by Rachel Cross
“Can I take you, Ella?” Maddy asked.
The child studied her, expression serious, then nodded.
“Justin, she’ll direct me to the bus stop, and I’ll come back and help.”
“Great. Can I get you coffee? Tea?” he asked.
“No, I’m good.”
Justin disappeared and Maddy turned to Ella.
“How’re you doing?”
The little girl shrugged.
“You miss your mom?”
“Uh huh.”
Maddy put her arm around the child and gave her a squeeze. “I understand. My daddy died when I was little. I missed him a lot.”
“Your daddy died?”
“Yep. But my mom told me I could talk to him anytime I wanted, and he’d always be listening and watching out for me.”
“He is?”
“Yes. The same way your mom is listening and watching over you.”
Ella leaned back to stare at Maddy. “Is she?” she breathed, looking around the foyer.
“She is,” Maddy whispered. “And she’s sending all her love to you, too.”
“All of it? How come Uncle Asher and Grandpa didn’t tell me?” she whispered back, scandalized.
“Hmmm. I don’t know.”
The child considered her, suspicion warring with hope. “Can she talk to me?”
Maddy shook her head. “No. My dad wasn’t able to talk to me either. But even though he didn’t talk to me and he couldn’t ever come back, I know he listens when I talk to him.”
The child nodded wide-eyed and settled against her. “Are you going to take care of me?”
Maddy’s heart flipped over. “Your Uncle Asher takes care of you, sweetie.”
“Can you stay with me?”
“I’ll be here for a bit. Should we get your things together to walk to the bus?”
Ella nodded and put her little hand in Maddy’s.
• • •
Justin was a gem, a master of efficiency with a quick mind who was receiving updates from the three most reputable nanny agencies in LA.
“So, this has to be a live-in position?” she asked.
“Definitely.”
“Why?”
Justin gave her a look, brows arched over the tops of his sunglasses. They were sitting in the shade by the pool, laptops on the patio table. “You do know what he does, right? The rock thing?”
“Yeah. So, odd hours?”
“Yep.”
“Why don’t you? Seems like plenty of room.”
“I have. When I was between boyfriends.” He shrugged. “But I’ve been living with Scott for a few years now and we have a home together.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you were serious about someone. That makes sense.”
“Besides, much as I love Asher,” he glanced from the computer screen to her, “love him like a brother, not an employer, I don’t want the job to consume my life. I’ll help as much as I can, but I don’t know anything about kids, Maddy. I’m as useless as Asher.”
Maddy laughed. “Not so useless. Ella likes you.”
He flashed her a grin, exposing absurdly perfect teeth. “She’s a great kid.” The smile vanished. “Listen, I don’t talk about Asher with people ‘cause he likes his privacy, you know? He has that rock star persona you’ve probably seen by now — the charm, the arrogance. But underneath all of the shtick there’s a great guy. A wicked smart, loyal guy. The thing is … ” Justin shifted in his chair.
Maddy cocked her head. “What?”
He sighed. “You seem like a down-to-earth person, but Asher can be very … engaging.”
Maddy leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Believe me, Justin, you don’t need to warn me about the Asher Lowes of the world.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t care if you’re a man or woman, straight or gay, when Asher Lowe turns on the charm, it’s compelling.”
Maddy gave a short laugh. “Not interested. You don’t need to warn me away from a forty-year-old playboy rock star born with a silver spoon in his mouth.”
Justin said, “But that’s just it, Maddy, he’s a lot more than that.”
“Whatever. Not interested.” She resumed her search of job applicants.
Maddy hadn’t had particularly good luck with relationships, and Asher Lowe was more like a different species than a man. Between work and school, she didn’t have time for much of a dating life. Two casual relationships shortly after landing on the West Coast was all she’d managed. The only lasting relationship she’d had was with Trey, her college boyfriend. They’d been inseparable for most of two years. Hell, she’d loved him, but after what happened, she’d learned to be more careful with her heart. There had been a series of guys since college but the relationships were strictly for fun. They ran their course and ended painlessly.
By noon, they had identified four good candidates and went about setting up interviews.
“Asher insists on meeting them.”
“Fine. After we’ve vetted them, he can meet them.”
Justin shook his head. “Nope. He won’t go for that, but he did say he’d make himself available.”
“You said earlier he’s rarely up before noon, and out of the house most of the day.”
Justin let out a sigh. “Let’s set them up back to back starting at eleven thirty. I’ll make sure he’s available.”
• • •
At eleven-thirty the next morning, the first candidate arrived. She was an athletic blond in yoga pants, the outline of a red running bra visible through her yellow flowered top. Attractive and vivacious, she had a degree in early childhood development and rave recommendations from previous employers. Maddy smiled at Justin. This girl would make an excellent nanny. Maddy seated her on the far side of the room with some paperwork.
She sidled up to Justin. “Perfect right? This one just oozes spunk.”
He gave her funny look. A moment later, Asher strode into the living room, clad in snug, faded Levi’s, and a tight, sleeveless Guns N Roses cutoff t-shirt that revealed tattooed biceps. Sunglasses and black combat boots completed the outfit.
It was all Maddy could do not to gawk. He looked rested and … hot. The quintessential rock god in that getup.
Asher crossed the room, gave the girl a wicked half-grin and took her hand in both of his. He drew her in, leaning close — too close — in a clear invasion of the girl’s personal space. But she didn’t draw away. Instead, she leaned in and her nostrils flared as she stared wide-eyed, cheeks a mottled red.
Good God. Was she … was the girl sniffing him? Maddy recoiled.
“Hi, Krista, Asher Lowe,” he rumbled.
Maddy perched on the edge of the ottoman, frozen with horror as Asher poured charm like syrup all over her; the girl was completely star-struck. A quick glance at Justin showed he was having difficulty keeping a straight face.
Within fifteen minutes, Asher was escorting the girl from the room, and he was on the receiving end of a litany of her favorite Spade songs and live shows.
Asher glared over his shoulder at Maddy.
Maddy leaned back, mouth agape.
Justin couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“That was disgusting,” she said.
Justin rubbed a hand over his face. “I’ll admit that was particularly bad. Are you starting to get some inkling of why this is so hard?”
“Is that what it’s been like?”
“Pretty much. I tried to warn you.”
“I don’t get it, she seemed like a reasonable person. I mean, he’s not all that.”
“Apparently he is … to some. Thankfully, not to you.”
“Is it th
e charm or the celebrity or the money? What?”
“Dunno. But we’ve had a number of interviews end that way.”
Maddy pretended to shudder.
“What about an older woman?” she asked.
“We’ve interviewed one but Asher thinks it should be someone young and energetic like Ella’s mom.”
“Men?”
“There aren’t as many. We figured with so many men in Ella’s life, she could benefit from being around a woman, and the therapist agreed.”
Maddy pulled out her list. “Married women?”
“Unlikely to want to live in.”
“Right. A lesbian?” she joked.
“I don’t think that should be asked in the employment process,” Justin said seriously.
“No, you’re right, I was … never mind.”
“Maddy, you seem immune. You should take the job.”
She made a face.
Asher strode back in and slammed the door, his jaw set, sunglasses no longer in evidence.
Maddy raised her eyebrows at Justin. Yeah. Charm personified. Asher turned to Maddy and opened his mouth to speak.
She held up a hand. “Okay, okay,” she said. “I begin to see the magnitude of the problem. Give us another chance. We have a couple of potentials — ”
“Just so you understand, I want someone who is one hundred and twenty percent about Ella. I don’t want someone who gives,” Asher snapped his fingers, “that for me.”
By the end of the week, Maddy was forced to admit it was hopeless. People — young women in LA at least — had such a thing about celebrity in general and Asher Lowe in particular. There were a few reasonable candidates, women who didn’t get sucked into the whirlpool of his attentions. In fact, a couple of women were downright disdainful. But by mid-week, Maddy was finding flaws in most of those candidates as well. Ridiculous flaws. Flaws that made Justin grin. The real trouble was, after spending most of the week at the house, walking Ella to and from the bus stop and hanging out with the child before leaving each day, Maddy was coming to the uncomfortable conclusion that she was falling in love.
With Ella.
She wanted to care for Ella. And she was growing more concerned about Asher’s ability and willingness to be a true guardian to the child by the day. He hadn’t adapted his schedule to hers, and he was hopeless as a disciplinarian. She was no expert, but after years of helping her mom with the daycare not to mention all the student teaching, she had an understanding of the basics: sleep, food, and discipline.
It was increasingly obvious that Asher didn’t want to discipline Maddy about anything because he pitied her.
On Friday, she told Justin she would take the job.
“That’s awesome, Maddy. I’ll get the employment contract together. There’s the usual stuff and then there’s the celebrity specific stuff — you’ll have to sign a confidentiality agreement. Asher has already taken care of the background — ”
“Excuse me?”
He shifted in his chair and couldn’t meet her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry, I spoke out of turn. Never mind.”
Maddy stared at Justin, who was looking anywhere but at her. “My God. He had me investigated?”
“Maddy, it’s standard in this business. Granted, it usually happens after an offer is extended, but Asher had a feeling about you from the first time you met.”
“He hired someone to check into my background?”
“Well, yeah. Honestly Maddy, the Lowes can’t be too careful. You know who Asher’s father is, and Spade, well … ”
It felt wrong. Really wrong. “Is that even legal?”
“Well, yeah, I’m assuming he just ran a standard background check. You’d be surprised how much information is out there, if you have the right person — ” He caught sight of the expression on her face.
Her stomach churned. What a violation. What did he know about her and her life? The abysmal state of her finances? Hospitalizations? Drunken table dancing in Mazatlan years ago during spring break? Her sex life?
“Listen, Maddy, they all do it — at this level. This is the world they live in,” he shrugged, “and it’s a weird one. Especially for someone from a small town. Hell, I’m from a small town. I remember how shocked I was when I first started out in this business working with these people. But you have to understand, with the kind of money Asher has, add in his father’s fortune … well, there are lots of shady characters out there. And this is his niece we’re talking about. The child of the person he loved most in the world. He can’t be too careful.”
Maddy pressed her lips together but finally nodded.
“So you have health insurance currently, right?”
“Yeah, that’s why I have to work fulltime as a barista and only go to grad school part-time.”
“Is it painful? It looks painful,” he said, staring at a spot just above her swollen hands.
“Sometimes.” All the time. “But it doesn’t hold me back.”
• • •
A week later, Maddy sat on a barstool in Asher’s kitchen finishing her cereal with raspberries. Fresh raspberries. What a luxury. It wasn’t even raspberry season — at least in this part of the world. Rinsing her dish, she placed it in the dishwasher and headed into the hallway. The phone in her pocket rang and she plucked it out. Confused, she stared at the face. A blocked number.
She answered cautiously. “Hello?”
“Madeline Anderson?”
“Speaking.”
“This is Sterling Lowe.”
Maddy froze.
“I’m Ella’s grandfather.”
“Yeah, I know who you are.”
“Good. I have some things to discuss with you.”
Maddy knew a bad situation when it came calling. Justin had explained the custody issue. Talking to Sterling Lowe could only get her into trouble. “I don’t think — ”
“Don’t think, listen.”
Maddy’s frown deepened into a scowl. Asshole.
“I’m sure Asher has explained the situation with the custody?”
Maddy mentally counted to ten to remove the temptation to speak.
The man grunted. “I want you to help me get custody.”
Her stomach churned. “I don’t want to be in the middle of this. I’m just the hired help — ”
“I understand,” he said, apparently taking a new tack, his tone became soothing. “But Asher is not a good guardian for my granddaughter. I’m sure you can see that already.”
Anger burned, mixing with the cold, hard knot in the pit of her stomach.
“Well, no, Mr. Lowe, I don’t see that. I’ve only been here a few days. I’m here to help Asher figure stuff out with Ella, and he pays me a good wage. If you have issues, you take them up with him.”
“Well m’dear, if I could do that I wouldn’t need you. I want what’s best for Ella. And if you don’t now, you will.”
“Mr. Lowe, I refuse to be dragged — ”
The man’s tone hardened. “Tough. You are. If you help me, I’ll pay you well.”
Maddy clenched her fist. “No. Goodbye, Mr. Lowe.”
“I’ll foreclose on your mother’s house.”
What?
The pit at the bottom of her stomach swallowed her up, and her jaw dropped. “What did you say?” she whispered.
“Your mother. She’s been unable to refinance — something about a bankruptcy in the past.”
Maddy stopped pacing and dropped onto the couch cushion.
My God. Bankruptcy?
She knew her mom had struggled to pay years of Maddy’s medical bills, but bankruptcy?
The silence lengthened.
He made a tsk
ing sound. “You didn’t know? She’s been getting further and further behind since she wasn’t able to qualify for a good rate. Something about a home equity loan for improvements years ago. And her credit score is abysmal. Bankruptcy tends to do that.”
“She’s … she’s going to lose the house?”
“The house, her livelihood. I understand she runs a childcare in her home?”
Maddy stared into space, her eyes filling with tears.
He made another sound into the phone. In someone less ruthless, it might have been pity.
“The bank can take the house any day.”
“What … what can I do?”
“Have you got twenty-three thousand dollars?”
She put a hand to her throat. “No,” she said, almost inaudibly.
“Not a problem. I’ll prevent the foreclosure — hell, I’ll pay off the house.”
Maddy put a trembling hand to her eyes. This was her fault. And now her mom was going to lose her income. In that tiny town where there were hardly any jobs. “I … I … can’t … ”
He sighed. “Here’s the thing, Maddy. I want what’s best for Ella. Period. Not what’s best for me. Not what’s best for Asher. I don’t like threatening you like this, I really don’t. Even for me, it’s a bit heavy-handed. But I need to know Ella is getting the best care, the most love and attention possible. She’d get that from me. She won’t get it from Asher, trust me.”
A sob escaped her. She covered her mouth with her hand.
“He’s not a bad guy.” His tone was soothing. “But he’s not equipped for this. He’s at the wrong stage in life to do what it takes to raise a five-year-old child, even if he wanted to. I’m not asking you to do anything immoral. You won’t need to make stuff up. Just keep records of what makes him unfit and testify to that when the time comes.”
Maddy gritted her teeth, holding in another sob.
His voice hardened. “Do we have a deal?”
Twenty-three thousand dollars? Her mom with no home, no way to run the daycare? Asher was paying her well, but if the foreclosure was imminent …
“But what if he’s capable? What if he is fit?” But he wasn’t, not by a long shot. Maddy had been living here a week, and Asher exhibited little interest in Ella. Asher’s ambivalence was so disturbing, she’d planned to speak to the child’s therapist about it.