by Susan Meier
“Excuse me.” She walked over to the doorman. “I’m Danny Manelli’s new nanny.”
“Oh.” He smiled. “He told me he’d hired a nanny when he arrived home tonight.” He glanced at a sheet of paper on his desk. “You must be Marnie Olsen.”
“Yes.” To prove her legitimacy, she showed him her ID. “But I don’t see an elevator to get to the penthouse.”
The doorman laughed and came from behind the desk. “This way.”
He led her around a corner to what looked like an ordinary wood-paneled wall. He pressed a button that Marnie hadn’t even seen, and the wall opened.
She gaped at it, her chest tightening as it began to sink in that this was no ordinary building. But she reminded herself she was here on a scouting mission. If anything went sideways or looked like it might cause someone to check into her past, she could quit. The agency would have someone at Danny Manelli’s penthouse an hour after she left.
But she wasn’t going to be a wimp about this. This job was phase two of her plan. Phase one had been get her degree. Phase two was save money while she learned everything she could, so she could start her own nanny service. She had to check this out.
Still, taking another glance at the upscale surroundings, a building more elegant than the homes of her usual clients, something inside her brain said, “Run.”
She ruthlessly stomped it out. So Danny Manelli was rich? Maybe even a billionaire? Lots of them led perfectly normal lives. And the paparazzi didn’t stalk them like everyone believed. No one had ever been interested in her dad. Just because someone was wealthy, it didn’t mean they were a target. Paparazzi liked the crazy people, the ostentatious, the billionaires who put themselves out on social media doing ridiculous things.
True, Mark Hinton was out-there, but Danny, her actual boss, was a sedate lawyer. Clearly a successful one, but not someone who’d raise the media’s eyebrows. Just like all her other employers. A new nanny wouldn’t even be a blip on anyone’s radar. Plus, she’d searched social media to ensure her name didn’t come up.
If tonight and tomorrow went okay, she’d be fine. And firmly in phase two of her plan. Firmly in control of her life.
After the doorman punched in the code, she stepped into the elevator, and the little car shot off like a rocket.
The ride to the top floor took mere seconds. The door opened and Marnie gaped. The huge open-plan floor space was decorated with ultramodern furniture and displayed a panoramic view of Manhattan through the back wall of glass. It was so spectacular her breath shimmied.
Warning bells went off in her head. The little voice that said, “Run,” returned full force. People who lived in places like this weren’t normal. Even if they tried to be normal, how could they be? If anyone other than Mark Hinton had been lost at sea, he might have been declared dead, but it wouldn’t have made the national news. And the three heirs, finally found, wouldn’t have become overnight celebrities.
This job was too risky.
She reached to punch the down button on the elevator, but before her finger hit, the cries of a toddler pierced the air.
A sense of duty stopped her hand midair.
She waited a second, and when the cries continued, she exited the elevator and almost stepped on the puppy.
She dropped the duffel bag containing all her necessities and stooped to brush her hand along his back. “Oh my goodness. Wiggles! You’re going to have to learn to be more careful around people’s feet.”
The dog barked once.
She glanced around again. Except for Rex’s cries, the place was eerily quiet. Where was Danny Manelli?
She rose, looking around. “Where is everybody?”
He barked again.
The little boy’s sobs got louder as she ventured farther into the penthouse. The white kitchen area had black and gray trellis tiles for a backsplash and marble countertops. A teal toaster and coffeemaker brightened the huge space. But those sort of led the eye to the teal sofa with matching paisley chairs, which sat in front of a baby grand piano that sat in front of the amazing view of Manhattan.
The cries got louder.
“Mr. Manelli?” She eased toward the hall that she assumed led to bedrooms. “Danny?”
Nothing.
Following the sound of the baby’s sobs, she made her way down the corridor until she reached the door where they were the loudest. She turned the knob to find the most luxurious nursery she’d ever seen.
Everything was blue, silver and white. Except the crib, which was cherrywood. Beside the crib was a changing table, where Danny wrestled with a two-year-old and a diaper.
She called, “I’m here,” as she slid the puppy to the floor and entered the room.
Danny glanced over his shoulder at her. “Hey. Sorry about the chaos. I spilled a gallon of milk.”
She winced. “Oh, that’s not good.” The front of his white shirt was soaked. So were the black trousers he’d had on at the office that day. She might not be taking the job, but this guy needed help. She’d tell him after things were settled.
“Okay. How about this? Let me dress Rex while you take off those wet clothes.”
He stepped back. “A milk-soaked shirt is uncomfortable.”
She laughed and walked to the changing table. “Scoot. I’ll handle this. We’ll meet in the kitchen.”
Danny left the nursery and Marnie glanced down at Rex who had quieted once his dad shifted away. Naked, waiting for a fresh diaper, he blinked tear-filled eyes at her.
“Look at all that pretty yellow hair,” she said, passing a hand through the curls. Regret that she wouldn’t get to know him drifted through her. “And blue eyes. You are adorable! You don’t know me, but your daddy hired me to be your nanny,” she said, making short order of the diaper. She wasn’t exactly lying. His dad had hired her. She’d simply not be taking the job. But she wouldn’t leave a single dad in this much trouble.
She looked at the clock. “It’s close to eight,” she said, one hand on the baby, the other opening the closet door to find a dresser. “So, I’m thinking of putting you into pajamas.” Taking a long reach, she found one-piece pj’s in the second drawer. She plucked out a pair and slid the bottoms over his feet and legs.
He stared at her.
Her chest tightened. He was the most beautiful child she’d ever seen. “I must be a real curiosity to you, if you’ve stopped crying.” She slid his arms into the top. “Is there broccoli in my teeth?”
One corner of his mouth kicked up as if he understood.
Her heart swelled. In two minutes with this little boy, she was in love. “I knew you liked me.”
“He does seem to.” Danny’s voice came from behind her and sounded greatly relieved.
Marnie’s helper gene flushed with pride. She couldn’t stay, but she wouldn’t leave someone who clearly needed her.
If he’d spilled enough milk, he needed her.
She finished pulling the top of the one-piece pajamas over Rex’s shoulders and pulled the zipper over his tummy. “I hope you don’t mind. I took the liberty of putting him into pajamas. I assume he’ll get a snack and then be off to bed.”
“Yes.” Danny winced. “I had forgotten his bedtime is between eight and eight-thirty when I asked you to come at eight. I should have said seven.”
“No biggie,” she said cheerfully, as she lifted the little boy from the changing table and settled him on her arm. Once they got Rex into bed, she’d tell Danny she’d changed her mind, remind him that the agency could send over another nanny and be on her way. “We have a half hour or so to get him a snack, brush his teeth and maybe read him a story.”
Danny inched nearer. “He likes stories.” When he got close, Rex reached for him.
Marnie handed him over. “He also likes you.”
Danny planted a kiss on his cheek. “Hard to believe,
since I’m not very good with him yet. But he met me a few months ago. We’ve had lots of visits.”
She remembered him telling her that he hadn’t even known he was a father. Yet, here he was not merely pitching in, but obviously determined to be a good dad. “Babies have an instinct about people. And they are patient. If he likes you, he’ll cut you lots of slack.”
Heading out of the nursery, Danny laughed. “He’d better because he’s stuck with me.”
Marnie followed him out into the hall and back to the open space. Her breath hitched a bit at the luxury of it all. Shiny and expensive, it had clearly been furnished by a decorator. She’d bet her meager savings the abstract paintings on the wall were originals.
“I’m sure he doesn’t consider himself stuck with you. He obviously loves you.”
“Yeah. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow when there’s no milk.”
They walked into the kitchen area and around the corner of the huge center island, and there stood Wiggles, lapping up the milk that had spilled when the thin plastic container split.
She grabbed him. “Oh, we can’t have that!”
“Really? He seems to like it.”
“He’s been alone out here for a good ten minutes. Lord only knows how much he drank. Plus, some dogs are lactose intolerant.” She smiled at Danny. He looked like sex on a spoon wearing black sweatpants and a big T-shirt. She’d thought he was handsome in a white shirt and tie. In the sweatpants and big T-shirt, he was casual, approachable and so sexy her mouth wanted to water.
“Lactose intolerant?”
“Um. Yes.” It took a second to get her bearings. It wasn’t like her to react to a good-looking employer. Fathers of toddlers were almost always young and handsome. And she never cared. But her hormones must believe noticing was okay. Since she wasn’t keeping the job, it didn’t matter how attractive she found him. As soon as everything was cleaned and the baby tucked away, she’d tell him and never see him again.
“But the good news is, you can use this as a test. If Wiggles doesn’t have any digestive problems tonight, you can take it as a sign that he can have milk every once in a while.”
She surveyed the kitchen until she saw Rex’s highchair. “Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll put Rex in his chair with some crackers and a cup of juice. You go to the neighborhood store and get a new gallon of milk while I tackle this mess.”
“That’s generous, but I didn’t hire you to houseclean—”
“No buts. Your son needs milk in the morning, and if we leave this mess too long, trust me, it will smell. This might also be a good time to take the puppy out for his nightly business. I can handle all this while you’re gone.”
“You’re sure?”
For a rich guy, he didn’t seem to treat staff with authority. Still, his uncertainty endeared him to her. Mixed with her attraction, it filled her with warmth.
She ignored it. He was an extremely handsome guy. His dark eyes were clear and looking into them, she felt like she could see the whole way to his soul. If she thought working for a superrich guy could cause her problems, being attracted to her employer would doubly do so. The press would lap it up the way Wiggles lapped up that milk.
She almost groaned at her thoughts. She wasn’t even keeping this job. Stupid to dwell on being attracted to him. Her thoughts had to be running out of control because of proximity. And how sweet he was with his son.
Luckily, he was leaving.
“Yes! I’m fine. Go get the milk.”
Danny put a leash on Wiggles, grabbed his wallet from the center island and headed for the door. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yes!”
“I can send up the doorman.”
She laughed. “To do what? Seriously. I’m fine.”
* * *
In the elevator, Danny let out a long breath. He’d just left his child with a stranger—
A stranger he’d hired as a nanny, who worked for the service used and recommended by his future brother-in-law, Jace MacDonald, owner of one of the premier security companies in the world.
Rex was fine. Danny wasn’t.
He’d always seen himself as competent. Sure, he and Rex had had a few odd moments the times he’d visited, but Danny had plowed through. Yet spilled milk had frozen him.
Because too many things needed to be done simultaneously. But Marnie Olsen had surveyed the situation, made a plan and got them all going in the right direction.
Setting Oswald on the sidewalk so he could trot along, Danny decided that proved he’d made the right choice in hiring her. No. That was an oversimplification. He hadn’t simply made the right choice. Marnie rocked. Smart and strong, with an organized mind and total grasp of what she was doing, she’d easily righted the chaos.
That weird feeling rolled through him again. Part relief that he genuinely believed Marnie Olsen had been the correct choice for nanny, and part warmth.
Delicious warmth. She was personable, competent, easygoing and—
He winced. Pretty. She was so damned pretty.
Plus, thanks to her yoga pants and pink T-shirt, he also knew she had a smoking hot body.
Which was irrelevant. His world was in turmoil and he wasn’t an idiot. He needed someone strong and smart who could handle his crazy life, much more than he needed or even wanted a romance. A woman he’d been intimate with had had his child and never told him. He’d only found out a few months ago. His ability to trust would need time to regroup. Romance was the furthest thing from his mind.
And Marnie Olsen was the nanny he needed. His gut had not been wrong when he hired her. He wouldn’t screw that up by indulging an attraction.
He and Oswald took a side trip to the park for the pup to do his business, then they meandered the few blocks to a small deli, bought milk and headed home. He wouldn’t let himself think about how pretty Marnie was anymore. All that was beside the point. He needed a competent nanny.
Arriving at his penthouse, he found her in the kitchen, sitting on a stool beside the highchair, making his son laugh. The milk had been cleaned up. Rex polished off the last of the juice in his sippy cup.
Calm settled over him. The gut instinct returned. He wanted this calm, needed this calm.
He’d absolutely made the right choice.
“I don’t know what I would have done without your help.” The puppy pranced as far as his leash would allow him, then sat, his chest out, his head regal, and stared at Marnie as if showing her he could be a good boy. “I can’t thank you enough. You have no idea how happy I am you took this job.”
* * *
Guilt stricken, Marnie looked over at Danny Manelli as he unfastened Wiggles’s leash. The dog immediately raced to her, and she picked him up so he could lick her cheeks. Rex giggled with glee.
Oh Lord. Did he have to be so nice?
His son so adorable.
His puppy so sweet?
Plus, this place might be elegant, but Danny and his son were very normal. The job was normal. Add to that that she liked phase two of her plan and the idea of socking away tons of cash so that by the time Rex outgrew her services, she’d have plenty to start her own business.
“As soon as we have Rex settled, I can show you to your quarters.” He pointed to the right. “Your room is back there, next to the guest bath and a laundry area and across from the family room.”
She debated, but all her doubts and fears seemed tiny compared to how much this little family needed her—
How much she wanted this job—
She cleared her throat.
Don’t quit. Be brave. Take the next step. Don’t lose this opportunity over something that’s probably buried.
She took a slow, strong breath. “Thanks. If you don’t mind, I’ll unpack and acclimate a bit tonight so I can handle everything in the morning.”
“Tomo
rrow’s Saturday and I don’t have to go to work. We can run over the important stuff then. Tonight, we’ll tackle the musts. Like, I know you’re probably wondering why your quarters are so far from the nursery, but the baby monitoring system is elaborate and effective.” He laughed. “You’ll know when he cries.”
She smiled. “Great. I’m familiar with most monitoring systems.”
“Good.”
There. See? Easy peasy.
Nothing was going to go wrong. Nothing was going to happen. No boogeyman would jump out of a bush and realize who she was.
She was nobody.
And Danny Manelli was just a rich guy, a simple lawyer. Sure, his dad was out there, but she hadn’t seen his name in the papers in at least a month. No one would care to poke around in the life of his son’s nanny. And even if they did, she hadn’t found anything in her search.
She was fine.
Danny Manelli needed her. Rex needed her.
And she wanted phase two of her life. If anything ever looked like it was going sideways, she could call Shirley at the agency and go back home and be nobody again.
But if things worked out, she’d live in a beautiful home, raise a beautiful little boy and put away enough cash to start over.
She’d never thought of leaving New York, but what if she took her money and went to another city? A place where no one knew her? A place where the chances of running into Roger Martin were so slim, she’d be free?
She suddenly realized that was her goal. Not merely starting her own agency but doing it in another city.
Chicago. Tampa. Dallas.
The possibilities were endless and along with them came freedom. Real freedom.
But to do that she’d need money. And this job provided plenty of it.
CHAPTER FOUR
ONCE REX WAS SETTLED, Danny showed Marnie her quarters, a suite with a sitting room with a big screen television, a bedroom and bathroom. The color scheme revolved around soft sage mixed with cream and gray in the bathroom and bedroom with a darker sage and gray in the sitting room. Rustic hardwood floors with gray and white area rugs pulled it all together.