Page 2 of Wild Christmas
Mr. Martell dumps his backpack on the kitchen island and for the first time looks up at me properly. I stare back at him and fold my arms over my chest.
“You are Mr. Martell, right?”
He frowns. “Yes. And you’re Freya, twenty-four years old. You worked as an au pair in France for two years and three months. You have your degree in early childhood education, your background check is current, and you are qualified in children’s first aid. You like arts and crafts, music, you learned to ski in the Alps, and you’ve spent your last two summers on a yacht. You can cook, you like reading, and you’ve traveled to more countries in Europe than you’ve been to states in America.”
I stare at him as his green eyes bore into mine, wondering how the hell he knows how I spent my summers.
“Not all of that is on my CV.”
He shrugs. “I looked you up online.”
I take a step back. “Is that legal?”
Mr. Martell looks behind me, completely ignoring the question. “Did you bring your things? I need you to start straight away.”
I stare at him, trying to process what’s just happened. I think he just offered me the job. But I haven’t even had the interview yet.
I don’t even know if I want the job. I have a bit of money saved and Aunt Maxine said I can stay with her as long as l want, but I’m keen to get on my own two feet and get settled in somewhere.
But this guy is so arrogant that he assumes I’m falling over myself to work for him.
“I don’t know anything about you or your girls. What makes you think I want the job?”
He raises his eyebrows in what I think is an amused expression, but it’s hard to tell because he’s still scowling.
“Because you’re here for an interview. It usually means you want a job.”
I open my mouth to protest, but he cuts me off.
“I’m Nate. I work with computers. I have clients all over the mountain, and I’m sometimes called out on short notice and at all hours. If a small business has a computer problem in the middle of the night, they don’t want to wait till morning to fix it. I need a live-in nanny so I can be sure there’s always someone here for the girls.
“They are six and four. The oldest, Dora, is at school, and Maisie will join her next year. They like arts and crafts and music, which is why you’ll be a good fit.
“I emailed your past employer, and she gushed about you. The job is yours. You start today.”
I fold my arms in front of my chest. Half of me is impressed that he’s done his homework on me, but it would have been nice to have had a chance to tell him about my experience rather than have him digging around the internet without my permission.
The more time I spend with the arrogant but annoyingly hot Nate, the less certain I am I want the job.
“Aren’t you part of a motorcycle gang?”
He smirks, and it’s annoyingly handsome on him. “A motorcycle club, yes. The Wild Riders. We’re all ex-veterans and all our business is legit, if that’s what you’re worried about. We own the Wild Taste Bar and Restaurant as well as a bike mechanic’s shop and an art studio.”
An art studio doesn’t sound very badass so maybe they aren’t all bad, which is what Aunt Maxine told me. But I’m still not sure.
“Why did your last nanny quit?”
He unzips his backpack and pulls out a small bag, and from it he gently pulls out a computer part and lays it on the bench, frowning at the thing.
“She didn’t like me.”
I bark out a laugh and he looks up at me, his expression serious. Oh, he’s not joking.
“The contract is only for six weeks until my sister arrives to take over. You can have Christmas Day off if you want, but I do get called out during holidays, so if you can stay, I’ll pay you double.”
I must be frowning, because one look at me and he holds up his hands. “Okay, triple.”
My eyebrows shoot into my head. This guy must be desperate, and I wonder if I remain silent if he’ll keep raising the price.
