Maybe after the kids went to bed, they could hang out for a while, the way they had tonight. He really liked her. She was not only a pleasure to look at, she was easygoing, capable and fun. And smart. With a big heart. Low maintenance, too, in her floppy sweater, ripped skinny jeans and high-top Converse All Stars.
He’d been swimming in the wrong dating pool. There should be more women like Harper Bravo in his life.
On the coffee table next to his laptop, his phone chimed with a text. He tapped the text icon.
Imogen’s profile shot popped up, a picture he’d taken at a charity gala they’d attended together last year, before Megan died and everything changed. Imogen wore a strapless red satin dress. A diamond necklace he’d given her sparkled at her throat and the big rock in her engagement ring glittered on her left hand as she coyly blew him a kiss.
Imogen was a lot like Linc’s mother, Alicia—completely self-absorbed. He should have taken note of that before getting involved with her.
But he hadn’t. And less than a week ago, he’d finally had to face the fact that Imogen Whitman was not the woman for him. She was the one who broke it off, but he’d been way too relieved when she did. They weren’t a good match. He got that now.
He shouldn’t read her text. There was no point. But he couldn’t help wondering what she might pull next.
I was upset. I’m sorry for the things I said. We really need to talk.
Bad idea. They never needed to talk again. Everything had been settled. She needed to let it go.
He went back to dealing with his messages.
A second text popped through.
Linc. Come on. The least you can do is answer me.
He blocked her from his mind—and if she kept it up, he would block her number from his phone.
The phone rang. He should just let it go to voice mail and then delete whatever message she left. But he was pissed off and he wanted to make himself utterly clear.
He hit the green icon and put the phone to his ear. “It’s over. Stop texting me. Don’t call me again.”
“Oh, Linc.” Her voice was soft. Pleading—which was rich. There was nothing soft about Imogen Whitman. He understood that now. “Come on. We can work this—”
He didn’t hang on for the rest. Ending the call, he blocked her.
* * *
The next morning, Harper arrived at the landmark theater on Carmel Street good and early. Hailey was already there.
Harper’s sister sat in her office backstage sipping a latte from their favorite coffee place, the Steamy Bean, and studying an Excel spreadsheet on her tablet. “Roman wants to close us down as soon as the Christmas show’s over to start the remodel,” she said without looking up. “I told him that now the theater is mine to do with as I please, I have things in the works. He’ll need to renovate around upcoming projects. He says that’s impossible, that the wiring alone means just about every wall has to be ripped out.”
Roman Marek was Hailey’s fiancé. A real estate guy, Roman was prone to larger-than-life gestures. A few weeks ago, he’d given Hailey the theater. Now he was determined to refurbish it to her specifications. They were at odds over how that would happen.
“You’ll work it out, Lee-Lee.” Harper used the old nickname, from when they were little—Harp and Lee-Lee, like twins, inseparable. “You always do.”
Hailey sat up straight, the spreadsheet forgotten, and narrowed her eyes at Harper. “Okay. What’s on your mind?” Hailey was ten months older, but they might as well have been born ten minutes apart.
They’d been a team all through childhood. Their mom had even held Hailey back a year so she and Harper could start kindergarten together. They went off to the University of Oregon together, both as theater majors—Hailey focusing on performance, directing and management, Harper on stagecraft and design—and her other great love, architecture. They finished each other’s sentences. And sometimes they read each other’s minds.
Harper dropped into the straight chair opposite Hailey’s vintage metal desk. “I took a second job and I wanted to let you know. It’s flexible, a few hours a day, after I’m done here at the theater.”
“You’re never done here at the theater.”
“Yeah, well. I’ll make it work. You know I need the money. A place in Seattle won’t be cheap.” She watched Hailey closely as she spoke, on the lookout for any hint that her sister wasn’t really down with the move she had planned. It would, after all, break them up in terms of their partnership as H&H Productions. And for the first time in their lives, they would be living miles apart.
But Lee-Lee didn’t so much as flinch. Harper loved her all the more for that. Her sister knew what Harper needed, and she wanted Harper to have it. “I hear you. So then, you’ll be making good money at this mysterious second job?”
“Eighty bucks an hour.”
Hailey’s right eyebrow inched toward her hairline. “Do you have to take your clothes off?”
“Oh, please. To do that, I would need more than eighty an hour.” They laughed together and then Harper asked, “Remember the Hollister kids?”
“Of course.” Hailey’s teasing expression had turned somber. “It’s heartbreaking, what happened to Megan and Kevin.”
“Yeah.” For a bittersweet moment, they regarded each other. Memories of the sweet couple from Sacramento seemed to hover in the air between them. Megan had had a glow about her. You could see that her life made her happy. And Kevin was kind of nerdy and a little bit shy. With a long breath, Harper forged on, “Megan’s brother, Linc Stryker, took custody of Jayden and Maya. He’s brought the kids to the Stryker cottage for the holidays. Last night, he offered me a job as part-time nanny while they’re here in town.”
“Wait.” Hailey made a rolling gesture with her hand. “I need you to back it up a little. You met Megan’s brother, how?” Harper gave her sister a quick rundown on the events of the day before, after which Hailey asked, “Is this brother of Megan’s single?”
Harper realized she didn’t know. He’d certainly acted like he was single—hadn’t he? “He’s alone with the kids at the cottage. He didn’t mention a girlfriend and he doesn’t wear a ring, so I’m guessing, yes.”
As always, Hailey saw right through her. “You like him. You like him a lot.”
Had her face turned red? She willed the blush away. “I hardly know the man—I mean, he seems nice.”
“Nice.” Hailey wrinkled her nose like she smelled something bad.
“Yeah. Nice. And I do like him.”
Hailey smirked. “He’s hot, am I right?”
“Will you stop?” She’d been thinking way too much about the guy next door and she needed to cut that out. Especially now that she would be working for him. Romance in the workplace was not a great idea. She could lose a fun gig taking care of two kids she really liked—not to mention the money she now counted on putting in the bank.
“So, then.” Hailey sat back in her swivel chair. “He’s hot and you like him and you’re going to be hanging around him a lot in the next month—for purely financial reasons.”
“Enough. I’ve got a lot of work to do and a short time to do it in.” Harper rose and turned for the door.
“Say hi to Jayden for me and be sure to give Maya a great, big kiss...”
Harper sent a wave back over her shoulder and kept right on walking.
* * *
The doorbell rang at one sharp.
Linc answered and there she was, in baggy, busted-out jeans and a black waffle-weave shirt. She carried a puffer coat the color of marigolds and she’d woven her thick, streaky blond hair into a single fat braid that fell over her left shoulder, the tail teasing the undercurve of one round breast. He wanted to grab that braid and give it a tug.
He stepped back and ushered her in. “Here. I’ll take your coat.”
“T
hanks.” She handed it over. A hint of her scent came to him—sweet and tart, like vanilla and lemons.
As he hung the coat in the entry closet, Jayden came running. “Harper, there you are!”
Maya trailed after him, crowing, “Hawp, Hawp!”
Harper laughed—she seemed delighted at the sight of the two kids barreling toward her. “Hey, you guys!”
She knelt to gather them both in a quick hug. They wiggled like excited puppies in her loose embrace. When she stood, she scooped Maya up on one arm and took Jayden’s offered hand.
“We don’t get the Christmas tree until Friday because first there’s Thanksgiving,” Jayden said.
“That makes sense.”
“And I get to be in the Christmas show,” he proudly informed her. “Uncle Linc said so.”
“I’m glad.”
“Me, too. And we had a Skype with PopPop and Gramma Jean before they got on the big boat to go out in the ocean—now, come up to my room.” He started pulling her toward the stairs. “I built a whole train station. Uncle Linc helped. The train tracks click together, and you can make them go everywhere, even under my bed.”
“I want to see that—but hold on a minute.”
“What for?”
“I need to talk to your uncle first.” She planted a quick kiss on Maya’s cheek. Then she turned those big eyes on Linc. “Have they had lunch?”
“We did!” Jayden tugged on her hand again, this time to get her attention. “We had eggs and toast for breakfast, and we had sandwiches for lunch, with chips. Now we’re all out of chips, though,” he added with a frown. “And there’s no more ham. We’ll have to have chicken sandwiches for dinner, I guess. I don’t like chicken, not as much as ham.”
Linc felt a twinge of guilt. He should have gone shopping this morning, but he kind of dreaded dragging the kids around Safeway while trying to find everything they might need for several days of meals. In Portland, he had a cook who took care of that stuff.
But this was the cottage, he reminded himself. It was family-only around here—well, except that he’d hired Harper, which made the family-only rule pretty much null and void.
Not that he regretted hiring her. No way. She was a find and would make it possible for him to get a little work done now and then while giving the kids the kind of Christmas they deserved.
As for the shopping, it had to be done, which meant that this afternoon, along with resolving the never-ending issues at the office, he would need to haul his ass to the store.
He was about to reassure Harper he would deal with the food situation when she volunteered, “Trust me to take care of it?” A matched pair of sweet little dimples winked at him from either side of her beautiful mouth.
The woman was a prize. As generous and helpful as Gramma Jean, and gorgeous, as well. “You’re not serious?”
“The kids and I would love a trip to the store—wouldn’t we, guys?”
“Yes!” the two little ones said in unison.
Harper suggested, “Just jot down a grocery list for me, if you would.”
“You’re a lifesaver.”
She shrugged. “No problem. Does Maya need a nap?”
Did she? He had no clue. “Jean wrote it all down for me, in longhand on the pretty stationery she uses—about naps and allergies and when to do what. I’m fairly sure I brought those instructions with me from Portland...”
Harper seemed amused at his befuddlement. “Well, okay then. If you find it, let me know. Otherwise, I think we’ll go for groceries soon and then we’ll figure out the nap issue when we get back.”
“Works for me. I’ll put the shopping list together right now. Just add anything else you want or think I should have included.”
“Like chips!” Jayden put in. “We could get Fritos. I like Fritos.”
“Fweetos!” Maya echoed, clearly in agreement with her big brother.
Linc whipped out his black card and grabbed his keys from the art glass bowl on the entry table. “The kids’ car seats are already hooked up in the Range Rover. You might as well just drive that.”
“Works for me.” Harper let go of Jayden’s hand to take the card and keys. Her fingers brushed Linc’s, light as a breath, sending an arrow of awareness slicing through him.
Was he way too attracted to her?
Probably.
Not that there was anything wrong with that. He and Imogen were yesterday’s news, so what harm could there be in a little innocent flirting with the new nanny? It put a whole new light on the day, just having her around. He had no plans to make a move on her. None whatsoever.
As soon as she’d stuck the keys and credit card in her pocket, Jayden grabbed her hand again. “Harper. Can I please show you my train set now?”
She grinned down at his upturned face. “Lead the way, young man.” He pulled her toward the stairs.
Linc remembered he had more to discuss with her. “Hold on a minute...”
She sent him a glowing smile over her shoulder. “Hmm?”
“About Maya and the Christmas show...”
“You think you might let her try it?”
“Well, I wondered if you could take her, be there for whatever practices she needs to attend—on the clock, of course? I thought you would see how she does with it, make a judgment call from there.”
“I, me, Maya?” Maya had evidently understood enough of his words to get that they were discussing her.
Harper nuzzled her cheek. “Yes, you, Maya. It’s going to be such fun.”
“I fun!”
“You certainly are,” Harper agreed. She turned that blinding, happy smile on Linc again. “That’s a great idea. I’ll talk to Hailey tonight, see where she can fit them both in. I might even be able to take them to their first rehearsal tomorrow afternoon.”
“That works.”
The eager Jayden was pulling on her hand again. “Come on, Harper...”
She laughed as the little boy led her away.
* * *
Harper’s plan was to work as many hours as possible for Linc. If she put in only twenty hours a week, she could add seven thousand dollars toward her moving fund by New Year’s—more, when she included the two eighteen-hour days he would pay her for when she watched the kids in Portland.
That day, she did the shopping, cooked the dinner and hung around for face-washing, toothbrushing, story time and tucking the kids in. Seven hours total. More days like today and her moving fund would cease to be a problem.
Linc waited at the foot of the stairs when she came down. He looked distractingly hunky in his dark-wash jeans and gray-blue sweater, the sleeves pushed to his elbows—and uh-uh. She was not letting herself get carried away admiring his forearms and mentally rhapsodizing over his manly wrists.
“So, then,” she said, all business. “Tomorrow, I’ll be here at—”
“Stay,” he interrupted, his warm gaze holding hers. “Just for a little while.”
She really had planned to keep it strictly professional, but for some reason, her mouth opened of its own accord and the wrong word popped out. “Sure.”
Hey. No big deal. He probably needed to talk about something concerning the kids.
Linc offered wine. She accepted. Nothing wrong with that. She deserved a little treat at the end of the day. She and Hailey used to go out for beers after work three or four times a week, back before Hailey met Roman.
Really, Harper spent too many evenings alone nowadays. Why shouldn’t she enjoy a late happy hour with her new boss?
In the living room by the fire, he poured her a glass of wine and then some for himself. They settled back against the cushions.
For several minutes, they sipped in silence. Like the night before, it was nice, easy. Comfortable.
When she glanced at him, she saw he was hiding a grin and his eyes
had a teasing light in them. She liked that light, maybe too much.
“There’s a turkey in my fridge,” he said.
She turned her body his way and hitched a knee up onto the cushions. “It wasn’t on the list, but I kind of figured you would need a bird for Thursday. I also got cranberries for sauce and stuff for dressing. Plus sweet potatoes and string beans—all the sides you could possibly hope for.”
He frowned. “Wait a minute. You’re talking about Thanksgiving dinner?”
“Sorry. I assumed you would be cooking, and you said to add anything I thought you might need.”
He seemed vaguely embarrassed. “Can I be brutally honest?”
Brutally? That didn’t sound very encouraging. “Of course.”
“I was just going to get takeout. Is that sad or what?” His brow crinkled even more. “There’s gotta be a place in town that’s open on Thursday. Right?”
“Yeah. But you should order by tomorrow. I’ll text you some suggestions.”
“You’re a lifesaver.”
She laughed. “Don’t overpraise me. I’ll become impossible to work with.”
“I doubt it. You sure you don’t want to move to Portland and look after the kids for me full-time?”
Why was that idea so tempting? And why was she leaning into him—close enough to smell his wonderful scent, woodsy with a hint of spice, and make out the gold flecks in his brown eyes? Reluctantly, she lowered her foot to the floor and turned her body toward the fire again. “I love taking care of Maya and Jayden. But I don’t really think I’m career nanny material.”
He faked a big sigh. “Go ahead. Crush all my hopes—and you know what? I’m fairly sure there’s a cookbook or two around here. I’m going to grow a pair and figure out how to roast that turkey myself.”
She didn’t know which sounded sadder—Linc and the kids having takeout, just the three of them, on the holiday where families gathered close around a big, home-cooked meal. Or him cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the first time by himself.
Don’t do it, Harp, she berated herself. Don’t you dare do it.
But the image of him and Maya and Jayden alone with a burned turkey and some singed sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving Day made it impossible for her to keep her mouth shut. “Look. We have a huge family dinner up at my brother Daniel’s house on Thanksgiving. It’s the more the merrier. There will be lots of kids, plenty of great food and nice wine. Why don’t you join us?”
A Temporary Christmas Arrangement Page 4