Page 54 of The Nanny and the Nerd
She stared at the older gentleman. He did look familiar. And then she recalled catching a glimpse of the man playing dominoes. She’d passed him the day she’d met Rowen. The day the man had played her for a fool—another reason to give the asshat a piece of her mind. A fresh jolt of indignation coursed through her veins, and she banged her fist against the steering wheel.
“Do you need help?” Chuck asked, concern welling in his pale blue eyes.
Did she need help?
She’d entered a contest with no real hope of winning, and she was prepping to make a scene at her boss’s place of business. She could probably use a little help or a Valium or a giant slice of chocolate cake. Gah! She was losing her mind!
Headline: Wannabe Writer Has Mental Breakdown Inside a Lamborghini.
“Miss?” Chuck coaxed.
She shook her head, then pulled herself together. “I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind,” she said as she got out of the car.
“I can see that. You remind me of Rowen.”
“Is Rowen a Lamborghini screamer, too?” she asked, closing the car door.
“You’re a feisty one,” the old man said with a thread of amusement.
“I’m actually here to see him right now. Are you two close?”
“Something like that,” the man answered with a sly smirk peeking through his beard. “He plays dominoes with me from time to time.”
She didn’t know who Rowen hung out with, but never in a million years would she have pegged these two as friends. The man had to have been thirty years older than her boss. And while he wasn’t unkempt, his faded newsboy cap, rumpled trousers, and worn wingtip shoes didn’t screamI hang with tech moguls. But if they were close, maybe she could glean a little insight before she confronted the man.
“Have you seen much of Rowen this past week? Has he had any visitors?” she asked, going for detached indifference and hating herself for behaving like a jilted lover. But she had to know if the Gale Gaming building served as the front for his hookup hideout. That’s not why she was there—no way, no how! She didn’t care what he did after the sun went down! Nope, not one iota!
Keep telling yourself that, girl!
The man removed his newsboy cap and scratched his head. “I’m not sure what you mean by visitors. His employees sure have been there around the clock. But we’ve played dominoes a couple of times. He says it clears his head. And he’s got a lot on his mind.”
“Well, sir, he also has a niece at home,” she replied sharply, then flinched. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
“No harm done. How about I walk you over,” he said, offering his arm.
She chuckled at the gesture. “That’s not necessary.”
“I’m an old man. A little exercise will do me good. And if the other geezers see me with you on my arm, it’ll make them green with envy,” he replied with that wry grin in place.
She slipped her arm around his, and they fell into step. “I’m Penny, by the way,” she said as they strolled down the path.
“I know. Rowen mentioned you to me.”
She wasn’t expecting that.
“He did?” she asked, failing to keep the hopefulness out of her tone.
“He says you’re good with his niece.”
She sighed. “I don’t know how he’d know that. We haven’t seen him all week.”
He hadn’t seen Phoebe practice her spelling words while skipping rope or shared a meal with them.
“Like I said, there seems to be a lot going on over at his company,” Chuck reiterated.
She nodded, but she wasn’t about to give Rowen a pass.
“Here we are,” he said, then gestured toward the building.
