by King, Imani
The entire drive to work, all he could think about was Trisha. What the hell was wrong with him? He’d never thought about any of his other employees like this before. And he’d had plenty of them throwing themselves at him, trying to work their way up the corporate ladder .
He needed to distance himself from Trisha as much as possible. She had a job to do, and none of her duties involved satisfying his deepest desires. For the rest of the day he dove head first into his work. Luckily, she didn’t call him for any questions, so that definitely helped keep her out of his thoughts. He even stayed late in the office, not leaving until around eight when he was nearly exhausted .
None of that helped when he finally made it home and found Trisha in the dining room .
Her laptop was open and papers were spread around her. For a moment, he just leaned against the door frame and watched her work. She was focused on whatever was on the screen and didn’t notice him at first .
“Busy day?” he asked after a minute .
Trisha jumped and knocked a few of the papers onto the ground, making Jonathan chuckle to himself. He walked over and helped her pick them up .
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you .”
She ran her fingers through her hair, then smiled at him. Even looking frazzled, she made his stomach do backflips. “It’s all right. My fault really .”
“Yeah, it looked like you were lost in your work. Must be interesting stuff …”
“Fascinating, to be honest. I’ve been studying early childhood development and the role of growth in child psychology .”
“Sounds like you really enjoy your work. Planning on being a child shrink when you graduate ?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure exactly what I want to do. I’ve thought about a few different paths. All I know is I want to help people. There are so many kids out there who can’t afford the kind of help they need. Most psychologists sit around listening to rich-people-problems.” Her face almost instantly cringed and she looked down at the ground. “Sorry, I mean, no offense to you .”
Jonathan laughed and shook his head. “I’m not offended. I’ve had to do my fair share of listening to rich people complain.” He walked over and patted her on the shoulder. “I won’t distract you from your work. I’m gonna see if Gretta left me anything in the kitchen .”
“She said there were leftovers in the oven for you!” Trisha called as he walked into the kitchen .
“Thanks!”
Just like Trisha said, there was plenty of Gretta’s baked ziti in the oven, just waiting to be heated up. Jonathan managed to scrounge up some Italian bread and a salad while the ziti heated up. He considered just eating in the kitchen, but he figured that would be a little too obvious if he avoided Trisha like that .
He had to make her think nothing was going on, lest she go running for the hills and leaving him stuck hunting for another nanny. So he brought out his bread and salad, along with a glass of wine and set it on the table .
Trisha was still knee deep in her school work, but her papers were no longer scattered about like they had been before. She was just as absorbed as she had been when he’d arrived though. She must’ve really be serious about her schooling, he realized .
As he ate, Jonathan studied Trisha some more. He found that he liked the way her brow furrowed as she concentrated. More than once he wanted to walk over and massage her shoulders to help relieve some of the tension .
Thankfully, Alexander came down into the dining room and helped push away those thoughts. He froze when he saw his father, then smiled and walked over to give him a hug. “Oh, hey. I didn’t know you were home .”
“Just got home not long ago. I was starving.” He grinned at his eldest son. “I take it you came down foraging for food yourself ?”
His cheeks turned pink, but he nodded, still smiling. “Yeah. I wanted a snack .”
“Go on,” Jonathan said. “Just not too much, okay? I don’t need either of you getting sick .”
Alexander nodded, then walked back over to the doorway. He stuck his head out, then yelled “Hey Dec, Dad’s home !”
Trisha and Jonathan both looked at the boy, eyebrows raised. Neither had to speak for Alexander to blush and look down at the floor. “Sorry!” he said, before scampering off into the kitchen .
Jonathan shook his head while Trisha rolled his eyes. “I hope you weren’t expecting this to be a quiet job,” he said with a laugh .
“Oh, I gave up on quiet when we picked the boys up from school yesterday.” She laughed as well. “They’re certainly boisterous , aren’t they ?”
“That’s putting it politely !”
Before Jonathan could say anything else, Declan came flying into the room, skidding to a halt a foot away from the table. If he’d stopped a second later, he’d have tumbled right into it .
“No running in the house!” Jonathan and Trisha said at the same time, grinning at each other .
Declan pouted, but walked over to his father and hugged him. “Sorry .”
“I think there’s an echo in here,” Jonathan said, winking at Trisha. “I’m starting to wonder if you two need any more sugar !”
“Awww come on!” Declan’s turned his puppy dog eyes on, pleading with his father .
“Okay, but no more running in the house, got it? Especially not when you’re wearing socks. I don’t feel like taking a trip to the ER tonight .”
Declan nodded eagerly, and Jonathan thought his head might fly right off his small body. Maybe he really shouldn’t give the kid any more sugar …
Then Alexander came back into the room, carrying two sodas and a bag of chips. He passed one to Declan .
“Don’t be up too late, okay?” He eyed Alexander. “I want you both in bed before nine thirty. And don’t forget, you’ve got that party tomorrow. Did you get a gift for your friend ?”
“Yep!” Alexander said nodding. “And Trisha helped me wrap it, too .”
“All right. Give me a hug, then you two go play. I’m gonna call it a night soon.” The boys hugged him, then scampered off back into their little cave. He was starting to wonder if maybe he should push them to get outside more. Things were different than when he was a kid .
“Thanks for helping him today,” Jonathan said, his focus once again returning to Trisha. It seemed like he couldn’t go very long without returning to her. He was definitely going to need to head to sleep soon, before he did something stupid in his sleep deprived state .
“It was no problem.” She looked up at him over the lid of her laptop and smiled. “It is what I’m here for, right ?”
“That’s true. But I still appreciate it.” Not only had it saved him from having to wander around the store while Alexander struggled to make up his mind but it had allowed him to make some progress to get caught up at work. Even if he was about to fall asleep in his pasta now .
“I hope you don’t mind that I’m getting a little work done here…” Trisha said a bit apprehensively. “I’ve been keeping an eye on the kids, but you did say that I’m off work at eight, right ?”
“I’m sorry I got home so late. I do appreciate you keeping them in line .”
“Well, it was easy enough. I sent them up to take a shower and spend a little time reading. Declan started on Harry Potter tonight. If they needed me, I would have put all of this away until they were asleep… of course…” Trisha replied .
After a few more minutes of small talk, Jonathan left her to the stack of psychology papers. He stopped in and said goodnight to the boys, receiving hugs from both of them, then headed up to his room for a quick shower of his own .
As the warm water cascaded down his body, Trisha appeared in his mind again. He tried to push her out of his mind, but she stuck with him even as he finished up and dried off .
She hadn’t been here two full days and all he wanted to do was bend her sexy little ass over the dining room table .
Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to hire her ….
9
“S o, what’s he like?” Samantha asked, grinning at Trisha. She’d been sitting on the couch waiting the moment Trisha walked in the door. Leave it to Sam to want gossip without delay .
“He’s nice.” Trisha set her purse on the counter and started looking around, wondering where to begin packing. They’d lived here for over two years now; it was strange to even be thinking of packing her things up .
“Nice?” Samantha snorted. “The guy’s a billionaire! There’s gotta be more to him than ‘nice .’”
Trisha rolled her eyes as she walked into the kitchen. She wouldn’t need any of her kitchen things, but she wanted to pack them anyway. The job wouldn’t last forever, so she didn’t want to toss everything. Worst case, she’d get a storage unit and pack some of this stuff away .
“What else is there to say? He’s my boss, not my boyfriend.” I wish he was my boyfriend , Trisha thought, not daring to say it out loud. “I don’t see much of him. He works late. He didn’t get home until almost nine last night, then he ate and went right to bed .”
Sam snorted, and it was clear she was looking for more dirt. They both knew each other well enough to know when the other was holding back. To her credit, she let it drop, at least for now …
The two of them started sorting through all the different things, figuring out what was Sam’s and what was Trisha’s. The amount of stuff they seemed to have accumulated over the past few years was amazing. Most of it was Sam’s, but they still had to go over everything to make sure nothing was missed .
Brandon and Justin showed up around noon with a case of beer and pizza for everyone. Even though Trisha wouldn’t be that far away and would still see everyone, her moving day turned into a mini goodbye party for her .
After lunch, the guys helped her pack her things up. By the time the sun began to set, almost everything Trisha owned was in a pile of boxes in the living room. It was pretty depressing, seeing her room nearly barren. Even the living room and kitchen looked less like the home she’d known for the past few years .
“You okay?” Sam asked, walking up and putting her arm around Trisha’s shoulders as she looked into the living room .
Trisha nodded, taking a deep breath. It’d take a bit of getting used to living somewhere else, to living with someone else. Sam had been her best friend growing up, the one who’d always been there for her .
Turning, Trisha wrapped her arms around Sam. “I’m going to miss you .”
“I’ll miss you too. But it’s not like we’re never going to see each other again. You’re not that far away .”
“I know, but between school and taking care of the kids, I don’t know when we’ll be able to get together for awhile .”
“We’ll make time, don’t worry.” She hugged Trisha tight. “We’ll just have to reschedule Taco Tuesday .”
“To what, Taco Saturday?” Trish laughed and shook her head. It’d be silly, but silly was fine if it meant she still got to see her friends .
That night, as she laid staring up at the ceiling, she realized it was possible this would be the last time she ever stayed here. After tonight, she’d be living with Mr. Ashcourt…. With Jonathan… It would be strange living in that giant house. Just spending two nights there had been strange. Would she ever feel as comfortable as she did here with Sam ?
The big house creaked and moaned at night. Her apartment made noises too, but those were familiar . The ones in Jonathan’s mansion were new and different and unsettling. It would take a while for her to get used to it, especially without having a familiar face just down the hall .
Instead, she’d have Jonathan just down the hall .
Maybe it wasn’t all bad …
Even now she could see that handsome face when she closed her eyes. It didn’t matter that he was ten years older than her or that he was so far out of her league that he might as well be on Mars .
And yet, she couldn’t get him out of her head. In fact, being unobtainable just seemed to make him more attractive .
Or maybe it was the way he looked at her. She’d caught him staring in the dining room, and spent the rest of her time trying to look like she was enthralled in her work so she wouldn’t have to meet his gaze .
At the same time, all of this just made Trisha more anxious. What if she made a wrong move and he tossed her out? Sam would be looking for a new roommate soon, so it wasn’t like she could just move back in here. If worst came to worst, she might even have to move back home …
Maybe I shouldn’t have taken this job , Trisha thought as she stared up at the ceiling .
There was still time to change her mind. She could call Jonathan first thing in the morning and tell him she wasn’t sure she could juggle the job and her school work. He’d understand… right ?
But then he’d be in a bind, trying to find another nanny for the boys .
She liked Alexander and Declan. They were sweet boys, even if they were a bundle of energy, and if they really were suffering after Jonathan’s wife passed away… another sudden change might not go well .
And… she really did need the money .
With her living at the house, she’d have very few expenses. She wouldn’t have to pay for food or rent or utilities. Hell, she wouldn’t even need to pay for gas. Jonathan had given her a credit card to handle all her nanny-related expenses, gas included .
This really was a dream job, even if it wasn’t her dream job. It wasn’t like she’d ever come across something like this ever again, so why not ride it out? Even if she only stayed for six months, she’d come out on top. Six months of her salary with minimal expenses would pay for a couple years of college .
As sleep began to overtake her, she decided to stick with the job, at least for now. She’d just have to find a way to keep her attraction under wraps. He was her employer, not some guy on Tinder .
* * *
T he movers showed up first thing the next morning. Trisha watched as they loaded up everything she owned into the back of a giant truck .
Sam and Trisha stood out of the way as they worked, Trisha having packed up the last of her bedsheets that morning. Her bed would be another thing she’d have to put into storage, she figured, since her room at Jonathan’s already had one .
Once all the boxes were gone, the apartment was even more depressing. Even with the living room furniture and Sam’s things still there, the place just wasn’t the same .
Trisha pulled Sam into a hug again, trying to fight back her tears. God, why did this have to be so hard? She was staying in the same town, maybe thirty minutes away if traffic was bad. So why did it feel like she was losing her best friend ?
“Come on, it’s not gonna be that bad,” Sam said, patting Trisha on the back .
“I know, really I do. I just…. I can’t help it .”
Trisha sniffled and buried her face in Sam’s shoulder. I won’t cry. I won’t cry! She told herself, over and over. She was determined not to let herself break down into tears .
After their heartfelt goodbye, Trisha was in the SUV, heading toward the house to meet the movers. Tears still stung at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to give in. This was a good change, she told herself. There wasn’t any point in crying .
She pulled into the driveway just as the delivery men were opening the back of the truck. Once she showed them where everything was to go, she stepped aside and let them get to work. She had them just set her bed to the side in her room, planning to go out and rent a storage unit later that day .
She was sitting in the dining room on her laptop when she her feet clamoring down the hall. Seconds later, Declan came into sight, skidding to a halt when he saw her, his socks sending him sliding on the wood flooring .
“You’re back!” he said with a grin. “Cool !”
“Yep, I’m back.” Trisha grinned at the energetic boy. “The movers are just bringing my things in now. Where’s your dad and Alexander ?”
He pointed with his thumb over
his shoulder. “In the game room. We’re all playing Mario Kart. They sent me to get snacks. You wanna join us ?”
Declan talked a mile a minute, and it took all of Trisha’s focus to follow his words. She could only imagine how Alexander or Declan’s teachers were able to keep up with this kid all the time .
“Once the movers are done, I’ll come join you, okay ?”
Declan nodded and grinned, then disappeared into the kitchen. Even from her spot at the table, she could hear him rummaging through cabinets and the refrigerator. Moments later, he appeared again, his arms laden with junk food and sodas for everyone. He grinned at Trish, then was on his way back to the game room .
“Don’t run!” she yelled after him .
Not thirty seconds later she heard a crash, wincing at the sound. Quickly, she ran out of the room toward the sound, finding Declan face first in the hallway, his bounty scattered out. That was why she’d told him not to run, especially since he was wearing socks again .
Maybe now he’ll learn, she thought as she walked over to him .
Nothing seemed to be broken, at first glance. And there was no blood, though now Declan was moving, tears already forming .
“You okay?” she asked, squatting down in front of him .
He nodded, but still fought to keep from crying. “Dad’s gonna kill me .”
When he turned to look at the exploded cans of soda that were covering the hallway the dam broke and tears came flooding out. Trisha pulled him into her arms, gently patting him on the back. Her heart ached as the boy buried his face in the crook of her neck, bawling his eyes out .
“It’s okay, relax. Your Dad won’t be mad.” She patted his back between each word. “Come on, I’ll help you clean everything up, okay? It’ll be good as new in no time .”
It took a minute or two for him to calm down. Once he did, the two of them cleaned up most of the snacks, setting aside the bags of chips and stuff that hadn’t been destroyed in his tumble. Then they grabbed the trash and took it into the kitchen .
