Page 2 of My Secret Valentine

“Do you like Legos?” Maddie asks immediately, no preamble, just pure kid directness.

I laugh, feeling some of the interview tension dissolve. “I do. I'm terrible at building things though. They always fall down.”

“I could teach you,” she says, warming up, taking a step closer. “I built a whole castle with a moat and everything. And a secret underground bunker where I keep all my diamonds.”

“That sounds awesome. I'd love to see it.”

Steve watches our interaction from his chair, and I can see his shoulders relaxing slightly, some of that CEO polish falling away.

After Maddie shows me her tablet and her latest creation, pointing out all the secret passages and clever defenses she's built, Steve walks me to the door. The afternoon sun has shifted, painting the mountains in deep gold. “When can you start?”

I blink, sure I've misheard. “You're offering me the job?”

“Maddie likes you. You were honest about your experience. And frankly, I need help pretty quick. The last three candidates had great resumes but Maddie wouldn't talk to any of them.”

“I can start whenever you need me.” My heart is racing again, but for a different reason now.

“Tomorrow? I'll email you the details and paperwork tonight.”

I drive home in a daze, the mountain roads familiar enough that I barely have to think about the turns. I have a job. With a place to live. Away from Mom's sighs and pointed comments about wasted potential.

Mom's reaction is exactly what I expect, her lips pressing into that thin line I know too well.

“A nanny? Really, Lainey? You could do so much more. With your degree, you could teach. You could start writing again.”

“It's a good job, Mom. And it comes with a place to live.”

“Living in someone else's house, taking care of someone else's child. Like a servant. It’s not what I envisioned for you.”

“It's better than living in your house,” I mutter, then immediately feel guilty when hurt flashes across her face. “Sorry. I just... I need to do this. For me. It feels right for me.”

Dad looks up from his newspaper, his reading glasses sliding down his nose. “Give it a chance, Helen. Lainey needs to find her own way.”

I pack my bags that night, my clothes barely filling half the closet in my childhood bedroom. As I fold sweaters into boxes, my hands shake slightly. Everything's happening so fast – the job, the move, the quiet intensity in Steve's eyes when he watched me with Maddie.

What exactly am I getting myself into?

CHAPTER TWO

Steve

I watch through my office window as Lainey helps Maddie out of her coat in the mudroom. It's been a week, and they've already developed a routine – backpack on the hook, shoes on the mat, coat hung just so. There's an easy grace to their interactions that makes my chest tight.

“You're distracted today.” Karen's voice from my laptop brings me back to our meeting.

“Sorry.” I turn back to the screen where my admin is waiting patiently. “What were you saying about the Miller contract?”

“I was saying we should push back on their timeline.” She pauses, peering at me through the video call. “The new nanny working out?”

“She's good with Maddie.” I keep my voice neutral, professional. It's harder than it should be.

“Just Maddie?”

“Karen.”

“I'm just saying, Steve. Small town, big house, attractive single?—”

“That's enough.” The words come out sharper than I intend. “She's an employee. That's all.”

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