Page 126 of The Nanny and the Heartthrob

“It is a pretty big hole,” Landon added with a smirk.

“You can give Harper the sock in your pocket, Uncle Landy.”

The lacy doily strikes again!

Her black underpants peeked out of the man’s pocket.

“It’s a sock, right?” the kid pressed.

The color drained from Landon’s face. “Um…it’s a…”

“It’s a fancy doily. It’s not a sock,” she supplied.

“Yes, that’s what it is,” Landon agreed, stuffing it down into his pocket.

Those damned underpants seemed to have a mind of their own.

And just like that, the mood shifted. She caught Landon’s eye, and there it was—the camaraderie, the crazy connection, the invisible thread that drew them together. The man gifted her with the kind of smile that could make a gal forget her marriage was on a sixty-day timetable.

“What do you say, Aria?” she asked, sliding her gaze from her pop star to the child. “Want to bunk at my place? There’s a bakery close to my house. I’ll let you walk in by yourself and buy bonbons,” she added.

“Harper,” Landon said with a thread of growly amusement.

“What?” she balked. “I’d be right outside.”

“I’m not talking about your proclivity to corrupt youth. Are you serious about us moving in with you?”

“I think it’s a pretty good temporary fix, and you both win. Aria doesn’t have to move into your house yet, and you get to be in Denver. You guys can live with me until my grandma gets back.” She tapped her chin. “You can stay until a day before my grandma returns. I’ll need time to clean up.”

“I don’t know,” Landon mumbled.

“I live in Baxter Park. It’s as close to Whitmore as Crystal Hills is.”

Why was she so keen to have them move in?

“Whitmore, that’s the school with that hot dog girl, isn’t it?” Aria asked from her perch.

“Yeah, that girl’s name is Phoebe.”

“Who’s the boy with the camera?”

Well, well, well.

“Oscar Elliott,” she supplied.

“Oscar Elliott,” Aria whispered. “Will he be in my class?”

Look at that. Miss Aria might have a crush brewing.

“Yes, and Sebastian, too. All our friends’ kids are in the same class,” she said, looking at Landon and hating how much she liked the wayour friendssounded.

Landon held her gaze. “Yes, Aria will be in the same second-grade class with our friends’ kids.”

Did he like the way it sounded, too?

The pitter-patter of Aria drumming her fingers on the beam pulled her attention from Landon.

The child chewed her lip and tapped out a melody. She was considering the offer.

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