Page 3 of Stealing Forever

The old man smiles in amusement at Sailor, then shifts his gaze back to me. “I recently rented one of my townhouses to a young woman who’s getting her masters through Ridgewood U. Very sweet gal. She mentioned how she wanted to find a job working with kids, since her degrees are in education. She currently works in retail. Anyway, I could contact her to see if she'd babysit for you.”

“I really need more of a nanny than a babysitter. You know how grueling the on-season schedule can be.”

Clive swishes his hand in my direction as he looks down the curve of his nose to his phone’s screen. He roughly taps a few times before bringing it to his ear.

“You’re calling hernow?” I shift Sailor’s weight and use my other hand to adjust my backpack.

“No better time than the present—oh! Hi, Hailey. How are you?” He listens intently, nodding as the woman talks.

I know absolutely nothing about this girl. Not her name—although, I guess it’s Hailey—her age, or if she even lives in Bridge Point.

“Clive, it’s fine. I can just put out an ad,” I gruffly whisper, embarrassment flickering through me.

He ignores me. “Glad to hear it. I’m thrilled you’re settling in. Hey—question. You’d said you wanted to work with the youngsters. Any interest in being a nanny?”

It feels like time halts while we both wait for her response, although I can’t hear their conversation.

A smile breaks out on Clive’s face. “That’s wonderful! The coach for the Bears is looking for someone to help with his daughter. Hold on, I’ll put you on speaker.” He jams his finger against the screen, then holds the device flat on his palm. “Hailey, I have Declan here. Let me catch him up to speed.”

Because the conversation is so complex?

“Hailey said she loves to work with kids and is interested in talking to you more about watching Sailor.”

“Hey, Declan,” Hailey’s soft and sensual voice flits through the phone. It stirs something inside of me that I immediately ignore.

“Hi, Hailey. I’m so sorry, Clive and I are catching you off guard.”

“No worries at all! So you’re in the market for a nanny? How old is your daughter?”

“Sailor is three. She goes to preschool a couple days a week, but my hours with the team are all over the place, and I could use the extra help.” Idon’ttell her my last nanny quit on me because she hated my inconsistent schedule. “Clive mentioned you’re getting your masters, though, and I, uh?—”

On instinct, my fingers sweep through my overgrown hair. Fuck, this suddenly feels incredibly awkward.

Hailey laughs, probably sensing the tension radiating off me through the phone. “My classes are all online, so an unpredictable schedule is not a problem.”

“Okay, great. It’s probably a good idea for you to come to the house, then we can discuss everything, and you can get a feel for Sailor. See if it’s a good fit.”

Glancing up, my eyes meet Clive’s again. He has a wide smile on his face and nods enthusiastically, giving a thumbs-up.

For some inexplicable reason, my chest tightens when I look back down at the phone, completely unaware that less than ten words would be the start of life as I know it changing forever.

“Sure! I’d love to meet you both. How’s tomorrow?”

CHAPTER ONE

“No, wait! Don’t grab that, it’s?—”

The bag of flour hits the kitchen floor with a heavycrash, going everywhere, and leaving the air clouded in an explosion of hazy white.

“—going to fall.” Sighing, I bend over to pick up a now crying Sailor. Her thumb immediately goes into her mouth for comfort as I pat her back. “It’s okay, it was an accident.”

Flour iseverywhere—a full Costco-sized ten-pound bag more than half emptied on the tile. Sailor’s covered in it, as am I, and I know it’s going to be a disaster to clean.

“C’mon, let’s get you into the tub.” The cookies can wait. So can the mess.

Turning off the oven, the sounds of keys rattling in the lock pull my attention to the front door.Of course he’s home early, theonenight.

Seconds later, my boss's face comes into view as he steps into the house. He’s wearing his Bears T-shirt and hat, with his overgrown hair peeking past the sides, and a heavy backpack thrown over his shoulder. He takes that thing everywhere.

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