Page 53 of The Baby-whisperer and the Brute
Wilder sat back in his booth seat, folded his arms across his chest, and shook his head, laughing softly. “Oh man… you’ve got a thing for the nanny.”
My eyes lasered to his, my tone suddenly harsh. “I do not. That would not be… smart.”
Wilder shook his head, still grinning. “No. But it would be understandable. I mean, she’s there in your house every day, taking care of your kids, making your life easier. Is she young?”
I gave him a grudging nod. “Twenty-three.”
Wilder nodded. “Mmmhmm. What’s her name?”
There was a long moment when I hesitated, sizing up my friend across the table. “Angelina.”
Wilder, who’d been in mid-sip, choked on his beer. “Angelina the hot preschool teacher? Oh, dude—you are insomuch trouble. That woman issmokin’.”
I battled a surge of possessive animosity, actually had to suppress a growl.
“I hadn’t noticed,” I lied through gritted teeth.
“She’s also planning to become a nun—did you know that?” Wilder said, clearly not buying the lie.
“Maybe. Shemightbecome a nun. She’s weighing her options right now.”
Wilder nodded, his lips twisting in a thoughtful expression. “I see. And do heroptionsinclude being Sullivan Reece’s new woman?”
I frowned. “Of course not. She’s my kids’ nanny. And she’s gonna be a nun.”
“Mightbe a nun,” Wilder corrected. He took another drink. “Say youdidhave a thing for her… would that be so bad? She sounds like the total package. It’s obvious you like her. Yeah, it’s inconvenient that she’s the nanny, but it’s not like it would be the first time in history. I mean, it’s practically a celebrity rite of passage.”
“Yeah, itwouldbe that bad,” I told him, finally starting to crumble under the strain of interrogation.
Rubbing my forehead, I stared down at the scarred wood tabletop. “No matter how amazing she is, how sweet and funny and smart and yeah, ‘smokin’,’ I can’t go there. I don’t want to bethatguy.If I ever made a move… tried to take it to another level, and it didn’t work out… my kids could lose their nanny.”
“So get another one. Date Angelina and hire someone else.”
I shook my head adamantly. “No. There’s no one like her. She’s the best person to care for my girls, and they deserve the best. I’d be the world’s worst father if they lost her because of my selfishness. I’m just gonna… you know, get over it, put her out of my mind… move on.”
My tone of voice wasn’t convincing even to myself, but what else was there to do?
“Well, I admire your self-control, and itislegendary. But it’s my personal opinion you can’t help who you fall for. It’s just one of those things. I mean—”
Wilder stopped mid-sentence and whipped his head around. Someone had turned up the volume on one of the TV monitors where a beautiful young pop star was singing the national anthem.
Her name was Jade. I’d met her at a couple of star-studded parties, and like everyone else, had been hearing her songs on the radio for years.
Staying in his uncomfortable twisted position, Wilder stared at the screen behind him, remaining motionless until the last note ended and the singer’s pretty face disappeared from view.
When he turned back around, Wilder’s face looked different. Flags of color decorated the crests of his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.
Interesting.
He shook his head. “Sorry man. What was I saying?”
“You can’t help who you fall in love with,” I supplied in a tongue-in-cheek tone.
I had the sneaking suspicion Wilder’s opinion on the matter came frompersonalexperience and that experience just might involve Jade. She was originally from Eastport Bay, after all.
“Right.” Wilder nodded. “But if you’re determined not to go down that road, I do have an idea for you.”
“What’s that?”
