by Leslie North
God, she was stunning. A faint hint of spring rain and jasmine floated across the table.
“Penelope Fox. It’s a pleasure to have you here.”
“It’s good to be here. Most people call me Penny.”
“Penny.” It felt good just to say her name, but they were in the office, and she might be his nanny. Best to draw a firm line. “Ms. Fox. Most people around the office call me Mr. Preston.”
“Mr. Preston it is.” She folded her hands on the table and took a deep breath. How could a smile that was so subtle be so confident at the same time?
Work. Focus on the work.
“How did you hear about the open position, Ms. Fox?”
“I’ve been casting a wide net in the area.” She leaned forward slightly as she spoke. “When I saw the posting, I thought the position would work nicely with my experience.” Penny ran through some of the highlights, and Drew picked up her resume so he could force himself to stop looking at her perfect lips.
He’d read the words on the paper before, but now they struck him in a new light. Yes, there was experience as nanny listed there—but far more experience in corporate work. Penelope Fox was way overqualified to be a nanny. But Logan had liked her instantly. The last nanny search had been exhausting for everyone.
Hire her.
“—a lot in common.” She squared her shoulders, smiling at him. “And I’m available to begin work right away.”
“You’re licensed to drive, correct?” He rifled through the other sheets of paper in the folder. “I wanted to check—”
A knock at the door caught his attention—Britta. “Ms. Fox’s clearance papers,” she said, hustling across to give them to Drew.
They were flawless. Not a ticket, not a blemish.
As Britta slipped out the door, he took another look at Penelope Fox. She looked him in the eye, expectant. Radiant, even.
“I have a list of questions I’ve prepared about your philosophies, but honestly…” Drew ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m impressed with the way you connected with my son. He doesn’t take to everybody so easily.”
She blinked, shaking her head as if his comment was a bit of a surprise. “He’s a lovely little boy.”
“My gut says I should hire you right now and stop the search.”
Her eyebrows went up. “Now?”
“We haven’t even scratched the surface of the candidate list for the nanny position.” Drew laughed. “I shouldn’t be telling you that, but there you go.”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “Right, yes.” Penelope squeezed her hands together. “Well, I can’t say I’d be opposed to it if you offered me the job. I can work nights and some weekend days, too, if it helps.”
“And you don’t mind several trips a day to the playground?” The suit she was wearing would never work for an outing like that, but if she dressed like this for the interview, she undoubtedly had a wardrobe fit for the world’s greatest nanny.
A pair of voices at the door interrupted his train of thought. “Guys, room’s occupied.”
His brothers, Charlie and Archer, stopped halfway through the door. Archer grinned, eyes dancing. “Sorry to interrupt.” They went back the way they came.
“My brothers,” he said with a tight smile. “You’ll be seeing them from time to time, when you’re picking up and dropping off.
“Not in the office?” Penny asked.
“Oh, no. Logan doesn’t spend much time at the office. The last couple of weeks have been an anomaly, with my uncle helping out.”
“Of course.”
Hire her. That little voice was a gut reaction to the way she’d been with Logan, and Drew knew from experience that the first choice could be the best one. The way Logan had hugged her…
“Let’s skip the rest of the questions. Will you do the job to the best of your ability, knowing that my son is the most important thing in the world to me?”
Her expression turned solemn. “I will.”
“Then welcome aboard, Ms. Fox. You’re hired.”
Grab your copy of The Billionaire’s Pretend Wife (Preston Brothers Book One) from
www.LeslieNorthBooks.com