Page 3 of Reluctantly Yours

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PENNY

This was going to work.

I practically had the job in the bag.

So long as I dealt mostly with the charming, clever little girl and not her father.I must’ve done something to rub him the wrong way since he looked at me like I was the enemy.Like he wasn’t the one who needed help.And he obviously did.This was a busy company I’d walked into earlier, and it was kind of chaotic.It wasn’t the place for a four-year-old to be hanging around.

Even though he would be the one paying for my services, I was sort of in charge here.I held all the cards.I had to keep reminding myself of that, or else the weird looks he kept giving me would get under my skin and dig away at my self-confidence.

“Are you gonna be my new nanny?”Sofia was easily the most adorable kid I had met in a long time.She had gorgeous olive skin and a crown of soft, brown curls I would love to get my hands on if given the chance.I always wanted to try out those curly hair tutorials online, but my hair was the exact opposite.I could barely get a curl to hold for five minutes.

I needed to get a hold of myself before I got too attached, but I couldn’t help it.Even with the weird, snotty attitude from her father, I had a good feeling.There was an instant rapport between us.She was smart, she seemed well-behaved.When we came to the corner of Wilshire and Beverly, she reached up and took her father’s hand when crossing.“Look both ways, Dad,” she reminded him.

What was their story?The only thing I learned at the agency was that Travis Knight owned a big shipping company, a single parent, and had complained to Mrs.Forrest that his previous nannies were all unreliable.She had also mentioned him describing Sofia as highly intelligent, requiring a nanny who could meet her educational needs.My credentials checked that box, unlike the other available candidates at the agency.

“These are the sorts of people who are this agency’s bread and butter,” Mrs.Forrest had reminded me over the phone.“It’s important we leave them with a good impression.Word travels fast in these social circles.”

I had never exactly been part of a social circle, so I didn’t quite know how that felt, but I got the idea.

It definitely seemed like he raised her well.He was involved with her life.She was polite and sweet, and she had a great vocabulary—all signs pointing to somebody taking the time to teach her well.

The ice cream shop sat in the middle of a row of businesses arranged around a central plaza.A fountain shot jets of water into the air while kids played, chasing each other around it, trying to splash each other when their moms weren’t looking.

“They have real ice cream here.”Sofia wrinkled her nose as we approached the colorful shop, with the two of them walking in front of me while I observed.“I don’t like that stuff Marissa tried to make me eat.”

Travis glanced back at me.“Ex-nanny,” he explained.He then looked down at Sofia.“They probably have the fake stuff here, too, but you can get some actual ice cream.Okay?”

There were dairy-free alternatives among the flavors lined up in the freezer case, but there was full-fat ice cream too.“I like chocolate peanut butter,” I told Sofia as we studied the colorful choices.“What’s your favorite?”

“Mint chocolate chip.”She looked up at her father, eyes shining.The kid knew she had him wrapped around her finger.“Can I get a scoop?Please?”

“Sure thing,” he told her, though he seemed a little distracted, flustered.“Whatever Penny would like too.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, ordering a scoop of chocolate peanut butter in a cup.Looking at Sofia, I explained, “Ice cream cones can be so messy, and I don’t want to get anything on my dress.”

“It’s a pretty dress,” she said with a sigh, reaching out to touch the soft fabric before pulling her hand back.“Sometimes I drip on my clothes, so I wear a napkin up here.”She patted her collarbone, then pointed at me.“You should try that!”

“I will.”I winked, and she giggled, and her father sighed softly without saying a word.What was his problem?He was obviously grumpy.How had he raised such a happy little ray of sunshine with that kind of attitude?

Once we got our ice cream, we went back outside and found an empty table.Sofia sat between us, swinging her feet happily after carefully tucking a napkin into the neck of her T-shirt.“See?It really works,” she told me, digging in with abandon.

“Let’s see if it helps me.”I tucked a napkin into the neckline of my dress, then took the first spoonful of my scoop.“Wow, this is delicious,” I declared.

“Do you go to school?”Sofia asked.

“Not anymore.I just graduated a little while ago.”

“You’re lucky.”When I lifted my eyebrows, she explained, “I don’t like school very much.”

“It’s a little problem we’ve run into this year,” Travis explained.He was fairly checked out of our little interaction, sitting back with a bottle of water after passing on the ice cream.With a body like his, I could imagine him being super health-conscious.

All right, maybe it wasn’t cool to notice his body when I was interviewing for a job with him, but I had eyes.I couldn’t miss the broad, thick shoulders under his button-down shirt.Rolled-up sleeves gave me a look at his tanned, strong forearms.And I had definitely noticed his ass while we were walking.It was worth noticing.

I had to remind myself what I was here for, snapping out of it and turning back to Sofia.She was demolishing her ice cream and loving every second of it.I hoped she would always attack the things she loved with that kind of passion.“What is it you don’t like?”I asked, keeping it casual as I took another spoonful.“I know when I was your age, I didn’t like it when people called on me to give answers, and then everybody would look at me and wait for me to talk.It would freak me out.”

“That’s okay,” she mused, stabbing at what was left of her scoop like she was an archaeologist digging for an artifact and not a chocolate chip.“I like to give the answers.I raise my hand!”

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