David had adored Gladys from the time he’d been five and she plucked a frog from the edge of her backyard pond just for him. While his mother watched wide-eyed, Gladys had identified it as a northern leopard frog. Her lips had curved when she confided its call sounded just like her husband snoring.

After letting him hold it, she’d gently taken it from his hands and placed it back by the water.

Over the years, David had watched the accomplished actress perform in more plays and musicals than he could list. Last year, at ninety-six, she’d formally retired from the stage. It appeared from her current garb she’d taken on a new role.

Always one for the dramatic, Gladys stood at the opening to a tent decorated with moon and stars, dressed like an old hippie, er, gypsy. Her hair, dark as midnight with a bold strip of white, was partially covered by a scarf adorned with gold coins. To the right of where she stood, a placard proclaimed Madame Gitana, Fortune Teller.

David smiled. Trust Gladys to choose her name from the Spanish word for gypsy.

“Madame Gitana.”

The slight bow David added to his greeting had Gladys’s lips curving.

“What a pleasure to see you together.”

Before David could correct the misunderstanding, Gladys took control of the conversation.

“Madame Gitana has been busy, but now she has time for you.” Gladys stepped into the tent, motioning for them to follow her.

When Hadley hesitated, David gave her a wink.

“You will sit there.” Gladys pointed to a chair off to the side for David, then her gaze fell on Hadley. “You will sit there.”

The chair she pointed to was directly in front of the table holding a crystal ball.

For a second, David thought Hadley might refuse. With a wary look in her eyes, she sat.

The smell of sage and cedar hung heavy in the air, and the spiritual music playing in the background only added to the otherworldly atmosphere. It was as if, by merely stepping inside the tent, they’d left Good Hope behind.

“I’m not really into getting my fortune told.” Though Hadley’s tone was light, her voice quivered slightly.

Gladys, now seated on the opposite side of the table, reached forward and took Hadley’s hand in her bejeweled one. The older woman’s pale blue eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the tent. “You need to know.”

“If she doesn’t want—”

“Silence.” The sharply spoken word pierced the air. “Self-understanding is essential for healing.”

David fell silent from sheer astonishment.

“It’s okay.” Hadley appeared to force a smile, though lines of strain edged her mouth. “This might be fun.”

Gladys, er, Madame Gitana nodded approval and lifted the purple ball from the black obsidian stand.

David frowned. “I thought crystal balls were supposed to be clear.”

“It doesn’t need to be clear. It is merely a tool for freeing my third eye.” Gladys’s voice turned soothing, like water in a bubbling stream. “This is made from natural amethyst quartz. This type of ball is best for answering questions about matters concerning the past, for issues of guilt and blame.”

Hadley cleared her throat.

David nearly chuckled. Gladys sounded so serious, as if she believed every word she was saying. He played along. “What will you see?”

“I won’t know until I look. Until I ask the question.” Gladys turned and fixed those pale eyes on him. “Close the curtains. It’s time to begin.”

With the outside light cut off, the interior would have been dark except for the two candles flickering behind Gladys.

The old woman’s gaze fixed, unblinking, on the ball. A minute, then two, ticked slowly by.

When Gladys’s eyes became unfocused, Hadley shot him a worried glance.

David offered a reassuring smile. The older woman was a veteran actress. Gladys knew how to put on a good show. He wondered idly what had made her try fortune telling.

He was about to give in to temptation and check the time when the older woman’s gaze relaxed. She blinked rapidly, then picked up a pencil and began to scribble rapidly on a pad.

Hadley leaned forward, resting her forearms on the small table. “What did you see?”

“I saw a name, a man’s name, but not one I recognize.” Gladys rose, moved to the entrance and flung open the curtains. Sunshine spilled into the tent. “There was a bird in a cage.”

“What kind of bird?” David asked.

Gladys ignored the question. “The cage was unlocked, the door open, but the bird remained inside.”

The woman’s attention turned to Hadley, who was slowly rising to her feet. “The bird didn’t realize the door was open.”

Gladys nodded, appearing pleased.

“Well, thanks.” David paused, not certain how this was supposed to go. He pulled out his wallet. “How much do I owe you?”

“Whatever you want to give.” Gladys gestured to a large glass bowl filled with bills and coins. “All is being donated to the Giving Tree.”

David dropped in a twenty, then stepped out of the tent, relieved the strange experience was over.

“What name did you see?” he heard Hadley ask the “gypsy” in a low tone.

David didn’t catch the name Gladys whispered, and he didn’t ask. Right now, he had a more important question to ask Hadley. Was she interested in being Brynn’s temporary nanny?

* * *

“I can’t believe how everything fell into place.” With Sarah Rose playing at her feet, Ami neatly folded one of Hadley’s shirts and put it in a suitcase. “You not only have a place to stay, rent-free, you have a well-paying job that should be super fun for the entire month of August.”

“The offer was certainly unexpected.” Hadley looked up from the other suitcase she was filling with toiletries from the bathroom. Ever since her strange encounter with Gladys on Wednesday evening, she’d felt scattered. She hoped packing would settle her. “When David asked if I’d move into his home and be Brynn’s temporary nanny until school started, I agreed without taking time to think.”

“Do you regret your decision?” Ami paused, another shirt, blue this time, dangling from her fingers.

Hadley glanced around the cozy living room, taking in the overstuffed sofa with throw pillows of yellow gingham. “I love living here.”

“Once the demolition downstairs is done, you’ll be back.” Ami lowered the shirt. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

Hadley dropped down on the sofa, thinking of the emotions that had surged when David made the offer. Being under the same roof with him and Brynn would be a dream come true. “I’m excited. Brynn is a wonderful child. David is a good man.”

The tense set to Ami’s shoulders eased. “He’s also a hunk.”

“Am-eee.” Hadley punched her friend’s shoulder. “You’re a married woman.”

“Yes, and very happily. That doesn’t mean I can’t recognize a handsome man.” Ami’s lips twitched. “Don’t even try to tell me you haven’t noticed the way he looks at you.”

Hadley opened her mouth to deny it, then gave a good-natured shrug. “I may have noticed.”

“Well, I hope you two have done more than exchange smoldering glances.” Ami tucked the shirt on top of the other one in the suitcase. “How does he kiss?”

Hadley rolled her eyes. “I’ve never kissed him.”

“Disappointing, but no worries. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to remedy that now that you’ll be under the same roof.”

The sizzle was what worried Hadley. “I can’t get involved with him. He’ll be my employer.”

“You won’t be Brynn’s nanny forever.” Ami’s tone was matter-of-fact as she started on a pile of pants. “Even if you are the nanny, as long as you don’t get hot and heavy in front of Brynn—”

“Stop.” The socks, rolled into a tight ball, hit Ami in the chest. “I’m not going to make out with David in front of Brynn, or…or anyone.”

Ami scooped up the socks from the sofa, tossed them into the suitcase, then grinned wickedly. “You’ll wait until you’re alone to jump him.”

What did it say that Hadley could easily envision the scene? She and David on the sofa, talking and laughing, sharing a bottle of wine…

“No.” She blinked the image away. Not possible. Okay, possible, but not wise. Not with everything in her past between them.

Ami lifted a brow. “No?”

Only then did Hadley realize she’d spoken aloud. She thought quickly. “No more talk about David and me.”

While she watched, Sarah Rose reached into the suitcase and pulled out the socks, staring curiously at the ball.

“Sarah Rose.” Ami held out her hand. “Give those to Mommy, please.”

“She can play with them.” Hadley tossed several more the child’s way.

The little girl squealed with delight and pounced.

Hadley added yet another “ball” to Sarah Rose’s pile. “That should keep her occupied.”

“For another minute or two,” Ami said dryly.

There were a thousand and one things left to do around her apartment. Tonight, she’d move into David’s home on Millionaire’s Row. She needed to make the best use of her time while she had Ami around to help. But she couldn’t tear her gaze from Sarah Rose.

The thought of how Brynn must have looked at that age, wisps of pale blond hair sprouting up from a band at the top of her head, had Hadley’s heart lurching. She wondered if Whitney ever thought about Brynn. If she thought about how much she was missing. If she cared…

How could Whitney stand to be so far away from her daughter? How could she not text Brynn back?

“What did you think of Gladys’s fortune-telling skills?”

Hadley inclined her head. “How did you know she told my fortune?”

“Lucky guess, but not difficult.” Ami sat back. “Everyone and their dog went into that tent. She brought in tons of money for the Giving Tree.”

“How did she decide on fortune telling?” Hadley kept her voice offhand, as if the answer was of no concern.

“She was tired of face painting, and there were others who were eager to take over that booth.” Ami shrugged. “Grandma Ruby told me that Gladys had been really into stuff like that when she was young. Ruby said Gladys has natural talent.”

A cold chill washed over Hadley.

“What did she tell you?” Ami asked.

“Nothing real concrete. An image of a bird in an open cage.”

Ami wrinkled her nose. “A bird?”

“Bird,” Sarah Rose repeated.

“That’s right. Bird.” Ami smiled proudly at her daughter before returning her attention to Hadley. “What did Gladys say about the bird?”

“What is there to say?” Since the living room and kitchen were combined in the tiny apartment, Hadley stepped into the kitchen and made a great show of retrieving her favorite teas from the cupboard. She added them to the suitcase.

“I don’t know.” Ami tapped a finger against her lips. “Maybe what kind of bird? Or why was it sitting in an open cage instead of flying free?”

Flying free.

A shiver traveled up Hadley’s spine. “The bird didn’t realize the door was open.”

“Now that’s interesting.” Ami’s eyes sparkled. “So the bird could have been flying free, but didn’t because it thought it was still caged?”

“I guess.” Hadley lifted one shoulder, let it drop. “Oh, and a name came to her.”

“What kind of name?”

“It was a guy’s name. A guy I’d been, well, involved with years ago.” Though the suitcase was only half filled, Hadley slammed the top shut and latched it. “And no, I haven’t been thinking of him, so I don’t know what it means.”

Though she remained bent over the suitcase, Hadley felt Ami’s eyes on her. She lifted her head and braced for more questions. Questions she had no intention of answering.

“Wow. Sounds like your session was loads more interesting than mine.”

Hadley shot Ami a look of gratitude. “What did she tell you?”

Ami grinned and patted her flat stomach. “She said Sarah Rose is going to have a baby brother.”

* * *

“Brynn.” Her name spoken in a low warning tone from her father was enough to have the child stopping. “We do not explore Hadley’s private living quarters without permission.”

“I agree with your father.” Hadley shot David a reassuring smile, wanting him to understand she wouldn’t usurp his authority. “It isn’t good manners unless you have an invitation. Which I’m issuing to both of you now. Please, come in.”

Last night, she’d moved into Camille’s suite of rooms, which she’d been shocked to discover held more living space than her apartment.

Bright and early this morning, Brynn came knocking at her door. Hadley slipped an arm around Brynn and motioned for David to step inside. “I won’t be here long, so I didn’t bring everything from my apartment, but I’d love to show you what I’ve done.”

After a glance at her father for confirmation, Brynn stepped inside the small sitting area. The desk now held Hadley’s laptop, and the love seat and chair would work in a pinch if she had guests over.

“I love the colors in the bathroom.” Hadley spoke over her shoulder as Brynn followed her down the hall. “Camille had put out gray towels, but I wanted something that would pop.”

Walls the color of lemon sherbet were accented with white and gray. Though Brynn stepped into the small room, David only glanced inside.

“Cheerful and optimistic,” he murmured, then turned and found her staring at him.

“It’s super pretty.” Brynn fingered a buttercup yellow towel edged in white eyelet lace. “I can’t wait to see the bedroom.”

Hadley hesitated for only a second. She’d promised a tour before thinking it through. While she didn’t mind showing her bedroom to Brynn, showing it to David felt somehow…intimate.

Which was absolutely ridiculous.

Squaring her shoulders, Hadley pushed open the door to the room that would be her sanctuary for the next month.

“Oh.” Brynn’s mouth formed a perfect O as she stepped inside.

The comforter Hadley had brought with her was a luxurious peach satin. She’d wondered if it would clash with the décor, but it added just the right splash of color. There was gray here, too, in the form of a stylish rug with a Moroccan-inspired design.

Last night, Hadley had discovered just how soft and supple the pile was under bare feet. Light streamed in through the lace curtains at the single window, the shade allowing for privacy when pulled down.

Brynn stepped immediately to the bedside table. Hadley hadn’t been able to leave the lamp behind, not even for a month. It had been an impulse purchase at a tag sale in Egg Harbor. She’d fallen in love instantly with a tree branch-inspired base and crystal beads at the end of each tip.

“It’s beautiful.” Brynn touched one of the crystals, then turned in a circle, her eyes missing nothing. “I love your room.”

“Thank you.” The child’s approval sent a rush of pleasure coursing through Hadley’s veins.

Brynn picked up the book sitting next to the lamp. “I always have a book by my bed, too.”

Not trusting herself to speak, Hadley nodded.

“You’ve made it nice, Hadley.” David’s tone was easy, his words polite, but something in his eyes had blood coursing through her veins like warm honey.

His gaze dropped to her mouth.

Hadley couldn’t help thinking about Ami’s kissing comments.

Plenty of opportunity, Ami had said, when you’re under the same roof.

Well, no matter how tempting, Hadley didn’t plan to take advantage of those opportunities. For the next month, she planned to keep her lips to herself.