Page 44 of The Billionaire and the Nanny

“Then why are you sneaking out to meet him every day and buying him coffee?” I asked, unable to stop myself even though I knew my family was hanging on to every word of this drama.

“I’m not sneaking out,” sputtered Tia. “We met him at the animal shelter every day so he could sketch Maddie and Louisa together. And the coffee is the least I could do for an old friend who hasn’t charged me a penny for this painting.”

“Oh,” I replied, feeling extremely foolish.

Now Tia looked furious.

“How dare you accuse me of sneaking out to meet someone when I’m supposed to be working? Do you think I’d use Maddie like that?”

“Children, can we table this fight for later, please? We have presents to open,” said Aunt Fee firmly, with a meaningful glance toward Maddie.

Tia threw herself on the couch and pulled Maddie onto her lap. The monster cat curled up next to her and the three of them glared at me like a triumvirate of angry goddesses. As the rest of the family opened their presents, I felt like a complete idiot. I had fucked up and how!

Tia’s face fell when she saw my present to her - the envelope with her bonus. But I knew how to fix that. When everyone went to their rooms to dress for breakfast, I went upstairs and went into Tia’s room, knowing she was still with Maddie.

CHAPTER 20

TIA

Iwas still furious with Leo when I went back to my room to dress for breakfast.

How could he think I’d see another man behind his back? I was not a cheater. Not to mention that I would never use Maddie as a cover for my actions. The sheer nerve of the man, I fumed. If this didn’t cure me of my love for him, nothing would. After all, he had shown me exactly what he thought of me. How could I love a man who thought so little of me?

As for his present, that really put me in my place. I threw the envelope on my dressing table. If I had my way, I’d rip the cheque to shreds and throw it in his face. But I couldn’t afford to turn up my nose at such a sizeable bonus. God knows I’d need it because I refused to stay in this house any longer. I was going to quit the job after Christmas, reference be damned.

I wiped angry tears and was on my way to the bathroom for a shower when I saw the package lying on the bed. It was small but wrapped very elegantly in white and gold paper. There wasa small card, but all it said was Merry Christmas. I ripped the package open and gasped in surprise when I saw the little box. My hands shook as I opened it, and tears welled in my eyes. Inside were the ruby earrings I’d admired in the vintage shop. The ones that were similar to my grandmother’s earrings.

My heart leaped a mile when I realized that this present was from Leo.

He remembered, I thought mistily. He was the only one who knew that I had liked them.

Another present! But why? And why didn’t he give it to me himself?

Also, these were very expensive. I couldn’t accept such a gift from my boss. Regretfully, I closed the lid of the box and knocked on Leo’s door. He put up a hand to silence me before I could even speak.

“I don’t want to hear it,” he warned.

“But you have to. I can’t accept such an expensive present, Leo. I’m sorry,” I said, holding out the box.

“There are no strings attached to this, Tia. I want you to have it.”

“Then why didn’t you give it to me earlier? In front of everyone,” I challenged.

“You know why,” he replied wearily. “I was upset because I thought you were seeing Derek.”

“And now? Is this a reward for not cheating on you?”

All my anger came rushing back and I wanted to throw the box at his dense head.

“You can’t cheat on me because we’re not together! Think of this as an apology for behaving like an asshole.”

Hmph! He was very eager to assert that we weren’t together. Did this mean he was going to go around kissing gorgeous blondes all over Manhattan?

Leo sighed heavily.

“I really want you to have the earrings, Tia. And think of me when you wear them.”

“Even on a date with another man?” I asked snidely.

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