by Haley Oliver
Copyright © 2019 by Blue Pines Romance.
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Contents
Story Description
1. Valerie
2. Daniel
3. Valerie
4. Daniel
5. Valerie
6. Daniel
7. Valerie
8. Daniel
9. Valerie
10. Daniel
11. Valerie
12. Daniel
13. Valerie
14. Daniel
Epilogue
NEXT IN THIS SERIES…
GoTo Girl
Billionaires Secretarial Pool
Haley Oliver
When billionaire Daniel Sway is in dire need of a nanny for his young son, Henry, he runs straight to his go-to gal—his secretary Val.
When Valerie is too embarrassed to admit she can't afford a ticket to Tahiti for her friend's big day, she sees only one solution—accept the position as Henry's nanny and hitch a ride to the wedding with Daniel and his son.
As hard as Daniel and Valerie try to resist their sizzling chemistry, throw in a sweet, charming little boy, an exotic local, and being marooned during a tropical downpour, and the facts are undeniable.
The three are a perfect, ready-made family.
Chapter One
Valerie
"A location wedding?" I blink in surprise. "And you're planning it for...?
Amanda King sits across the coffee shop table from me, beaming like a queen. She may as well be royalty. Not only is she beautiful, with a head of thick, dark hair and exotic-looking features, but she's engaged to one of the richest transplants in New York City, Owen Ridgemont. Her boss-turned-fiancé isn't just worth a small fortune; he's probably worth a small country.
And speaking of expensive places...
"French Polynesia. Tahiti!" Amanda laughs as if she's just told a joke. "Can you believe it?"
"No, no, I can't believe it." There's a lump of cold lead forming in my stomach. I have a feeling I know where this is going. I try to change the subject, quickly. "And you're still working for him as his secretary at the new office?"
"Of course!" Amanda grins broadly. "I mean, things may change a bit after we get married. I'm also thinking about moving over to become a full-time member on the board at St. Christine's. I told you about the shelter where I volunteer, right?"
I nod. "You know Owen would have a difficult time replacing you."
"Aw!" Amanda's smile has been incandescently white all morning, and she turns it up an extra watt now. She leans across the table and takes the hand I left unguarded. Oh no. Here it comes. "Valerie, I'd really like you to be one of my bridesmaids. Please consider it. You and Jane have become my very best friends in the world and I'd be so happy to have you there beside me on my special day." Amanda smiles expectantly as she waits for an answer, then waggles her brows to be silly. I can't help it, I laugh at her goofiness.
That laugh was a mistake. Amanda takes it for my answer. "Thank you, Valerie!" She slides me a gorgeous, engraved, ivory invitation across the table. "Okay, I was going to mail these out, but I can't help myself. I've got to give it to you now. Save the date!" she says cheerfully. The barista calls her name, and she gets up to retrieve our warmed-up pastries from the counter.
I stare at the unopened invitation in front of me like it might grow teeth and bite me. It's not that I don't want to participate in my friend's wedding. The problem is, how in the world will I ever afford to pay for a trip to Tahiti? When she returns, I struggle to collect my expression once more. "I wish I got along as well with my boss." I sigh and sink back into the chair sipping my chai. Amanda passes my almond croissant to me, but I'm suddenly regretting the extravagance of my purchase. Is it too late to take it back? How much did it cost again?
"You wish you were engaged to Daniel Sway?" Amanda raises a suggestive eyebrow at me, looking amused. I swear she's as bad as Jane sometimes. Jane Fox is the secretary on the top floor and aptly names since she's as mischievous as a fox.
I groan and pull the croissant to me in defeat. At least I can give my mood an artificial boost with sugar. "No, that came out wrong. I meant I wish I had a boss I got along with so well. Daniel and I are totally different people. In the office is one thing. We have a flow that works. We've gotten used to each other and we're actually great at working together. In real life, we would drive one another absolutely crazy."
"He is crazy," Amanda agrees as she takes a stab at her cinnamon roll. "I mean, so I've heard. I still haven't been around Sway International long enough to properly get to know him outside the office. He and Owen have worked closely for a few months on a couple mergers. As someone who's only seen his crazy from afar, I can tell you objectively that he's also crazy good-looking."
That he is. Sometimes I take my glasses off when Daniel's talking to me and pretend to clean them just to avoid that tractor beam smile oozing with charm. At the age of twenty-nine, he's the youngest Sway brother at the firm, and four years older than me. As far as maturity levels go, though...
Amanda grins to herself, and I wonder if our thoughts are running along the same track. Either that, or I'm wearing my musings on my face. "How did the two of you get paired up, anyway? I know Owen used to burn through secretaries before I came along, and I know why—his gruff demeanor and the brusque way he barks out orders. The way I hear it, Daniel used to be even worse the way he tore through secretaries left and right and leaving them crying and traversing unemployment lines."
"Jane and I went to school together," I explain. "I was between jobs and she recommended me for the position. There's a lot you ignore or just put up with when you're desperate for a job. I guess the rest is history."
I pick up my croissant and study it as it flakes apart in my hand. That isn't the whole story, of course. What I've glossed over is that I was so broke during that period in my life I was actually crashing on Jane's couch. I have my own place now, but I'll never forget what that girl did for me. She may have a devilish streak and even be a bit of a meddler, but I still consider her my guardian angel through and through.
And as for me and Daniel? I'm not sure why it works so well. It's more than me just putting up with his antics for the paycheck. Maybe being the oldest of five siblings, I'm used to cleaning up after other people's messes. Daniel may be a human tornado, but he's also a rising star at Sway International. He's ruthlessly ambitious, craves excitement, and keeps his life exciting accordingly. His adrenaline junkie tendencies carry over into the workplace. Our office is powered by stress, tight deadlines, and near-misses-turned-unforeseen-successes.
Somehow, I don't think Amanda knows this about Daniel.
"Hey, are you feeling okay this morning?" she asks me on our way out of the coffee shop.
I straighten my posture quickly and square my thin shoulders like a nervous animal trying to look twice its size. "Never better!" I say. I grab her hand and squeeze. "Amanda, I'm so excited for you. Seriously. You deserve every amazing thing that comes your way."
"I don't know about that." She flushes happily. "But I'm glad you guys are going to be there with me to experience my big day. You'r
e like the sisters I never had."
"Trust me, as a girl who grew up with sisters, I envy you. Oh, hang on a minute," I mention suddenly. "I'm just going to... run back in to the restroom."
"Cool. I'll wait outside for you."
I leave Amanda and hustle into the back of the shop. As soon as I'm locked inside, I slit open her invitation and read it.
Tahiti. Oh heavens, how am I going to afford this? I bet everyone and their dog (at the very least probably Amanda's dog) will be going. I have no excuse—at least, no excuse I'm willing to admit to. I work in the same building as the rest of them, don't I? I work for one of the Sways. If the rest of them find out I don't have the money to book my flight, much less a hotel room, I think I'll die of shame.
I wonder if mentioning that I don't have a bikini is a valid excuse. I mull this over as I pick up my receipt from the register. Probably not. Probably I'm going to have to come up with something way more serious. Death of a pet? ... no, I don't have a pet. The flu? … could work, maybe.
I rejoin Amanda out on the sidewalk, no longer only feeling like just a pauper. I now feel like a poor person and a liar. "Want to head back to work by way of the park? " she asks as she links arms with me.
I sigh. "You're so carefree and whimsical, Amanda. It's as though nothing ever gets to you."
"Yeah, right!" Amanda laughs as we stroll. "Remind me to catch you up on every detail of how Owen and I actually got together. I think you'll be thanking your lucky stars that you don't have my temperament, or my questionable decision-making skills."
"But it certainly worked out for you in the end," I point out. Jane has hinted at what she knows, or at least, what she suspects went down between Amanda and Owen on the fifth floor. From the sound of things, everyone's least favorite blonde, Nicki Lynn, was involved, although I'm not sure what the complete story is. Nicki has been on vacation for the last several weeks since Amanda and Owen announced their engagement.
"Oh, the lilies are blooming!" Amanda stops near one of the park entrances to examine the gorgeous white flowers sprouting there. We're right by the playground. I turn to watch the kids laugh and frolic, a fond smile tugging at my lips. I remember back when most of my siblings were that young. I guess I wasn't much older, but I certainly felt it, especially since I was the one always chaperoning them to the park and watching over them as they played.
Speaking of chaperones, I notice an unaccompanied boy kicking a soccer ball against the wall. I glance around, but most of the benches are occupied by adults distracted and tapping away at their cell phones. I'm not sure who he could be with. I don't like how close his ball is coming to the top of the wall...
True to my premonition, his next kick sends the ball cresting over the park fence. As the boy runs after it, I turn back quickly to see if Amanda notices, but she's sniffing at the lilies and humming. Am I overreacting? I turn back around. Or am I the only one who's noticing this?
The ball rolls out into the street and the boy without pause, steps off the curb to chase after it. My heart lunges up into my throat, and my body kicks into autopilot. I bolt out after him.
"Wait! Valerie, where are you—"
Amanda's words choke off as she screams in horror. I see it, too. In fact, I saw it precious seconds before it registered with anyone else. The bus. The boy still doesn't notice it as it bears down on him. His eyes are locked on his soccer ball. He finally manages to grab it and turn, triumphantly. His eyes widen when they take in the bus heading straight for him. I'm so close I can see his pupils expand.
You're not going to make it! the voice in the back of my head screams at me. Neither of you are going to make it!
For the first time in my anxious, worried little life, I succeed in shutting the voice out. But it's right. We aren't going to make it. There's no more time.
I dive for the boy. He's rooted to the spot, petrified. He stands motionless in the middle of the busy street, but my aim is true. I wrap him in my arms and throw us both down onto the hard pavement as the bus driver blares his horn and hurtles by us.
"Henry? Oh my goodness, Henry!" A woman's panicked voice fills the street in the wake of the bus.
"He's okay," I groan as I stir beneath him. I managed to angle myself during the fall and absorb all the impact from hitting the pavement. I ache to high Heaven, and my clothes are dirt stained and torn, but the boy and his ball are safe and secure in my arms. He starts to cry, but before I can say anything to comfort him, a pair of arms snatches him away from me.
"Henry!" the woman's high-pitched voice sobs. "What were you thinking, Henry? You know you can't go running off like that!"
"He's all right," I repeat. I think I'm in shock. It's all I can think to say as Amanda catches me and pulls me up by one bruised elbow. "He's safe now."
But the woman's already hurrying off with him. The crowd of onlookers parts to allow her quick passage. She thrusts the boy inside the back of a large, black SUV, fastens his seatbelt, and gets in. I groan. Shouldn't she have put him in a booster seat? He's so small. Then again, I'm not sure how old he is. The car screeches out of the parking lot, and I can see her mouth moving rapidly and a hand waving emphatically as she rants vigorously inside the car, her terrified eyes checking him again and again in the rear-view mirror.
The forgotten soccer ball rolls to a stop at my feet.
Chapter Two
Daniel
"You can't fire me," the nanny says. "I quit."
Her statement comes apropos to nothing. I turn from where I stand examining the contents of the fridge, the open carton of chocolate milk still in my hand. I like to chug it as a recovery drink thirty minutes after my daily workout, glassware optional.
"I beg your pardon?" In my astonishment, I still manage to channel my older brother, Gabe. I beg your pardon? seems a lot more diplomatic than What in the world are you babbling on about? Admittedly, the nanny has been talking to my back up until this point, and since nothing she has said appeared to directly reference my son, Henry—which is the only thing we have in common as far as I'm concerned—I have been tuning her out.
Now, she has my full attention.
"I said I quit." She tosses her hair to emphasize her point. This probably isn't a good time to mention that I don't remember her name. Anastasia? Adelaide? Something that starts with the letter "A".
"Hang on," I reply quickly. "Before you give me your resignation, why don't you let me put a shirt on and we'll sit down and discuss this rationally?" It seems like a good stall tactic. I've just come in from my jog, after all, and feel in no real position to negotiate this way.
The nanny, however, doesn't see it the same way. She turns and heads to the hallway. I set the chocolate milk down and start after her. "Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Miss—"
"No. No waiting. I am so out of here."
Henry pokes his blond head out of his bedroom as the nanny struts for the door. She's already packed her things, I realize. She's headed for her luggage. "Wait—" I call after her.
"You should just let her go, Dad," Henry remarks. "I fired her."
I stop short and turn to him. "You… what?"
The nanny has stopped as well, and is watching us with her chin tilted in indignation and a look of contempt shooting from her eyes.
"Why did you fire the nanny, Henry?" I ask him patiently.
He looks between the two of us in confusion. "She didn't tell you?" he wonders. "I knew she wouldn't."
"Didn't tell me what?" Now the half-amused, half-exasperated smile dies on my lips. Suddenly, the nanny's haughty countenance makes me think she's overcompensating for something. "What happened?" I demand more forcefully. The nanny shifts, appearing uncomfortable beneath my direct gaze. She already knows that when it comes to my son, I don't play around.
"I almost got hit by a bus," Henry volunteers.
"That is not true! That is not true," his nanny protests.
There's only one way to settle this. I cross my arms. "Are you calling my son a li
ar, Abernathy?"
"I'm not saying anything! And it's Allison!" she exclaims.
Henry and I share a look. He shrugs. "Henry, how were you almost hit by a bus?" I ask him.
"My ball rolled out in the street," he explains. "And…" He turns aside, looking guilty. "I didn't look both ways. But it's okay!" His expression brightens suddenly. "A lady saved me!"
"Your nanny… er, Allison, saved you?"
Henry shakes his head as if the solution I've just volunteered is laughable. "No. A really pretty lady, Dad. Like, really pretty." I try not to look at Allison as he says this, but I can feel her shooting daggers at us from the other end of the hall. "And she didn't even care about messing up her clothes! She dove into the street to grab me out of the way like Wonder Woman. And then, we fell on the sidewalk. "
I drop to one knee and take both his thin, fragile shoulders in my hands. I look him directly in the eyes, those eyes that are the same color and shape as my own. My boy. When I said goodbye to him this morning before I left for work, I never once considered it might have been the last time. "Are you hurt?" I ask him. I ignore Allison's wordless exclamation of protest. "Did you hit your head or anything?"
"No." Henry shakes his head. "The lady caught me. She was bleeding a little, but not me. She protected me."
Who is this mystery woman? Whomever she is, I owe her a tremendous debt. I rub Henry's shoulders until I'm satisfied for myself that he's whole and unharmed, then I stand. "I paid you to keep an eye on my son," I say quietly without looking up. "Not to, what? Text on your phone?" I'm only guessing, but I know I've hit the nail on the head when I see the blood drain from Allison's face. "You were supposed to be looking at him."
