Page 26 of The Forbidden Sitter
“Yes, I am.” He came to us, picking up his son. “And how have you been today, my bigboy?”
Braiden giggled as Gannon rubbed his whiskered cheek against the boy’s smooth one. I got up and made sure my skirt was in place. “I see you found us. I hope you don’t mind me making this room into a place where I can help Braidenlearn.”
“Not at all. In fact, when Ashe met me at the door, I was pleased to hear you’d taken this on all by yourself. You’re the expert here, not me, after all.” He turned to leave the room, so I followed along behindhim.
He was heading in the opposite direction I thought he’d be going in, the direction of the small dining room where we had dinner each night. Instead, we were heading toward a larger dining area. And I found the staff was busily making it beautiful. Fresh flowers were brought in. Nice linen was placed on the table. White linen, a thing we’d found out early on that Braiden was hard on. We’d had it removed from the dining areas we usedregularly.
I didn’t ask anything about it though. It wasn’t my home, after all. When I heard more footsteps coming toward us, I turned to find Ashe leading a woman into theroom.
A tall, beautiful, dark-haired woman. And she was looking only at Gannon. “Oh, he’s a doll,Gannon!”
Who the hell isshe?
Gannon turned his attention to the woman who swept in and kissed his cheek. “You made it, Jasmine. This is my son,Braiden.”
She took the little boy’s hand and shook it as he looked at her with wide eyes, before burying his face in his father’s chest shyly. “Oh, he is sweet, Gannon.” She made a point of completely ignoringme.
I was standing right behind Gannon though. My shyness had slipped back in, and I had to step out of his shadow. “Hello, I’m Brooke, Braiden’s sitter. And your name isJasmine?”
She nodded, looking me over once, sizing me up, then looking at Gannon. “You didn’t tell me she was so young. Perhaps I should help you find someone to help you with theboy?”
Gannon looked at me with a frown on his face, a thing I worried meant he was thinking about taking her up on the offer. Then he winked at me. “I don’t need any help, Jasmine. Her brother is one of my best friends. He recommended her. Brooke’s majoring in Early Childhood Development at Berkeley. Who better to care for myson?”
Jasmine’s dark eyes took me all in as I stood what must’ve been too close to Gannon for her comfort. She reached out, taking me by the arm, pulling me to one side. I watched as Gannon put Braiden in his highchair, that had been brought into the more extravagant diningroom.
“If you don’t mind me asking, just how old are you?” She had the nerve to askme.
“You first,” I threw ather.
“Thirty, dear. Your turn.” She batted fake lashes at me as if trying to take over the motherrole.
“Twenty. And what does thatmatter?”
The smile that moved over her face told me she was relieved about my age. Was she there for Gannon? Was she his girlfriend orsomething?
“It doesn’t. Let’s sit.” She held out her arm, gesturing to the lavishly laid-outtable.
When had Martha Stewart stoppedby?
There was seating for six at the table, place settings for four. At the end of the table, Gannon sat. Each place on either side of him was open, and one had Braiden’s high chair next to it. One can imagine my surprise when this new woman went for thatchair.
That’s my damnchair!
Gannon’s eyes caught mine as she took the seat between him and his son. He shrugged and nodded at the other chair. I took the place, but gave him ascowl.
I wanted to ask him why he hadn’t told me he was having company. I’d have left them alone. So I decided it wasn’t too late to do just that. “Gannon, I can take my dinner to my bedroom so you and your friend can bealone.”
He shot me a look that I’d never seen before. “No.”
No? But if she was going to see to helping his son then why did I need to bethere?
The woman leaned in close to him, whispering, “Let her go if she wants, Gannon. I can take care of feeding your son,darling.”
My blood was boiling. I knew I had no right to be jealous. I had no right to be mad at him for having a woman over. I had no right at all, but fuck, I waslivid!
“She’s part of my family, Jasmine. She’s not some employee to my son and me. She stays.” He looked at me once more with a smile on his handsome face. “Dinner wouldn’t be the same without her smiling face at my tableanyway.”
“How nice for you, Brooke,” Jasmine gave me a crooked smile as her eyes narrowed a bit, letting me know she didn’t really think it was nice at all. “Being treated like a part of an employer’s family isn’t a thing most servantsget.”
