Hank watched Mari go, surprised at how disappointed he was that she was leaving.

“My nails are dry, Daddy,” Harper said a few minutes later as she tapped a painted nail with her fingertip. “It’s not sticky. That’s how you tell.”

“So now we do the top coat?”

Nodding, she said, “Yes. Then they will be shiny.”

He adored his little Harper and loved this time with her, but not having Mari with them felt wrong somehow.

Turning his attention to Harper, he painted on the top coat, and when it was dry they went inside and into the sitting room. After taking the game out of a cabinet, Hank opened the box on the coffee table, then turned to Harper. “How do you play Hi Ho Cherry-O?”

Harper pointed to the little baskets with plastic pieces in them. “You have to put the fruit on the trees first.”

Once the game was set up, he looked at her. “Now what?”

Her face serious, she pointed to the spinner. “Don’t choose the basket or the dog or the bird.”

Hank’s eyebrows rose. “Why not? What happens if I pick those ones?”

“You have to put the fruit back on the tree.”

Confused, he said, “But the fruit’s already on the tree.”

Harper sighed like he was a big idiot. “You have to take them off first.”

The Vipers typically lined up over ninety plays in their playbook for a typical game, and for each of those, Hank memorized the position and action of each of the eleven guys on offense. Hi Ho Cherry-O was a game for small children. Maybe he needed to read the rules. That, or ask for Mari’s help. He liked the second option better.

* * *

When Mari heard voices floating up the stairs and into her room—she’d left her door open, just in case—she tiptoed into the hall that overlooked the sitting room. She could hear Harper explaining the game to Hank.

Wanting so badly to join them, she held back a soft sigh. It had been her idea to leave them alone. Her idea to put space between her and Hank. An idea she now regretted.

“Mari?” Hank called out. “Mari, we need you.”

Eyes widening, Mari had to hold herself back from racing down the stairs. Pausing, she counted to five—no reason to give away the fact that she’d been standing there. Then she leaned over the railing and looked down to see Hank and Harper sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table. Her earlier hurt feelings and the irritation she’d harbored toward Hank had already begun to dissipate. How could she stay mad at him when she found him so irresistible?

“What’s wrong?” she called down.

Hank looked up, and when his eyes met hers, she had to work to stay where she was. “I’m a little confused about how to play this game.”

Smiling, she shook her head. “It’s a very simple game, Hank.”

He grinned up at her. “Can you show me how to play? Evidently I don’t want to choose the basket or the dog or the bird.”

With a soft chuckle, she descended the stairs, fully aware that Hank was watching her every step. When she reached the coffee table, she sat beside Harper. “Sounds like we need to show your daddy how to play Hi Ho Cherry-O.”

Harper giggled and looked at Hank.

“What color are you, Harper?” she asked.

“Green.”

Lifting her gaze to Hank’s, Mari asked, “And you?”

“Blue.”

“All right. I’ll be red. Harper goes first.”

Harper flicked the spinner and it spun around and around, stopping on the wedge with two pieces of fruit on it. Harper removed two green apples from her tree and dropped them in her basket.

“Oh,” Hank said. “I see how this works now.”

Mari couldn’t resist. “I’m glad it’s not too complicated for you. I know how much you like to win.”

One side of his mouth quirked up as his eyes bored into hers. “We need to have a rematch.”

Memories of their very brief game of pool filled her mind and her pulse fluttered. Then she remembered the red line she’d decided to create. The line delineating her role as nanny and his role as her employer’s ex-husband. A rematch was out of the question. “We’ll see,” she heard herself say.

His eyes twinkled, then he looked at Harper. “Whose turn is it now?”

“Your turn!”

Hank spun the spinner, and it landed on the wedge with one fruit. “What do I do now?”

“You take one of your blueberries off the tree and put it in your basket,” Harper said.

“Okay.” He did as she’d instructed him. “Now what?”

“It’s Mari’s turn!” Harper bounced up and down.

They played three more games, Harper winning two, and Mari winning one.

* * *

Hank was having too much fun to care that he’d lost every game. It was all chance anyway. If it was a strategy game, he would feel differently about losing. The important thing was that Harper was having fun. He also liked that Mari had joined them. She seemed in better spirits now. Maybe because more time had passed since Simone had left?

Not sure what to make of her mood changes, especially if they were related to Simone, Hank looked her way. She had turned to Harper, and he took advantage of her focus on his daughter to study her face—the curve of her jaw, the way her long lashes curled, the perfect tilt of her nose, the way her lips begged for him to minister to them with his own.

The thought of kissing her sent a jolt through him, a jolt of pleasure that he had to suppress. Unless he was ready to admit to her that he was intrigued by her, he had to stop letting his thoughts run wild.

Was he ready to admit the way he was feeling? Was his attraction to her strong enough? He wasn’t sure. If London knew how he felt toward Mari, she would be livid. Was Mari worth earning London’s wrath? And what would that mean for Harper? Surely London would fire Mari on the spot. Harper would be crushed. He had to get himself under control.

“Do you want to play again?” Mari asked Harper. “Give your daddy a chance to win?”

When Mari slid her gaze toward him, Hank’s chest tightened with dismay. The more he considered giving up any chance of something more with her, the deeper his disappointment grew. Which made him want her all the more.

Harper shook her head. “I don’t want to play a game. I’m hungry.”

“It’s a little early for dinner,” Hank said, forcing away his despair. “But maybe you can have a snack.” He looked at Mari for confirmation.

“How about some grapes?” Mari asked.

“Okay.”

“While you two have a snack, I’ll be working in my office.” He stood, not wanting to leave them, but he needed to review the previous day’s game. “I’ll see you ladies at dinner.”

* * *

When dinner time rolled around, Mari led Harper to the outside eating area. The evening was pleasant, so she knew Hank would want to eat out there. The place settings on the table confirmed her guess.

It was funny that after such a short time she could guess what he was going to do, felt like she knew him already. Except that maybe she didn’t. She recalled what she’d overheard him saying to Simone earlier. Was that the real Hank Parson? Or was the real Hank Parson the person he was when it was just the three of them—Mari, Hank and Harper? Why would he be two different people anyway?

Uncertain what to believe, she helped Harper into her chair just as Hank walked into the dining area, his smile only highlighting how handsome he was.

Disconcerted by her array of emotions, Mari turned her attention to Harper, making sure she had what she needed.

“What have you two been up to?” he asked.

“I played on the swing,” Harper said. “Mari pushed me.”

At the mention of her name, she lifted her gaze to see Hank watching her, his eyes intent.

“That sounds like fun,” he said. “Maybe we can all play together after dinner.”

“Yay!” Harper said.

Mari played it cool, not responding at all, just sliding into her seat. She shouldn’t encourage him. Not when she didn’t know what his agenda was.

Hank sat as well, and moments later Mrs. Stillman rolled out a cart loaded with a grilled chicken salad, piles of freshly baked rolls, corn on the cob, and steamed broccoli and carrots.

“Those smell heavenly,” Mari said when Mrs. Stillman set the rolls near her.

“Thank you,” Mrs. Stillman said. “There are plenty more.” After she set all the food on the table, she wheeled the cart back into the house and they filled their plates.

As they ate they talked about mundane things, and as dinner drew to a close, Mari became nervous. Did Hank plan on having them all hang out in the game room? Did she want to? To be honest, she did.

Despite her confusion over the contrast between what he’d said to Simone and the way he was so kind to her, she found him undeniably appealing and she loved every minute she spent with him. Still, if he gave any indication that he was interested in her, she would be forced to press him to explain why he’d said those things about her to Simone.