Chapter Three
Wayne finished the call after dealing with a client for over two hours. He tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking about Temperance. For some reason, he’d imagined a much older, stern-looking woman with white hair, and a glare to her face that made all boys afraid.
Instead, he’d opened the door to a raven-haired beauty with shocking blue eyes and a tempting smile.
Her curves stood out, especially in the tight jeans, and the shirt didn’t cover the fact she had a decent set of tits. They were nice and big, and made men dream of falling asleep on top of them.
The phone call had been a welcome distraction. He’d rarely let attraction get in the way of work, and there was something about Temperance that he did find highly sexual.
Getting to his feet, he left his office and made his way down toward the sitting room where he’d directed her. He didn’t know what he expected, but the sound of her voice and nothing else wasn’t it.
He leaned against the doorframe and found Timothy curled up against Temperance. Her arm was wrapped around him as she read him a story. The little guy was so close to sleep his eyes were drooping.
She didn’t stop reading.
Her voice was mesmerizing as she read the story. She sounded so calm, so relaxed, and even though he’d watched her for only a few minutes, he understood why Robert recommended her. Most of the nannies wouldn’t read to Timothy or sit with him.
Wayne had been appalled by the lack of care they actually showed, and it had pissed him off. Watching Temperance, he knew without a doubt he was onto a winner.
She stopped the moment Timothy snored.
Wayne didn’t say or do anything as she closed the book and slowly eased the child into her arms. He watched her lift him up in her arms and place him on the sofa. She started looking for something, and she finally saw him standing there.
“Do you have a blanket?”
He didn’t see one in the room, so he made his way back to Timothy’s room, grabbed a blanket, and returned. She was already cleaning away his toys, placing them on the table.
Temperance took the blanket from him, carefully draping it around Timothy. She stroked his head, and that seemed to soothe the boy’s dreams.
When they were sure he was asleep, Wayne pointed toward the other room.
Entering the dining room, he pulled a seat out for her to take, which she did without any arguing. Some women took real offense to a man acting like a gentleman.
“Should he be asleep this early in the day?”
“It’s a nap. He’ll wake in a few minutes, long enough for you to put a sandwich together for his lunch.”
“Oh.”
“You’ve not been letting him sleep?” she asked.
“No. I’ve been giving him lunch, though. I didn’t think boys should be falling asleep. He should be in school soon.”
“He’s four years old,” she said. “He’s young. Children need sleep and rest.”
Crap! He’d known that.
Wayne gritted his teeth at his own disappointment in himself. He’d said the boy was five and in fact he was four.
“See, I’m completely out of my depth. I will pay you whatever you want, Temperance. Please, will you be his nanny?”
She hesitated. “I want to be. He’s such a sweet boy, but I, erm, I’ve been thinking about a career change. This is all …”
“This is just temporary. When we find his actual father or family, he’ll be out of your hair. No longer a problem.” Temperance looked at him, and he didn’t like the sadness in her eyes. “I will pay you whatever you want, and afterward I’ll even help you in a career change.” Temperance looked toward the sitting room, and he saw she was struggling. “Name your price. I will pay you anything.”
“Price isn’t the problem, Mr. Myers.”
“Wayne, call me Wayne.”
She sighed. “Wayne, price is not the problem.”
“What is?”
“I become involved with the kids. They mean something to me. They’re not just a job. They’re … people. They have minds of their own and dazzling personalities.” She was smiling. “This job is temporary, and you can go back to your perfect organized life. I will walk away again. Some nannies may see this as a job or a way to snag a rich husband. I’m not like that. I already had to walk away from one job because of a jealous wife. Those kids depended on me, and I feel for them.” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t be talking about this.” She ran a hand down her face. “Yes, I will take the job as Timothy’s nanny. There are a few things that I will require.”
“Okay. Name it.”
“I’ve always been a live-in nanny so that I’m there whenever he needs me. This is not some kind of come-on. I take my responsibility seriously. I will also need to know the timeframe you have for how long he’ll be in your care, as well as what you want me to do with him while I’m here. He’s four years old, but if he’s turning five soon, we need to start organizing pre-school care where he’ll start to learn.”
“I’ll have everything arranged for tomorrow.”
“Excellent.”
“I have a few conditions as well.”
“Go ahead.”
“My private life is exactly that. I don’t want any pictures or stories being sold to the media.”
She held her hand up. “I’m professional, Wayne. There won’t be any stories or anything about you in the papers. I’m here to take care of Timothy. Will I need to worry about the press swamping him?”
“No. It’s a precaution. I’m rarely in the media, but when I am it’s newsworthy. I also refuse to have your partner or boyfriend here.” He’d noticed she didn’t have a ring on her finger.
“That won’t be a problem. I don’t have a boyfriend or a husband. Don’t worry, Wayne. You’ll barely know that I’m here. I can promise you that.”
They finished going through some of the points and conditions. After twenty minutes, that was done, and she stood up, holding out her hand.
Wayne took her hand, and he couldn’t deny the thrill that rushed through him just at her touch alone. He held her hand tightly, not wanting to let go.
Still, when she pulled away, he didn’t have much choice. Releasing her hand, he followed her toward the front door, opening it for her. She thanked him, and he watched her leave.
She stopped and turned toward him. “Don’t forget lunch. He’ll need a sandwich or something.”
“I won’t.” He didn’t close the door until she was on the elevator.
Timothy woke up as Wayne finished cutting their sandwiches. Placing them on the table, he patted the seat beside him. The little boy was looking all around.
“Temperance has gone for now. She’ll be back, though.”
“Is she going to be taking care of me?” Timothy asked.
“Yes. Did you like her?”
“She was nice. She read me a story, and she didn’t yell at me. She likes playing trucks.”
“You like her?”
“Yes.”
Wayne took a bite of his peanut butter sandwich. Glancing at Timothy, with his blond hair and green eyes, Wayne didn’t even recognize the photograph of the boy’s mother, and four years ago, Wayne had been in Europe for an entire year. He didn’t drink to excess, so it wasn’t like he’d have forgotten her. Besides, he usually had to kick women out of his bed.
He thought about Temperance.
She wasn’t what he’d expected. He wondered if Catherine, Robert’s wife, had felt threatened by the other woman’s beauty.
Catherine, being an ex-model, was used to being the center of attention. In recent years that attention had faded when a shiny, younger, new toy came onto the market. She’d not taken that hit well according to Robert.
Wayne wondered what Temperance’s story was. She didn’t seem impressed by his wealth, or by his apartment. To him, it was all very strange. No woman had ever fascinated him as much as Temperance had.
There was a warmth to her that he wasn’t used to. The women in his circle were usually cold, driven by their own selfish desires. They wanted what they could get and to hell with everyone else.
Pushing Temperance to the back of his mind, Wayne knew without a doubt that it didn’t matter who she was. In a few weeks, a month tops, she’d be out of his life. All she was doing was being paid to be nice. He’d see it like that, and to hell with everything else.
****
“You’re leaving again?” Lilah asked the following morning.
Temperance looked at her suitcase with enough clothes to last her. She had a few possessions, a couple of photographs, and her e-reader. There wasn’t much else she needed. “I’m afraid so.”
“So much for the whole new career choice.”
She nodded, taking a deep breath. “I can keep looking while I take care of little Timothy.”
“There you go again?”
“What?”
“You’re already devoted to that boy. Children have a way of getting under your skin, and you already adore him.”
“I can’t deny it. He’s … so lost and alone. I don’t think anyone’s even taken the time to ask him if he’s okay. They’ve just put him with a man who considers him a hindrance. Anyway, I’ve paid the rent for this place for the next six months. I want you to promise me that you’ll look for other work. I did a lot of research, and even though there are measures taken, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“You’re like a mother hen,” Lilah said, wrapping her arms around her. “I’m going to be fine. Once this is done, I think we need to find you a husband so you can have a football team of babies to keep you busy.”
She laughed, hugging her friend close.
After a few seconds, she pulled away and handed Lilah an envelope full of cash. There was close to five thousand dollars.
“What’s this?”
“For you,” Temperance said. “I worry about this, and I need to know that you’re taken care of while I’m gone. Get a job, and have this to fall back on. Don’t party. I know you’re not that much of a partier anyway.” Lilah always complained that partying and booze made you age faster.
“I can’t take this.”
“You can, and you will.” She hugged her friend a final time, and then smiled. “I’ll keep in touch.”
She left her apartment, climbing into her car after putting her cases into the back. This was one of those moments when she didn’t know if she should call Wayne and cancel. Timothy was going to break her heart. He wouldn’t directly, but Wayne would. Every person she’d ever worked with broke her heart.
“It’s just another job, Temperance.”
Starting up the engine, she pulled out of the parking lot and headed downtown toward the city. She released a little breath, wishing with all her might that the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach would go away.
Thirty years old, still a nanny. Her parents, if they were alive, would be so proud of her. Of course, they’d also be telling her to start a family of her own. She wanted a family. She was one of those girls who wanted to be a wife and a mother, to be completely devoted to her children, but that life hadn’t found her.
She’d been devoted to other families’ children, and pushed aside when she was no longer useful. Sad, really.
The drive didn’t take all that long, and as she drew closer, Temperance began to feel even more nervous. At some point, Timothy would be taken from Wayne and he’d be placed in other care. She hoped they found family or something soon because she hated the thought of any child feeling alone in the world.
Parking up in the underground parking lot, she had the spare key and codes to get access into the building. Before she left yesterday, he’d given her a map of the apartment building, which also had a small shopping center on the ground floor along with a gym and a pool.
She’d try the gym and see how she felt. When Wayne first called her, she’d been using Lilah’s treadmill to pass the time. Hunting the internet for jobs drove her crazy, and thinking of a new career right now seemed ridiculous even to her. She didn’t hold out a lot of hope for a career change. Once this job was done, she didn’t see Wayne helping her all that much.
The more she thought about a new life, she truly believed going back to college to further her education would be best. Still, all those plans were for after this job. She wanted to devote her time to Timothy and help him through this difficult process.
Taking the elevator, she stared at her reflection. Once again, she wore a pair of jeans with a long shirt. Her hair was up, and she looked casual. Her raven hair was something she was proud of.
She didn’t dye her hair, and she loved the long length.
Tapping her foot, she waited for the elevator to open, and it did. She took the key and let herself into the apartment.
There was a woman with one of those microphones attached to her ear, and she was talking into it.
“Please hold. You’re the nanny, right?”
“Yes, Temperance.”
“Hi, Temperance. Here is your contract, which you need to read through and sign, along with a non-disclosure agreement. I’ve got all of Mr. Myers’s contacts here, and also my name is Frances. I’m his PA. You’ll get me whenever you call this main number.”
Temperance took the list, forcing a smile to her lips. “Wayne’s not here?”
“No, he had an early business meeting. I doubt you will see much of him.” Frances glanced back toward the sitting room. “I really hoped this would change him, but it appears you cannot change everyone.”
“Thank you.”
“I must be getting on. Lovely to meet you, dear.”
With that, Frances was gone, and Temperance stood in the hallway, blowing out a breath.
“That’s a big book,” Timothy said.
She wrinkled her nose. “I’ve got to read all of that.” She pretended to yawn. “How boring.”
He giggled. “The lady is weird and always talking to herself.”
“You’re not dressed yet. Let’s go and get you dressed and you can help me deal with this boredom.” She dumped the contract on the table and followed Timothy down to his room.
She entered … adultsville. The bedroom was bland. The bed was large and totally not needed for a kid. Everything was pristine, not a sign of a child there at all. Even his bedding was plain and white.
“Wow.”
“Mommy let me have planes on my bed.”
“She did?”
He nodded.
“This is not a room fit for a boy. We totally need to change this. How about you get changed, and we go shopping.” She clapped her hands together, rubbing them. If Wayne had an issue, she’d take the stuff with her at the end of her contract. The man was colder than anyone she’d ever known.
Unless he spent every single hour away from home, Timothy would invade Wayne’s life, and it wouldn’t be neat and organized.
She liked appointments, plans, and everything that dealt with outside of the home to be neatly organized, but once they were home, she liked to make a bit of chaos. The world outside when they grew up would be nothing but tamping down that wild behavior.
Like Wayne’s assessment of her yesterday. He’d been expecting an old witch with a stern face. Children didn’t need that, at least not from her.
Maybe she had it all wrong. Either way, she wasn’t going to change.
She checked Timothy’s clothes and saw a couple of items were threadbare and well-worn. She made a quick list of everything he’d need, and together they left the apartment.
Temperance always had a car seat in her car, and she strapped him in. “Are you ready for an adventure, Captain Timothy?” she asked, doing her best pirate voice.
He nodded and growled like a pirate back.
Laughing, she climbed behind the wheel and they went toward the first mall she found. Once there, she got sheets with planes on them, along with some children’s nightlights, some toys, and a few things to help him feel like he was in an adventure castle. With that done, she took him to buy some new pants, shirts, and socks. By the time she made it back to the apartment, he was sound asleep. She asked the man on the main desk to help her carry her purchases while she carried Timothy upstairs.
The morning was complete, and it was nearly one o’clock. While Timothy slept, she went through his clothing, placing it in the wardrobe. When that was done, she had lunch ready, and once he woke, they read through the boring contract together.
He asked a lot of questions, and she answered them as best she could, hoping she made sense.
Seeing nothing wrong with either document, she signed both, placing them at the head of the table for Wayne to see.
For the rest of the afternoon, she and Timothy got his room perfect for a mini adventurer. She began dinner afterward, giving him time to play. Temperance didn’t know if she should make a meal for Wayne. There was nothing wrong with having plenty, so she served him some even though he never arrived for dinner.