Page 69 of The Nanny and the Beefcake
“Someone’s got to keep an eye on it.”
What was up with this foundation?
He crossed his arms, hardening his exterior. “So, you’re not coming with us to the mountains, Gran?”
“I’ll be along when I’ve taken care of things here. And there surely seems to be enough room in this house for six, possibly seven families. Who do you think you are, living in a place like this? A bloody duke? It must cost a fortune.”
Raz released a weary breath. “Granny, we can afford it.”
“But do you need it?”
“You’ll be happy to hear that there’s a one-story cottage on the property, Finola,” Madelyn supplied. “I made sure it had everything you needed to be comfortable. It’ll be perfect for you.”
“That will suit me better,” the woman replied, then patted Sebastian’s shoulder. “Now, be a good lad, dear, and say hello to your father and your nanny.”
“Dad, check out my jab-cross,” the boy chimed in a refined British accent that sounded slightly different from Raz’s and Granny Fin’s rolling speech.
The child’s expression grew laser-focused as he bounced on his toes and started swinging. She’d didn’t know the first thing about boxing, but the kid’s movements were sharp and precise. There was power behind those tiny fists and an unyielding balance in his stance. She could sense his centered energy. It radiated from his body, which was quite something for a boy of his age. She stole a glance at Raz, expecting him to be pleased. He wasn’t—not even close. His expression hardened, and a muscle ticked in his jaw.
“I send you to that fancy school, and the first thing you have to say is,check out my jab-cross?” the man muttered.
The boy dropped his arms and slumped. “Did I do the punches right?”
“That’s beside the point, Sebastian. You shouldn’t be filling your head with boxing.”
Hello, negative energy vortex.The intensity between these two could take out the city. She had to intervene before it got worse.
“Hello, Sebastian, those moves looked pretty great to me,” she said, coming between the father-son standoff, but the child didn’t respond.
“Manners, Sebastian,” Granny Fin said under her breath.
The boy nodded to his great-grandmother, then lifted his chin. “Thank you. It’s very nice to meet you, ma’am. I’m Sebastian Arcadia Cress. I’m six and three-quarters years old.”
With ash brown hair and strong features, there was no doubt this was Erasmus Cress’s son, but upon a closer look, she noticed the child didn’t have gray eyes like his father and great-grandmother. No, his eyes matched the aquamarine stone Ida had given her.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Sebastian Arcadia Cress. I’m excited to be your nanny.”
At her admission, the boy’s focus dropped to the floor.
Was he nervous about having another caregiver, or was it something else? Anders had been shy, too, when he was younger. Sometimes, all it took was a question or an observation to get him to come out of his shell.
She tapped her chin. “If you’re six and three quarters, that means you’ve got a birthday coming up.”
The boy brightened. “It’s more like six and eleven-twelfths. That’s a fraction with the eleven on top and the twelve on the bottom.”
“Those are some amazing math skills,” she answered.
“Being six years and eleven-twelfths means my birthday is really close. My granny Fin said I’ll get to have my party in the mountains this year.” He set his gaze on his father. “Will we live in Colorado now? Will I go to school here?”
Raz glanced away. “I’m not sure, Sebastian.”
What was up with this guy?
“Will I get to live with you all the time in Colorado, or do you have two houses here, too?”
Two houses?
“I have one house, and you’re here now,” the man replied.
