by Susan Meier
He strolled over to Rex in the highchair. “Yes. Video calling is a good way to stay in touch.”
The smile she gave him sent goose bumps shivering down his arms. Which was nuts. He barely knew her. Plus, he had a million reasons his reactions were wrong. That’s why he was taking Rex and leaving her to herself. The woman had had enough trouble in her life. She didn’t need her boss developing a crush on her.
He took Rex out of the highchair and headed for his room, confusion making him shake his head. The problem was what he felt for her wasn’t a crush. It was a connection. If it was a crush or a simple sexual attraction, he could squelch either one of those. The connection filled him with longing for something important, something real.
But he wasn’t in a place for any of this. After everything that had happened to him, he might never trust again. If Marnie was as good a person as he thought, she deserved better.
CHAPTER FIVE
HE KEPT HIMSELF and Rex busy for the rest of the morning, letting Marnie continue to settle in. She helped with Rex’s lunch, then they took the little boy to the nursery for his nap. Danny stepped back so Marnie could change him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do diaper duty. He was still monitoring Rex’s reactions to her. She might seem perfect, but they were in a probationary period. He couldn’t forget that. He had to get his head in the game.
The little boy giggled as she chatted with him while removing one diaper and putting on another. Danny’s heart lifted. Diaper change complete, she picked up Rex and cuddled him. Danny’s son returned her cuddle, snuggling against her neck and shoulder. She and his son were a good match. And that’s what mattered.
Not some nebulous feeling that kept nudging him to want things with her that weren’t appropriate.
His phone rang. Glad for the distraction, he pulled it from his pocket and groaned when he saw the name on the screen. “I have to take this.”
“That’s fine. I’ll put him down for his nap.”
Danny said, “Great. Thanks.”
Closing the door behind him, he stepped into the hall feeling better. He had no idea why he felt a connection with her except that both of their lives had been weird. He’d never had a nanny before, so sure—maybe he’d let himself go overboard with the chitchat. But he could end that. She was too good with his son for him to ruin it because his thoughts veered off in the wrong direction.
And just in case those crazy suspicions that tiptoed into his brain were valid, not giving in to his attraction would protect him.
He finished his call. When he found her in the kitchen, sitting at the center island, reading Alisha’s notes, he said, “I’ve never employed a nanny before, so I’m not sure how this works. Do we eat lunch together?”
She glanced up and smiled. “Sometimes, I guess. If we have things to discuss.” As he walked into the kitchen area, she said, “In my other assignments, most days I’d grab a sandwich and take it to my room to study. But I got my degree in May.”
“Shirley mentioned that you’d just graduated.”
“It took a boatload of years, because I couldn’t afford to take a full course load most semesters. Anyway, that’s over. Now I move on to phase two of my career path.”
“Phase two?” He looked at her. “I did say I hoped this situation would turn permanent, right?”
She batted a hand. “I won’t be leaving you. My plan is to start my own nanny service, but that’s at least a decade down the road. Maybe two.” She bit her lower lip. “Honestly, the money you’re paying will go a long way to help me reach my dream.”
After tossing a loaf of bread to the counter, he opened the refrigerator door saying, “Ham or turkey?”
“I should say turkey, but I’m in the mood for ham. Mustard too, if you’ve got it.”
“I have everything.” He brought the deli meats to the island, feeling better. They were alone and holding a normal conversation. No weird attraction. No noticing odd things about her. No suspicions.
“Tell me about the business you want to start.”
“It’s going to be a lot like Shirley’s, but I plan to cater to people who want their kids to get a certain experience. I’m starting to map out ways to get music and art into kids’ daily routines.”
“That’s right. You did mention something about that.”
“As Rex gets older, he’ll be exposed to a lot of it.”
“That’s great!” He handed her the plate holding the sandwich he’d made for her. “You think you need to work for me a decade or so to save sufficient cash to get started?”
She nodded.
“Why don’t you borrow some money, or better yet, look for investors?”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You know someone who wants to invest in a nanny service?”
“You’d be surprised what people will invest in.”
“No one I know.”
He slid the plate containing his sandwich to the other side of the island, walked around it and sat on the stool beside her. “Who do you know?”
“That’s just it. No one.”
“Hey, you now work for a fairly well-connected guy. I won’t exactly put out feelers but if someone mentions looking for an investment, I can give your name.”
Her face flushed. “That’s kind of you, but I think I need the years I’ll be spending with your son to hone my idea.”
He could see he’d embarrassed her and remembered how she’d been dumbstruck when she’d seen her dad and even how she’d eagerly chosen her Danish. He backed off. He might have confessed his entire messed up life to her, but he only knew bits and pieces of hers.
For a second that struck him as odd. Lopsided. For as much as it had confused him when she’d told him about her dad, she knew a lot more about him than he knew about her. He fought not to shake his head over his craziness. He got suspicious when she told him about herself, and now he was worried that she knew more about him than he knew about her?
He shrugged off those concerns. He had to stop imagining things that weren’t there. “Okay.”
“Thanks.”
“But just for the heck of it, start looking at the people around you. You could even make note of who comes and goes in my life. You never know when a good investor will pop up.”
“I will.” She picked up the plate holding her sandwich. “I think I’ll go to my room. Maybe call my mom.”
She didn’t look angry or embarrassed, so he forced himself to interpret her retreat as simply a desire to touch base with her mom.
He said, “Sure,” but as she walked down the hall, he called, “Research business plans. That’d be a great way to see what you need to have to entice investors.”
She called back, “I’m not ready for that yet.”
But there was a laugh in her voice. He really didn’t want her to quit the job he’d only given her the day before, but finding investors sometimes took years. Plus, having something impersonal to talk about worked to keep things simple between them, like two friends conversing. If nothing else, thinking of her as a friend was a good idea.
A normal way to treat her.
Neutral.
He didn’t want his Hinton Heir suspicions to cause him to lose a very good nanny, a woman who deserved a good job, a woman who was clearly working hard to make a better life for herself.
* * *
After Rex finished his nap, they gave him a snack and played with him for a few hours before feeding him dinner, playing again and then getting him ready for bed. Once he was in his crib with the monitor on and the sound machine spreading the soft patter of rain through the room, Danny watched TV in the great room and Marnie retreated to her suite.
Sunday went by in pretty much the same way. Monday, he left her alone with Rex while he went to work. Twice, he video called to check on them. Both times he felt like an idiot. Rex giggled and clun
g to her. He even kissed her cheek once.
The first week went by in a gloriously simple fashion. No drama. No more spilled milk. Suspicions gone, he made easy conversation with Marnie over dinner that he had delivered. There was no trauma at bedtime. There were no visits from Mark, who was busy planning his wedding with his fiancée, Penny, Charlotte’s mother. And, finally comfortable, Rex slept through the night.
Marnie took the following Sunday off to visit her mother, sleeping at her mom’s apartment and was back—cheerful and happy—on Monday morning at a quarter to eight.
His work life improved. As if the excitement of discovering their coworker was a billionaire had lost its luster, lawyers, investigators, secretaries, assistants and paralegals all returned to treating him like just another lawyer.
The next Saturday, Danny woke feeling fantastic. Through the monitor by his bed, he heard the happy sounds of Marnie dressing Rex for the day and Rex’s giggles. Peace and joy filled him, and he bounced out of bed, heading for the shower.
His world was back in order, and he got to spend the entire day with his two favorite people in the world, his son and his son’s nanny.
He didn’t let himself dwell on the comment that had raced through his brain as he slid into jeans and a T-shirt and ambled into the kitchen, where Marnie fed Rex. He’d settled his attraction by acknowledging she was gorgeous and easy to talk to and shifting his attention to being her friend. She needed help. He was in a position where he could help. That was their connection.
Walking into the kitchen area, he said, “Hey! How is everybody today?”
He bent and kissed Rex’s forehead, and the little boy said, “Dad!”
Nothing rivaled the fierce love that surged at the sound of his son calling him Dad. And nothing could ruin this day. Danny wouldn’t let it.
The doorman arrived, mail in hand. Danny offered him a cup of coffee, but he refused it, saying good morning to Marnie and retreating to the elevator.
“He seems like a very nice guy.”
“He is,” Danny said, making himself a cup of coffee. “He’s like you. He has a business that he’s organizing. It’s kind of a cross between doormen and security guards.” He rifled through the mail. “I put him in touch with my half-sister Charlotte’s fiancé. They’re working on something together now.”
She laughed. “Is that what rich people do? Look for business opportunities in every person they meet?”
“So far, I haven’t been the one to invest.” He paused, pondering that, realizing that he’d never offered her money. He’d squelched his suspicions about her worming her way into his life to get part of the Hinton fortune, so that could only mean he’d taken her caution that she wasn’t ready to heart. A very normal thing to do. His instincts about her seemed to finally be back on track.
“It’s more like I remember myself when I was scrambling to find my place. I identify with people trying to make a move, so I notice things, connect things, put people together.”
“That’s very nice of you.”
He flipped through the mail. “Not really.” He wasn’t nice. This was him as he normally was. No more freaky suspicions or overwhelming attractions. Just him, living his life.
He got to a fancy envelope, something made of high-quality paper, clearly an invitation. His old address had been scratched out and his new address written over it.
He opened the envelope and discovered an invitation to a gallery event, featuring the work of Sally McMillen. “This is tonight.”
She glanced over. “So?”
“It needs an RSVP and I missed the date. I guess I could still go if I called the coordinator and explained my invitation had been sent to the wrong address, so my RSVP is late.”
“You guess you could go? It sounds like so much fun!” She laughed. “It’s not like you have to worry about a babysitter.”
He peered over at her. “Or maybe I do. This is exactly the kind of thing you should go to, to meet potential investors. It’s sponsored by the McCallan family.”
She sucked in a breath. “I’ve heard of them.”
“Everybody’s heard of them. And anybody who is anybody will be there.”
She put her hand on her chest. “And you think I should go?”
“Sure? Not to ask for investment money, but just to mingle. Let me introduce you around.”
Her face scrunched. “As your nanny?”
“You are starting a nanny business.”
“In ten years...”
“Whenever. If you go to one or two of these kinds of things a year, eventually the big players will start remembering your name. Then when you need money, their pocketbooks will already be loosened.”
She snorted. “You’re nuts.”
“I’m serious. We don’t have to stay forever. Just a couple minutes. An hour tops.” He frowned. “Is it so horrible to be seen in public with me?”
She said, “No,” but she said it too quickly and there was a squeak in her voice. Warmth fluttered through her and she had to hold back a groan. It was not horrible to be seen in public with him. The idea was too appealing.
“Come on. You need a break and it won’t hurt to schmooze the players. Plus, my sister Charlotte loves to babysit. She called yesterday to say I should fire you because she hasn’t gotten to babysit Rex since I hired you.”
She laughed. His half-sisters had visited during Marnie’s first week of employment, and while Leni was sweet and kind, Charlotte was a hoot. Plus, she’d comfortably settled into being Rex’s nanny, and her life had become wonderful. She didn’t want to ruin that by saying or doing something wrong. Especially at a fancy gallery opening.
“Please... This way I don’t have to go alone.”
She heard a note of something in his voice that reminded her of her first days of working for him. He’d been lost and befuddled but determined to be a good dad. Every day he got a little smarter in his ability to care for Rex. Every day he seemed happier. It might not be her job to keep her boss happy, but the human being in her related to feeling a beat out of step with the rest of the world and wishing for a friend.
“Okay.” Her decision had nothing to do with thinking he was adorable. He was a fabulous employer and a good person, and considering how much he tried to help her, she kind of owed him. She didn’t have anything to wear, but she had some money saved.
“I’ll need a few hours this afternoon to get a dress.”
He slid his cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll call Charlotte.”
She bought a simple black dress, something she could wear again and again, something that would help her blend in. A subway ride took her to her mom’s apartment, where she borrowed a string of pearls with teardrop earrings—a set her dad had bought as an anniversary gift. One of the few things her mom hadn’t sold for rent money before she finally got child support from Marnie’s dad.
The reminder of her dad abandoning her mom filled her with trepidation, but she ignored it. Danny, adopted by middle class parents, was nothing like her father. Plus, this wasn’t a date. It was an employer helping his employee.
And the people she would meet? She would see them as investors. She wouldn’t fear them. She refused to fear them.
But what if she saw Roger Martin?
Her heart stuttered. Despite running into her dad, two weeks of happily living on Park Avenue, taking Rex and Wiggles for walks, and going to the bakery had shown her that Manhattan might be a small world, but she hadn’t seen Roger in it. She’d become settled. Almost confident. She didn’t want to lose that over the fear of seeing someone who could have moved out of the city. Hell, he could have moved to Europe. She couldn’t be afraid of what might happen.
Charlotte arrived around seven to give Rex a chance to get accustomed to her, and Marnie went to her room to dress. Ready by eight and knowing they needed to leave soon to get to the
gallery, she walked into the open area, snapping closed the clasp of her black clutch bag after stashing her ID and cell phone.
She glanced up to see Charlotte’s lips curve into an odd smile and Danny’s mouth fall open.
“Wow.”
“You can say that again,” Charlotte sing-songed. “You look amazing.”
She twirled around once. “It’s remarkable what a bubble bath and a new hairdo can do.”
Danny quietly said, “You didn’t cut your hair while you were back there, did you?”
She blinked. Dramatic and sexy in his dark tux, Danny stared at her. She wanted to stare right back. Some men were born to wear a tux, and he was one of them. Women would probably drool over him.
“No. It’s an updo.” She ventured a little farther into the living space. “I just swirled it around and pinned it up.”
Charlotte said, “Well, you look very sophisticated.”
Her eyes stole over to Danny again. She knew it would appear that she was hoping for his approval. But she wasn’t. He had such presence and sex appeal with his black hair, dark eyes and tux that she couldn’t stop staring at him. “That’s the look I was going for.”
Danny glanced at his watch. “We better get a move on or we’ll arrive so late they’ll think I decided not to come.”
Something warm and fuzzy trembled through her. Forget what the press said. She was going out with the sexiest man alive.
Going out?
Not hardly. He was taking her to help her. She had to remember that.
Holding Rex, Charlotte walked with them to the elevator. “Have fun, you two.” She picked up Rex’s hand to wave it for him. “Say bye to Daddy and Marnie.”
Marnie kissed his cheek. “Bye, sweetie.”
Danny kissed his cheek. “Bye, big guy.”
Charlotte’s eyebrows rose. Marnie frowned. The weird feeling rippled through her again. They sounded like parents saying goodbye to their son. She took a breath, reminding herself to keep her wits about her.