the door for Emma then followed her inside. A counter with a glass display case of chocolates and other candies was on the left hand side. On the opposite wall, a built-in shelf unit held clear buckets full of different flavored saltwater taffy. A popcorn popper and cotton candy machine sat in the rear of the shop.

  Emma glanced at the delicious looking chocolates. “The smell alone is going to add three inches to my hips, but what’s that saying? You only live once. Who knows if I’ll ever be back? Might as well take home a few souvenirs.”

  “Choose whatever you want,” he said. “My treat.”

  “Not to scare you, but I have a huge sweet tooth.”

  “Huge I can afford. Ginormous I might have to limit you.”

  She smiled.

  He smiled back, feeling a comfortable connection with her once again.

  “Welcome to the Candy Cave,” a familiar-sounding voice said from behind swinging doors. A woman appeared in a white shirt, white pants and pink apron. Blond hair was pulled back into a bun and covered with a hairnet. “I was in the back checking a fresh batch of fudge. Would you like a sample?”