by Renee Ryan
“That’s still the plan,” she said, setting the menu on the table. She didn’t say more, couldn’t. She didn’t even have a business proposal yet.
But she would. Soon. Very soon.
Make a plan. Work the plan. Adjust when necessary. She really needed to get to that.
Keely motioned over a waitress and ordered the house specialty—shepherd’s pie with a Mexican flare—then poured out four glasses of lemonade. “In honor of Beau.”
Olivia lifted her glass. “I’ll drink to that.”
“So.” Keely rested her elbows on the table, leaned forward and addressed the girls directly. “How’s this one working out as your nanny?” She cocked her head toward Olivia, her green eyes twinkling with good humor.
“We love her,” Megan said.
Molly agreed with equal enthusiasm. They took turns telling Keely all the reasons why. Olivia’s heart whooped and hollered at their sweet words of praise.
Then reality set it.
Kenzie had been equally happy in her care. Looking back, Olivia realized she’d allowed her affection for the girl to influence her feelings for Warner.
Why had she done that? Why had she let herself believe they were a good fit for each other when they’d had so little in common?
He’d been a well-known architect, she a banker. He liked going out and being seen around town. She’d preferred more quiet evenings at home. He hadn’t been a bad man, just not the man for her.
Had she ever really loved him? Or had she only been in love with the idea of a family with him?
Her troubling thoughts were interrupted by the waitress delivering their food. As soon as the girl left, Olivia quickly filled the silence before her mind could return to the past.
“Tell us about your time in New York, Keely. Was it everything you hoped for?”
“And then some.” Her words sounded sincere, but her smile didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Let’s talk about something else besides boring me. I’ll start the ball rolling. So, Olivia.” She grinned. “Who does your hair?”
“Oh, Keely.” Olivia reached out and squeezed her friend’s hand. “I’ve really missed you.”
* * *
Connor couldn’t remember the last time he’d arrived at the office on time. Olivia deserved most of the credit for his smooth transition from home to work. She clearly knew her way around eight-year-old little girls and one overly rambunctious puppy.
She handled big dogs just as well. A single command from her and Baloo had politely trotted onto the porch. The Lab’s obedience gave Connor hope that the older dog would, indeed, be a good influence on Samson.
He’d hoped to end the day as smoothly as it started. No such luck. Thanks to a rush of stomach flu cases and a teenager who’d pierced her own nose with disastrous results, Connor didn’t steer his SUV out of the office building’s parking lot until nearly eight that night.
Not typical, but not unusual, either.
Maybe he and Ethan should consider hiring another doctor.
Twenty minutes later Connor turned onto the gravel drive leading to his house. Golden light beckoned from the downstairs windows, guiding him down the path like a warm promise of better days ahead. An unexpected wave of peace sliced through his exhaustion.
Smiling for the first time in hours, he parked his car next to Olivia’s and got out. Childish laughter drifted on the night air. His favorite sound in the world.
Megan and Molly were the heart of him, the best thing he’d done in his thirty-four years of life. In the early days after Sheila’s death, when Connor had ached with unspeakable loneliness and grief, the twins had been one of the reasons he’d dragged himself out of bed every morning. Often the only reason.
For four years, he’d put them first, traveling through life with their well-being his main priority. One day at a time. One step at a time.
One problem at a time.
He was ready to do more than just go through the motions. Not only for the girls’ sake, but for his, as well.
No denying the twins needed a woman in their lives, someone to ease them into their teenage years. But Connor thought maybe he needed someone, too. Someone to love and share the burdens of the day, to fill his life with laughter instead of mourning, joy instead of sorrow. Someone who—
He shook away the rest of the thought. With his hours and responsibilities, there was no real opportunity to find a woman to love. Besides, his free time belonged to his daughters.
The moment he entered the foyer, a blast of pop music hit him so hard he nearly fell back a step. He tried to gather his bearings, then noticed the other occupant in the entryway.
Ethan’s black Lab eyed Connor fixedly, his big brown eyes filled with a silent plea, as if to say, “Save me.”
“Had enough, have you?”
Baloo whimpered.
Pocketing his keys, Connor patted the dog’s head, drew in a sharp breath, then went in search of his daughters and their new nanny. He followed the music, winding his way through the house.
Sticking close, Baloo kept even pace with him.
The deeper man and dog moved through the house, the louder the music got.
The music reached an earsplitting crescendo. Female off-key singing joined in the chorus.
He had a bad feeling about what awaited him around the corner. “A very bad feeling,” he told Baloo.
Bracing for impact, Connor rounded the final turn.
He closed his eyes, opened them again. Winced. A girl bomb had exploded in his home. No other explanation came to mind for the destruction of a perfectly good living room.
Someone had draped blankets in varying shades of pink, pink and more pink across every available piece of furniture. Bottles, jars and tubes of indeterminate girl gunk spotted tabletops. There were a lot of sparkly...things everywhere.
Even the puppy hadn’t made it through the day without being dragged into the female whirlwind. Someone had painted the poor dog’s toenails in—Connor narrowed his eyes—pink.
On a male dog?
Not sure if he felt a laugh bubbling up, or a groan, Connor zeroed in on his daughters. They had their backs to him, their hair twisted in one of those intricate braids that required a female chromosome to create. Their fingers and toes matched Samson’s.
He took several deep breaths and stepped into the room. “I’m home.”
Chapter Seven
Olivia looked up. And straight into Connor’s stunned gaze. Good thing she was sitting down. Their eyes connected with a force that nearly flattened her.
Her hand flew instinctively to her throat and she thought her heart might be beating far too fast against her rib cage.
A moment of chaos ensued as the twins jumped up and greeted their father.
“We’re having our very own glitter party,” Molly informed him.
“I...” he circled his gaze around the room “...see that.”
“A glitter party!” Megan said with a mixture of wonder and awe. “Seriously. How cool is that?”
“Uh...” Connor blinked several times “...very cool?”
“I know!”
Despite the girls’ endless chatter, Samson, still tucked against Olivia’s leg, remained on his back, happily snoring away.
He’d had a busy day.
Olivia rubbed the dog’s belly. Then, with eyes still on Connor’s stunned face, she rose, steadying herself with a deep inhale.
He’s just a man, Olivia. One you’ve known all your life. It bothered her that she had to keep reminding herself of that, bothered her even more that she hadn’t heard the front door open, announcing his arrival. Then again, the music was a bit loud.
She reached over and cut the volume.
Smiling down at his daughters, Connor asked thoug
htful questions about their day. They took turns telling him what they’d done. As he listened, he pulled them tightly against him, one on either side. The simple gesture made the three of them a single unit, the very essence of family.
A sigh slipped past Olivia’s lips.
She’d already discovered that Connor was a dedicated father, a family man through and through. But she hadn’t realized how much she enjoyed watching him interact with his girls.
Her stomach twisted when Connor threw his head back and laughed at Molly’s description of Samson’s fierce battle with a butterfly this afternoon.
“Who won?” he asked, lips still lifted at the edges.
“The butterfly.”
He laughed again, the gesture releasing the majority of the stress in his eyes. The lines around his mouth also softened.
Feeling like an intruder, Olivia looked away from all that family bonding and swiped surreptitiously at her eyes. Warner might not have loved Olivia, but much like Connor, he’d fiercely adored his daughter.
Evidently, she was a sucker for single dads.
Needing something to do with her hands, she organized the bottles of nail polish and tubes of lip gloss in the shoe box Molly had found for her earlier.
“Daddy?” Megan pulled on his arm. “Want to know what?”
“What?”
“Miss Olivia says Molly and I were put on this earth to bring joy and sunshine into your life.”
“Miss Olivia is a very wise woman.” He winked at her. “You bring joy and sunshine into my life every day.”
Olivia’s breath caught in her throat.
The quick surge of longing was a reminder of all she was missing in her life. For too long, she’d kept her head down and her mind focused, moving up the corporate ladder fast and furiously. Deep down, she’d known a job couldn’t hug her back, couldn’t give her a family of her own.
She’d meant to change that with Warner. But he’d only had Kenzie every other weekend. Olivia hadn’t needed to adjust her life very much to include either of them. So she’d focused on her career and built time in her schedule for Warner and Kenzie as needed.
She had nothing to show for her efforts. No job. No boyfriend. No family or children of her own. At twenty-nine, she was starting over.
That didn’t have to be a bad thing.
Connor kissed both girls on the head and then set them away from him. His eyes narrowed over their faces. “Are you wearing makeup?”
Uh-oh.
“It’s just tinted lip gloss,” Olivia assured him quickly, setting down the box of bottles and tubes. “Comes off with soap and water.”
Molly’s shiny lips twisted into a pout. “You don’t like how we look?”
“I...think...” He paused, flicked a glance at Olivia, then considered Molly more carefully. “You look beautiful.” His gaze included Megan. “Both of you.”
They beamed in response and the mood in the room instantly lightened.
Talking over each other, the girls told their father about their trip to the drugstore to pick out their own lip gloss and matching nail polish. He nodded and smiled and actually looked interested in what they had to say.
He also looked tired. His rumpled blond hair and five-o’clock shadow added a bad-boy edge to his otherwise wholesome good looks.
You like him, a voice whispered from deep within her soul.
Yes, she did. She really, really did.
Guard your heart. The Bible verse came quickly to mind. A solid reminder she was only the temporary nanny in this household. Heartache beckoned if she forgot.
“As lovely as you both look,” Connor said, a hand on each twin’s shoulder, “it’s getting late. Time to apply that soap and water, brush your teeth and get ready for bed.”
Neither girl argued.
Like Samson, they’d had a busy day, too.
“Will you read to us before we turn out the lights?” Megan asked.
“Oh, please, will you, Daddy?” Molly bounced from one foot to the other. “Will you?”
“I’d like nothing better.” He squeezed each of their shoulders. “After you wash up and put on your pajamas.”
He didn’t need to say it twice. They hurried out of the room.
Two seconds later, Molly zoomed back in, Megan hard on her heels. This time, Megan did the talking for them both. “Thank you, Miss Olivia. Today was the best day ever.”
“The very best,” Molly concurred, launching herself into Olivia’s arms.
Olivia pulled the girl close, tears threatening. “Sleep tight.” She kissed the blond head, recited the phrase her own mother used to say to her at bedtime. “Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
Megan took her turn hugging Olivia before both girls hurried out of the room again, chattering and laughing and, belatedly, calling for Samson.
The exhausted puppy let out a jaw-cracking yawn and rolled over. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he hopped to his feet, bobbled a bit, then sped out of the room with his usual enthusiasm.
The little guy was a force of nature, able to hit warp speed in one-point-two seconds flat.
Baloo, not so much.
The older dog lowered to the floor and patently ignored the call to join the girls and Samson.
Rubbing the stubble on his chin, Connor stared after his daughters. The affection in his eyes mirrored the emotion filling Olivia. Despite knowing she needed to keep her heart to herself, she’d already started to care for Megan and Molly. Deeply. They were sweet girls. Smart, creative and, yes, challenging at times. But that only proved they were normal, well-adjusted eight-year-olds.
Before Warner, Olivia hadn’t thought much about marriage and children and what the future held for her beyond the next rung up the corporate ladder. She’d been consumed with becoming a VP before turning thirty, content with her chosen path.
Her quick success had seemed a sign from God, a validation that she was right where the Lord wanted her to be. Yet something had been missing. She’d tried to fill the hole with Warner and Kenzie. A mistake. She’d been the one to walk away. But she’d left heartbroken.
“You’re good with the girls.”
The compliment sent heat crawling toward her cheeks.
She hadn’t forgotten Connor was still in the room with her. She just hadn’t realized he’d turned around and was now watching her closely. Intently.
What did he see on her face? Longing? Regret? Her wish to do things differently this time around?
“I adore them,” she admitted, averting her gaze, steeling her heart. “They’re great kids.”
“I appreciate you not making a big deal about my late arrival tonight.”
She glanced up at the gratitude in his voice. Their eyes met across the short distance between them.
At this close range she could see every nuance of color in his golden eyes, and every unfiltered emotion, a few she didn’t recognize or understand. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than watch your girls this summer.”
“I can’t think of anyone I’d rather watch them.”
He didn’t smile as he said the words, yet something pleasant shifted between them, something that went beyond words, something Olivia couldn’t quite define.
Maybe she wasn’t supposed to try. At least not right now.
“I spoke with Carlotta’s husband this afternoon. The surgery went well.”
Caught off guard by the abrupt subject change, Olivia took a moment to process the words. “Oh. Oh, Praise God. That’s really good news. Answer to prayer.”
He blinked at her, looking slightly mystified at her response. “She has a long road to recovery, but she’s strong,” he said. “With her husband’s support she’ll get through the rigorous physical therapy just fine.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
He broke eye contact, looked around, pressed two fingers against his forehead. “What, exactly, did you do to this room?”
“A little impromptu transformation. I wanted to give the girls a complete experience. And...well...” She tried to take in the room from a man’s perspective, cringed as she did. “I suppose I let things get out of hand.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much pink in one room.” Lips twisting at a wry angle, he feathered long fingers through his hair. “And that’s saying something since I have four younger sisters.”
Okay, maybe she’d gone overboard with the whole glitter girl motif. “I should have asked if you had a problem with—”
He cut her off with a laugh. “No apologies necessary. It’s cool, Olivia.” He picked up a blanket, handed her one end while he kept the other. They folded together in silence.
After a moment, Connor looked around the room again. Winced. “It’s really...pink in this room.”
“Pink is the twins’ favorite color.” Olivia’s, too, which probably explained her slightly defensive tone.
“Not mine,” Connor supplied with a grimace. “And, going out on a limb here, I’m pretty sure Samson isn’t overly fond of the color, either.”
“Point taken. No more painting the puppy’s toenails pink.”
He lifted a sardonic eyebrow. “How about let’s leave the poor animal his dignity and not paint his toenails at all?”
Since he hadn’t asked who actually applied the nail polish, Olivia acquiesced quickly. “Done.”
They finished folding the blanket, started on another, their movements in perfect rhythm with each other. “You’re a good father, Connor.”
He paused midfold. “That was certainly out of the blue.”
“And yet true.” Even though he’d been shocked when he entered the living room, he’d rolled with it, and had even made a point of complimenting his daughters.
“You know, Olivia—” he pulled in a sharp breath of air, then released it along with a slow smile “—I think I needed to hear that tonight.”
She liked knowing she’d put that pleased look on his face. Smiling now as well, she took the blanket from him and started folding another, this time without his help.
