Page 57 of Fifth Avenue Fling

I’m beginning to begrudge Mrs. Dalton for being so thorough. “I’m not that stuck in my ways.”

Her smirk implies that she thinks the opposite is true. “Am I the worst nanny maid you’ve ever had?”

“Probably, but thepasttwo didn’t last long enough for me to besure.”

She nods. “You scared them away.”

“Must have.” I pause. “Do I scare you, Clodagh?”

I watch her weigh the response in her mind. “I find you intimidating. You make me a bit nervous.”

I don’t attempt to appease her and let her words hang in the air. “You werethankful for me scaring peopleawaythis evening.”

“OhGod,” she groans. “I’m so embarrassed. I promise you won’t have to scare anyone else off.” She pushes her lower lip between her teeth to suppress a smile. “Although you must have your fair share of crazed admirers.”

“Because I’m a billionaire?”

“No, because you’re… hmm…” She looks away quickly. “It’s obvious you have plenty of admirers. From the manual.”

“Guess the manual has me all figured out.”

She drains the last of the liquid from her glass, then gives me a coy grin that makes me want to bend her over my knee and show her exactly how I want to reprimand her for tonight. “I’m not sure anyone has you figured out, Mr. Quinn.”

I run an agitated hand across my jaw. If shekeepslookingat me like that, I’mliable tobreak my own rule about no fraternizing with staff.

Instead, I hear myself say, “You have the widest smile I’ve ever seen.”

Her laughter rings out in the kitchen. “Is there a compliment in there somewhere?”

“You have a beautiful smile,” I correct. Her smile is the first thing I noticed about her.

Her eyes widen in surprise. “People say it’s too big for my face.”

“Those people are idiots.”

Stunned, she stammers out, “Thank you.” She looks so floored that I’ve complimented her that Ihave towonder if she thinks I’ma monster.

I’m closer to being a saint after how much she’s tested me this week. In some ways, she’s all over the place. In other ways, she seems to have her head screwed on.

But Teagan is warming up to her quicker than the other nannies, and my daughter comes first.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asks.

I must be frowning. “I can’t figure you out.”

“That’s funny coming from you. I’m an open book. What do you want to know?”

“Why did you really come to New York? Why did you leave your life in Ireland?”

She takes a breath, then smiles. “Maybe my life in Ireland wasn’t everything I wanted it to be.”

My curiosity is piqued. “Elaborate.”

Her gaze settles on the glass on the table. “I told you my business didn’t work out,” she finally starts. “I started it with my ex about a year ago. He had these grand plans about marketing strategies, renting a space, an online store... I got swept up in it, and I put my savings into it. Not billions, but enough to hurt me.” She smiles sadly.

“He had me dreaming big without understanding any of the details.” Her chest rises with a sigh.

“Then one day, the money was just… gone. Poof. Just like that. It just imploded in my face. Still, to this day, I don’t know how he spent it.” Her voice trails off into a bitter laugh. “I think he spent it on his new car.”

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