The Trust of a Billionaire

by Michelle Pennington

  “Amazingly, no.”

  Hannah had just taken a bite of her granola when her phone rang, vibrating on the counter. She swallowed quickly when she saw it was Tonia and answered. “You got something for me?”

  “Oh brother, do I. And it’s not a one-day thing. Some rich guy wants to hire a nanny for his six-year old daughter. You need to report over at the Seascape resort a.s.a.p.—and I do mean now. They want you there by eight o’clock. Ask for Brenda Maxwell.”

  Hannah looked at the clock and gasped. She had less than fifteen minutes to get over there. “I’m on my way.” She grabbed a pen and wrote the name on the inside of her left arm.

  It couldn’t be Carter, could it? No way was he old enough to have a six-year old. Then another thought occured to her. Was he married? Why hadn’t she looked for a ring?

  “Ugh! What is wrong with me?”

  “What?” Brant asked as he filched an apple from her fruit bowl.

  “I’m just an idiot, that’s all. Look, I’ve got a job and I have like two minutes to get ready so you need to shove off.”

  “So do I get the apartment?”

  Hannah was already half-way to her bedroom. “Better the devil you know, I guess. And I just told you I was dumber than a stump.”

  Running across the beach in the wind a few minutes later did nothing for her hair. She’d carried her sandals in her hand and stopped to wash the sand off her feet in the shallow end of one of Carter’s pools. Chuckling softly at her audacity, she strapped her leather sandals on her wet feet and went into the cool interior of the resort.

  She looked around in awe at the lobby that looked like a lush tropical oasis with towering live palm trees and lush ferns and plants. The ceiling height went all the way to the top floor, so she got dizzy looking up. Looking around through all the lush greenery, fancy furniture, and waterfall features, she finally found the reception desk. Hurrying over, she said, “I’m here for an appointment with…” She paused to look at the name written on her arm, “Brenda Maxwell.”

  The guy behind the counter nodded and picked up the house phone. Hannah wandered off and sat in a chair to wait. It was amazing how cool this place was with so much open space to keep air-conditioned. Thinking about what the electric bill must be staggered her. Before she could reflect further on how much money Carter must be laying out to get this place going, an older woman in a business suit came out of the elevator and approached her. She had a warm smile and a motherly figure, which put Hannah immediately at ease.

  “Miss Rhodes?”

  Standing, Hannah nodded and held out her hand. “Yes. Mrs. Maxwell?”

  “Yes dear. Come with me, please.”

  She took her up to the second floor, down a long hall and into a spacious office. “You can have a seat. I’ve spoken with the agency you currently work for and got a glowing recommendation. Also, your background check, references, and experience were all on file, so the only thing we need now is Mr. Ellis’s approval. He’ll be here in just a moment.”

  Hannah’s thoughts scattered like dandelion seeds in the breeze. It was Carter. Well, that was likely it for her. No way was he going to hire her once he saw who she was.

  She sat in her chair, trying to be her brave, confident self. But part of her kept trying to figure out the conundrum of the age of his daughter and why he’d been flirting with her on the beach this morning if he was married. Which were stupid things to be wondering about when the only thing that mattered was whether or not she could get a such a cushy summer job.

  She heard the door open behind her and willed herself not to turn around and gape at Carter when she heard his footsteps coming toward her.

  “Hello,” he said, from behind her. “Miss Rhodes, right?”

  Taking a deep breath, Hannah stood and faced him. His mouth fell open, his hand hanging extended in the air to shake hers. He collected himself quickly. “If it isn’t the sea witch.”

  She was glad for his teasing. It put her on her mettle. “Good morning, sand stealer. Nice to see you again.”

  Chapter Five

  Carter quirked an eyebrow when the woman from the beach, Ms. Rhodes, called him sand stealer. He’d have to think about that one—but later when he had time for trivialities. Right now, looking at her wind-blown hair, profusion of hippie jewelry, and sun-kissed complexion, he faced a conundrum.

  Every nerve and chemical response in his body responded positively and enthusiastically to her, but there was absolutely no way he could hire this woman as a nanny. His mother would laugh in his face and then force her way back into her self-appointed position as the only appropriate person to parent Addi.

  Trying to buy time, he glanced back at the information Brenda had given him. Hannah. Her name was Hannah. Seeing her first name plucked at something in his chest and felt oddly satisfying. He kept reading.

  “You have a master’s in Early Childhood Education?” he asked, shocked. He looked her over again.

  Hannah narrowed her eyes, apparently insulted by the note of surprise in his voice. “Yes. If you’ll notice, I’m an elementary art teacher. I just finished my second year.”

  “Art teacher? Well that makes more sense.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Nothing.” He read further down and saw that she was twenty-four, had been working for Sand Dollar Babysitting Services for five years. The service was the most highly rated service in the area, which he knew because they would be one of two that the resort would recommend to guests. According to the owner, Hannah was one of their most popular sitters. Which was just great. There was no way he could reject her based on anything legitimate. He couldn’t possibly tell her that his only objection to her was what his mom would think of her appearance.

  Clearing his dry throat, he said, “I appreciate you coming in this morning—”

  Before he could continue, the door opened behind him and he turned to see who had come in. Of course, because the universe was determined to make this a holy nightmare, it was his mom.

  “I heard you are interviewing a nanny,” she said, waltzing over as if in no doubt that she was supposed to be there. She stood next to him in a cloud of designer perfume and studied Hannah. Worried, he looked at Hannah, and to his surprise, saw that Hannah was doing the same to his mom. Each of the women stood strong in their own confidence, unabashedly taking stock of each other. But where Hannah was merely curious, his mom looked like she was looking at a spider—a lowly and potentially dangerous pest that needed to be squashed.

  “Ms. Rhodes, this is my mother, Deanna Ellis.”

  Hannah stuck out her hand. “How d’you do?” Her tone was sweetly polite, like honey with her accent coming out stronger with the phrase.

  His mom reached out, barely grasping the end of her fingers for a few seconds, as if afraid of germs. Carter clenched his teeth. “She’s got great qualifications,” he said, holding out the report from the babysitting service.

  She didn’t take it though, just started shaking her head. “Oh dear. This is why I wanted to bring someone with me. I’ve already contacted an au pair from New York. She can be here by Friday.” She turned back to Hannah. “I’m sorry—but thank you for coming.”

  Appalled, Carter saw Hannah’s right eyebrow inch up as her expression tightened. His own jaw was as tight as a loaded spring. He’d had enough. “This isn’t your decision. I’ve already decided to hire Ms. Rhodes, and that’s final. Brenda, please see to the paperwork. Mom, come with me please.”

  Grasping his mom firmly by the elbow, he pulled her into his private office. What he wanted to say to her was better said in private. After shutting the door, he crossed his arms and stared her down. She was a short woman with skin that was still smooth, with only a few lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth. The expression on her face showed barely restrained anger and a great deal of stubborn determination. In the business world, he could make deals, negotiate terms, and get his way with the most hardened personalities; his mother was anoth
er matter entirely.

  “I’d like to make one thing very clear. I am Addi’s parent, not you.”

  “Addilynn.”

  “Precisely my point. You are going back to Colorado today. If you want someone to boss around, you can busy yourself with you clubs and charities, but you are going to give Addi and me a break. I appreciate all you’ve done for us in the past more than I can say, but I’m in a different place than I was six years ago. It’s time for you to let go. Please don’t make this more difficult than it already is.”

  After a long silence, heavy with meaning, his mom said, “Fine. But you’re making a mistake with that woman. She’s trouble, mark my words.”

  “You can’t tell that with one look.”

  She tilted her head, frowning heavily. “I’m judging by the way you’re looking at her, not just my own perception. She’s exactly the sort of woman you need to avoid, but you just can’t seem to help yourself.”

  Carter had known all along that she might think exactly this thing, but it just frustrated him more that she was so predictable. Or maybe that he was so predictable. But really, the only experiences she had to go on was his ex-wife and a few of his girlfriends in high school—and his bad choices then had been a form of rebellion. Since his divorce, he’d barely dated. The few women he’d gone out with had been women his mother had either introduced him to or that he knew would win her approval. He’d never had more than a passing interest in any of those snobby, manicured princesses.

  “Mom, I’m going to be her boss. It would be extremely unprofessional of me to date her so you can stop worrying about that. She’s young and qualified and comes with glowing recommendations. I don’t care what she looks like as long as she can keep Addi safe, engaged, and happy.”

  She nodded. “I see that you’ve made up your mind. I hope you won’t forbid me from making short visits every now and then. I’ll miss her.”

  Carter’s gut twisted. Even though she was maddeningly opinionated and controlling, he knew she really loved Addi. “Of course you can visit. Just give her a little while to settle in with the new nanny, okay?”

  When she agreed, he opened the door and motioned for her to precede him. As they walked back out into the main office, his mother walked past Hannah without looking at her, but what really surprised him was that Hannah didn’t look at her either. Instead, she stood up from one of the office chairs and nailed him with such a direct glare, he stopped in his tracks. “Yes?”

  “I’m waiting to continue our discussion.”

  “Oh? Is there more to talk about?”

  Hannah glanced back over her shoulder, as if looking to ensure his mom was out of the room. “Plenty. I understand that you had personal issues to take care of, but that doesn’t change the fact that I have not yet agreed to take the job.”

  He took in her squared shoulders and the determined tilt to her chin. If he didn’t want to lose his victory with his mother, he needed to convince her to stay. He wouldn’t be surprised if she had guessed his previous reluctance, but of course she would have no way to understand what lay behind it. He motioned toward his office. “Please come in and we’ll talk things through.”

  As she walked past him, she stirred the stale, air-conditioned air with the scent of ocean water and sunshine. As he followed her in, he realized that it made him long for more free time to enjoy the gorgeous setting instead being stuck in meetings all day. The way she made him want things he couldn’t have was dangerous.

  She sat in one of the leather chairs in front of his gleaming mahogany desk. He went around, glancing out at the brilliant blue ocean out the window with an inward pang of longing, then sat down across from her. “Okay, Ms. Rhodes. What are your concerns? I’d love the chance to overcome them.”

  “I’d like to know what hours I’d be working.”

  He rubbed his chin, considering what might be acceptable to her and still meet his needs. “I’d like to spend as much time as I can with my daughter. It’s important to me to improve our relationship and be more involved with her. But I’m also a very busy man. Ideally, I’d like to have someone prepared to watch her, say, 60 hours a week on a flexible schedule.”

  “Sixty hours!”

  “Is that too much? You’d be paid overtime.”

  He saw that this made her grow thoughtful. She bit her bottom lip as she considered this. “I would need a day off every week.”

  “Not a problem. I need to take a day off myself. What else?”

  “This is different than babysitting where I only have the children for a few hours. Will I be allowed to take her places to entertain her, like the beach or the aquarium or the library?”

  “Absolutely. You may even have use of my driver.”

  “What about expenses?”

  “I’ll give you a credit card to use. Brenda will be able to track expenditures in real time, so there should be no concerns with that.”

  “That’s more than agreeable to me. Are there any concerns you have about your daughter that I should know about?”

  Carter turned his chair to face the window, looking out at the view as he considered her question. He appreciated that she wanted to know. Now, if only he could figure out how to tell her. “No allergies or anything like that. But there is something. She’s become subdued and too mature for her age. I know it’s my fault, or at least, I’ve allowed it to happen. Hopefully it’s not too late to repair the damage of so many years of being pampered and given the best of everything. I want her to be happy, but so much of the time, she’s not.” He turned back to face her. He tried to smile, but it went awry and felt more like a grimace. “I don’t know if that’s anything you can help with, but if you could, I would be grateful.”

  She nodded and her whole expression softened. “Give me some time to get to know her and I’ll let you know what I think. It’s wonderful that you care enough to try. Believe me, in my experience, many parents don’t even realize their kids are spoiled, so you are already doing something right.”

  His heart warmed to her on a different level. “Thank you. I’d do anything for her. It’s just hard to know what’s best.”

  Hannah stood and shrugged. “Honestly, the best thing you can do is spend time with her. So, if you really want to see her make progress, you’ll figure out how to do as much of that as possible.”

  When she turned to open the door, he jumped out of his chair and walked around his desk. “Will you accept the position?”

  “Of course. I desperately need the money. I’ll go do that paperwork now, and then maybe you can introduce me to your daughter.”

  As she walked over to Brenda’s desk, he couldn’t help but wonder about her financial issues. Their relationship, which now must be strictly professional, was not such that he could inquire further. He turned back into his office with a nudging feeling of concern in his gut. And more than a little curiosity.

  Chapter Six

  Thirty minutes after Hannah agreed to take the job, Carter took her up the elevator to his condo. The elevator ride to the top floor made her dizzy when she looked down through the glass wall, so she quickly turned her back to it. To her annoyance, he was watching and a faint smile turned up the corners of his mouth as if it amused him. When the doors slid open, he led her to one of the only doors in sight. His condo must be huge. Pausing at the door, he gave her the code to open the door.

  “If you happen to forget it, just call Brenda.”

  Hannah took a pen out of her bag and wrote the number on the inside of her wrist. When she dropped the pen back in her bag, she saw that Carter was watching her with an astonished expression on his face.

  “Most people would just put it in their phone.”

  She chuckled. “I’m not most people.” She stepped past him into the living room, looking around her.

  “No arguing with that,” he murmured behind her.

  Hannah glanced back at him over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow, but she chose not to take offense at it. She was pro
ud of the fact that she was her own person. Even if it meant maddeningly attractive men didn’t know how to take her.

  She moved through the space, taking in the masculine, understated decor with its white tile, coastal color scheme and dark woods. One thing was for sure—she didn’t need to give up her house so this guy could make more money. She found it splendidly ironic that not having the money to pay her insurance was the one thing that might convince her to sell, but with what he’d be paying her, that was no longer a problem.

  But as she focused more, she realized that though it looked like something out of a magazine, there were no signs a child lived there too. There were no stray shoes or toys anywhere, not a throw pillow out of place, or art projects displayed on the fridge. In fact, the only art in the place was a giant painting over the couch.

  She walked over to get a closer look at the huge canvas. At least it was good art—an abstract rendering of the ocean at sunset with an explosion of turbulent colors. With its thick paint and luminous glow, it was almost alive with chaos and emotion. She searched for the artist’s signature, and when she found it, she didn’t recognize it.

  Turning to Carter with inquiring eyes, she asked, “Did your designer choose this or did you?”

  A flicker of pride sparked in his eyes. “I did. I bought it from an artist in Hawaii.” He paused a moment. “As soon as I saw it, I had to have it.”

  Interesting. She hadn’t pegged him for someone who liked such unabashed wildness. “You have good taste.”

  “Coming from an artist, that’s a great compliment. At least, I assume you’re an artist.”

  Hannah turned away so he wouldn’t see her blush. “Yes. I am.” Why did her soul writhe at her temerity? She was an artist, dang it.

  Carter’s feet shifted on the tile. “I’ll get Addi.”

  A minute later, he came back into the room followed by a pale girl with blond curly hair and deep blue, almost grey eyes. She was thin and moved like a prim matron instead of with the fluid bounciness of most children she knew.