After shutting the door, I told Alex I needed to speak with her.
“Can I get you a glass of wine?”
“Do you have Pinot?”
“I do.” The corners of my mouth curved upward.
“Then I’d love some.”
I grabbed the bottle of Pinot from the wine rack along with two glasses.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
“I may have a job offer for you?” I handed her the glass.
“Thank you. What kind of job offer?”
“I would like to hire you to work for me.”
“At your company?” She cocked her head.
“No. As Lily’s nanny.”
“What?” She laughed.
“I’ve been searching for another person since Nanny Kate left. I did end up hiring one, but she quit within a few days. Lily ran her right out of here. She likes you, Alex, and since you don’t have a job or a place to live, I think it would be perfect for you. I need someone who will take Lily to and from school, activities, clean the house, do the shopping and help her with her homework when I’m not here.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. I am. The pay is good, and I provide health insurance. I’ll be honest with you. I’ve never had a live-in nanny. Nanny Kate had her own apartment. But since you don’t have anywhere else to go, the guestroom will be your room. You’ll have access to everything in the house and our home will be your home.”
“I don’t know anything about kids, Stefan. I’ve never taken care of a kid in my life, except myself.”
“I hadn’t either when Lily was born. You learn along the way. Plus, she’s nine and she’s self-sufficient.”
“I can’t believe you’re offering this to me.”
“I’m desperate, Alex, and from what I can see, you are too. Let’s face it. You have $100 to your name, no place to live, no car, and I’m in need of a nanny.”
“Gee. You make my life sound so pathetic.” She laughed.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s your reality right now. But that can all change very quickly.”
“And if I were to accept the position, how would I transport your daughter to and from school?”
“I was thinking about that. Tomorrow, I’ll ask one of my brothers to give us a ride to Lily’s school and then after we drop her off, I’ll have them drop us off at the car rental shop. I’ll rent two vehicles. One for me and one for you. Just until our cars are back from the body shop.”
“Okay. I accept your job offer.”
“Really?” The corners of my mouth curved upward.
“Yes. Besides, I would be stupid for giving up the chance to live in this gorgeous house on the beach.”
“Excellent. We’ll tell Lily in the morning since you’ll be picking her up from school.”
“Okay. What time does she start in the morning?”
“Eight o’clock. So, we have to leave by seven-thirty at the latest. Drop off and pick up is a nightmare. You’ll see. I’m going to run over to Sam’s house and see if he can drive us in the morning.”
“Okay. I’m going to take a bath and then unpack my suitcases.”
“I’ll see you later.” I gave her a smile before heading over to Sam’s house.
Chapter 11
Stefan
Was I doing the right thing? I wasn’t sure. Having a beautiful woman under my roof and taking care of my daughter might be too much. Rules and boundaries would have to be put in place. She was my daughter’s nanny, and she was off-limits. No exceptions.
Before I approached the sliding door to Sam’s house, I covered my eyes.
“You two aren’t doing anything I shouldn’t see, are you?”
“No. You’re lucky. We just finished.”
“Don’t listen to him, Stefan. Come on in,” Julia spoke.
“Well, did you talk to Alex about the position?” Sam asked.
“I did, and she accepted.”
“It’s not like she had much of a choice,” Julia said. “If it was me, I would have accepted too. I feel bad for what she’s been through the past couple of days. Did you find out any more about her?”
“No. But I will.”
“I’ll leave you two to talk. I’m going upstairs to take a bath.”
“See ya, Julia.”
“How about a scotch?” Sam asked.
“Yes. Definitely.” I followed him into the living room.
“I know I don’t have to tell you what an attractive woman Alex is.” He glanced up at me as he poured the scotch into a glass.
“No. You don’t.” I sighed.
“Is that going to be an issue for you having her living in your house?”
“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.