I woke up in the morning with a headache and grumbled as I rolled out of bed, looking in the mirror to see that I looked like a hot mess left over from the night before. I had makeup smeared around my eyes and my lips looked swollen and pink. I shook my head, looking around the room. There was a door in the corner, and I walked over and opened it to see that it led to a massive, luxurious bathroom. I flipped on the lights and went inside, delighted to feel the floor warming beneath my feet. I turned on the shower to see multiple jets of water shooting out at all angles, and stepped inside to be surrounded by a delightful warmth. I spent what felt like an hour under the hot water, allowing it to dissolve away my headache, and by the time I stepped out of the tub I felt clear-headed and ready for the day.

I got ready, putting on light makeup before I went downstairs. I wanted to look as wholesome as possible for my next meeting with Jack. I knew how I must have looked when I’d arrived in the middle of the night last night—half-drunk and sloppy, not a good influence at all. I didn’t want him to think of me that way, and again I cursed myself for coming here in the first place. It had been a stupid thing to do, something I had regretted the moment he’d closed the door behind him the night before. I’d even had half a mind to knock on his bedroom door to apologize, but I had thought better of it when I remembered what had passed between us when our skin had made contact again. Going to his bedroom would have been a bad idea, and in the morning I was beyond glad that I hadn’t gone through with it.

I went downstairs, following the sounds of voices to the kitchen on the first floor in the east wing of the house. I went inside to see Jack and a little girl talking to an older woman in an apron. The three of them turned to look at me when I walked in, and the little girl moved shyly behind her father’s legs when I looked down at her.

“Good morning, Lauren,” Jack said, putting his hand on Ivy’s head and bringing her forward. “This is Ivy. Ivy, say hi to Lauren.”

“Hello,” said Ivy in the smallest voice, one that was barely audible in the large room.

“Hi, Ivy,” I said to her. “It’s nice to meet you. You look just like your daddy.”

Her nose wrinkled up in disgust. “I don’t look like a boy.”

“No, you’re a very pretty girl. But you have the prettiest colored eyes I’ve ever seen.”

I was relieved when she beamed at me, apparently won over by the compliment. I looked up at the older woman in the room.

“I’m Corina,” she said, putting her hand out to shake mine. “I’m the housekeeper.”

“Lauren,” I said to her. “I’m sorry I’m late coming down—”

“We didn’t expect to have you here this early,” Jack said, waving me off. “You’re fine. Don’t worry about it.”

I met his eye, wanting desperately to apologize for the night before. I didn’t want to do it in front of his daughter and Corina, though, so I only nodded in response.

“Do you want some coffee?” Corina asked me.

“I can get it,” I said, hurrying across the room to the coffee pot. I didn’t know how I was going to deal with there being a housekeeper around—I was used to doing everything for myself, and couldn’t imagine letting Corina do things for me that I could do without any help. I poured a cup of coffee and sipped at it as I turned around. I watched as Jack picked up Ivy and gave her a kiss, then put her back down.

“I’ll be home for dinner,” he said to the three of us. He looked at Corina. “Let me know if there’s anything I need to pick up.”

“Oh, you,” she said, swatting him on the shoulder. “You know you don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t mind,” he said, smiling at her. He turned his gaze to me.

“Think you’ve got this?” he asked, pushing Ivy gently in my direction. I nodded at him, tearing my gaze away from his before he left the room. I sat down with Corina and Ivy then, sipping my coffee and listening as the little girl told me all about what her previous nanny had been teaching her.

I spent the rest of the day with Ivy, exploring the house and getting to know the little girl, who was precocious and polite. She was a strange little thing, with the same intensity in her gaze as her father’s, like she was sizing me up every time she spoke to me. She was charming, though, and by the end of the day we were fast friends, laughing together as her father walked through the door.

“Hi,” he said, taking off his jacket and hanging it up as Ivy ran to him and leapt into his arms. He spun her around, planting kisses on her face before putting her down and looking at me.

“Everything go well today?” he asked.

“She’s perfect,” I said, looking down at Ivy, who was standing next to me and holding my hand.

“Are you hungry?” he asked her. She nodded and started to follow him into the kitchen, but I stayed behind, not knowing whether I was supposed to eat before or after they were finished. I assumed I’d eat with Corina in the kitchen as I had with my last nannying job, so I was surprised when Jack turned around and raised his eyebrows at me.

“You coming?” he asked.

“For dinner?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Oh, yes,” I told him, hurrying after them. I was surprised when I saw Corina sitting down already, and I sat down across from her as we all took our places at the table.

“How are things going at the restaurant, Jack?” Corina asked as we started to eat. I saw Jack’s face light up when she asked the question, something that made him look somehow even more handsome than before.

“Great,” he said. “I’ll have to go back after dinner tonight. The big opening is tomorrow.”

“Are you ready for it?” I asked him. He met my eye, giving me a playful look.

“I think I can handle whatever comes my way,” he said. “I’m a capable man.”

“I’m sure you are,” I said. He gave me a meaningful look, one that reminded me of the way he’d told me where he was sleeping the night before. I wasn’t sure what it meant in this context, but I knew that it couldn’t be good for anyone.

“Why did you come here? To Garner?” I asked him.

“My wife—my ex-wife—I just needed to get away,” he said. I nodded. If there was one thing I understood better than anything right now, it was the need to get far away. I was curious to know more about his ex-wife but I didn’t press him—it would have been impolite to do so. I had to remind myself that he was my boss and not some man I was getting to know. I had to keep things distant and professional, so I didn’t comment any further on the matter.

“Daddy,” said Ivy, who had been quiet up until now. “Can I have a job at your restaurant?”

“Of course you can,” he said, looking down at her. “You can be the hostess. Do you know what a hostess is?”

“A cupcake?” Ivy asked.

“Yes, but it’s also the person who greets people when they walk into a restaurant.”

“Like the old people at Walmart,” she said.

“Yes,” he said, covering his mouth as he laughed. “And you remember what I told you about them? Why they have the most important job?”

“Because they make people smile!” said Ivy, obviously pleased that she knew the answer.

“That’s right,” he said. “And I don’t know anybody who’s better at making people smile than you are.”

“Because I’m cute?”

He leaned over to kiss her forehead. “Because you’re the cutest, baby.”

I watched them as she nuzzled his cheek, kissing it and smiling at him sweetly. He was so good with her, a natural, and I could tell just by the way he looked at her that Ivy was Jack’s whole world.

When we were finished with dinner, Jack stood up and excused himself so that he could go back to the restaurant. I glanced over my shoulder to see that Corina was leading Ivy up the stairs, and took the opportunity to catch up with Jack just as he was about to get in his car.

“Lauren,” he said as I approached him. “Hi.”

“Hi,” I said, looking at him. I felt almost shy speaking to him then, knowing that I’d have to address what I’d done the night before. “I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry about last night. It was late and I don’t know what I was thinking. I hope you don’t think—”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said softly, that playful smile back on his face. “It was charming.”

“I’m glad you think so,” I said, looking away from him. Whenever he looked at me like that, it was hard to keep my thoughts from wandering to a place they shouldn’t go under any circumstances. “I’m pretty embarrassed.”

He put his finger under my chin, gently tilting my face to look at his own.

“Don’t be,” he said, holding my eye for a moment before he dropped his hand. “Goodnight, Lauren.”

“Goodnight,” I said, and went back to the house, listening as he pulled away behind me. I went upstairs and tucked Ivy in after Corina was done reading her a story, then went to my room and laid down in the bed. I tried to close my eyes, but every time I did I pictured Jack, and in the end I decided to give up on sleep and go explore the house some more on my own. I didn’t know where I was going, but I hoped that looking around would take my mind off of my hot boss before my thoughts went in a direction I wouldn’t be able to pull them back from.