When Hannah arrived at Carter’s condo for her second day of work, she came in and found it quiet and empty. Maybe Carter was still in his bedroom getting ready. Remembering the glimpse of his chest she’d gotten yesterday, she decided not to think any more about him getting dressed.
She sat her bag down on the dining table, but as she walked toward Addi’s bedroom, she glanced through the window and realized Carter was sitting out on his deck.
Pulled toward him by some force she didn’t want to examine, Hannah walked over to join him. “Good morning, Fort Knox.”
Carter turned in his seat and welcomed her with a smile. “I was kind of hoping the nicknames would stop now that I’m your boss.”
“Tough luck, then.”
“Ah.”
She sat down in the tall deck chair next to him.
“Want some coffee?” he asked.
“No thanks.” She looked away from the bright morning sky and glinting water to see his brows furrowed. “You look pretty stressed out for someone in paradise.”
Carter smiled, but it was a twisted, half-attempt. “See that house down there?” He pointed at Hannah’s house and her blood chilled.
“Yes.” Did her voice sound squeaky?
“I’ve done everything I can to convince the woman who owns it to sell, but she’s proving to be one stubborn lady.”
“Well, she’s probably attached to it. Homes mean something to people, you know?”
Carter shrugged. “I don’t, actually. I have never had any attachment to the homes I’ve lived in.”
“No way. Not even the home you grew up in?”
“Nope. We were always moving into bigger and bigger houses where I saw less and less of my parents.”
“But what about your first home with your ex-wife. I mean, even though things didn’t work out with her, surely you were happy for a time.”
For a minute, she didn’t think he was going to answer. Then he cleared his throat. “We eloped. I was only nineteen and she was five years older. I was rebelling against my mother’s ideas for my future, and Mandy…well, I didn’t know her reasons until it was too late. We could have broken things off pretty easily except that Mandy got pregnant almost immediately. To say the crap hit the fan was an understatement.”
“She didn’t want kids?”
“Uh, no. And that was when I found out that she’d married me because I was young enough and rich enough to be the perfect target for her scheme. It turned out that she had a gambling problem and was hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Her plan all along was to get me to pay her debts and string me along as long as she could.”
Hannah ached for him, hating the self-derision and bitterness in his voice. “What a witch.”
“That sums her up nicely. She never expected our marriage to last long, but thought she’d get a fat alimony check and be free to go on her way. The baby was an inconvenience she hadn’t counted on. So, no, I don’t have fond memories of that home either.”
“Carter, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dig into your past.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ve been wanting to tell you anyway. I’ve moved on and it made me stronger. Having Addi made me grow up and make something of my life.” He smiled then. “If Mandy had played her cards right, she would have had a much richer husband to fleece in the end.”
“If all she saw in you was your money, she was blind to all the best parts. That kind of person has no soul, and I’m glad for you and Addi that she’s left you alone.”
Carter smiled. “Not as glad as I am. So, since you seem to sympathize with the stubborn woman who owns that house, do you have any suggestions for how I could convince her to sell?”
“No. Why do you want her to sell so badly?”
“Can’t you see? That house is ruining the view of the first five floors of my east tower and I’m not giving up until it’s gone. I have to charge less for all those units and my investors are breathing down my neck about it.”
Hannah was now completely over her head in this conversation. For a moment, she’d been tempted to confess that it was her house. But then his determination to buy it and tear it down firmed her resolve to not let him know it was hers. She knew that she’d have a hard time standing strong against Carter’s persuasion once he knew where to direct it.
“Sorry, but I can’t help you. I’m just the nanny, remember? Speaking of which, I’m going to go check on Addi.”
“Yeah. She’s really sleeping in. I’m was trying to decide if I should wake her up before I leave.” He followed her inside and went to the kitchen to put his mug in the sink.
“I don’t mind taking her down to see you later. I’m hoping she won’t beg you to play hooky from work this time.”
“Let’s hope. Okay, I’ll look forward to seeing you later then.” He took a few steps toward the door, then turned back. “I mean, seeing the two of you, of course.”
“I know,” she said, not bothering to hide her humor. He slipped out the door quickly, and she allowed herself to chuckle at the awkward exchange.
That had been a crazy conversation, and a surprising one too. He said he’d been wanting to tell her about his ex-wife and she could only think of one reason why he’d go in to such detail.
She wasn’t blind. Carter was attracted to her, just as she was to him. But surely, he didn’t intend to pursue any kind of relationship with her. He didn’t strike her as the playboy type who would want to have a fling with his nanny. And if that was the case, why would his past relationship matter?
Maybe he didn’t know any more than she did. Maybe he just couldn’t help but want something that couldn’t work—though there were more reasons for that than he knew. Waves of discomfort swept over Hannah again as she thought about her deception over the house.
Desperately needing to redirect her thoughts, Hannah went to her bag and pulled out the supplies needed to initiate the first step in getting Addi to eat better… letting her help prepare the food herself. By the time Addi walked into the living room fifteen minutes later, still wearing her nightgown, Hannah had everything ready to go. “Good morning, moonbeam! I have a surprise for you.”
“What?”
“You are going to help me make breakfast. We’re going to make hens-on-a-basket.”
“What’s that?” Addi looked part hesitant, part curious.
“You’ll see. Look. I brought you an apron to wear because you and I are going to be doing a lot of cooking this summer.”
Hannah had brought her favorite frilly black apron with polka dots for Addi to borrow, and by wrapping the tie around her waist and cinching the neck tie tight, it fit her just fine. It was adorable with swishy ruffles that made even Addi smile and twist her hips to make it swing.
“Here, can you crack an egg in this little bowl?” Hannah handed her the egg and pushed a glass prep bowl toward her, but Addi just looked helplessly back at her.
“I don’t know how to crack an egg.”
“Well it’s time to learn.”
Addi seemed to really enjoy her cooking lesson, taking it all very seriously. She cracked the eggs, squealing as part of the egg white got on her fingers. Hannah helped her cut holes in the bread with a round cookie cutter and let her watch while she put the bread in a buttered pan and carefully poured the egg into the hole so that it all cooked together.
When her hen-on-a-basket was plated up, Addi was proud of her creation and dug in with enthusiasm while Hannah cleaned up.
“Look at you,” Hannah said, smiling wide across the kitchen counter at Addi. “You ate that whole plate.”
“It was delicious.”
Hannah smiled, always surprised at the more grown up words Addi used. She’d obviously spent more time around adults than kids. “Let’s hurry up and get you dressed. What do you want to do today?”
“Can we go to the beach again?”
She hated to disappoint the little girl, just when she was looking so cheerful. “Unfortunately, I checked the flags this morning and the red flag was out. That means there are rip tides, which are dangerous. We can go play on the sand, but it will be too rough for you to swim in today.”
“I’m a good swimmer. I can do it.”
“Sorry, but I already saw the water today, and it’s rough, so it’s not happening. Maybe we can do something else like go bowling or walk around the Harbor Walk. Or maybe the aquarium.”
“No. I want to go swimming at the beach.”
Hannah kept back the sigh that was threatening to break loose. She bent down, looking steadily into Addi’s eyes. Her lips were pressed together and her nose wrinkled.
“Addi, sometimes, as much as we want things, we can’t have them and nothing we can do will change that. It’s best to just accept it with good grace and move on. Now, I’d like to have a fun day with you, but if you can’t choose something besides swimming at the beach, we’ll just have to stay here all day. And I’m certainly not going to take you down to see your dad if you’re acting like this.”
Addi stared back at her, not answering. Hannah didn’t let her eyes waver for a moment. It took longer than she expected for Addi to shift and give in.
“Okay. I guess the aquarium would be fun. Do they have dolphins there?”
“Yes. And sharks and crocodiles and even an octopus. Oh, and you can feed the stingrays and reach into the tank to touch them. What do you think? Is that a plan?”
“Can I see Daddy before we go and swim in the pool when we get back?”
“Quite the little negotiator, aren’t you? That sounds perfect. Let’s go get you ready.”
As Addi ran into her room to get dressed, Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. A few minutes later, Addi came out in a coral sundress that brightened her complexion. Not knowing what to do with Addi’s curls, she twisted them into a big, messy bun.
“Now I look like you,” Addi said, surprising Hannah, who had forgotten that she’d put her own hair in a messy bun as well. She’d spent the morning painting on her deck, which required her to pull her hair back because of the breeze, and she hadn’t had time to take it down and comb it out.
When Addi got her sandals on, they went downstairs to Carter’s office. Just like the day before, Hannah hung back as her charge ran into her dad’s office. “Good morning,” she said to Brenda as she passed by her desk.
“Good morning, Ms. Rhodes. I have the credit card for you to use. Mr. Ellis wanted to make sure you understood that you were to use it to pay for yourself too, whether it’s for entertainment or food while you’re taking care of Addilynn.”
Hannah accepted it, immediately putting it into her wallet for safe keeping. “Thank you.”
When she got to Carter’s office, she leaned against the door frame, watching with a pleased smile as Addi told Carter about how she’d helped cooked breakfast and eaten the whole thing. When Carter looked up and flashed a brilliant smile at her, it felt like getting shot with a rainbow. Who knew smiling could be a man’s super power?
“And now we’re going to the aquarium,” Hannah continued.
“Good. I was going to warn you both that swimming at the beach was off the table for today. I’m glad you already have a game plan.”
“I wish you could come with us,” Addi told him.
Hannah saw Carter’s frustration in the slight pucker between his brows, but he kept his tone light. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could, but I have a whole bunch of important guests arriving today and I need to be here.”
Crossing her fingers behind her back, Hannah waited to see how Addi would react to this disappointment.
“But I’m important too, right?” she asked.
Hannah gently gripped Addi’s shoulder, reminding her not to give her dad a hard time.
Addi looked back at her, then said, “It’s okay. I know you have to work. Will you go with me later?”
Carter relaxed and smiled. “Definitely. In fact, Hannah, why don’t you buy us a membership?”
“Sure thing, Hannah agreed. “You said you wanted us to use your driver?”
“Yes, I’ll tell Brenda to call him.” Carter stood, stretching his shoulders as if he’d been sitting too long.
Hannah couldn’t stop herself from appreciating the masculine shift of muscles beneath his dark blue dress shirt. He was so young to be a father and the owner of such big resort. She wished she knew more about him—just to satisfy her curiosity.
“Shall we go?” he asked.
Only then did Hannah realize she’d been staring at him. “Oh. Yes.”
Flashing his brilliant smile again, Carter walked around the desk. As Hannah turned to walk out, she was surprised to feel the glancing touch of his hand on the small of her back. She knew it was nothing more than a chivalrous gesture, but it still sent sparks of awareness shooting through her, radiating from the spot he’d touched.
Carter leaned on Brenda’s desk. “Can you call Paul and ask him to bring the car around so he can drive Addi and Hannah to the aquarium?”
“I’m on it,” Brenda said, picking up her phone.
Carter turned to Addi. “My friend Nate is coming in with his family today. They have a boy about your age I think. Do you want to meet him?”
Addi shrugged. “I don’t know. Boys are mean.”
Hannah chuckled. “Let me guess. They have cooties too.”
“What are cooties?”
She laughed, not really sure how to answer. “They’re boy germs. Or bugs maybe. Who knows. But you don’t want them.”
Addi’s eyes got really big. “Does Daddy have them?”
Hannah’s eyes flashed to Carter, sharing the joke with him. “Oh no. By the time boys grow up, they don’t have them anymore. It’s a good thing too because when you’re older, you’ll like boys.”
“No, I won’t.”
Carter chuckled. “Tell you what? How about if I arrange for us to hang out at the pool together later?”
Addi’s eyes widened. “You’ll come too?”
“Sure! Is it a date?” He held his hand out for Addi to give him a high-five, and Hannah had a strange little desire bloom that he would say those words to her.
Frustrated with herself, she ushered Addi out. It was only in the car that she wondered if he would want her at the pool or if she would be off duty. Because she really hoped he would want her there. And that was not a good sign for her sanity.