by Susan Meier
She shrugged. “My mom was pretty smart. My father owns one of the biggest real estate companies in New York State. He left her and ultimately had us evicted from our condo because only his name was on the deed. He has so many friends in high places that she got virtually no child support for me until she found a lawyer willing to dig really deep into his finances. She can hold her own.”
“Smart woman.”
She sniffed a laugh, pulled her hand from Danny’s and rose. “Yeah. She learned some hard lessons.” She headed back down the hall again. “I’ll go pack and call Shirley. It’s Sunday, but she can still have someone here in a couple of hours. I’ll stay until the new nanny arrives.”
His heart stopped. Something strong and angry rose in him. He might be part of a family that needed protecting, but he couldn’t deny this woman a job she so clearly deserved. “You don’t have to leave.”
She stopped and returned to the kitchen. “Have you ever thought of what your future brother-in-law would do if he heard my story? You say your dad’s biggest worry is of one of you being kidnapped... What about extortion? Roger hasn’t been a blip on the radar of my life for a decade. But what if there’s a picture of us in the paper when we’re walking Wiggles? What if he comes out of the woodwork? If Jace finds out about my past, that’s what he’s going to consider. Extortion. If Roger comes after me, asking for money, your father’s estate wouldn’t have to do a thing. Once they fired me, they’d be free. I’m the one who’d be picking up those pieces.”
She shook her head. “I’d sort of thought of all of this as I was packing to work here. On the train, I’d decided not to take the job. But then I got out of the elevator, and Rex was crying, milk was everywhere...and you were so nice.” Tears filled her eyes. “I just wanted to help you.”
“You are helping, Marnie. Your secret’s stayed a secret for ten years. It may never come up again.”
She wavered. He saw it in her eyes, and something compelled him to persuade her. Maybe he wanted to return everything life had taken away from her. Maybe he simply couldn’t stand to see her so hurt, so empty, when she deserved the world.
“Stay.” He reached out and squeezed her hand. “Rex loves you. I need you. You could leave now, but what if you stay and nothing happens?”
She worried her bottom lip.
“Stay.”
She raised her eyes until their gazes caught. “If I stay, there can’t be anything between us. Seeing the bodyguard, realizing just how rich and different you are, it hit me in a wave that anything between you and me would be a nightmare. You have to promise there will be nothing between us.”
He thought of everything that had happened the day before. Thought of confronting her dad. Marnie kissing him. The suspicions that had rolled over him like a freight train. His chat with Leni and how in the end, no matter that he’d had suspicions, he hadn’t been able to resist Marnie.
He said, “I promise,” but something inside him told him it was a lie. He’d never felt the things he felt for her. Sometimes they drew him along before he had a chance to really think them through.
Still, after everything she’d endured in her very young life, he couldn’t be the one to put her through anything more.
Especially not for something as trivial as a romance...
The thought died in his brain. What he felt for her, with her, wasn’t trivial.
And maybe that was the problem.
* * *
For the next week, every day when Danny went to work, the temptation to search the name of the guy who had ruined Marnie’s life nearly overwhelmed him, but he didn’t even open his browser. He reminded himself that Marnie didn’t want her secrets unburied. The irony of it rolled through him as he turned to look out the wall of glass behind his desk.
The man whose life had been undone by secrets had fallen for a woman whose secret could destroy her.
Which led him to realize that maybe the real issue wasn’t that there were pictures potentially out there, but her fear of them.
He returned home that night tired, worn down, but the second he saw her, sitting in front of the highchair feeding Rex, his spirit rose.
“Hey! Hi, everybody.” He walked from the elevator to the island, where he set his briefcase. He reached for the spoon to give Rex his next bite and Marnie melted back, away from him. He told himself it was to let him have special time with Rex and turned his attention to his son.
“So how was your day?”
Rex giggled and said, “Good.”
“Today’s bodyguard, Paul, took him for a nice, long walk.”
His chest tightened. “Did you not want to go?”
“No.” She busied herself at the sink. “I just thought I’d eliminate the middleman. Let Rex go out and the bodyguard have total control.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know.”
“You don’t want to go outside?”
She hesitated. “I’m fine inside.”
Where no one could see her. Especially not with his child.
His little boy finished eating and Danny unstrapped him from the highchair and pulled him into his arms.
Marnie raced over. “Don’t forget his juice. He didn’t drink a lot today, so I’m encouraging fluids.”
He turned to take the cup from her. Their hands brushed and a million sensations roared through him. Enough that his breath caught.
Their eyes met and she blinked, but not before he saw the shimmer of longing that she banked.
“I should probably go to my room. Let you have some playtime before he goes to bed.”
His soul shattered into a million pieces. He wanted to hold her, to make it better. To take her to his bed and love her until nothing else mattered. But her walls were solid, and he understood why.
Still, they were on the top floor of an exclusive building. With a doorman and bodyguards and no one to see...
“Why not play with us?”
She smiled slightly. “Because he needs time alone with you. Not just with me.”
“You love playing with us. Rex loves when we all play together—”
“True, but it’s been a long day. I’ll just go get a shower.”
Disappointment gripped him. His pride bruised. He stepped back. “Yeah. Sure.”
He left the kitchen and took Rex to the nursery, where he entertained his son so long that he got him ready for bed.
Marnie tiptoed in. “You didn’t have to do that. I would have helped.”
“It’s okay.” He’d fought off the injury to his pride with cold, hard facts. He knew he didn’t understand anything she felt. He’d tried to imagine the horrible betrayal she’d gone through, but how could he get the full impact of something like that? He couldn’t. He thought about what she’d said about extortion and what Jace would say if he knew, and he honestly didn’t have any answers. Particularly when he remembered the revelation of Mark’s secrets had ruined his life. Changed it so much he would never be the same again.
That’s what outing Marnie’s secrets would do to her.
No matter how much it hurt him, confused him, filled him with longing that morphed into anger sometimes, he thought of her.
He said, “Good night,” and retreated to his room, walking to the window.
He could buy anything he saw. Fancy cars. Fancy meals. Fancy clothes. Even a whole damned building. But the one thing he really wanted he couldn’t have.
Anger lit in his soul. A fight between the part of him that understood that she had to be careful and the part of him that wanted her to let go.
Test the waters. See if there really was a reason to be worried.
But it only took asking her to go for a walk with him and Rex on Saturday morning for him to see the genuine fear in her eyes.
It made him crazy and his heart ached for he
r, but he also missed her. He hated that he was the cause of her withdrawal, then he’d think about how happy they’d been. Even before their feelings for each other had pulled them into something she didn’t want, they’d been happy.
He’d been even more contented than he’d been before he’d discovered he was the son of an eccentric billionaire. It was as if being with her made everything in his life unimportant, except her and Rex. Those were his priorities and his joy. And he knew he’d been changing her feelings, her life too.
They’d both fallen into something wonderful, and now it was gone.
Monday morning, his phone office phone buzzed, and he hit the button to answer. “Yes.”
“It’s Monty. Your sister Charlotte and her fiancé are on their way up.”
Normally, a visit from Charlotte and Jace would have been a welcome announcement. He loved Charlotte. Quick-witted and smart, she always made him laugh. But she had Jace with her. And, after Marnie’s story, anytime anyone mentioned Jace, Danny stiffened.
What if Jace had investigated her?
What if Jace had uncovered her secret?
Was he here to tell Danny he had to fire her? After all, the Hinton family didn’t take chances. Jace axed anything that could potentially lead to trouble.
The elevator door opened. Charlotte strode out. Wearing dress slacks and a silky tank top and blazer, she looked like she’d been born to money. In his black suit and tie, Jace was clearly her match.
As Danny rose, she walked to the desk and planted a big kiss on his cheek.
“You’re in a good mood.”
Jace said, “We have news.”
Danny’s heart stumbled at the possibilities. But would Charlotte be so chipper if Jace had uncovered Marnie’s secret and they were here to force him to fire her?
No. She wouldn’t.
They couldn’t know.
He motioned for them to take the seats in front of his desk.
“What’s up?”
“I’m pregnant!” Charlotte said without preamble, clearly so happy she was ready to burst.
Jace shook his head. “She’s nuts about it.”
“Are you kidding? A little Jace!” Her face glowed. “What could be cuter than that?”
Danny laughed and rose, coming around the desk to shake Jace’s hand and hug Charlotte. “Congratulations!”
“That’s not the best news,” Charlotte said. “We’re getting married next week—in Scotland!”
“Next week?”
“In Scotland!”
He laughed. “Yeah. I got that part.”
“Why aren’t you jumping for joy?”
He shook his head. “Now that I’m a dad, there are logistics to think about.”
Charlotte blinked. “You are bringing Rex, right?”
“Of course.”
Jace gave him a funny look. “And you have a nanny.”
“Right.”
“See?” Charlotte pointed her finger at him. “That right there. That’s what lawyers do. Make a big deal out of things that don’t need to be a big deal.”
His head tilted. “What?”
“Danny, when we thought Mark was dead, you made a production number out of everything that had to do with his estate. You did three DNA samples on me and Leni and sent them to three different labs. You kept Leni locked away in a hotel room and tried to stifle me, but I’m not so easily corralled.”
Jace nodded. “It’s true.”
“And now you’re making a production number out of going to Scotland when we have private jets and can stay anywhere we want. For once just relax. We’re going to Scotland...for a wedding. Because Jace and I are going to have a baby.” She glanced at Jace. “Our own little bundle of joy. Don’t pick it apart. Don’t ask yourself if you’re being too happy. Just come with us to Scotland, dance a bit, drink as much as you want and let go.”
He stared at her.
She chuckled and rose from her seat. “I know the concept of relaxing eludes you. But try it—for me.” She patted her stomach. “For us.” She glanced at Jace again. “For all of us. Maybe it’s time we stopped second-guessing things about our new lives and were happy. Stop picking until we find the dark cloud that we can hide under.”
Danny blinked, watching them leave. They’d said goodbye, but he’d been preoccupied with what Charlotte had said.
Did he really pick everything apart until he found the dark cloud?
And was that what Marnie was doing. So afraid of being hurt, she kept her dark cloud front and center?
Let it guide her life?
Let it ruin her life?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MARNIE HAD JUST finished giving Rex a bath after feeding him spaghetti for dinner, when Danny arrived home. He dropped his briefcase on the center island and took Rex from her arms, then kissed his forehead.
“I ordered Chinese for dinner. It should be here any minute.”
She backed away. Several days had gone by with her keeping her distance. She had finally adjusted, and she didn’t want anything to happen to bring back the sadness that had threatened to suffocate her when they’d stopped talking.
For at least six of the first seven days, she’d ached the whole way to her bones. Not because she liked him, but because he liked her. Just as she was. They could talk about anything. They understood each other... And making love? She’d never experienced that kind of fire, tempered by the sweetness of the emotion they felt for each other.
Thinking about it now filled her chest with such longing her breath hitched and her voice stuttered when she said, “That’s okay. I can make a sandwich.”
“You can’t live on sandwiches. Besides, we have something to talk about.”
Her gaze leaped to his. “We do?”
Before she could jump to myriad conclusions that would have paralyzed her, he said, “Yes. Charlotte and Jace are getting married.”
Relief made her weak, but happiness for Charlotte and Jace superseded that. “Well, of course, they are. They’re engaged.”
He slid Rex into his highchair, buckled him in. “No. I don’t mean they’re getting married in general. I mean they’re getting married next week. In Scotland.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Oh my gosh! That’s so cool.”
“She’s pregnant, thrilled and running on adrenaline.”
She laughed, picturing already-energetic Charlotte running on adrenaline. “I’m so happy for her!”
The elevator pinged and the doorman stepped out carrying two bags. “Your food is here.”
Danny took it from him. “Thanks.”
He winked at Marnie and was gone.
Forgetting she was supposed to keep her distance, she said, “The doormen love you, even though I’ve never seen you tip even one of them.”
Danny brought the Chinese to the center island. “Every month my father gives each of them a couple thousand dollars to take care of tips.” He rooted through a bag and brought out a container with a metal handle. “I raised it another thousand.”
A laugh bubbled up, even though she didn’t want it to. But this was what always happened when they spent time together. They laughed. They talked. They connected.
She took two plates out of the cabinet and brought them to the table. They couldn’t help it. They clicked. But maybe instead of fighting it, she should redirect it, temper it. They couldn’t very well go on not talking. Discussing something as neutral as him tipping the doormen was a safe way to ease them into a normal nanny/employer relationship. Maybe if they could talk without getting personal, she’d get her bearings and the yearning in her heart would go away.
“You stacked the deck.”
“Not really.” He pulled out a container of egg rolls. “I just wanted to distinguish myself from my father. This isn’t really my penthouse. I’
m only using it.” He paused, seemed to think about something, then said, “From what I know of the family holdings, no one actually owns anything. It’s all owned by a Hinton shell company. We simply have access to anything we want. Anytime we want.”
One of Marnie’s eyebrows rose. To a person who’d rented her entire life, owning a home was a dream. The American Dream. She couldn’t wrap her head around having access to everything and owning nothing—
“That’s weird.”
He caught her gaze, clearly surprised she’d continued the conversation. “It takes a while to get used to.”
She filled a plate and walked around to the stools, sitting on the first one, determined to get them back to solid ground by talking about something so neutral it didn’t matter.
“You can go anywhere you want, anytime you want?”
“We have access to planes. Big planes. Small planes. Jets.” He finished filling his dish and sat beside her. “Mark owns two islands.”
She gaped at him. “Are you kidding?”
“And something like twenty-six houses, including condos in Barcelona and Paris.”
“He has a condo in Paris?”
“It’s probably more like a penthouse.” He took a breath. “There are boats, Jet Skis, houses in places like Aspen. There’s a ranch in Canada and one in Texas. And he’s mentioned buying one in Montana.”
“Wow.”
They fell silent as they both dug into their food, and Rex amused himself with a small bear. Her father and Roger Martin’s father were paupers compared to Mark Hinton.
“The point is, we can use anything he owns anytime we want.”
“What if somebody else is already there?”
“Leni’s Nick employs three people who do nothing but track the properties, insure them, maintain them. They have a schedule.”
She shook her head. “It boggles the mind.”
“You should be me, Leni or Charlotte, three only children, raised in solidly middle-class families. Charlotte, I think, adjusted the best because she had a sense of humor about it. Leni adjusted because she’s kind. Generous. Sweet. She wants the world to get along. She walks the walk.”
