Men in Charge: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by Natasha L. Black

  “Thank you,” I said, still shocked.

  “Well, I guess I’ll leave you to it then,” he said. “If you need anything, I’ll be downstairs in my home office finishing up a few things for work for the day. Help yourself to anything we have. This is your house, too, now.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  Blake gave me a stiff nod before leaving the room and pulling the door closed behind him.

  I waited until I heard his footsteps disappear down the hall before doing my own little victory dance. I stopped and laughed at myself, looking around the room. To the right, a small sitting area stretched under the window, and to the left was a large fireplace with wood already stacked inside. It seriously felt like I was in some kind of movie, like I was Cinderella or something. I wasn’t sure if that made Blake Prince Charming or not, but I could make do living in the lap of luxury while I stayed here. I hadn’t even thought about my living quarters until he showed me to them, but they were more than anything I would have ever imagined.

  Now, all I had to do was actually start earning both the paycheck and the amazing digs. I smiled and unpacked my clothes, hanging up everything neatly and pulling out the few personal items I’d brought besides toiletries. I put the picture of my family on the dresser and stacked my books on the other end, smiling at my favorites. Between school and work, I didn’t have a lot of free time, but I couldn’t leave the books behind. When I was done, I wandered out and downstairs into the living room where Blake was putting on his shoes.

  “I’m going to pick up Cooper,” he said. “Make yourself at home.”

  “Thanks,” I smiled. “See you when you get back.”

  He nodded and walked out of the house, taking the keys with him. When he was gone, I figured it was time to get acquainted with the kitchen. I was taking care of two men, and they would require food, no doubt like I remembered my brothers eating when I was younger. I went through the cabinets, opening each one, each time my arched eyebrow growing higher and higher. It was obvious grocery shopping hadn’t been a priority for Blake as there was pretty much nothing in the kitchen but some old canned vegetables and frozen food.

  I laughed as I grabbed a piece of paper and pen and sat down at the table to make a list. Cooking was one of my favorite things to do; something I did almost every night for my parents. It relaxed me and, at the same time, rewarded me with full bellies and happy smiles when we were done. Besides, it was just one more thing I could do to help earn my keep there since he’d negotiated an absolutely ridiculous salary for me. It looked like they could both use a home-cooked meal anyway. The stack of pizza boxes was more than any college dorm room would have.

  It suddenly dawned on me that Blake needed as much nurturing as Cooper did. There was no warmth felt in the big house, making it feel more like an imposing structure than a home. I was determined to help put some of that warmth back inside its walls. While I could never take the place of Blake’s late wife, I could infuse some of my own care into these two lost souls.

  And a warm, homecooked meal was a great place to start.

  5

  Blake

  The alarm started to beep above my head, and I reached up, hitting it with my palm. I rolled over onto my back and stretched, pulling my arms above my head and yawned. I could hear the television out in the living room and knew Cooper was already awake. The kid didn’t know what the meaning of sleeping in on weekends was. It was also Aly’s first real day in the house, and I had to admit, I could feel her there. It was a force, something I couldn’t explain, not bad, just different. Having a woman in the house again, and a really sexy woman at that, was turning out to be more distracting than anything. Of course, it was only her first day, so I tried not to jump to any conclusions. My mind wasn’t even clear enough to think about those things this early in the morning.

  When Cooper and I had gotten back from school the evening before, he had met Aly for the first time. At first, he was a bit standoffish, but as we ate, she talked to him about school, about his interests, his friends, and tried to find common ground with him. She was good at communicating with him, which was more than I could say for myself. Communication between him and me was usually a head nod or a slap on the back, not a full-on conversation. Aly and Cooper though, had hit it off, getting along amazingly well. I had to admit there was a part of me that was jealous of that fact. I was a big reason why we didn’t get along like that, but still, I missed his smile and his laugh.

  Aly was already doing awesome things with Cooper and had plans for the household on how to make things a bit more normal on a daily basis. When we were done with dinner, I helped bring the dishes into the kitchen. Aly was at the sink rinsing and putting them in the dishwasher and called to me before I could completely walk away. She joked about the lack of food in the kitchen and expressly asked that I take her to the grocery store the next day. She was excited to use the kitchen, and she wanted to start cooking breakfast and dinner every day if she could. She said besides the benefit of proper nutrition, it would give us all the chance to sit and let Cooper talk about his day. It was surprising how much she thought about the deeper things, the things I struggled to comprehend when I thought of being a single father.

  Aly was right. Cooper needed to have the opportunity to talk about his days, his feelings, the things he was going through and have me there to listen to what he had to say. Dinner was a good place to start that. So I promised to take her shopping, and it was one of the first things I planned on doing today if I could get my tired ass out of bed. I hadn’t slept well at all since my wife died, and I was stuck in a perpetual exhaustion, struggling to get out of bed every day. Everyone else called it depression. I just called it life.

  I sighed and dragged myself out of the bed. I shuffled across the floor to the dresser and pulled out some clothes, glancing up at my semi-grizzly appearance in the mirror. I needed to shave. My five o’clock shadow had become more like a hunter’s beard, and my hair was all over the place. Normally, I wouldn’t care about things like that, but I figured I’d try not to scare Aly on her first day there. I wasn’t awake, though, so I made do with a comb and figured my face could wait for later. When I walked out of the bedroom and downstairs, the ever-familiar background songs of the Xbox One came from the living room. I yawned and walked into the room, stopping in the doorway to stare at Aly and Cooper on the couch, very engrossed in a video game. I had no idea how they did it that early. I had a hard enough time walking from one room to another, much less trying to coordinate my fingers and eyes for the games.

  They ended the level and threw their arms up in the air in celebration. Aly high-fived Cooper, and he smiled for the first time in a very long time. His eyes shifted from her to me, and I nodded my head at him. His smile faded a bit, which made me a little sad, but at least it wasn’t a frown like I usually got.

  “Hey, Dad,” he said.

  “Oh,” Aly said, standing up quickly. “I’m sorry, we were waiting for you to wake up. I figured since it was Saturday morning and all of Cooper’s homework got done last night, it would be fine for him to play some games.”

  “It’s fine,” I said, waving her off. “Cooper is allowed to play video games in the morning as long as he’s ready to go wherever he’s going that day.”

  Before I could even get the whole sentence out of my mouth, Aly was already putting away the controllers and walking toward the kitchen. She looked nervous, which was something I wasn’t used to. I really had forgotten what it was like to have a woman around all the time, and one I barely knew at all. It was pretty frustrating that she was so tentative about everything.

  “I’ll see what we have for breakfast,” she said, walking toward the doorway. “I should have had it already done. I’m sorry.”

  “Stop,” I snapped. “I’m capable of feeding myself if I’m hungry.”

  She stopped and put her hands down in front of her, nodding her head and pulling back. Immediately, I felt like an asshole for snapping at th
e girl. All she was trying to do was make sure we were fed and ready for the day, and there I was, biting her damn head off. I needed coffee, that was my problem.

  I tilted my head and looked at the floor, embarrassed that I’d treated her that way. I knew I should apologize, but I wanted to sound sincere, not irritated. She faked a smile and walked back over to the couch, sitting down and giving Cooper a genuine smile as she took the controllers back out and handed one to him. I sighed and walked toward the kitchen, stopping at the door and listening.

  “He just needs coffee,” Cooper whispered. “He’s always been like that. He’s kind of a jerk in the mornings.”

  Aly smiled and ruffled his hair, glancing back at me before continuing with the game. I turned and walked into the kitchen, grabbing the coffee pot and filling it with water. I poured the water into the back of the machine, thinking about the fact that I owned a huge company and still used the same coffee pot my wife and I had bought when we married. It was the first time I’d ever noticed that. I started the machine and leaned against the counter, closing my eyes. Aly looked so pretty, dressed casually, her hair down around her shoulders, her bright eyes ready for the day. I had managed to ruin that in about three seconds with my grumpy-ass, non-morning person, bullshit.

  As soon as the pot was full of dark, rich liquid gold, I filled my cup and took a sip, breathing in the smell of the beans. When I opened my eyes, I felt better almost instantly and walked back out into the living room. I walked over to where they were sitting and took a seat in one of the chairs next to the couch. I watched as they played their game, laughing and wincing their way through whatever battle was happening on the screen. I didn’t want to interrupt that round, so I waited until it was finished.

  “Yes,” Cooper said, high-fiving Aly again. “That’s the farthest I’ve ever gotten!”

  “Teamwork,” Aly sang.

  “So, you need groceries, right?” I asked.

  “Yes, please,” she said, her voice returning to neutral. “What you have in there is not anything I can make any kind of meal out of.”

  “No problem,” I said, leaning back in the chair. “I was thinking the three of us could grab breakfast before hitting up the grocery store.”

  “Can we go to Martha’s Diner?” Cooper asked excitedly, turning to Aly. “They have the best pancakes ever.”

  I laughed. “Sure. Why don’t you go get dressed? Then we’ll head out.”

  “Okay,” Cooper said happily.

  I watched as he wound up the cord connected to his controller, did the same for Aly’s, and put everything away before taking off for the stairs. He was a good kid, always did his chores, always cleaned up after himself, and I couldn’t take the credit for that. It had been my wife who’d taught him those things.

  Aly stood up and put her hands together before heading for the door. I knew I needed to say something to her after I had snapped at her. I didn’t want to go the rest of the day in a completely awkward silence.

  “Listen,” I said, stopping her. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. I am not a morning person and never have been. Still, it’s no excuse for being that way. You were just trying to be helpful.”

  “No problem,” she said with a small smile.

  “This whole situation is new, you know?” I said. “It was a good decision, don’t get me wrong, but it’ll take some getting used to. It’s been a long time since Cooper and I had anyone in our lives, or in our house for that matter. I’ll try not to take my pissy morning attitude out on you next time.”

  She nodded and chuckled, looking down at the ground. She was really sweet, and I couldn’t help but notice how her cheeks got rosy when she got nervous.

  “I’m gonna get ready,” she said, turning quickly.

  I waited until she was completely out of earshot before letting out a deep breath. I grumbled to myself, feeling like a complete idiot for having to apologize to her already. I needed to get my head on straight. Otherwise, having her here was going to be a really painful experience for both of us.

  6

  Aly

  After I got ready, trying to forget that Blake had chewed me out for trying to make breakfast, I headed downstairs and jumped into the SUV with Cooper and Blake. I stared out the window like a dog on his first car ride, trying to take in as much as I could. I had always been that curious girl, wishing I had the kind of life where I could travel and see the world. We went to the breakfast place, Martha’s, and Cooper was right. The pancakes were probably the best things I’d ever had, along with their blueberry syrup, which was an obsession of mine. The conversation was good, but it was mostly between Cooper and me with Blake sitting quietly next to the window.

  Afterward, we headed to Trader Joe’s, a grocery store I loved but never could afford getting all the things I wanted. They had fresh foods, things that were super healthy, and everything I would need to start making the dishes I’d been wanting to make for years. I was like a kid in a candy store when I walked in, and I blushed, catching Blake chuckling at me. Cooper ran over to the apple section and looked over at me with excitement.

  “These are my favorite apples,” he said. “They’re called Pink Lady, and some of them are the size of Dad’s fist.”

  “Well, then, we should get some.” I laughed, looking over to Blake for approval.

  “Sure,” he nodded, distracted. “Seriously, get anything you want. Fill us up.”

  Grocery shopping back home was an event usually made up of coupon cutting, strategic planning, browsing of all the sales before leaving, and creating basically a battle plan of where to get the best deals and how to stretch our budget as far as it could go. With Blake, it was different. Money didn’t really matter. He was letting me buy anything I wanted. Seeing as I was going to be cooking for him and his son, I wanted to know what kinds of food that they were interested in.

  I called Cooper over to me. “What is your favorite veggie?” I asked.

  “Hmm, probably carrots,” he said. “But I like all veggies. My mom really liked them, so I always ate whatever she made.”

  “Well, that’s fantastic. What about you, Blake?”

  “Anything but peas.” He smiled.

  Well, Blake was going to be no help in that venture whatsoever. I shrugged and pushed the cart on. If he didn’t want to participate, he couldn’t complain when I cooked dishes he might not like. Instead, I focused on Cooper who was my primary concern anyway since I was there to be his nanny, not Blake’s. Cooper walked with me from aisle to aisle, pointing out the food he liked, talking about the things his mom used to make, and telling me about more of his interests. I could tell he was used to being on the go all the time with his mom, participating in a lot of different things. I wondered how much of that had stopped since she died. From the way he talked, it was probably almost all gone. That, in itself, was another loss the poor kids had suffered.

  By the time we were through the checkout, I knew a ton about Cooper and still very little about Blake. In fact, the only thing I learned about Blake was that he didn’t like peas. Cooper helped fill the cart with the grocery bags as his dad ran his credit card through the system. I was afraid he would be upset with the cost once it was all added up, but he didn’t flinch or anything, just nodded and signed the credit card pad.

  When we got back to the house, Blake’s phone rang, and he nodded over at Cooper to help me get the groceries in. Cooper nodded in return, watching his dad walk into the house, talking to someone on the phone. I could tell that this behavior bothered Cooper, but there was nothing I could do at the moment but move forward and keep Blake in the loop, trying to make Cooper’s quality of life a little better. We carried all the groceries inside and unpacked them, making different piles for fridge, freezer, and other. The entire island was packed full, and some of the fruits were stacked by the range. I grabbed a piece of paper and motioned for Cooper to come sit with me.

  “Normally, I would create a menu for the week before grocery shopping, so I can
have a list when I go,” I explained. “But since I didn’t know what you liked, we’re going to do that backward this time. This is everything we bought, and now we have to come up with dishes for every night of the week using the ingredients we have. We’ll go through it, and every time we write a recipe down, we’ll put those ingredients away and see what we’re left with for the next day. Sound good?”

  “Yeah,” he said enthusiastically. The poor kid was starved for attention if creating a meal plan was this exciting. “There’s a lot of food here, so you want to use the stuff that can go bad quickly first, right?”

  “You’re absolutely right.” I smiled. “You don’t want to put a recipe with mushrooms in it all the way on the last day because they’ll go bad. Also, things like cilantro and parsley have a short shelf life, so you want to use those first.”

  “Here you have tomatoes, garlic, peppers, and we got pasta,” he said. “You could make homemade spaghetti.”

  “That’s great,” I said. “How did you know that?”

  “My mom used to make it, and she would go buy the tomatoes the same day because she said they go bad so fast.” He smiled, standing up and putting away the items he talked about. “You could even take part of the beef and make meatballs to go into it.”

  “I sure could. We just need to separate the meat and freeze the other half,” I smiled.

  Cooper seemed to enjoy doing the meal planning with me. He had all kinds of recipes stored up in his eight-year-old brain, and he was looking forward to using them. When given the chance to shine, the kid was more than bright. He remembered everything about cooking with his mom, and instead of pulling away from the memory, he embraced doing it all over again. I made a mental note to get him totally involved with the cooking and menu planning from there on out. When we were done and all the groceries were put away, I looked over at the office door, wondering if Blake was going to come out or leave us to our own devices for the day.