“Okay.”
And perhaps, if she was very lucky, the men would stop by to say goodnight to the children, and she could see Stavros.
♥ ♥ ♥
Rose wiggled her toes in the pink sand. Pink. Not hot pink, but a delicate luminescent pearl shade that sparkled in the sun. She adjusted her sun hat and then called the children over to reapply their sunscreen.
“Can we go in the water again?” Nefeli asked.
“Yes, we’ll have time for one more dip before we go back to the hotel.”
The children gave each other a thumbs-up and helped one another get coated in sun protection. As they bounced away to wiggle their toes at the water’s edge, she reapplied sunscreen to herself.
The children had needed a day off to do nothing. So had she. She was grateful to Mr. P and Stavros for being willing to make the schedule change.
Her phone rang, and she smiled. “Hello, Marie.”
Her sister’s face filled the screen. “How’s the nanny vacation going?”
“Pretty well.” She flipped the screen view to show her sister the blue sea, the pink sand, and the children before returning to her face.
“I can see it’s a real struggle.” Marie laughed.
A pang of homesickness struck Rose. “I miss you. How’s your foot healing up?”
“The doctor says I’m doing well, and the physical therapist says I’m doing even better.”
“That’s great.” A false brightness crept into Rose’s voice. That meant her time with the children and Stavros was drawing to an end.
Her sister turned a critical eye on her. “You almost convinced me. What’s going on? Is it the children?”
“Heavens no. They’re about as idyllic as children get.”
Marie frowned. “Is the boss being mean to you?”
“No.” She shook her head.
“The head of security, then.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, you’ve been touring all around Greece and haven’t even seen their home yet, so you haven’t met the rest of the permanent staff. He’s the only one left.” She rolled her eyes. “Do I need to have a chat with him? Tell him how to treat my sister?”
“No, no, no.”
“Three nos. Interesting.” Marie’s violet eyes lit up. “You like him.”
Rose groaned and hid her head in her hands so her sister wouldn’t read what she was trying to hide.
“Oooh,” Marie squealed. “You really like him. Does he like you?”
“Marie,” Rose said in half exasperation, half amusement. “We work together. I’m pretty sure that we’re not supposed to have a romantic entanglement.”
“Entanglement.” Marie wiggled her eyebrows.
Rose groaned again and checked on the children over the rim of her phone. “I’m pretty sure romantic attachments are against your code of conduct and Mr. P’s.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean they don’t happen. I’ve lost a few nannies over the years to staff and bosses. And do you really think I’d put the rules above my sister’s happiness?” Marie’s shoulder shifted, and Rose knew that her hand was on her hip even though it didn’t show in the frame.