"Yes, both children ate earlier. I guess Ava told you about the run-in with the nanny. I thought I heard her as I came into the room."
"Yes, she did. I'm so sorry. What are you going to do?" Harper asked, remembering he was in town on business with no one he could call on close by.
"My business will be finished here in a few days," he answered wearily. "I can work it out with the hotel to have someone stay with the children when I can't be here. After we go home, I'll have to begin interviewing for a new nanny. I really hate to put the kids through that. They've been through so much in the last two years."
"It can't be easy for you, raising two young children alone." Harper gave him a sympathetic look.
"No, it isn't, but I cherish them. I'll raise them the way their mother would have wanted them to be raised, knowing the love of a parent who cares about them."
"No one could ask for more than that," Harper replied quietly.
"I wonder where our dinner is. I'm starved. It's been a very hectic day for me, as I'm sure it has been for you. I hope you like Italian."
"Yes, I love Italian, as a matter of fact," she said, accepting the glass of wine he offered.
After he had poured himself a glass of the same, they sat down on the sofa and began to get acquainted.
"Tell me about Harper Easton, receptionist, doctor's assistant," Parker began.
"There's not much to tell, really." She laughed as he looked at her questioningly.
"Well, what's your life like? What do you do for fun?"
"Not a whole lot to do around here, as I'm sure you've seen. I work for Dr. Kellum and go home each evening. On the weekends, I might take in a movie or go out with friends."
"No special guy in your life? I find that hard to believe."
"Not at the moment. My old flame got married recently."
"Well, he's a fool if he let you go."
"Tell his new bride that. He left me for her," Harper said, remembering the day Shawn had told her he'd found someone else.
"Well, his loss will be some other man's gain." Parker smiled at her again as he got up to answer the door.
After the delivery boy had gone, they sat down to enjoy their dinner.
"This is delicious. Tell me about your restaurants. I've never eaten at one of them," Harper said as she took a bite of lasagna.
"Then you're truly missing out. You'll have to try one sometime. Just like the name, the food is heavenly. We're planning to open one here, which is why I'm in Moline this week. I try to bring the kids with me whenever I can."
"I'll have to try it out when it opens. That's great that you take such an active role in parenting, with your busy schedule. That must be hectic at times."
"It is, but I brought them into the world, it's my responsibility to see that they're happy, healthy children. They've lost their mama, so I want the rest of their childhood to be as painless as possible. And I love both of them more than life itself, so it's not hard for me to juggle my schedule to accommodate them. Now, tell me more about you, Harper. How long have you worked for Dr. Kellum?"
"I've been with him for three years, but that'll soon be coming to an end. Dr. Kellum is retiring next month."
"Oh? And what will you do then?" he inquired, obviously interested in hearing her reply.
"I'm not sure. Dr. Kellum has assured me I'll be receiving a nice severance package, so I've not been in a big hurry to look for something. I'll have to start checking things out soon, though."
"Have you ever thought about becoming a nanny?"
The question caught her off guard. She hesitated for just a moment. "No, I've never thought about it."
"Why don't you give it some thought, Harper? I can make arrangements for the next month, until Dr. Kellum retires. The job is yours if you want it. We can discuss salary and benefits later. I can assure you, you won't be disappointed. I take care of my employees. Your schedule will be flexible to a certain extent. I like to arrange my schedule so I can spend time with Ava and Aiden. You'd be free during those times."
Harper was literally in shock. She didn't know what to say.
"Think about it; that's all I ask," he urged, seeing the look of surprise on her pretty face.
"I don't have to think about it. I accept." She wasn't one to make spur-of-the-moment decisions, but this had just fallen into her lap and was too tempting to resist.
"That's wonderful, Harper! You've just helped me escape a gruesome task of interviewing potential nannies. Besides, the kids both like you, already. I've seen, firsthand, how you were with Aiden at Dr. Kellum's office, and earlier, I watched your interaction with Ava. And I have to say I was impressed, both times."
"I like them, as well. They seem to be very sweet, well-behaved children." Not to mention, their daddy is hot.
"I have to warn you, even though they're both very well-behaved kids, they've had a tough time getting over the sudden loss of their mother," he said with a hint of sadness in his voice.
"That's understandable. I'm an adult and still have a hard time dealing with the loss of my father at times."
"How long has he been gone?"
"A little over a year now," she replied.
"I'm sorry, Harper."
"Thank you. Dr. Kellum and his wife have been especially kind to both my mother and me through it all."
"We'll be leaving for our home on Hilton Head Island just about the time you finish your work with Dr. Kellum," Parker informed her. "This could be the start of a beautiful relationship, Harper." He explained to her that he owned homes in Chicago and on the island and that they used the South Carolina house for getaways when the children weren't in school. Ava was in kindergarten, and Aiden attended preschool.
After they'd had dessert and coffee, he suggested they tell the children the news. But when they entered the bedroom, both of them were sound asleep, arms around each other.
"I'll move Ava to her bed." Parker picked up his daughter gently. He tucked her into her own bed, kissing her goodnight before walking over to the other bed. He gently pulled the covers over his son, giving him a kiss on the forehead. He took the remote from Aiden's hand, turned off the television, then set it on the nightstand. As he and Harper walked out of the room, he flipped the light switch, but not before placing a tiny nightlight into a wall socket, leaving a soft glow of light in the room.
"The big news will have to wait until morning," he said as they tiptoed out of the room.
"I'd better be going. I have to work tomorrow. With Dr. K retiring, everyone wants to get in to him one last time before they have to find a new physician."
"Harper, thank you. I'll be in touch." He gently touched her cheek as if he wanted to say more, but he stopped himself.
Her breath caught in her throat. It was almost as if he had wanted to kiss her goodnight. How ridiculous of her to imagine such a thing, she thought as she picked up her purse and quickly told him goodnight, quietly letting herself out of the suite.
All the way home, she thought about the way he'd said goodnight. She went to bed that night full of anticipation for the summer at the beach that lay ahead for her with the Bentley family.
The next morning, she filled Dr. Kellum in on the details of the night before.
"Well, Harper, I'm glad you've found another position, but are you sure this is what you want to do?" the kindly doctor asked her. His concern was evident.
"I can try it. If it doesn't work out, I can look for something else."
"I wish you the best of luck, then, and if you need to leave here early to go away for the summer, I'll work it out on this end."
"Thank you, Doc, but Mr. Bentley said that he could make other arrangements for the next month. I really would like to stay with you for your last few weeks."
"Thank you, my dear. I appreciate that. And I truly hope this works out for you. I've heard good things about the man. It's just so odd the way it all came about." The doctor shook his head.
The first patient had arrived, s
o Harper dropped the conversation and began her workday. Every once in a while, when she had a break between patients, she found her thoughts going to the family from Chicago. What was their house like in Chicago? How would the children react to the news that she was going to be their new nanny? And a whole summer at the beach! She wondered how her mother would react to the news that she'd be moving out of town. Knowing her sweet mom, she knew that she would encourage her. Besides, the woman had more friends than Harper did, so she didn't have to worry about her being lonely.
She tried to steer her mind away from the handsome man who would be her new boss, but it was a fruitless gesture. She was really going to have to watch her Ps and Qs around him. She couldn't let him see that she was attracted to him physically. She had hoped that he might want to see her again after their dinner together, but she had imagined it in a different way. Since Shawn, she hadn't been dating, and she had thought, just for a moment, that she might like to go on a real date with the handsome man who had blown into her life unexpectedly. Apparently, that wasn't to be. She was meant to meet him, but for an entirely different reason. At least she didn't have to worry about looking for job. At least, not anytime soon. She would put her all into the nanny gig, in hopes that she could keep the position for several years. It didn't hurt that she liked the children who would be her charges, and they liked her.
As for dating, it would just have to wait. She wouldn't have time for that. And, somehow, she was okay with it. It might do her good to have a change of scenery and a different job to keep her mind off of Shawn and his new bride. To know that he had preferred someone else had cut her deeply. Life would go on, but a move may be just what she needed. Besides, after meeting Mr. Bentley, she wondered what she had ever seen in her former boyfriend. Shawn was so different from Parker.
Parker was self-assured, confident, and it showed in his actions. He wasn't overbearing or conceited, though. He was handsome, but he didn't act like he even knew it. And he seemed to be a take-charge guy, which she found extremely attractive.
Shawn, on the other hand, had been reasonably good-looking, but he knew it. He wasn't one for spur-of-the-moment decisions, which is what had shocked her so much when he had left her for someone else. He would never have made a snap decision to hire her to care for his children, had he been a father, as Parker had done. No, Shawn would have had to mull it over for weeks before making a decision. Parker seemed to be a good judge of character. Shawn, on the other hand, had a few friends she had always been wary of. He didn't seem to be able to figure out that some people only pretended to be his friend so that they could be in his inner circle of the elite, or those who thought they were elite, anyway. He belonged to the country club because his family had money. Money which Shawn enjoyed throwing around to impress people. She felt certain that even though Parker was obviously wealthy in his own right, he wasn't that way at all. At least, it didn't seem that way.
She felt good about her decision to work for Parker Bentley. And with that thought, she finished her day so that she could begin planning her new life. She called her mother and asked her to have dinner with her. She would gently break the news to her, and she knew that her mom would immediately take over and help her with all the details necessary for her move. That was step one in the new direction her life would be taking very soon.
Chapter 2
The next few weeks seemed to fly by as Harper finished her job with Dr. Kellum and made preparations to move to Chicago with the Bentley family. When moving day finally arrived, her mother drove her to the Quad City Airport to catch her flight.
After a quick goodbye hug, she said, "Best of luck to you, Harper. Call me when you're settled and let me know how it's going, sweetie."
"I will, Mom. Thanks for taking care of everything here. I'd better go. I wouldn't want to miss my flight."
Hugging her mother again, she gave her a quick peck on the cheek before boarding. Waving, she ran to catch the flight that would begin her new life with the Bentleys.
A short time later, she arrived at the airport in Chicago, slightly nervous but very excited about this new chapter in her life.
She was met by a chauffeur, who transported her to the Bentley home. He was a friendly man, and he welcomed her warmly. "It's nice to have you with us, Miss Easton. The children speak highly of you, as does Mr. Bentley."
"Thank you, John, is it?" She tried to remember the names of the staff. Parker had filled her in prior to her trip.
"Yes, ma'am, I'm John, and my wife is Ellie. She's Mr. Bentley's housekeeper. We've been with the family since Mr. Bentley and his wife were first married. We worked for Mr. Bentley's parents before that. A tragic loss, losing the missus the way we did. Ellie is hoping that someday Mr. Bentley will marry again. Those little ones need a mama, and Mr. B needs a wife. He's too good of a man to spend his life alone."
"Yes, he seems like a very generous man. And he loves those children. That's very obvious."
"You won't find anyone any better than him. That's for sure," John agreed.
They arrived at the house, pulling into the driveway of a spacious Tudor-style home with a circular driveway in the front. It was in a very impressive neighborhood, and Harper thought to herself that she could be very happy in this love-filled home.
The children were waiting anxiously as she entered the foyer. They both ran to her and gave her a hug.
"Oh, my, what a welcoming committee. I've missed you two." Harper laughed as she bent down to hug both of them.
"Welcome, Miss Easton. I'm Ellie. These two have been underfoot all morning waiting for you to arrive."
Harper smiled as she shook the hand extended to her. Ellie was an attractive, middle-aged woman with a warm and friendly smile.
"John, dear, will you take Miss Easton's bags up to her room for her? I'll get her a cup of something hot before I show her around."
"I sure will. Aiden, would you like to help?" The man handed the smallest bag to the eager little boy.
"I'll help too." Ava picked up another and trudged up the stairs with her brother and John.
"Now, dear, let's go into the kitchen and get you something to drink after your flight."
"Thank you, coffee will be fine if you already have a pot going. I usually prefer coffee to tea, but I'll drink either one. And please, call me Harper."
"Harper, I always have a fresh pot of coffee on. Anytime you want a cup or a friend to talk to, just come on into the kitchen. That's where you'll find me most of the time. I do the cooking and the running of the household, with John's help. I have a couple of girls who come in twice a week to clean."
"The house is beautiful," Harper remarked as she looked around. The furnishings were exquisite. The home was tastefully and warmly decorated.
"Yes, it is. Mrs. Bentley did most of the decorating, but Mr. Bentley helped her."
"They certainly did a good job. The house is so welcoming; it's a real home."
"It would be more of a home if he'd find himself a wife. It's been two years, time for him to move on. She'd have wanted that for him and those two babies upstairs. She would never have wanted him to be alone. That one has too much love to give to be alone the rest of his young life."
"I'm sure when the time is right, he will." Harper was anxious to change the subject. She didn't really care to hear about Parker Bentley's love life, since it didn't include her.
Ellie placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of Harper, who was now seated at the bar in the spacious kitchen. "Would you care for cream or sugar?"
"Cream, please."
The woman put a cream pitcher in front of her. "A boyfriend back home, Harper?" she asked curiously.
"No, not anymore; we had a parting of the ways, some time ago. He's married to someone else now, so there's no chance of reconciliation."
The two women shared conversation over coffee after that, bonding. A short while later, they were joined by a giggling Ava, and soon after, Aiden came bouncing into the kitchen excitedl
y.
"We put all your stuff in your room. Ellie's been making it nice for you all morning," Ava said as she put a chubby little arm around Harper's waist.
"And your room is right between Daddy's and mine. Ellie picked it out just for you," Aiden added with a grin that melted Harper's heart. "I used to sleep in Daddy's room with him, after Mommy went to be an angel, but I'm a big boy now," he stated proudly.
"My room is across the hall from you. We can have a slumber party sometime, maybe," Ava offered.
"Maybe we can, sweetie, maybe we can."
"Why don't you two give Harper some space? Let's let her go to her room to rest a while. Tomorrow is soon enough for her to start with you two munchkins."
"Oh, all right, John said he would take us for a walk, so we better go find him. Bye, Harper. I'm so glad you're finally here." Ava gave her another hug. Aiden waved to her as they left to search for John.
"John loves them as though they were his own grandchildren. We were never able to have children of our own."
"I'm so sorry, but it's good that you're so close to the Bentleys."
"Yes, we love them as our own. Parker's mother, Mary Rose, is very nice. Most folks just call her Mary. You'll meet her soon, I'm sure. Now, let me show you around."
Ellie gave her the grand tour of the beautiful home. At the end, she opened the door to an upstairs bedroom.
"This is your room, my dear. Parker is on that side of you, in the master bedroom. Aiden is next door, on this side. And, as you know, slumber party gal is over there."
Harper's stomach was doing somersaults knowing that Parker would be sleeping as close as the next room. She'd figured he would be in a different wing of the house.
"Mr. Bentley moved the children's rooms close to his, after Mrs. Bentley's accident. He wanted them close by if they were frightened during the night," Ellie explained, as if she'd read Harper's mind.
"He's a good daddy."
"He's the best. You unpack and rest now, Harper. We'll make sure you don't miss dinner. You aren't to start your duties until tomorrow."
Her Convenient Dom (Dominant Men Book 2) Page 2
