Page 1 of Reluctantly Yours

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TRAVIS

If one more thing went wrong on what was becoming one of the most stressful days of my life, I was going to permanently lose my shit.Being rear-ended by some moron on their cell on my way to the office.A burst pipe in my office building had led to half a floor full of employee desks getting rained on overnight.My managers were dealing with the aftermath, but then came the unwelcome surprise of our now ex-nanny dropping my daughter off without warning.

A man in my position couldn’t have interruptions like that.It was damn near impossible to concentrate on numbers and projections when my four-year-old colored at my assistant’s desk while I brimmed over with anger at the incompetence of the people in my life.

Of all people for the agency to send as a replacement.

The pigtailed brunette in front of me wore an irritatingly bright smile.“Mr.Knight?”she asked when the most I’d been able to do was stare at her in disbelief.The last thing I’d expected was her announcement.My new nanny.

Finally, she started to comprehend my confusion.Her teeth sank into her bottom lip before she asked, “Is everything okay?You did request the agency send you a nanny candidate as soon as possible, right?Or have I come to the wrong place?”

Had she?She was dressed like a character from a summer camp ad, complete with a pink backpack that matched the flowers on her sundress.There were friendship bracelets on one wrist and multicolored beaded bracelets on the other, the sort a kid would make at summer camp.

She was bright, obviously energetic, and painfully earnest.In other words, she left me grinding my teeth in distaste.This was the sort of girl who would’ve irritated me if I were in a good mood.

I was not in a good mood this afternoon.

“How old are you?”I asked since her physical aspects were a direct contradiction of her pigtails and backpack.“Why don’t you take a look at my resume?”She swung the backpack off one shoulder and unzipped it.“Sorry.I should’ve had that ready when I came in.”

“Yes, you should have.”She didn’t flinch at my sharp rebuke.For all I knew, she didn’t hear me, intent on pulling a manila folder free from her bag.Flipping it open, she pulled out a sheet of paper which she handed me, wearing the same bright, chipper smile.

She had to be on drugs, and though I had never dabbled, she made me consider asking her for a hit of whatever she was on.I could’ve used a pick-me-up.

Penny Anderson.Of course, she had a name like Penny.Twenty-four years old.“Recently graduated with your master’s in early childhood education?”I read aloud.

“Yes, just last month,” she said with pride.

Well, that was a plus, though it didn’t make her any easier to stomach.“I don’t see any previous experience as a nanny.”

“I worked at a daycare center for the past several years, as I explained on the resume.”

“That’s not the same,” I countered.“Why would the agency send me someone with no experience as a nanny?”

“If you look at the reverse side, you’ll see I started babysitting my own siblings when I was ten.I’m the oldest of five,” she explained in that same pride-filled tone.“It was a hands-on learning experience.I was changing diapers when I was eleven, handling bath time and bedtime when I was twelve.My parents verified everything with the agency when I applied.”Chuckling, she added, “Moving away to college was like an extended vacation.For the first time in years, the only homework I had to worry about was my own.”

She couldn’t be real.Was this an act?“Here’s a question.What are your acting aspirations?”I asked.

Finally, something managed to knock the smile off her face.Not for long, though.She recovered quickly, tipping her head to the side.“I don’t understand.”

“Come on, Miss Anderson,” I implored with a smirk.“This is Los Angeles.If you’re living out here, there’s a good chance you have dreams of working in Hollywood.If that’s the case, I need to know now.”

Her brows knitted together, but only for a split second before she shook her head.“No, Mr.Knight.What you see here is what you get.I grew up in Sacramento and moved to Los Angeles when I started at USC.I want to be a teacher.”

“So you won’t drop any surprise auditions on me?”I found it hard to believe someone as pretty as her, with a tight body and sapphire blue eyes, wouldn’t at least consider a career on the screen.Years of friendship with the heir to a major studio had taught me one thing—it didn’t take talent to make a star.

She giggled and shook her head.“Gosh, no.I was too nervous to stand in the background of my eighth-grade class play.I don’t even have the guts to teach high schoolers.They’re too judgmental.”

There had to be some reason for me to dismiss the girl.Not that I necessarily needed a reason.A simple phone call to the agency would suffice.They didn’t need an explanation, anyway.If they asked for one, I didn’t have to comply.

Yet, for some reason, I searched for something plausible I could use.“You understand this would be a long-term, live-in arrangement, right?”

“Of course.You have a home in Brentwood.They wouldn’t have sent me if they didn’t give me the rundown first.”Her bright, frank gaze drifted away from my face and began traveling over the room, landing on a model ship in the corner to my left and soon, she was moving in that direction.“This is beautiful.The Sofia?Is it one of your ships?”

“Yes, it is.One of many.”I watched as she admired it and reminded myself not to admire her peach of an ass when she bent slightly for a closer look.She was irritating, but she wasn’t bad when her mouth was shut.“What is your current living situation?”

“I was living close to campus before graduation.”Straightening, she checked out the photos hanging on the wall.Other ships docked around the world, all of which belonged to me.“My lease is up at the end of the month.It’s either find a job that involves living arrangements or move back to my childhood bedroom in Sacramento.This would be a win-win for me.”

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