Winning his Heart

by Lara Van Hulzen

  Both of them turned, now seeing him in the doorway.

  “Daddy!” Annalise ran to him and flung herself into his arms. He wrapped her up in a hug, his face buried in her little neck. She smelled of coconut shampoo and soap. She insisted on the same shampoo each time because the bottle was shaped like a coconut. “Uncle Dubs and I were just having a tea party. You wanna have some tea too?”

  He pulled back to look his daughter in the eyes. “I would love to, but Glenna says that dinner is ready so we need to wash up and get going to the dining room.”

  “Okay.” She wiggled from his arms and ran for her bathroom down the hall.

  “How’d it go in Bozeman?”

  “Always the businessman.” Wes was the oldest of the four St. Claire siblings. He ran the family estate. And since their father had backed away a bit recently, preparing for retirement, ran the family as well.

  “I’m sorry.” He stood, unfolding himself from the tiny, pink chair. “Hi, honey. How was your day?”

  Mike laughed. Man, he loved his family. “Fine. I get it. Things in Bozeman went well. I’m thinking of going to the next race. See how things go.”

  “Did he offer you a management position?”

  “If I want it, yes. But I haven’t decided. Sure, I won’t be racing, but it’s still a lot of time away from home. I have Annalise to think about.”

  Wes put his hands in the pockets of his dress pants. “Of course. You know we’re all here to help though.”

  “I know. And I appreciate it. Neither of us would have gotten through any of this without you.”

  Mike hesitated, not sure how to tell Wes about Franchesca. He had to. Wes lived here. He’d see her with Annalise. But for the same reasons he was hesitant to ask Franchesca in the first place, he didn’t want his brother to get the wrong idea. Direct and to the point always worked with Wes so he went for it.

  “However, you all have lives, so I went ahead and hired a nanny today.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. I asked Franchesca to help out and she agreed.”

  “Noelle’s best friend, Franchesca?”

  “Yes.” Mike waited for the lecture or for his brother to question his decision. To his surprise, he did neither.

  With a nod, he simply said, “Good choice. She’s good with kids.”

  Unsure of how to respond, Mike just stood there.

  “Well, I better get washed up for dinner myself. Don’t want to keep Glenna waiting. That’s never a good idea.”

  “Where’s Noelle?”

  “Having dinner with Franchesca, your beautiful new nanny.” Wes patted Mike’s shoulder as he passed him in the doorway.

  And there it was. The ribbing he knew for sure was to come. “Shut up.” Mike pushed Wes through the door, their laughter echoing down the long hallway.

  Chapter Five

  Mike dropped Annalise at school before going to the Java Café. He was early for his meeting with Franchesca, but that suited him just fine. Claiming a table in the corner, he scrolled through emails on his phone and scanned the news. For the most part it was same-headlines-different-day. Not that his mind was entirely on what he was reading.

  He’d tossed and turned all night wondering if he’d made the right decision hiring Franchesca. In the moment, it had seemed like a win/win kind of idea. She needed the money, he needed help with Annalise. But after a mere hour or so with her yesterday, he recognized an attraction to her he had zero clue what to do with.

  Unable to sleep, he’d wandered his suite, waffling between telling Franchesca he’d made a mistake and then wondering how he could tell her that without giving a good reason for it. Saying point blank he was attracted to her wasn’t the path he wanted to go, so he was stuck. Over the time since Anna’s death, when he had trouble sleeping, he’d talk to Anna as if she were there in the room with him. Strange as it was, he found himself doing that exact thing the night before. Annalise was their daughter. Certainly Anna deserved a say in the decisions Mike made in raising her.

  Anna never answered, of course, but he could sense her in his heart. Words of advice she’d given when she was alive would float into his memory, helping him make the right choices for Annalise. However, this time he’d had no sense of Anna’s presence. No thoughts of what she might think was best. Of course, his mind was on Franchesca so that made sense. Why would his wife who was gone want to know anything about the woman he found fascinating at the moment? He rubbed his chin and looked out the window. Funny thing was, he could see Anna and Franchesca as friends. A bizarre thought, but a valid one, nonetheless.

  He took a sip of his black coffee. Since he was having a moment of honesty with himself, he’d also admit that the idea of being a part of a racing team again had him excited. It wasn’t just about driving, although that was his favorite part. He enjoyed the joint effort to achieve a goal. He wasn’t interested in the job for the money.

  No. He missed the chase. The race. His adrenaline pumped just thinking about it. And yet it was another thing that kept him up at night. What kind of father was he for being okay with leaving his child long stretches of time? Hell, he was even looking forward to it. Which said nothing of how he felt about his daughter, but more about the current lack of motivation in his life. For someone used to going hundreds of miles an hour, being stagnant didn’t sit well with him. It didn’t sit well at all.

  “You’ve got a lot on your mind.”

  So deep in thought, Mike hadn’t seen Franchesca arrive. He turned to see her standing at the table, a large iced tea in hand. Her dark curls flowed down her back and shoulders, a stark contrast to the orange sweater she wore. Her worn jeans hugged her curves but weren’t a second skin like some women preferred. Gold strappy sandals on her feet accented the bright pink polish on her toes.

  “May I join you or would you like to meet another time?” She motioned to the chair across from him. The smile on her face was like a ray of sunshine that pierced through the fog of his thoughts.

  “Please. Sit. I’m sorry. I was...wait. I was going to treat you to coffee. Or tea.” He pointed to the cup she set down on the table in front of her as she claimed the chair across from him.

  “No worries. I went straight to the counter and didn’t even see you here in the corner until after I’d ordered.”

  “Well, I owe you one then.”

  “Again, no big deal.” She waved a hand at him and sat back in her chair. The air of confidence she exuded made him sit back as well. Everything about her mesmerized him. It was if she were on stage all the time, everyone’s eyes drawn to her, awaiting her next move.

  “Seriously. Are you ok?” Her arms were folded across her middle casually. She leaned forward a bit, studying his face, searching his eyes.

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry. A lot on my mind, I guess.”

  “I would imagine so.” She nodded, her curls bobbing with the movement.

  “What do you mean?”

  She blinked and looked out the window. So, she could be caught off guard. Interesting.

  “Sorry. I know it might sound like we were gossiping, which we weren’t,” she put up a hand for a second for affect, “but Noelle came over for dinner last night and she gave me a few details about your situation. But know this—she gave nothing away. As my friend she was telling me what an amazing kid Annalise is and how me being her new nanny is a great thing.”

  “I trust Noelle. I’m sure she didn’t reveal any big family secrets.”

  She leaned forward at that, her elbows on the table. “Oooh, family secrets. I’m all ears.”

  He laughed. Something he realized in that moment he hadn’t done in a long time. Of course, he hadn’t revealed any big secrets to Noelle so there was nothing to share. He trusted her. Loved her like a sister. And it was more than fair for her to tell Franchesca just what she was getting herself into by taking the nanny position he offered.

  “I hate to disappoint you, but no big secrets.” He took a sip of coffee.
r />   She leaned back again, feigning disappointment. “Well, I guess I’ll believe you.”

  He laughed again. “One would think with my family, but no. Well, my little sister, McKenna, causes a stir now and then, but everyone else is pretty straight and narrow.”

  “I saw her. She was at the last Bake Off event wasn’t she?”

  “Yes. She and my younger brother, Lucas, came to watch Wes sweat his way through the event.”

  She smiled and took a swig of her tea before setting it back down on the table. “That’s nice you guys have each other and support one another.”

  Mike winced inside a bit. He had forgotten she was an only child. She probably didn’t appreciate him going on about his big family and how great they were.

  “Noelle said they’ve been a huge help to you and Annalise through...everything.”

  “I’d be lost without them. However, they have their own lives to focus on, which leads me to our topic of discussion.”

  She put her hands flat on the table. “Yes. I’m going to be your nanny.” Her cheeks flushed red. “Wait. Not your nanny.” She put a hand to her forehead and looked at the ceiling. “Ugh! I’ve got to stop saying it that way. So embarrassing...”

  Mike was aware she wasn’t speaking to him anymore, but rather herself. And the ceiling. He wanted to feel bad for enjoying her angst, but her drama was so damn cute, he had to grin. “It’s okay. I knew what you meant.”

  She looked him in the eye and laughed. “Well, I’m glad you do, but if I keep slipping up, this town’s gossip meter is going to go sky high.”

  They both laughed.

  A sense of contentment ran through Mike’s veins. Franchesca was so easy to be with. All he’d been worried about before she’d arrived floated from his mind. It was just the two of them at a small table in a coffee shop in a tiny town, laughing and talking.

  “I’m sorry. Go ahead.” She put her hand out, encouraging him to continue.

  He took a deep breath in and let it out as he ran his hands down the legs of his jeans. Why was he nervous? Because this was new territory and he still was unsure. Hell, he was unsure every day as a parent. Wasn’t that part of the deal?

  “Annalise is in her last week of school so starting next week, she’ll be home full time. She’s involved in dance class with Noelle and has some other activities throughout the week, but there are a few hours here and there that I would need your help with if I can’t cover them. And then when I travel, I could be gone anywhere from a week to ten days. Before each trip, I’ll sit down with the family and you to go over covering her schedule while I’m gone.”

  “Wow. It’s hard to believe one kid takes so much organizing.”

  He put his elbows on the table, wrapped his hands around his coffee mug. “It’s...overwhelming sometimes.” Not wanting to see the pity in her eyes that always came his way when he told people how tough it was to be a single dad, he looked out the window.

  The warmth of her hand on his sent a jolt of heat straight to his heart. She said nothing. No “I’m sorry.” Or a “this must be so hard for you.” Or even an “I can only imagine.” Just a gentle touch and then her hand was gone.

  “So you want me to start next week?”

  “That would be great.” He met her eyes then, with a slight smile.

  She returned it in kind. “Sounds good.” With a bump of her tea glass to his coffee mug she said, “To new business ventures and racing dreams.” She took a sip of her drink, a twinkle in her eye as she did so.

  His heart lurched in his chest. How the hell was he going to be around this woman and not fall head over heels?

  “Hey, Bess. I’m back.” Franchesca dropped her keys on the tiny table inside the front door.

  “Hey, sweetie. We’re back here.”

  She followed the sound of her mother’s friend’s voice to find them sitting side-by-side in rocking chairs on the back porch, the quilt they were working on thrown over their laps.

  “Wow. You two have made some progress since I left.” Franchesca kissed the top of her mother’s head and took a seat beside the two women. A small table sat next to Bess’s chair, two glasses of water with lemon perched on it.

  “We have gotten far today, haven’t we, Sophia?” Bess turned to Franchesca’s mother with a smile.

  “Oh yes. We’ve had a lovely time. How was your coffee date?” Both women turned their attention to Franchesca at her mother’s question.

  Her mother was lucid about 90% of the time, but the doctor said that could change and get worse as time went on. She could be alone for the most part, but Franchesca was grateful to friends like Bess who came over to visit and help keep an eye on Sophia when Franchesca wasn’t there.

  Her drama classes were in the afternoons and evenings so most days Franchesca was home, but now with this new nanny job, she wasn’t sure how things were going to be. Ironic, really, that she took the job so she’d have money for when her mother would need to be in a care home, but taking the job also made it more of a necessity to do so. She pushed the thought away. Her mother was doing well right now. One day at a time.

  She shouldn’t be surprised her mother remembered Franchesca telling her about her meeting with Mike. She hadn’t called it a coffee date so her mother had come to that conclusion all on her own. She hadn’t shared it being an employee/employer meeting, either, deciding to save that for a later date.

  “Oh yes. Sophia was telling me all about the lovely man who helped you with your car when it broke down yesterday. And then he invited you out for coffee. He sounds like a keeper.”

  Franchesca fought the urge to smack her forehead and groan. How her mother and friends could go from Mike helping her to “he’s a keeper” in less than twenty-four hours was mind boggling. But who was she to talk? Fantasies of Mike falling madly in love with her and whisking her away had kept her tossing and turning most of the night. Which was weird. She’d never been a “ride into the sunset with my knight in shining armor” kind of woman. But rather more of an “I have my horse, you have yours. We’ll ride off into the adventure side by side” kind of girl.

  She had yet to meet a man who could keep up with her, who respected her independent spirit, and who had no intention of changing her. Mike could be that guy, but based on what she’d seen of him trying to handle everything for her car, she had her doubts.

  However, at coffee he’d been kind, yet businesslike, making sure she understood the terms of their agreement. He was willing to pay her a crazy amount of money for what she’d be doing, but far be it from her to complain. If the man was loaded and wanted to pay her for babysitting, she wasn’t going to complain. And she wasn’t going to think about how she’d gone from an actress trying to make her way in New York to a babysitter in a small town. It was too depressing.

  She had enough on her plate to worry about. Sitting around feeling sorry for herself would get her nowhere.

  “Coffee was great, Mom. But Mike and I are just friends.” She put a hand on the arm of her mother’s chair. “He’s helping me out with...something. That’s all.”

  “Whatever you say, Cece.”

  She smiled at the use of her mother’s pet name for her. Short forms of her name generally bothered her. God forbid anyone try to call her Franny. They wouldn’t live to see another day. But since she was a girl, her mother had called her Cece and she loved it.

  Sophia turned her attention to the quilt in her lap, but Franchesca could see the tiny grin on her mother’s face. Without saying a word, her mother sensed something between Franchesca and Mike and damn it all, she had to agree. But her mother didn’t know the whole story. Attraction or not, Franchesca needed to keep her thoughts and dreams from Mike St. Claire.

  Chapter Six

  Franchesca parked her newly fixed car in the driveway of the St. Claire mansion. She and Noelle had taken to calling it that because a spade was a spade and the St. Claire family home was definitely a mansion.

  “Holy crap,” she whispered
to herself as she eyed the house through her windshield. Noelle had told her about the place, but she had yet to see it herself.

  Her car sat beside a large fountain that adorned the center of the driveway. The gray stone was accented with cream-colored window frames and large pillars that held a balcony jutting out above the front entrance. Perfectly manicured bushes and flowers lined the walkway and drive, adding color and warmth to the property.

  The front door opened and a woman in her sixties with a loose gray bun and a soft smile waved her inside. “Come on in, dear. No need to sit in your car all day.”

  Crap. Crap. Crap. She’d gotten caught sitting and staring, her mouth wide open no less. She hopped out of her car. “Right! Sorry. Was just getting my things together before coming inside.”

  The woman eyed Franchesca’s purse – the “things” it had taken her so long to gather—with a raised brow but said nothing. She waved again, encouraging Franchesca up the front steps and through the doorway. “I’m Glenna.” She put out her hand for Franchesca to shake, which she did. “I’m the housekeeper. Although I hate that title.”

  Franchesca thought her mouth couldn’t open any wider than it had when she sat in her car looking at the front of the house. The inside was insane! Tall ceilings with chandeliers the size of her car and marble flooring everywhere.

  “She runs this place is what she does.” Mike came around the corner and placed a soft kiss on Glenna’s cheek. “So we call her whatever she prefers.”

  “I prefer house goddess, but that one hasn’t stuck for some reason.” Glenna patted his cheek and smiled.

  Mike laughed. A deep, male sound that echoed in the large entryway.

  “I’ll leave you two alone. Nice to meet you, Franchesca.” With a nod she moved down the hall and out of sight.