by Sandi Lynn
“Most likely. But she’s my employee. I’m not you.” I pointed at him.
“Difference is, I didn’t know Julia was my personal assistant when I slept with her. I know you, and I know the temptation is already there. You can’t fuck things up. You need to think of Lily. Especially if she gets attached to Alex.”
“I know that, Sam. I’m not stupid.”
“Then just make sure you don’t do anything stupid and keep your dick in your pants.”
“Anyway, I came over to ask if you could drive us in the morning to drop Lily off at school and then to the car rental shop. I have no choice but to rent a couple vehicles.”
“No problem. I’ll drive you. So now that you have Alex, does that mean you’ll be back to work full-time?”
“Yeah. I will be.”
“Good.” He smiled as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “With Dad retiring next month and the wedding coming up, I need you there.”
“I know, bro.”
Alex
As I lay in the bubble-filled tub, I thought about Stefan, and how I needed to keep my distance from him. I was hired to take care of his daughter, not him. Even though the more time I was around him, the more I thought about his sexy muscular body on top of mine. It couldn’t be helped. When someone as sexy as Stefan Kind was in my presence, my mind automatically went there. He was now my boss, my employer, the head honcho, and the one thing I’d never done, nor will I ever do is sleep with my boss.
I’d thought about Ryan. That son of a bitch. I was humiliated and I could only imagine what Stefan’s brothers thought about me. They were such a tight-knit family. The kind of family I’d only ever dreamt about.
After I finished my bath, I slipped my robe on over my nightshirt and went to the kitchen for a bottle of water.
“You’re back.” I smiled when I saw Stefan sitting at the kitchen table. “Something wrong?” I asked as he wouldn’t stop staring at me.
“No. It’s just I’m not used to seeing a woman in her pajamas around here. It’s going to take some getting used to.”
“I can go change.”
“No. Absolutely not. Like I said, it’s just going to take some getting used to.”
“You’re telling me you never have women over?” I smirked as I unscrewed the cap from the water bottle.
“No. Actually, I don’t. At least when Lily is here. If Lily isn’t here, they’re gone before the sun rises.”
“Ah.” I brought the bottle up to my lips.
“Have a seat.” He gestured to the chair across from him. “There are a few things we need to go over.”
“Sure.” I walked over and took the seat across from him.
He slid a check across the table to me.
“I’m giving you a hiring bonus. Tomorrow, I want you to go to the bank and open up an account.”
I picked the check up and looked at it.
“Wow, Stefan. You don’t have to do this. You’ve done enough.”
“I’m sure you need some things. For example, a new purse. And a hundred bucks isn’t going to last you very long. Also, here’s a credit card. This is for groceries and things Lily might need if I’m not around.”
“Thanks.” I took it from him and placed it on top of the check.
“Do you have any questions?” he asked as his eyes stared into mine.
“None that I can think of right now.” For some ungodly reason I could feel myself blushing. “If that’s all, I think I’ll head to bed.” I pushed myself up from my seat.
“Okay. Good night, Alex.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
“Good night, Stefan.”
I went to my room and shut the door. Leaning against it, I let out a deep breath. How was I going to do this? And how long would it be before the sides of my box started going up around me, suffocating me, and making me want to run?
Alex
The next morning, I got up, showered and got dressed for the day. Walking into the kitchen, I found Stefan standing over the stove making scrambled eggs while Lily sat at the table drinking her orange juice. I nearly lost my breath when I saw him standing there in a tailored dark blue suit.
“Good morning.” He grinned.
“Good morning, Alex!”
“Good morning.” The corners of my mouth curved upward.
“If you want coffee, you’ll have to make a cup. I don’t want to burn the eggs.”
“Not a problem.” I smiled.
Walking over to the cabinet, I took down a mug and popped a k-cup in the Keurig.
“How did you sleep?” Lily asked.
“I slept great. How about you?”
“I had a dream about Nanny Kate. It was a nice dream.”
“I’m happy to hear that, Lily.”
“Eggs?” Stefan asked.
“No. I’m good. Thanks. Do you always wear a suit?” I asked.
“Not every day. Only when I have meetings, which today is packed full of them.”
He gestured with his head for me to sit down at the table while he set Lily’s plate in front of her.
“Lily, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“What is it, Dad?” She stabbed her fork into her eggs.
“I’ve asked Alex if she would be interested in taking care of you while I’m at work and she said yes. She’d do everything Nanny Kate did.
“She’d be my new nanny?”
“Yes, baby girl. She would.”
The corners of her mouth curved upward as she stared across the table at me.
“Okay. Will she live here with us?”
“Yes,” Stefan spoke.
“Nanny Kate didn’t live with us.”
“That’s because Nanny Kate had her own place. Alex doesn’t right now. So, it’s easier if she lives with us.”
“Why don’t you have your own place?” she asked me.
“It’s a long story, and maybe I’ll tell you all about it when I pick you up from school today.”
“Okay.” She grinned. “You can meet my teacher!”
“I’d love to meet her.”
Chapter 12
Stefan
“This is nuts,” Sam said as he pulled into the school parking lot.
“Good times ahead, brother. Good times ahead.” I grinned.
He pulled up in the long line of cars that belonged to the other parents dropping their kids off.
“Oh shit,” he said.
“Bad word, Uncle Sam.”
“Sorry, Lily.”
“Dude, language in front of my kid.”
“That woman is coming over here,” he said.
“Who?”
“Maddie’s mom.”
She tapped on the driver’s side window with a wide grin across her face and Sam rolled down the window.
“Wow. What a treat. Hi, Sam. Hi, Stefan.”
“Hi, Reece.” I gave a small smile and wave from the passenger side while Sam gave her a nod.
“Hi, Lily.” She peeked in the back seat. “What a lucky girl having both your uncle and Dad drive you to school.” She grinned. “Who’s that next to you, sweetie?”
“This is Alex. She’s my new nanny and she’s going to be living with us.”
I watched as the look on Reece’s face went flat.
“Oh. Well, isn’t that nice. I better get back to my car.” She turned and walked away.
The line started moving and Sam pulled up.
“Okay, kiddo. Let’s go,” I said as I climbed out of the car and opened the door for her.
I walked her up to the door and kissed the top of her head.
“Have a good day, baby girl. Don’t forget Alex will be here to pick you up, and I’ll see you after work.”
“Bye, Dad.” She smiled as she went inside the building.
I climbed back in the car and Alex began to laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“The way the other moms were checking you both out. They were practically salivating. My g
od, they made it so obvious.”
“Yeah, well, I can honestly say I won’t miss seeing any of them.” I smirked. “They’re your problem now.”
I headed to the office after picking up the rental car. Taking a seat behind my desk, Sam walked in.
“Don’t forget we have that meeting with Rizzo at two o’clock,” he said.
“I know. I’m prepared.”
“So, Lily seemed to be in a good mood this morning. I take it she’s okay with Alex being her new nanny?”
“She seems to be.”
“How did last night go after you left my house?” His eye steadily narrowed at me.
“It went okay considering Alex was in her pajamas, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off her body.”
“I figured as much. She’s a beautiful woman and you’re going to have to practice some serious self-restraint.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “I can’t screw this up for Lily’s sake.”
“At least you’re thinking with your brain.” He smirked. “If you feel like you’re going to cross that line, call one of us and we’ll talk you down.”
“You’re my brothers. You’re supposed to be encouraging me, not stopping me from having sex with a beautiful woman.”
“This case is different.” He pointed at me. “I have to go finish the design for Rizzo before our meeting. I’ll talk to you later.”
“See ya, Sam.”
Just as I was heading out of my office to go check on a job, my father stopped me.
“Stefan, come in my office.”
“Dad, I have to go check on a job and get back before my two o’clock meeting.”
“It’ll only take a minute.”
I followed him into his office and shut the door.
“Celeste and I were talking last night, and we have the name of a good child therapist for Lily.”
“Thanks, Dad, but that won’t be necessary.”
“So, you found someone then?” His brow arched.
“Um, not exactly. I hired a new nanny.”
“And how is this one going to be any different from the last one that only lasted a few days?”
“She’s different, and Lily really seems to like her.”
“What agency is she from?”
“She’s not from an agency.”
“Where did you find her?”
Shit. I really didn’t want to explain to him how I met Alex.
“Does it matter, Dad?”
“Of course, it matters. I want to know who is taking care of my granddaughter while you’re at work. Now tell me how you met her and what her qualifications are.”
“Her name is Alex, and we were involved in a minor car accident the other night. She met some guy online and was driving to go see him and I accidentally hit the backend of her car when she slammed on her brakes to avoid hitting a raccoon.”
“Wait a minute.” He put his hand up. “Let me see if I can get this straight. You have some woman who was on her way to meet a guy she met online and whose car you hit looking after your daughter?”
“Yes. She’s very nice and like I said, Lily likes her. Dad, Lily is smiling again and that’s all that matters.”
“I’m confused. So, you asked this woman—”
“Her name is Alex, Dad.”
“To look after my granddaughter and she just accepted? When did Lily even meet her? You said you hit her the other night.”
“Fine. You want the entire story?” I looked at my watch.
“Yes. So, get talking and no bullshit, son.”
“She didn’t have anywhere to go. The guy she met online gave her a phony address. She’s been staying with us.”
“My god. This just keeps getting worse.”
“Dad, stop! Simon ran a background check, and she came up clean. She’s originally from Ohio and left home when she was eighteen. She’s been on her own ever since.”
Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that part.
“So, she’s trash?” His voice was stern.
“Don’t you dare.” I pointed my finger at him. “You don’t know shit about her. Her mother died when she was seven and her father is an alcoholic. She did herself a favor by leaving.”
“What skills does she have for taking care of a child?”
“You act like Lily is a baby. She’s nine years old! She likes Alex and that’s all that matters. I have to go. I’m not talking about this anymore. She’s my daughter and I’ll hire whoever the hell I want to take care of her.” I turned and walked out of his office.
“Damn it.”
Chapter 13
Alex
After I opened a new bank account and bought a new purse, I headed back home. Walking into the kitchen, I started cleaning up from breakfast. As I was loading the dishwasher, Simon walked in.
“Hi, Alex.” He smiled.
“Hey, Simon. What are you doing here?”
“I ran the number for that Ryan guy.”
“And?” I placed my hands firmly on the counter.
“Did he tell you his last name?”
“Yeah. He said it was Scotsman.”
“Another lie,” Simon spoke.
“Can I make you a cup of coffee?” I asked.
“Sure. Thank you.”
I popped a k-cup into the Keurig while he went into the refrigerator and took out the creamer.
“His name is Ryan Dolce, he’s thirty-five, and he lives in Los Angeles with his wife.”
“Thirty-five? He doesn’t look thirty-five.” I turned to the Keurig, took his cup and handed it to him.
“Thanks. Well, he is. Did he tell you what he does for work?”
“He said he worked the day shift at LabCorp as a microbiologist. That’s why we could never video chat until nighttime.”
He stood there and shook his head.
“He’s a car salesman at his father’s dealership, not a microbiologist. His wife works the afternoon shift at a hospital. That’s why you could video chat with him at night.”
“That son of a bitch. I am so stupid.” I gripped the edge of the counter.
“No, Alex. You’re not stupid. Unfortunately, these guys do shit like this all the time. You talked to him via video chat, phone conversations and text messages. You had no reason to believe he was lying to you.”
“I should have demanded to see his driver’s license or something.”
“There are so many con-artists out there. You never transferred him any money or anything, did you?”
“No.”
“Good. You just need to put all that behind you and forget about it. He’s a scumbag and not worth it. I’m sorry he did that to you.”
“Me too.” I looked up at the ceiling as tears formed in my eyes.
“Hey.” Simon reached over and placed his hand on mine. “Don’t let it upset you. You have to look at the brighter side of all this.”
“Which is?”
“You wouldn’t be here with us and taking care of my niece.” His lips formed a soft smile.
“Thanks, Simon.”
“You’re welcome. I have to get back to the station. I thought you deserved to know who he really was so you can forget about him and move on.”
He turned and headed for the door.
“Simon?”
“Yeah?” he looked at me.
“Did you run a background check on me?”
“I did.”
“Good. I have nothing to hide.”
“I know you don’t. You’re a good person Alessandra Clark, and don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.” He gave me a wink and walked out the door.
After I cleaned up the kitchen, living room and two bathrooms, I decided to leave a little early to pick Lily up from school to beat the madness of the traffic. After punching the address into the GPS in the rental car, I arrived a half hour early and pulled into a parking space. I waited until ten minutes before the bell rang, climbed out of the car and walked up to where I saw a group of moms standing. I could feel
the stares and hear the whispers as they looked me up and down.
“Is there something you’d all like to ask me?” I arched my brow at them.
One mother stepped forward in her designer short outfit and designer heels. Who wears heels to pick their kid up from school?
“We heard you’re Lily Kind’s new nanny.”
“I am.”
“It’s so sad about Nanny Kate. We also heard you’re living in the home with Lily and her father.”
“I am.”
“I’m Trina.” She extended her perfectly manicured hand.
“Alex.” I lightly shook it.
“It’s nice to meet you, Alex. Welcome to our little group. Right ladies?”
“Yes. Welcome,” they all spoke.
“My daughter, Lucy, has been dying to set up a playdate with Lily at her house. We should set one up.”
“A playdate?” I cocked my head at her.
“You know, where the children play for a few hours after school. Perhaps Lucy could come over tomorrow.”
“I’ll talk to Lily about it.”
“You could bring her home with you and I’ll pick her up. What time does Stefan usually get home from work?”
“I’m really not sure. Today is my first day as Lily’s nanny.”
“Oh. Well, I’m sure he’d be home by seven at the latest.”
“I guess.”
“Great. Lucy will be so excited!”
I gave her a small smile as the bell rang.
“Alex!” Lily shouted and waved to me as she ran out of the school.
“Hey there, Lily. How was school?”
“It was good. I’m hungry.”
“Me too. How about we go get some ice cream and then go to the grocery store to pick up something for dinner?”
“Okay. Can I get a double scoop?”
“You sure can.” I smiled as I patted her head.
I opened the oven door to check on the chicken and au gratin potatoes when Stefan walked into the kitchen.
“Wow. It smells really good in here.”
“Daddy!” Lily jumped up from her seat and gave him a hug.
“Hey, baby girl. How was school?”
“It was good. I’m just finishing up my homework.”
“Music to my ears.” He kissed the top of her head.
