The Nanny Who Kissed Her Boss

by McMahon, Barbara

  He looked at Savannah, calmly sitting sipping her coffee. He wished he could emulate her serenity. Seeing Margo always hit a hot button. It reminded him of his loss seven years ago. Of a foolish decision that had never gone the way he’d hoped, but that had ended the best thing in his life.

  “I’m going to my room,” Jacey said, struggling to get off the sofa.

  When she’d left, he turned to Savannah. “Now what?”

  “Up to you.”

  “I want to spend time with her. I’ll have to go into work from time to time, a couple of days a week, but this is my summer to get to know my daughter in all her facets.”

  “Jacey’s lucky to have you for a dad,” she said.

  “Not so lucky in her mother,” he replied.

  Savannah shrugged. “Margo has different values. She wants to get ahead, like everyone else.”

  “She wants to get ahead the easy way, the best way for Margo. I want my daughter to be caring and content, not constantly unhappy because of the way her life is going.”

  “So tell her. Spend time sharing your values and expectations. Let her know what you want for her life, and then support her the best you can.”

  “How did you get so smart about teenagers?”

  She laughed. “Not so smart, just some common sense. I was a teenager once.”

  “And not too long ago.”

  “Long enough to look back and see things a bit more objectively. Anyway, if you don’t need me any longer, I’ll take off.”

  “I do need you. Stay. Don’t let me face Jacey alone yet.”

  “You’re joking, right?”

  “Maybe a little. But things do go more smoothly when you’re around.”

  It was on the tip of Savannah’s tongue to say things could go more smoothly always if he’d keep her around. She’d stay, she’d make memories, and when she left she wouldn’t look back.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Savannah called the office to check in and to get the phone number for the Hendersons. She then called them and chatted for a few moments before asking her favor. They discussed the situation for a little while, Savannah implying Margo was a friend, though she knew the two of them never would be. Still, for the sake of getting her away from Declan and Jacey for the summer, she’d say almost anything.

  “Great, thanks a bunch. I appreciate this more than you’ll know,” she said when they’d agreed to two weeks in August. “May I talk to Patty now?” The little girl was a special favorite of hers. She’d watched her several times in the past three years and was scheduled again at Thanksgiving when the entire family was flying to Hawaii.

  She spoke with Patty for almost ten minutes, then said goodbye.

  “You really like her, don’t you?’ Declan asked. He’d been lounging on the sofa during her call, watching Savannah’s animation as she talked to both the parents and the child, amazed she would do such a favor for his ex-wife.

  “Patty is a little doll. She had the sweetest disposition I’ve ever come across. I keep in touch with some of my kids.”

  “Come sit by me and tell me more,” he said.

  She rose and sat beside him on the sofa. He was glad she hadn’t argued.

  But as he took her hand and laced their fingers, resting them on his thigh, he remembered back to when they’d sit after dinner and talk. As she talked about some of her kids he remembered how much he’d liked listening to her. She was entertaining, yet her own values shone through. She was the kind of person he wanted his daughter to grow up to be. Caring, kind, taking delight in mundane things, yet charting her future with goals and working to achieve everything on her terms.

  He watched her as smiles lit her face. She genuinely liked the children she watched. And obviously she loved the travel. It tugged at his heart. He’d missed her over the years. Was there any chance—

  Jacey came out of her room a short time later, while both of them were laughing at a story Savannah had told.

  His daughter sat on a chair and looked at them, noting the held hands. Her eyes widened and Declan quickly released Savannah’s hand.

  “What’s funny?” she asked.

  “Savannah has a way of telling a story that has me laughing,” Declan said. “Tell her about Maisie May.”

  Savannah smiled. “You want to hear it again?”

  “Why not? I bet it’s just as funny the second time.”

  So Savannah related the experience she’d had with a Cajun woman who was sure she could cast a spell to find her a husband. She embellished it a bit more this time around and before long Jacey was laughing.

  “How did you meet her?” she asked at the end of the story.

  Savannah explained how she’d had a few days extra in New Orleans and had gone exploring. That led to more questions from Jacey about her job.

  After she finished there was a moment of quiet. Jacey looked at her dad again.

  “You’re never going to marry Mom again, are you?”

  He shook his head.

  “Are you and Savannah going to get married?”

  Declan went on alert, his gaze seeking Savannah’s.

  “No,” Savannah said, rising.

  “But if Dad asked you, why wouldn’t you say yes, then if you two got married, I could live here, couldn’t I?”

  Declan felt his heart catch. “You could live here with me whether or not I ever marry again,” he said, trying not to give away how much it meant to him.

  “I think I’m in Mom’s way,” she said slowly.

  “Oh, honey, I’m sure that’s not true. I’d love for you to come live with me if you want to. You already have your room, know the neighborhood. It’d mean changing schools, but you could handle that easily enough.”

  Jacey smiled. “Well, I’ll think about it.”

  “You do that, honey. I’d love to have you spend your high school years here. Before you know it, you’ll be grown and out the door and on your own,” Declan said.

  Jacey looked thoughtful as she nodded again. “I’ll think about it. I don’t have to decide now, do I?”

  “No, we have all summer to decide. But we do need to let your mom know when you’re ready,” Declan said.

  Savannah wondered how Margo would take the news. Maybe Jacey was cramping her style, but she also was the reason Margo got a generous child support check each month. How would she feel about that vanishing?

  “So, what shall we do today?” Jacey asked. “How about a movie? That way I can sit most of the time.”

  * * *

  They agreed on a movie and once lunch was over, they headed out to the nearest theater. It wasn’t crowded, even though school was out. Sitting near the center, Declan sat between the two of them, and once the theater went dark, he reached for Savannah’s hand.

  She looked at him but only saw him studying the screen as the previews played.

  She would be hard-pressed to concentrate on the movie when her entire focus was on the sensations cascading through her at his touch. She sat in the dark, eyes on the big screen, her thoughts tumbled and confused. The more she was around him, the more she wanted to be with him. Yet he never spoke of the past or the future.

  When
the lights came on at the end, she blinked and pulled her hand away. Following Jacey and Declan out of the row, she made up her mind to go home now, not to spend another minute with the man. She had to gain some distance and perspective. The only change she’d seen this summer was that her love had been brought to the forefront. It had been hidden and now she had to face it again.

  Letting Jacey get ahead of them a little bit as they exited the theater, she said softly, “I’m going home. If you need me tomorrow I’ll come over. But I think the two of you get along better than ever now. You don’t need me any longer.” It was hard to say the words.

  “Stay for dinner.”

  “No. You need time alone with Jacey and I need some time alone myself.”

  His eyes looked into hers. “Why?”

  “Why what?” She felt her senses scatter.

  “Why do you need time alone?”

  “I just do.” She looked away, seeing Jacey near the doors to the outside, watching them.

  “We’re limited in what we can do while she’s in that cast. Another summer we could go to the beach, do some museums, other things, but not right now. You have ideas on how to entertain children. I need you. You said until the end of the week. Come on with us, Savannah.”

  I need you. How she wished it was for more than entertaining his daughter.

  “Okay, I’ll come back for a little while. We could play board games. Do you have any?”

  “No.”

  “Then we need to swing by a toy store on the way back to your place.”

  * * *

  Jacey balked initially at the suggestion of playing games, declaring it was too childish. But once they were back at Declan’s apartment, she grew more enthusiastic. And once she beat her father at Yahtzee, she wanted to play even more.

  Declan called for dinner from a nearby Chinese restaurant. Once dinner was finished, he said he’d take Savannah home.

  “I can grab a cab,” she said, putting away the games.

  “I’ll take you. You’ll be okay here for a short while, right?” he asked his daughter.

  “Sure. I’ll watch television until you get back. Then I want a rematch on checkers.” That had been the game Declan beat her on every time.

  “Better study up on strategy, then,” he teased.

  She laughed. Coming over to Savannah, she balanced on her crutches and gave her a hug. “Thanks for today, it was fun.”

  “I had fun, too.” Savannah was touched at the teen’s show of affection. What a difference in such a short time.

  Declan flagged down a cab and they settled in the back seat.

  “I can’t believe she might want to come live with me,” he said as the cab pulled out into traffic.

  “I think it’s great. You’ll be a better influence on her than her mother,” Savannah said.

  “There might be a problem getting Margo to agree to changing the custody agreement.”

  “Probably not as much as you think. You should ask your attorney,” Savannah said.

  “I will. Thanks for today. It’s the most fun I’ve had in ages. And all because of you.”

  “Now you have some ideas of how to entertain her until she’s more mobile. I hope you both have the best of summers.”

  “That sounds like goodbye.”

  “It is. Declan, you hired me for the trip to California. That’s been cut short. The longer we play at this, the harder it’s going to be at the end.”

  He was silent for a moment, staring out the side window. Then he turned and looked at her. “What if we don’t stop seeing each other?”

  “What do you mean?” For a moment, hope blossomed. Then her spirits fell. “I’m booked most of the summer. I won’t be around.”

  “Can’t someone else take your assignments? I can pay for the entire summer.”

  Pay for her time? She was hoping for a renewed relationship and he was talking about hiring her to spend time with his daughter.

  She shook her head. “Some of these families are repeat clients and asked especially for me. I’m not going to send someone else in my place.”

  They arrived at her apartment building.

  “Wait, please,” Declan told the cabdriver. “I’m just escorting her to her apartment.” He slipped the man a twenty-dollar bill and opened the car door.

  The ride in the elevator was silent. Savannah wished things could end differently, but she didn’t see how anything had changed.

  Declan walked beside her to her door, trying to find a compelling reason she should stay.

  “How about dinner tomorrow night, just you and me?” he said as she took her keys from her purse.

  She looked at him. “Dinner?”

  “That’s right, the evening meal. Dress up, we’ll go some place nice.”

  He could tell she didn’t think it was a good idea. “Consider it a bonus for the excellent job you did for me.” And give me the opportunity to change your mind about leaving, he added silently.

  “Okay then. Will Jacey be all right?”

  “I’ll make sure. Maybe she could invite a friend over to keep her company. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  Savannah hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. Good night.”

  She had the door open. But he wasn’t going to let her go so easily. He pulled her gently into his arms and kissed her, letting her know the only way he knew how that she was someone special. He didn’t understand why he was so anxious to stay involved, but he wasn’t letting her go so soon. He wanted more time with Savannah.

  When she responded, he deepened the kiss. Her sweet curves met his harder muscles in all the right places. He could have held her all night. Memories crowded, the present vanished and it was as if he was reluctantly parting from her for the night seven years ago. She had a class early in the morning or he had a new product to consider. They’d meet again tomorrow night.

  For a moment he forgot what had happened. Reality crashed down when she pushed him slightly. He let her go, staring down into her big blue eyes. He saw the hurt, the uncertainty and the distrust. All the emotions he’d caused.

  He wanted to rail at fate for the way things had ended. The way he’d thought to make things right. How could doing wrong to this lovely woman ever have seemed right?

  “Good night, Declan.”

  He stood in front of her closed door for another minute. She’d entered her apartment too quickly. And for a moment, he’d felt her farewell was final. At least he had tomorrow evening to get her to change her mind. Slowly he returned to the cab.

  “Take a longer route home, I have some thinking to do,” he instructed the cabby.

  “You got it, mister. That’s a first, asking for a longer way,” the man replied, shaking his head in amazement.

  When Declan returned home, Jacey was snuggled down on the sofa, a light afghan over her. The show on the TV was a comedy. She looked up when he came in. “I’ve been thinking,” she said, sitting up and switching off the TV with the remote. “I would like to come here to live.”

  “I’d do almost anything to have you live with me a few years. You’re sure?”

  “Yes. I think Mom’ll like being on her own. She complains sometimes that I take a lot of work. It won’t
be too much work for you, will it?”

  “Never.” He felt love sweep through him for this sweet child of his.

  “What are you going to do when I’m gone off to college? You’ll be all alone.”

  Did every woman no matter what the age think being alone was worse than being in a marriage just for the sake of companionship?

  “I’ll manage. I’ve been alone these past few years.”

  “But I used to come to visit on weekends and the summer.”

  “You won’t drop in from time to time once you’re off to college?” he asked.

  “Sure, sometimes. But I’ll be busy at school and with friends. Dad, you should think about marrying Savannah. She’s nice.”

  He sat up and looked at her seriously. “Let’s discuss your moving here—what ramifications we can expect and when to tell your mother.” He didn’t even want to think about marrying Savannah. If he’d only done so when he’d had the chance. How different would all their lives be now?

  When Declan picked up Savannah at seven the next evening he had a good game strategy in mind. Jacey was going to live with him. He was very appreciative of that. Next week he’d return to the office and work a minimum schedule, making up any lost time when at home in the evenings. The rest of the day he and Jacey could spend together.

  Knocking on the door, he thought he should have asked Savannah out before, after he’d divorced Margo. He hadn’t because he’d thought she’d moved on. He hadn’t been able to bear the thought of finding a new man in her life.

  Savannah opened the door looking as lovely as he’d ever seen her. The blue dress she wore reflected her own eyes. Her smile rocked him to his toes. He’d missed her over the years.

  “You’re on time and I’m ready. Just let me get my purse.” She picked up a small clutch and put her keys inside.

  He stepped in, crowding her a bit and leaned for a quick brush of his lips against hers. She reminded him of happiness, love, family and youth.