“I won’t hesitate to tell you.”
“Do you have any suggestions, or—”
“Something that would please a child. I don’t want to be bothered with the details.”
Nicki swallowed and, lifting both eyebrows, turned away so he couldn’t see her roll her eyes. Then she looked across the room, and their eyes collided via the gilt-edged mirror. She wanted to just die. She was mortified he’d caught her mocking him, and a guilty flush crept up the back of her neck.
“And while you’re doing those things,” he said crossly, “get yourself a real winter coat. I get cold just looking at you.”
Chapter Five
“Buy myself a coat?” Nicki asked, unable to strike the disbelief from her voice. The offer—or was it criticism?—tumbled through her head. She couldn’t decide if Jared was being generous or scathing. There was a certain indignity about accepting warm clothing from someone you barely knew, particularly if that someone was your employer.
“Yes, and put it on my bill.”
“I couldn’t. Not possibly. I can afford my own things…I just haven’t had time to find something that—” Liar.
“Consider it an incentive. You and your cheeky behavior have already earned it,” he said, ushering her out into the hall and closing the door to the suite. “Come on, let’s get going. I get ten times more done when no one’s at the store.”
Nicki, figuring she deserved the cheeky behavior comment, trailed after him, then hurried to catch up. “Jared, about the coat? Forget it. I don’t expect you to provide me with things like that. I’ll work on my wardrobe. I’m sure you want me to look appropriate, because you probably have a lot of people coming through the house, and—”
He whirled impatiently, pivoting on the heel of his shoe. For an instant Nicki’s resolve plummeted and she was half afraid she’d angered him.
“What?” he asked incredulously, his eyes locking with hers. “You think that is what this is all about?” He shook his head. “No. It’s not about appearances. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the way you look. Nothing,” he repeated. “But I’m trying to do you, and myself, too, a favor. I don’t ever want to see you shivering and shaking from the cold like you were last night. It was outrageous, and I won’t have it.”
“But…” The word died on her lips.
His features softened, slightly, as if he had second thoughts about the orders he was tossing around. “It’s a small thing, Nicki. Really. Especially when I consider all you’ll be doing for me.” A smile played at his lips. “Come on. You didn’t have any trouble wearing the red velvet and fake fur I provided you with.”
“That was different.”
“No different than me paying you to do a job. This job.”
Nicki could feel herself giving in. He owed it to her, really. After all he’d put her through: the angst, the indecision, the uncertainties. “As for the job,” she said carefully, “I still don’t know enough about it. Not about you. Or about Madison.”
He leaned back, slightly, his eyelids dropping to half mast as if he were measuring her response. He knew, already, that he’d won the issue with the coat. “We’re going to be spending a lot of time together the next few days. I imagine you’ll find out more about me—and Madison—than you really want to know.”
He made it sound ominous, as if she’d be disappointed by what she discovered. “There are things I know about you I already like,” she said softly. “The way you donated money to the respite program—”
“Why would you care about that?” he asked.
She paused. “I had to take care of my mom when she was sick. There were days I would have traded my soul for two hours’ worth of sleep or a hot meal. It was the respite program that came in and helped out in ways I could never have imagined. I’ll be forever in their debt.”
Jared looked startled, as if he had no idea his gesture had the capability of genuinely affecting someone’s life. “I—I didn’t know,” he said uncomfortably.
“I probably should have told you last night,” Nicki admitted. “But I don’t talk about it much. Families belong together, especially during the holidays, and this year I’ve had my moments when I’ve felt kind of overwhelmed—like it’s just too hard to go it alone, and get through Christmas. I suppose this first year without my mom will be the worst.” Jared’s gaze became veiled, his mouth curling suspiciously. “I’m not saying that to make you feel guilty about yesterday, or the Santa Claus job or anything,” she said hastily. “You couldn’t have known.”
“You have to understand something, Nicki…I never feel guilty about business. No matter how personal it becomes.”
Nicki refused to be swayed. Taking his words with a grain of salt, she smiled shyly up at him, hoping he didn’t rebuff the intimacy she chose to share. “Even so, seeing how eager you are to get your daughter back—especially at Christmas—kind of warms me a little. It’s even better than a winter coat, Jared. Don’t worry about me, I’ll get along.”
His jaw went hard. “Look here, St. Nick. Don’t go all sappy on me, because it’s not going to fly. Just thank me—or better yet, thank Gillette’s Department Store for the coat, and we’ll call it even. I don’t do well with warm fuzzies, so you’re wasting them on me.”
He started to move away, but Nicki laid a hand on his arm, stopping him. Her steady gaze had the strangest effect: it made his eyes flicker with surprise. “Thank you, Jared,” she whispered. “For everything.”
Jared Gillette, Nicki soon learned, did not want to be known for being nice. He was honest, forthright, and just, but he didn’t dole out kind words and he didn’t expect to be rewarded or recognized for any tidbit of generosity. He listened to anything Nicki said about her personal life, but he was hard-pressed to share information on his own.
Nicki thought about that the entire time she shopped Gillette’s Department Store. She’d spent the day wandering from one display to another. She was bone-tired and weary, her feet ached and her head throbbed. It was doubly hard making decisions for others, but for people you didn’t even know it was downright impossible.
She picked out colors she guessed would complement the ceiling mural—muted teal and soft-shell coral—all the while considering the man behind the facade. Any man who loved his child as much as Jared obviously did, could not be all grinch or grouch. Still, he kept himself and his feelings in close check, keeping everyone and everything at arm’s distance. It was as if every time he felt her getting close, he pushed her away.
Maybe it was the divorce, maybe it was his position, his social standing. Or, maybe it was just who he was. But with the barriers he kept throwing up, Nicki knew it would be difficult to work with him on a daily basis. There was only one thing to do, she vowed. Tear the walls down and uncover the heart of the man beneath.
At fifteen minutes to closing, Nicki asked a clerk in the Home Shoppe to bag two prints, and set off to find Jared.
She popped into the department store offices, which were again empty. Timidly knocking at the forbidding mahogany door, she experienced a bit of déjà vu. This was too much like yesterday, she thought insanely. Here she was, doing it again, expecting the same chilly invitation.
“Come in,” Jared barked.
Carefully easing open the door, Nicki peeked inside his office. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need your opinion.”
Jared frowned, then pulled the phone away from his ear, and motioned to her to sit while he finished his conversation. “I want that truck unloaded, and I don’t care if those guys on the dock have to work overtime to do it.” He listened impatiently. “So? Christmas comes but once a year, and when it comes, we at Gillette’s pounce on it. They get overtime anyway, so what are they griping about?” He dropped the phone in the cradle and looked, pointedly, at Nicki. “Yes?”
“I see you’ve got problems, and I am sorry to intrude,” she apologized.
“Problems? What problems?”
“Well, you…” She indicated the
phone. “I thought…”
“That’s not a problem. It’s routine everyday business.” He half sighed, half laughed. “Now…what is it you want?”
“An opinion. Yours, please.” She pulled the Raggedy Ann print out of the shopping bag. “What do you think?”
“Nice.”
She hesitated. His ambivalent reaction was not very encouraging. She pulled a second print from the bag. “What about this?”
He impatiently stared at the print of cherubs wrapped in trailing sheets of oatmeal-colored cloth and running through a meadow filled with flowers. “It’s…” He lifted a shoulder, shaking his head. “Okay, I guess.”
Deflation oozed through Nicki, and she looked back at the print. “It’s my favorite,” she said. “It would be so beautiful with the ceiling. And they have prints with cherubs on a seesaw, and a swing, and one where they dance with rose petals falling like rain. They’re so beautiful, but…”
“Would you like to tell me why you’re bothering me with this?”
“Because I was afraid it might be the kind of print only adults can appreciate. I don’t even know Madison. But she would probably like dolls or cartoon characters or—”
“Who knows? She probably won’t even care.”
Nicki couldn’t bring herself to leave his office, she knew she was pushing, but she wanted his approval. “They’re just so inspirational. So dear. They’re in muted colors and there’re eight or ten different prints.” Nicki ran a fingertip along the edge of the antique-finished frame. “Don’t they just touch your heart and make you go soft all over?”
Jared arched an eyebrow, as if he couldn’t believe he’d heard her correctly. He drummed his fingertips over a sheaf of papers. “No. They don’t.”
Nicki tried to backpedal. “I know they’ll look wonderful in the room. But what I don’t know is if Madison will like them, that’s the thing.”
Jared leaned back in his chair, and pushed the file out of the way. “I’ve only got a few minutes to closing, St. Nick. Go down to the Home Shoppe and wait for me there. But while you’re waiting, get the prints you want. No. Get all the prints. We’ll take them home and try them.”
Nicki couldn’t help herself; she broke into a wide smile. “Thanks,” she said. “I think you’re really going to like them.”
“Whatever,” he replied, flapping a hand in her direction.
Knowing she’d been dismissed, Nicki picked up the bags and rose, starting for the door.
“By the way,” he said, his voice at her back, “did you get the coat?”
With her hand still on the doorknob, she turned to face him, nodding. “I did. It’s warm, serviceable, and perfect for—”
“‘Serviceable’?”
“Well, yes, it’s a nice sturdy coat.”
“Nice and sturdy as in—” he lifted a shoulder “—say, practical?”
“It will be very practical, especially for taking Madison around, running in and out. It’s got a hood, deep pockets. It buttons, it zips, it’s rain repellent—”
“Mmm-hmm. That’s what I was afraid of.” He slammed shut a drawer, and came around the desk. “It’s probably got a zip-out lining, too.”
Nicki had the strangest feeling that she shouldn’t admit that it did. “Well…” The word twisted on her tongue.
“Okay,” he announced. “That’s it. I’m done for the day.” He grabbed his leather coat off the coat tree. “After we do this print thing, we do the coat thing. I don’t want you wandering around looking like somebody’s grandmother.”
He strode over to the door.
“Wait a minute,” she said, unconsciously laying a hand on his chest to stop him. A tingle went through her fingertips, momentarily distracting her. “I thought you were the one who wasn’t concerned about appearances. That’s what you said this morning. I was just trying to do the right thing, by you, and for your family, and…”
They stood there for the longest moment. He stared down at her, his eyes unreadable depths. Finally he raised his arm and covered the back of her hand with his, gently removing it. His fingers slipped inside her palm and for another brief second they stood there, holding hands in the most awkward manner, and gazing into each other’s eyes.
He loosened her hand. “This isn’t about appearances,” he said huskily. “Not at all. This is about you having too much pride to accept my gift.”
Disbelief rippled through her. Funny. Her mother had always said she had too much pride. She’d never liked to ask for help. After her dad left, she’d assumed an I’ll-do-it-myself-or-do-without attitude.
“I’m not trying to take advantage of you, Jared. It seems to me you must have a lot of people expecting things, hanging their hand out, and I—”
He laughed mirthlessly. “How did you know about my ex-wife?”
In spite of her discomfort, she offered him a thin smile. “I didn’t. I can only assume, that by your life, and the way you live, you must have days when you wonder who your friends are. I know that me working for you is just a job. This is temporary, and someday it will be over. By the time I walk away, I guarantee that you’ll have gotten your money’s worth out of that coat, and to me that is what your ‘gift’ was all about. It will serve the purpose, and that’s how I made my decision.”
“Really?”
Nicki nodded.
“Well, guess what? The boss is overriding your decision.”
The prints, all ten of them, were carefully packaged and sitting on the plush divan in the women’s department. The store was empty, and the lighting dim. Nicki had seen one security guard crane his head around the clothing racks just long enough to see Jared push two wool coats at her. The expression on his face was incredulous; he obviously couldn’t believe Jared Gillette was fussing over a woman’s coat in his own department store.
“That jacket looks like a lumpy sack of potatoes,” Jared groused.
Nicki jammed both hands into the brown canvas pockets and stared at her reflection in the mirror. “You sell it,” she pointed out defensively.
“Yes. My mistake. Remind me to speak to my buyers.” He looked from one to the other of the coats he’d chosen, then offered her the cobalt-blue wool one first. She could only guess at the price tag.
“That’s awfully expensive,” she warned. “And it will have to be dry cleaned.”
He glanced at the other coat. Red wool, black piping, with slash pockets and huge round buttons. “Fine. We’ll take them both, so you’ll have a spare when one’s at the cleaner’s. Of course, it will make a mess of my inventory, not to be able to put them on my account yet tonight, so that’s an inconvenience. Remind me to do that tomorrow, too.”
“Jared—”
He didn’t budge, but just extended the blue coat to her.
Nicki sighed, and reluctantly slid out of the fat canvas jacket. She hung it back on the hangar and put it aside. When she turned back, Jared was standing patiently with the coat open, to help her slip her arms into the sleeves.
Nicki self-consciously put her back to him to allow him the courtesy.
She could actually feel her cheeks flush when he eased the garment up and over her shoulders. His hands, warm and heavy, lingered at the back of her neck, adjusting the collar, smoothing the shoulder seams. A prickle went over her scalp as he hooked a lock of her hair, dragging it up and splaying it over the collar. Inside the coat, she felt hot and jittery.
Jared’s fingers curled over the caps of her sleeves, gently squeezing. “Very nice,” he said approvingly.
For want of something to do, Nicki buttoned the double-breasted front and tried the pockets. When she looked up, their gazes caught in the mirror. As they had earlier that morning.
Uncertainty roiled through Nicki’s middle. She couldn’t do this. He was making her feel all quivery inside. As though his male hormones had dulled her to the fact he was her employer. Her employer. It was one thing to have something warm to wear, it was quite another to feel this extraordinary amount of
attraction for the man you work for.
“It’s too much,” she started to protest.
“Did I tell you,” he said smoothly, averting his eyes and brushing at a nonexistent piece of lint on the back of the coat, “that I heard from my ex-wife this afternoon?”
Nicki’s eyes widened. For the life of her she couldn’t imagine what he intended to say, or even why he’d say it. He was tempting her with intimate knowledge about himself, his life—and for a split second Nicki fought the urge to run. She didn’t want to know anything intimate about him; he did maddening things to her senses, he made her feel strong and weak at the same time. Hot and cold at the most inopportune moments.
“Remember how I told you she’d have her little runners check you out last night at the gala?” he went on.
“Yes…” Nicki’s voice quavered.
“Well, she did. Just as I predicted. Seems like you got their unanimous approval. She said she’ll let Madison stay indefinitely. You made a good impression, Nicki, and she feels like, from what she’s heard, you might be good for Madison.”
“Jared…I was only doing what you asked me to.”
“But you did it well,” he said. “Maybe my ex doesn’t want the responsibility, but she does want the best for Madison. In her heart, she knows that Madison would have a better life with me. Not long ago, she put Madison in the middle, holding her hostage, and rarely letting me see her.” He expelled a weary breath, his hold turning viselike on her shoulders. “I don’t think I’ve pieced together a whole week alone with that child since Sandra took her to California. She always had an excuse why my visits wouldn’t work into their schedule.”
Witnessing his anguish, pity washed through Nicki. “I’m sorry, Jared. Truly.”
“Yes, well…” His hands slid from her coat sleeves, and he backed away. “It hasn’t been for lack of trying on my part. I thought I should tell you that I haven’t seen Madison since last summer. She barely knows me. And God knows what Sandra’s told her. Sometimes, when I talk to her on the phone, she doesn’t…” His jaw clenched.
The Nanny & Her Scrooge Page 6
