Emma found in her the strength to grab my shoulders and shake them. “Then why in the world did you agree to take this job? He could find another nanny.”
“Besides my awful track record with men, I feel like I’m supposed to be his nanny. There is something about Henry. I feel like he needs me.”
“What about what you need?”
“I don’t need a man.”
“They’re kind of nice.” Emma giggled.
“You’re still in the honeymoon phase.”
Emma smooshed my cheeks. “Listen to me, it’s not that. And I’m sorry, I don’t care what you say. You never had a ‘honeymoon phase’ with Leland, so you don’t even know what that means. But by the way, they’re fabulous and you deserve one. Regardless, though, I saw the way you looked at Miles last night. Your sparkly eyes said you missed whatever it was that was igniting between the two of you.”
I closed my eyes and tried to blow a breath out, but Emma’s hands made it sound more like I was blowing raspberries, which made us both laugh. She dropped her hands and took my arm back.
“Em, this job could be a game changer for me and Chloe.”
“I get that.” She leaned more into me. “Just make sure you don’t forget it’s not the only game you could win.”
I was about to ask her what she meant, but her assistant coach, Gwendolyn, who was basically a trophy coach, waved at us from her lounge chair in her skintight designer jeans with sky-high leopard-print boots. “Ladies,” she called, “I asked Mario,” her Latin lover and husband number three or four, I couldn’t remember, “to run to Starbucks and get us all hot chocolate. Isn’t that nice?”
“Do you know what would be nice?” Emma grumbled. “If she actually helped me coach.” Emma’s tired eyes lit up. “Now that you work for Miles, does that mean you would be free to help me coach?”
I thought about it for a second, excited about the prospect and the doors taking this job would open for me not only professionally, but personally. I could finally be the kind of mom I’d always wanted to be, volunteering at the school and, of course, being more involved in the sport Chloe and I loved so much. “I would love to. Just let me make sure it’s okay with Miles if I bring Henry to practice with me.”
Emma threw her arms around me. “You know, I think this job is going to be the best thing ever.”
~*~
I thought so too on Sunday when I brought Chloe with me to Miles’s home to see where we would be living and to sign my employment contract. When we entered the gated community up on the mountain above Carrington Cove, Chloe’s eyes widened as she took in all the magnificent homes, each with their own distinctive look. One was reminiscent of a castle, another a lodge, but Miles’s home was in a class of its own. The steel, wood, and glass house was the crown jewel of the neighborhood. It was set up above the other homes as if it was meant to be their shining light. I would imagine in the dark it was just that with all the floor-to-ceiling windows the house boasted. I couldn’t believe we would be living in such dream surroundings.
I turned down the radio with my sweaty palms feeling a little self-conscious driving up the long driveway lined with large pine trees in my old Subaru that had tears in each seat. I may have grown up in Carrington Cove, but my parents lived in the older section on a couple of acres that they bought back when Carrington Cove was a one streetlight town. My dad was a geologist for a local gas and oil company and had provided a comfortable life for us, but he was never going to be wealthy. Though they could sell their house and property for a small fortune now, thanks to the extensive growth Carrington Cove had seen over the years. I didn’t see that happening. Mom and Dad loved it here. Besides, this is where Chloe was, and she was their life. Even though my parents were wary about me taking this job.
Mom had done her own research on Miles, even going as far as writing a report for me. She was dad’s unofficial research assistant, so she lived and breathed digging for information. I had a nice fifteen-page report that she had spiral-bound and laminated. I’d shoved it in my glove compartment after skimming through it and laughing. It was filled with pictures printed off the internet of him and her hand-written captions that were all questions like, “Don’t you think he’s a little old to be wearing such tight jeans?” The answer was no. He looked amazing. Other captions included, “He’s forty, why isn’t he married?” She also listed all his books and ranked them by critical reviews and how much money they had made. Silent Stones was on the top. She had informed me she would be reading every book and doing a book report on each one. Oh, how I loved my silly mom. Dad, I believe, was holding out judgment until Mom came to her conclusions. I think he thought it couldn’t be worse than marrying Leland, and it meant that Chloe and I would be closer, so for now he was tentatively giving his approval.
I glanced at Chloe to find her eagerly peering out the window with her hand over her mouth, amazed by the grandeur. “Can I invite Brooke over here?”
“Of course. But you know we won’t be living in the main house.”
“Who cares. I bet the guesthouse is awesome too.”
We were about to find out. We pulled up in front of the four-car garage that was attached to the house by a covered walkway. The contemporary rustic home loomed large, but not as big as the decisions I had made in the last couple of days.
I wrapped my arm around Chloe as we made our way to the front door. I admired how the landscape around the house stayed true to the Rocky Mountain scenery. Wild roses and boulder raspberry shrubs dotted the landscape among the junipers and Rocky Mountain maples. However, my favorite were the aspen trees my parents fondly named me after. They said when I was born, my hair shined golden like the leaves of the aspen in the fall. My hair had darkened over the years, but I loved that story.
I gave Chloe one good squeeze before I rang the doorbell. It wasn’t too long before I heard the pitter patter of little feet and Henry’s adorable voice yelling, “Nanny is here!”
Chloe grinned at me.
Miles opened the door and my stomach swooped. He looked too handsome in a form-fitting gray turtleneck and those jeans my mom had commented about. I barely caught his smile before I turned my focus on Henry. He was the safe option. No swooping, only some heart pricks where the little guy was stealing it piece by piece.
Henry ran to me and I bent down and picked him up.
Chloe was immediately drawn to him too. “He’s so cute.” She took his chubby hand.
“I am cute,” Henry was quick to agree, making Chloe and I giggle.
“I’m cute too.” Miles didn’t want to be left out.
My eyes lifted to find his already peering at me. I reminded myself and my swooping stomach this was strictly business and to play it cool. “Hello,” I greeted him.
“Hello, lo— I mean, Aspen,” he stuttered. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who needed a reminder. “Please come in. It’s a bit nippy today.”
Chloe and I entered the grand home, but before I could admire the gorgeous place, I made introductions. “Miles, this is my daughter, Chloe. And, Chloe, this is Henry.” I bounced him on my hip.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Chloe.” Miles gave her a warm welcome.
Chloe seemed intimidated by him and tucked some hair behind her ear. It was then I remembered she thought he was hot. Which he was. She, like always, recovered quickly and found her footing. I adored that aspect of her, along with so many other things that made her wonderful. “It’s nice to meet you too,” Chloe politely responded before turning right back to Henry, who was happy to garner all the attention.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” Miles offered.
Chloe and I both declined.
Miles bounced on the balls of his bare feet as if he was trying to get rid of some nervous energy. “Well, shall we take a tour before we go over the contract?” he asked me. “My barrister made the changes you requested.”
He sent me a copy yesterday and I was taken aback by the clauses about travel
. I supposed I should have expected that he would want me to travel with him at times with Henry, but this was a different world for me. I requested that if I needed to travel with him, it be no longer than three days. I didn’t want to be away from Chloe for even that long, but it seemed reasonable. Miles offered if it needed to be longer, he would only ask me to accompany him if it was during Chloe’s school breaks and he would arrange for her to join us as well. I thought it was a sweet gesture. I also requested that the initial contract be for a year. Miles agreed that would be good for both of us. I knew this meant he could easily terminate me after a year, but my plan was to save as much money as possible and do a good job so that he would be willing to at least give me a good reference. So, in the event we parted ways, I would still be better off than I was now.
“I’d love a tour.” I glanced around the magnificent home. Stone walls dramatically showcased the height of the room. The white oak floors and neutral palette of the furniture and walls added warmth. The simplicity of it all made it stunning. It was easy to see why Sophie was such a sought-after interior designer. She had left her mark and it was beautiful.
Miles seemed grateful to have something to do other than stare at me. He headed straight for the great room with floor-to-ceiling windows that gifted us with a pristine view of the nearby mountain peaks. The low-profile furniture around the stone hearth with a fire burning in it added to the peaceful feeling of the room. I also noted how impeccably clean it was. It didn’t look like a three-year-old lived there, or anyone really. Maybe he had a housekeeper as well as a chef.
“I want you to both feel at home here.” Miles looked between Chloe and me before pointing out the window. “You can see the guesthouse from here.”
Chloe and I eagerly joined him at the window with Henry still on my hip. Henry was happy to add his fingerprints to the unspotted windows. I noticed how that made Miles cringe, but he didn’t say anything. I almost told him he should get used to smudges on everything, but I figured he would soon learn it all on his own.
The guesthouse was more like a stone cottage set back behind the large yard that was covered in fallen leaves and accented by large pine trees. It also boasted magnificent windows. I couldn’t wait to see the inside.
“Sophie,” Miles always paused when he said her name, “hired an architect from Scotland to design the guesthouse. She had seen something similar on holiday in the Highlands. I hope it will be adequate.”
Adequate? He should see my cramped apartment with water-stained ceilings. Chloe and I smiled at each other, both thinking the same thing before I responded to Miles. “It’s perfect, as is your home.”
“It doesn’t feel quite like my home. I’m used to living in a flat with views of the city,” he responded wistfully.
I got the feeling he wasn’t planning on making this his permanent residence. Which probably meant I would only be working for him for the year. As dreamy as it sounded to live in London, assuming he would even want me to continue working for him, I wouldn’t put my career over Chloe. Which meant I needed to learn everything I could in the coming months to make my resume shine.
As we walked up the floating staircase, the stairs made me nervous for Henry. They weren’t exactly child friendly. He could easily get stuck between the steps or possibly fall through with little effort on his part.
“We can play with my toys,” Henry informed me on the way up the stairs.
“What do you like to play?” I thought that was a good thing to know.
“Trains and puppets!” he shouted, making his voice echo through the open home.
“Henry,” Miles turned around, “what have I told you about shouting inside?”
Henry buried his head in my chest, unwilling to answer him.
Miles’s eyes filled with regret. “It’s hard for me to work if it’s noisy,” Miles felt the need to explain to me.
I kissed the top of Henry’s head. “We will get our shouts out outside, won’t we?”
Henry nodded his head against me.
Miles gave me a grateful smile before leading the way.
I was beginning to see how unprepared Miles was to raise a child. I could see why his sister thought it was important for him to care about someone else besides himself. I believed men in general were selfish by nature. Not to say they were that way on purpose, but for some reason, it seemed like women naturally were able to see what needed to be done and they intuitively knew how to nurture. For men, in my unfortunate experience, it was something they had to learn, and many of them chose not to. There were exceptions. Sawyer, for one, made Emma’s needs a priority. He could even anticipate her wants and needs before she expressed them. My father was another good example, but Mom said it took years for him to get that way. That’s how I saw Brad. He was becoming less selfish since Elliott was born.
I hoped Miles would allow Henry to change him.
I stopped in my tracks when we got to the nursery. The walls came alive with a scene of dancing trees, perched owls watching over the children, and an enchanted forest in the depths beyond. I even spied a tiny boat full of red-tailed foxes floating down a winding river.
Henry wriggled out of my arms and took Chloe’s hand to show her his collection of books and his wooden train set displayed on a large wood table. He showed Chloe how to push the train and make choo choo noises, and was delighted when Chloe mimicked him. His giggle was intoxicating.
Miles spoke, drawing my attention back to him. He kept his distance with his hands in his pockets. An unspoken uneasiness lingered between us. Maybe he was embarrassed for sharing so much about his family. Or perhaps he regretted telling me that he found me fetching.
“Do you think Chloe could watch Henry for a few minutes while I speak to you in my office?”
I didn’t think that would be an issue other than I feared to be alone with him. He made all my dormant senses flicker back on—like he pushed the power button on an old computer and my operating systems were slowly but surely coming back online. My brain was trying desperately to manually override the system. I didn’t have any use for flutters and raised pulses. I certainly didn’t need the longing for slow kisses. I had forgotten how much I missed them. I needed it to stay that way, but every time I looked at Miles, I found myself aching for warm lips—his lips.
No. No. I couldn’t afford to think like that. I wouldn’t think it.
“Sure,” I stammered, trying to get thoughts of kissing Miles out of my head. “Chloe, would you mind playing with Henry for a bit?”
She looked up from the train wreck Henry just initiated and grinned. “Nope.”
“Thank you, we won’t be long,” Miles added.
I followed Miles out the door and down the hall, taking note of all the black and white photographs of London that graced the walls. “Are these yours?” I asked.
Miles stopped and admired one of the River Thames. “They are. My friend took these and gifted them to me before I left.”
Friend? Was this a woman friend? “Sounds like a good friend.”
He rubbed his lips together. “She can be when she chooses.”
So it was a she. I got the feeling there was more to the story, but I didn’t ask. I was determined to not only keep our relationship all business, but I meant to keep him at arms-length, just like every other man in existence.
He gave the picture one more good look and sighed absentmindedly. “Shall we head to my office?”
I nodded and followed, but not before catching the signature—PW with a heart around it in the corner of all the photos. Interesting.
Miles pointed out his bedroom, guest room, and gym on the way to his office that honestly blew me away. The entire back wall was a window with the most gorgeous view of the nearby meadow. Not to take anything away from the beautiful landscape, but it had nothing on the large free-standing white board filled with the outline of his book. I tried not to stare, but Isabella’s name and her being held captive jumped out at me. I knew it.
&nbs
p; Miles flipped the whiteboard around. “Sorry, I’m not ready to share her story with anyone yet. And I’ll need you to sign an NDA before I do.”
I found it intriguing that he called it her story. It sounded almost as if he were talking about a loved one. “Of course.” I turned my gaze back to the window. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Not to worry. I shouldn’t have been so careless. I’m not used to sharing my space.”
My head drifted in his direction. He was laying out what I assumed was my contract on his desk. “Are you sure you want Chloe and me living here?”
He set the papers down and, instead of looking directly at me, his eyes roved down the length of me. I looked down at my long sleeve tunic and leggings wondering if maybe I’d dripped food on them. I would have hoped my daughter would have mentioned that. I didn’t see any stains. So why was he staring at me so intensely? And why wasn’t he answering my question?
“Aspen,” he did that name whispering thing again that made my senses go into overload. “I . . .” he looked between me and the contract and back to me again. He clenched his fists and inhaled and exhaled enough to make his shoulders rise and fall. “The answer to your question is yes, Henry needs you.” He sounded determined. But he asked me in return, “Are you having second thoughts?” Did he want me to say yes? I swore his eyes were half pleading with me to say exactly that while the other half begged me not to change my mind.
My thoughts, as always, turned to Chloe and what this job meant for her. It didn’t matter that I would have to bury deep any stirrings for Miles I might have. Or that for the first time in several years I could picture myself searching for the key to unlock the bolt on the door to my heart. Once again, the key would remain safely hidden.
“No.” No second thoughts here.
Chapter Eight
I was getting a lot of strange stares from my coworkers—my soon-to-be ex-coworkers—when I walked into the bank Monday morning, late, with the cutest three-year-old boy dressed in shorts. I really needed to talk to Miles about getting this little man some pants. I didn’t see any in his drawers when I got him ready. The autumn days and nights could get downright cold here. It could even snow. But then again, it was Colorado, so there could be days where it was warm enough to swim outside. You just never knew.
My Not So Wicked Boss (My Not So Wicked Series Book 3) Page 6