“I enjoyed the evening,” Declan said as he opened their door.
“Me, too,” she said.
“Do you think Jacey’s back?” he asked.
“I’ll check.” Back to the job. Savannah crossed the living room and peeked into Jacey’s room. The teenager was sound asleep in her bed, her clothes pooled on the floor. Typical teenager, Savannah thought with amusement as she closed the door.
“In bed and asleep,” she reported. “Which is where I’m heading—bed and sleep. Thanks for a wonderful evening,” she said, moving to her door. She was in her room in no time. So no awkward will-he-kiss-me-good-night-or-not moment to deal with. No giving herself away by throwing herself into his arms and clinging like a vine.
She regretted the move as soon as the door closed behind her. Taking a breath, she opened it to say she would rejoin him if he wanted, but he was already moving to his room. She closed the door quietly and leaned against it. She was so dumb sometimes.
Or wise. It depended upon how she looked at things.
* * *
Over the next two days, Declan, Savannah and Jacey were treated as special guests at the resort. They followed one of the trails for a day of hiking. They enjoyed the pools, especially the one overlooking the valley, with the waterfall they could swim beneath. Nights Jacey spent with the other teenagers and Savannah and Declan spent as if they were a courting couple—dancing, spending time together walking around the grounds to enjoy the evening coolness. They shared time in the hot tub with another couple.
Thursday dawned overcast with the threat of rain. Declan spent most of the morning on the phone with his office. Jacey was going on a trail ride, if the rain held off. The resort had arranged it for the teenagers who were interested.
“You could go to the day-care center and watch the little kids,” Jacey said to Savannah as she prepared to leave.
“Do I look like I need something to do?” Savannah asked, amused Jacey would volunteer her.
“What will you do if I’m gone all day?”
“I might have another day at the spa,” Savannah said. It wasn’t often she got the luxury. She’d pay for it herself, of course, but it might be fun. She wasn’t needed to watch Jacey—between her daytime activities with other teens and her evenings spent telling her father all she’d done, Savannah felt superfluous.
Every night Jacey had other plans leaving Savannah and Declan together. She knew she was falling again for Declan in a big way. And that would give her nothing but heartache. She wished she’d stop trying to guess the future. He was attentive. But he had been before. Could she ever stop making comparisons?
Savannah was lying on the massage table almost asleep when a woman from the spa knocked on the door.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she said, sticking her head in when she opened it. “There’s an emergency and Mr. Murdock has asked to have Miss Williams return to their suite as soon as she can.”
“What’s happened?” Savannah asked, sitting up and wrapping the sheet around her. “What emergency?”
“I’m not sure, but he wants you to hurry.”
In less than five minutes Savannah entered the suite in a rush. No one was there. She went to his room, it was empty. Checking hers and Jacey’s, which were also empty, she turned and headed downstairs. Reaching the front desk, she told the woman she’d been asked to return to the suite but no one was there.
“They’re in the infirmary.” She beckoned over one of the bell men. “Show Miss Williams to the infirmary, please.”
What had happened? Savannah hurried after the man, glad he walked quickly, as if knowing it was urgent.
When she entered the area, she immediately heard Declan. Following the sound of his voice, she peeped around a cubicle curtain and saw Jacey crying, her dad leaning over her, hugging her and rocking her gently.
“What happened?” She rushed to the side of the high bed.
“I fell and broke my ankle,” Jacey wailed, crying.
“Honey, don’t cry so, it’ll be all right,” Declan said, hugging her again.
“It hurts,” she complained.
“They’ll have you fixed up in no time.”
“But I won’t be able to ride the horses anymore.”
“Did you fall from the horse?” Savannah asked, standing by the opposite side of the bed from Declan, brushing back the hair from Jacey’s forehead.
“No. We got off at a look-out point. We were playing around and then I slipped on some rocks and fell a little way, but my foot landed wrong. Stupid old bones. It wasn’t that big a fall.”
“Sometimes just the oddest angle will be enough,” Savannah said. She looked at Declan. He looked totally distraught.
“She’ll be okay,” she said softly, reaching over to touch him, to offer what support and comfort she could.
“That doesn’t make it any easier to deal with,” he said. “This changes everything. As soon as her ankle’s set, I’m making arrangements to return home.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Less than twenty-four hours later they arrived at Declan’s apartment. Jacey was exhausted and unhappy. She’d wanted to stay and spend more time with the new friends she’d made at the resort. Declan, however, had finished his business and saw no reason to remain at the resort when it would be easier to care for her at home.
“Want to go lie down?” he asked his daughter when they reached their flat.
“I guess. I’m so tired.” Jacey had been grumpy on the flight, unable to become totally comfortable even in the spacious first-class seats. She had not mastered the crutches yet and was clumsy and awkward. Stubborn to the end, however, she managed to go down the hall to her room.
“I’ll settle her,” Savannah said, following.
A few minutes later she returned to the living room. “She’ll be asleep in no time,” she murmured. “If you don’t need me anymore, I’ll head out.”
He turned and looked at her.
“Technically, I guess you could say the job’s ended. But if you’d stay a few more days of the assignment, it’ll help with the transition. The doctor said she could be switched to a walking cast in another week or two. Until then, she’s going to need extra help. The venue’s changed, but not the timing. Stay, please. Finish the week at least.”
“I can’t stay beyond that. I have another assignment starting soon.”
“Until then.”
“You have a housekeeper and are only a few minutes away when you’re at work. She’s fourteen, she doesn’t need a babysitter at home.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. “We can’t just end this like that.”
For a moment Savannah felt a spark of hope. Could she finish the assignment here in Manhattan? Spend a few more days—and evenings?—with Declan? The trip was over, but it didn’t have to mean they were.
“I could come during the day. I do have to check my schedule. When my next assignment comes up, I need to take it,” she said, already deciding to extend her interaction with Declan as long as she could.
He nodded. “I appreciate your help now.”
The way his dark eyes looked into hers, Savannah couldn’t help hoping. Was it her own imagination, her o
wn yearning? Or was there something more?
She was far too interested and attracted to the man for her own good. And she feared spending more time in his own home would only strengthen that attraction until she’d be in for another huge heartbreak when she left.
A few kisses, quiet times together, dancing the night away—these did not add up to a confession of undying love.
Still, there was nothing to be done about it now. She’d guard her heart and do the best she could.
“Actually, there won’t be a housekeeper for a few days. I gave Mrs. Harris the same time off as I was planning to take. I thought we’d be gone. I can have food brought in. You won’t have to cook or anything.”
“Oh, I don’t mind. I enjoy cooking and rarely get to since I travel so much. When I’m home, I do all the cooking. Stacey doesn’t like it that much so the kitchen is my domain.” She was already thinking of some of his favorite meals, the ones they’d made together and shared before.
“I’d love some home cooking. But don’t feel obligated. You were hired for a different role.”
It came down to that. She’d been hired to spend time with his daughter. Any romantic overtones were only in her imagination. Turning away, she tried to catch her breath against the pain that hit her sharply. Was that his way of saying don’t get involved? Don’t read more into anything?
“Maybe Jacey likes to cook, too. Once she’s on her feet again, maybe she’d want to help.”
His expression sobered. “I don’t even know that about my own daughter. How could a father not know that?”
“Probably because you never gave her a chance. With her mother cooking at home and Mrs. Harris here, it’d be surprising if she did cook.”
“Something more to learn. My hope is now that she changed back to the girl I know, she doesn’t revert to the Goth creation because we’re home.”
“It might help if she had friends over.”
“Unless they dress all in black.”
He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Savannah raised her gaze to his, longing for him to pull her close and kiss her.
“I appreciate your help. I’m still technically on vacation, so I won’t go into the office for a couple of days. Between the two of us, maybe we can keep the change going.”
She felt butterflies in her stomach. His eyes looked into hers and she felt as if she were beginning to float away. Involuntarily her gaze dropped to his mouth. His lips had kissed her, drawn a response from her that had her feeling giddy. Was she the only one to feel it? Once before she’d been in love with Declan Murdock. She felt the same way again.
He squeezed her shoulder and removed his hands, turning to go into the kitchen. “We can check the supplies and see what we need to get to eat for the next few days,” he said.
She took a breath, trying to get her racing heart under control. She couldn’t have been so foolish as to fall for him again. Had she learned nothing from the past?
But a voice seemed to whisper—again? Had she ever fallen out of love with him? She’d been hurt, incredibly hurt. Yet she had understood his actions after years of questioning things. He’d tried to do the honorable thing for his daughter, for the mother of his child.
Truth be told, had he known the extent of her love? They’d said it a few times, but only in passion. She’d never told him how she counted the moments until she saw him again. That a part of her felt missing when he was gone. Of the dreams she’d had of the two of them together against the world.
In the end, it hadn’t mattered. She doubted if he would have made a different decision.
Savannah stood rooted to the spot. He still hadn’t a clue how deeply she felt about him. She should be grateful, but a small part of her wished he felt the same pull of attraction. Wished that he found it hard to act casually and not give in to desire that rose every time they came near each other.
* * *
Playing house. That’s what it felt like. Declan leaned against the counter in the kitchen and watched as Savannah and Jacey prepared dinner. They were having hamburgers and salad, but the elaborate concoction they were making was fancier than any hamburger he’d ever eaten. He enjoyed watching them. Quite a change from the beginning of the trip two weeks ago. Gone was the sullen girl determined to stay with her mother.
It was like a family ought to be, he thought. Working together, enjoying each other’s company. It didn’t take money or exotic locales to make him happy. This is what he’d wanted for Jacey all along, once he’d learned of her existence.
The sad part was that this was all make-believe. His second go-round with Margo had ended in shambles despite all the effort he’d made. He wanted the best for his daughter. His ex-wife wanted the best for herself.
What would life have been like if he’d stayed with Savannah, married her and made a home for Jacey with Savannah? That choice had only briefly been entertained seven years ago. She’d still been in college. He couldn’t saddle her with a seven-year-old daughter, limit her own activities and future to take on his daughter.
He hadn’t wanted Jacey shuttled back and forth between two homes. Yet that’s how it ended up.
Some said love conquered all. Love lasted forever.
He didn’t think he’d ever loved Margo. Not the way he should have. Never the way he’d felt about Savannah. But he’d tried to do what he thought was right. He wanted to have a family, do things the way his parents had done. Margo had not changed. It appeared she never would.
“Declan, is one enough?” Savannah asked. The way both of them were looking at him, he suspected it wasn’t the first time she’d asked.
“Yes. You’re making them huge.”
“They’ll shrink up a bit when cooking,” she said, shaping a patty.
Jacey looked at him. “These’ll be the best burgers you ever ate.”
“Think so?”
“Definitely.” She shaped another patty and soon the burgers were broiling in his oven. Savannah instructed Jacey on the next stage. The teen followed instructions perfectly and beamed with the praise Savannah gave when the task was finished.
Once again Declan wondered what things would have been like if he’d made a different choice. He looked at Savannah and felt the desire rise as it did every time he looked at her. She was beautiful, inside and out. She gave more than she took. She was settled and content with her life.
Which was both good and bad. Settled meant she didn’t want to change.
He pushed away from the counter. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, leaving the kitchen. He’d made his choice seven years ago. It hadn’t worked out at all like he’d hoped. Now, he was stuck with the fallout of that decision.
It didn’t matter that some nights he was so lonely he walked outside just to escape the thoughts that crowded his head. That he felt awkward at his own company’s picnics in the summer, odd man out because he didn’t have his family with him.
He went to the window and stared out across Central Park. It was a windy day, he could see the trees limbs moving. If Jacey were more mobile, they could go to the park. Or someplace. Staying at home, playing house, seeing how well Savannah fitted into his life brought too many conflicting emotions to the forefront.
The phone rang and he pi
cked it up, hoping it might be work with an emergency needing his attention.
It was Margo.
“I got a text from Jacey that she broke her ankle. Now you’re home. How is she?”
“Healing. She’ll get a walking cast in another couple of weeks. Until then she’s on crutches.”
“How did that happen? Were you too busy with work to pay attention to your own daughter?”
“She was well looked after. She was horseback-riding with friends. They stopped and got to playing around. She slipped on some rocks,” he answered patiently, ignoring the other part of her comment.
“She should come back home.”
“She is home, with me. For the summer. I thought you wanted it that way.”
“I did, things changed. You’ll be away at work more than you’ll be home,” Margo said.
“You work, how is that different?” Declan asked.
The silence lasted only a moment, then she said, “I could take a leave if you’d make up the difference in pay. Then I’d be home with her all summer.”
“Not going to happen. She’s mine for the summer.”
“I’m coming to see her,” Margo said.,
“Not today. Come tomorrow if you like. We’ll be here.”
Hanging up, Declan wished he could keep the woman as far away from Jacey as possible. Maybe he should consider asking his daughter now if she’d like to live with him for the next few years. All too soon she’d be off to college and her own future. If she was to be his only child, he should spend more time with her. He’d hoped waiting until later in the summer would give her a sense of how they would live, which would help her make up her mind. Maybe waiting would be a mistake.
“Dad, dinner’s ready,” Jacey called.
Back to playing house. Savannah would be gone soon and life would return to normal.
* * *
The Nanny Who Kissed Her Boss Page 13
