Page 10 of The Christmas Nanny

“I would never think that by just looking at you.”

He chuckled again and shook his head. I got the sense he’d heard it before. “You don’t always have to look the part to play the part. I’ve never wanted my private life to be for public consumption. I don’t mind sharing what I love to do, but I don’t put those things out there for scrutiny.”

“Sounds like you might be hiding something.” I regretted the comment because I believed everyone was hiding something, not just Jacob.

“Not at all. I’m an open book to the right woman.”

“Guess it’s a good thing I like to read.”

“My chapters are long and sordid.”

“Whose aren’t?”

Jacob paid the bill, and we left the restaurant. I walked ahead, hiding my smile. He opened my car door, and I froze. “I’m sorry, I’m not used to this treatment.”

“You should get used to it,” he said, closing the door. I would get very used to it.

He climbed into the driver’s side and started the SUV. “Just so you know, Slim Shady is a little bigger than your cat, maybe even lazier. I found him wandering the highway when he was a puppy.”

Damn, he rescued dogs as well. “I don’t mind bigger dogs.”

“He’s the size of a person.”

As soon as he pulled onto the road, he laid his hand on mine. I didn’t pull away. It’s one of those things that never happened in past relationships, so I decided to enjoy it. I moved my fingers around his hand and melted into the seat. I wanted to ride the wave of romance until it crashed and dried up.

“Slim Shady didn’t care for my last girlfriend,” he said, insinuating I was his current girlfriend. He pulled into a driveway, surprising me that he lived in a house, not an apartment. “I’ll get your door.” He got out and came around to open my door. He put his hand on the small of my back and gently urged me to the front door, though no urging was necessary.

“Nice place,” I said. “You always lived alone?”

He opened the front door. I froze where I stood. “That’s Slim Shady?”

“The real one.” He walked inside, held the dog’s large head, and rubbed behind the dog’s ears. “This is Christine, boy.”

Slim Shady sat, his tongue hanging out, a twelve-inch string of drool falling from his mouth. I took a deep breath and decided what the hell. I held Slim Shady’s heavy head and rubbed behind his ears. He leaned forward and stuck his face in my crotch. When Jacob pulled him away, I had a saliva-covered crotch.

“Sorry about that. I’ll get a towel.”

“It’s not a big deal,” I said. It really wasn’t. I grew up with a Great Pyrenees and was used to big dogs and everything that came with them: drool, gas, and taking up half the bed.

Slim Shady wagged his tail and dropped to his belly before turning over.

“She’s not going to rub your belly,” Jacob said. But I did rub his belly, making us best friends. If a man treated his dog well, he would probably treat you well.

Jacob closed the door. “Glass of wine?”

“How about a beer?”

He left me with Slim Shady and went to the kitchen. The foyer was nicely decorated with paintings and a flower vase on a table by the door. A lavender diffuser somewhere in the house made the place relaxing. The living room was clean, with a large fireplace, leather couch, and large TV. He was serious about enjoying a clean place.

“We can go out back if you want. The porch is covered, and I have a space heater to keep it cozy.”

“That sounds nice.” Cozy?

We walked through the kitchen, where I noticed a door with a digital lock. It’s not something I ever saw on a door inside a house. Jacob noticed me studying the door.

“It’s nothing,” he said and opened the back door, Slim Shady on our heels.

The backyard could have been something from a magazine. I imagined flowers would have lined the privacy fence if it were not so close to Christmas. The trees were large but had already lost their leaves. It was cozy, but during the summer, it would be gorgeous.

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