Page 26 of Risky Game

“No.”

“Then who cares. Show up, love the heck out of his little girl so he sees how good of a nanny you’ll be to her, and then both of you can forget whatever silly thing happened between you.”

“That’s not so easy when I want to jump his bones every time he walks into a room.”

She pointed her mascara wand at the screen. “Don’t do that. At least not until you know he’ll catch you and then take over.”

“Argh!” I tossed a hair tie at my own screen. “You’re impossible.”

“That’s why you love me.”

“Not today, Satan.”

Gina picked up her phone, fluffed her blond beachy waves, and spun in her bedroom, headed toward her closet. “Okay. You want him. You have a crush on the guy. Big deal. Do you know how many grooms I come across a year who are like, the hottest freaking thing in the world? I swear, some of them are so damn sexy I’ve stuttered and blushed my way through the event and it was their wedding day. It’s perfectly acceptable to find someone attractive. It’s also perfectly normal if they occasionally show up in your dreams. Or you have a little daydream fantasy about them.”

I hadn’t quite thought of that yet. “Thanks for putting that thought in my mind, Gina. Really appreciate it.”

“It’s happened to me. And you’ll be close to him. It will totally happen if you don’t go find someone else to date, and still might even if you do find someone to date.”

“I don’t want to date anyone.” The very idea of getting back on dating apps or having to go out to bars or clubs or anything like that turned my stomach. It was so much easier to date when I was in college, when I could run into guys on campus. Of course, that was where I met Paulie and that didn’t work out so well for me, either.

Yeah, I wasn’t nearly ready to start dating again, and meaningless hookups were never my thing.

At least I’d packed my favorite, never-failed-me-yet toys.

“Then suck it up. You’ve got this.”

I inhaled a breath, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I’d dressed to impress Amelia in a cute spaghetti-strap summer dress. The heat was still unbearable, and knowing her favorite colors, I figured she’d appreciate the green dress. It was modest, hitting me right at mid-thigh, and had ruffles around the top of my breasts and a flared bottom. It was cute, summery, not sexy in the least, and surely a sweet four-year-old would like it.

My hair was pulled back. The top half was secured in a cute bun and I’d straightened the rest of it. The humidity would frizz it out in no time, but for now, I was dressed and ready to go.

Back to where I’d practically burrowed my face into a grown man’s chest and inhaled the scent of his cologne.

Nope. Nothing to be embarrassed about at all.

“Hey, Ruby?”

“Yeah?”

She peered at me through the screen. “Everything will be all right, you know?”

My chin wobbled and I squeezed my eyes closed. She was the only person I knew who wasn’t snowed by Paulie. She hadn’t hated him and the theft of all my cash along with the revelation of who he really was came as a surprise to us both, but she’d been there with me through all of it. Would always be there for me.

I opened my eyes and blew her a kiss. “You’re right. I’ve got this. Thank you.”

“Damn straight.” She nodded once and then smirked. “But if you do jump your boss’s bones, make sure you give me all the details because I’ve looked that guy up on Google and he is F-I-N-E, fine.

“You’re a brat.” I ended the call to the sounds of her belly laugh, laughing along with her.

Way to help me out, Gina. Now I had to hope and pray I didn’t think of him when I fell asleep that night, in my private room… in his home.

No. I wouldn’t.

There would be absolutely no thinking of bone jumping.

I was there for Amelia and the money.

No bone jumping allowed.

---