Page 10 of The Billionaire's One-Night Stand Nanny
I did let out a quiet sigh, then, my shoulders falling slightly.
Ryan’s hands were on his daughter’s shoulders, the both of them facing me. His eyes watched the door, waiting until it was entirely shut, and then he started, “Flora, I–”
I shook my head tightly, hoping that Maddie wouldn’t notice, sure that she would. Ten-year-olds noticedeverything.
He shut his mouth. Opened it again.
“Maddie, sweetie, why don’t you go put your bag down in your room. You know we’re not supposed to leave our things around in the hall. I need to talk to Miss Connelly for a moment.”
Maddie looked skeptical–her face an image of her mother’s–but she nodded, grabbing a duffle bag I hadn’t noticed from just inside the door and disappearing down the hallway. Ryan watched her leave, too, and then it was just the two of us in the foyer.
“I am so–”
“I amso–”
We both said it at the same time. He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes closed. There were faint lines creasing the space between his brows.
“Flora. I’msosorry. I forgot that Tally–my ex–had a…”
“Athing,” I supplied with a rueful smile.
He grimaced. “Right. A thing. An appointment. I’m so sorry.”
“You already said that,” I said.
“Right,” he said again. “Well.”
He lookedsouncomfortable that I shrugged, hoping the movement conveyed something likeI bump into my one-night stands’ ex-wives all the time. Sometimes theircurrentwives. No biggie.“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
He ran a hand through his hair again: a nervous habit. “So… A cab?” he asked. “Or, actually, let me call the driver. It’s the least I can do. Then you’re not waiting on the curb–”
“What will your daughter think?” I blurted out.
“About you taking the driver?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
“No, about– About her ‘nanny’ disappearing.” I made air quotes around the word.
“Shoot,” he swore, and if he hadn’t seemed so overwhelmed, I would have laughed. The word sounded so ridiculous coming from this grown man’s mouth, especially given the words he’d whispered in my ear last night. I knew it wasn’t for my benefit, but his daughter’s. She’d hear worse at school, of course, but it was sweet that her dad was trying to protect her innocent ears at home, at least. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll think of something.”
But I already had.
CHAPTER7
Ryan
“What do you mean,you’ll do it?”
“I’ll do it,” Flora said. She nodded, her lips pursed seriously. “I can do it. You need a nanny, don’t you?” she asked, looking up at me. “That’s what you told me. Well, I wasn’t lying about my qualifications.”
“What do you mean?” I asked again. The dazed feeling of early this morning was back, but this time, it wasn’t lingering afterglow, but sheer bewilderment. “You can’t mean…”
“You need a nanny. I think you’ll find I’m qualified. At least your ex seemed to think I was,” she said with a slight twist of her plush pink lips. “BA in elementary ed, BA in literature. Master’s in education. Two years of experience as a fifth grade teacher. What grade is your daughter–Maddie, right? What grade is Maddie going to start in the fall?”
“Fifth,” I murmured automatically. “She’s a rising fifth grader.” The words tasted strange on my tongue. This was the last year my little girl would be an elementary schooler. Next year she’d be– It didn’t bear thinking about.
“Iknewit,” she said, nodding. “I’m a fifth grade teacher. Or–” She swallowed. “I was. I lost my job. I was let go.”
“You lost your job,” I repeated stupidly, “so you want me to hire you as the nanny.”
