Page 48 of The Unconventional Nanny
I'm tempted to find the guy and give him a piece of my mind. Show him that Gracie no longer belongs to him. But I would need Owen's help in finding him because something tells me Gracie isn't going to willingly hand over that information.
"No!" Gracie practically screams. "I don't want him to know. Owen would kill Jeremy if he found out."
"Good. It sounds like the guy deserves it for threatening you." I gentle my tone when her eyes widen and her lips start to tremble. "Look, your brother isn't going to kill him." I don't think anyway. "He would probably teach him a lesson, though." And that I'm all for.
"You don't know Owen the way I do,” she insists. “My brother would absolutely kill him. And then he would go to jail and Annalee would hate me. I can't let that happen."
I want to continue arguing. Help her understand how dangerous Jeremy’s escalation can be and convince her to tell Owen what’s happening. She’s saved by the bell when my phonerings and my head foreman’s number pops up on the screen. "Sorry, I have to take this. It’s my foreman, and he knows better than to call me at home unless it’s important."
I step into the living room and answer the call, listening as Nathan tells me he needs me to meet him at the pub because a problem’s come up that they need my expertise for.
"I've got one stop to make and then I'll be there," I say, my frustration about being called away from Gracie and our discussion evident in my voice.
Hanging up, I head back to the kitchen, where I find Gracie cleaning up from breakfast and Everly now playing on the floor. My youngest had still been eating—and covered in strawberries as usual—while Gracie was filling me in on her ex.
"I have to head to the building on Main Street. We can talk more about this tonight."
"There's nothing more to discuss,” she tells me from where she's washing dishes at the sink. “I'll keep blocking the numbers, and if he doesn't get the hint, I'll get a new phone number. It's as easy as that."
Nothing about what she says is easy, but arguing isn’t going to solve this issue, either. She’ll just continue to dig her feet in. Instead, I walk over and place a soft kiss to her temple before leaving for work. She's going to be mad anyway once she finds out where I'm stopping before I go to the pub.
Chapter Twenty-Four
ANGELO
I walk into Willow Creek Security and come to a halt when I'm greeted by my first name. "Hey, Angelo. What can we help you with?"
I've never been in the place before, and I certainly don't know the woman seated behind the desk, but she seems to know me.
"Uhhhh …"
Before I can say more, the woman interrupts me. "Oh, sorry. I'm Annalee."
Ah. Owen's significant other. It would make sense that Owen would know who I am and, in turn, so would Annalee.
"It's nice to meet you. I was wondering if I could speak to Owen."
"Of course. Follow me."
She stands up from the desk and walks over to a glass door not far from where she's sitting. I follow along like she asked with a mix of emotions. Nervous about meeting her brother, but too worried about Gracie to wait for a better time to introduce myself.
Once through the door, I get a glimpse of how big the place really is. This is one of the few businesses in town my company didn't have a hand in reconstructing. From what I’ve gathered, the entire build-out was done by the men who work here. I guess they preferred to keep things in-house.
"Owen." Annalee gets the attention of a silver-haired man. "Angelo came to speak with you."
"Well, it's about time."
I bristle at the man's gruff tone. And that’s the least of the intimidation factor I can tell he puts to good use. He’s easily fifteen years my senior, but looks like he could throw me around like a rag doll. And I'm no small man.
"Be nice," Annalee chides. "Gracie’ll be pissed if she found out you were mean the first time you met Angelo."
"She's going to be pissed anyway once she finds out why I'm here."
"Is she okay?" Owen is immediately on high alert, and I guess I can see why. My tone gives me away.
"What do you know about her ex, Jeremy."
It doesn't take a mind reader to know how Owen feels about the man. It’s written clear as day on his face. The snarl says it all. "I couldn't stand the guy. Another reason I was happy when she said she was moving here. Why? Is he bothering her?"
