Page 3 of My Secret Valentine

Karen raises her hands in surrender, but I catch her knowing smile before she shifts back to business. I try to focus on contract terms and deadlines, but my attention keeps drifting to the sounds floating up from the kitchen. Maddie's laugh, the clink of glasses, Lainey's voice explaining something about fractions tells me that so far my instinct was on target.

When we finally end the call, I sit back and rub my eyes. I shouldn't have snapped at Karen. She's been with me since before I moved the company to Montana, before Claire died. She’s actually turned into a friend and more than just an employee. I trust her. She's earned the right to speak her mind.

But she's wrong about this.

The smell of garlic and herbs drifts up the stairs, reminding me I haven't eaten since morning. I head down to the kitchen, stopping in the doorway to observe the scene. Maddie sits at the counter, worksheet spread in front of her, while Lainey stirs something on the stove. Her dark hair is pulled back in a messy bun, loose strands curling against her neck.

“Hey, Dad!” Maddie waves her pencil. “Lainey's teaching me how to divide pizza.”

“Fractions,” Lainey clarifies, glancing over her shoulder. Her cheeks flush slightly when she meets my eyes. “I thought making it about food might help.”

“Smart.” I move to the coffee maker, needing something to do with my hands. “Smells good.”

“Pasta with garlic bread. I hope that's okay. Maddie mentioned it's one of her favorites.”

“It was Mom's recipe,” Maddie adds. “But Lainey does it different.”

The room goes quiet. I wait for the familiar ache, but it's softer now, more memory than pain. “Different is good,” I say, and Maddie's smile returns.

“Can we eat in the TV room?” she asks. “Please? There's a new movie I want to watch.”

“Nice try. Table rules still apply.”

Lainey hides a smile as she drains the pasta. She moves around my kitchen like she belongs there, knowing where everything is after just a week. It's both comforting and unsettling.

Dinner is casual, easy. Maddie chatters about school, her teacher, the new girl in her class who has light-up shoes just like hers. I watch Lainey's reactions and the way she asks just the right questions to keep Maddie engaged makes me smile. She seems genuinely interested in every answer.

“Bath time,” I announce when the plates are cleared. “Then one chapter of your book.”

“Two chapters?”

“One. School tomorrow.”

Maddie sighs dramatically but hugs me before heading upstairs. She pauses to hug Lainey too, the gesture natural and unforced. Something shifts in my chest, warm and dangerous.

“I can clean up,” Lainey says, gathering plates.

“I've got it. You've done enough today.”

Our hands brush as she passes me the dishes. The contact is brief, electric. She steps back quickly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Goodnight then,” she says softly, and retreats to her wing of the house.

I stand at the sink longer than necessary, letting cold water run over my hands. This is exactly what I was afraid of when I hired her. The way my pulse quickens when she's near. The urge to lean into casual touches. I’m going to have to be on my toes.

Karen's words echo in my head. Small town. Big house. Attractive single dad.

I dry my hands and head upstairs to read to Maddie. Stories are simple. Safe. Unlike the way Lainey looked in the kitchen light, or how right she seems in this house that's been too quiet for too long.

A text from Karen lights up my phone:Town's already talking. Better get ahead of it.

Damn it.

CHAPTER THREE

Lainey

“I don't want to do it.” Maddie crosses her arms and glares at her math worksheet. “It's too hard.”

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