your call.” Emma smiled sheepishly, the look saying that she knew her sister would have said yes to the deal all along.
“All right, give me his number.”
Emma rattled off the phone number, and then explained that Jake should be at home because he had left work early with his daughter.
“I’ll call him right away.”
Salina went to the bedroom to make the call in private, and a minute later she had Jake on the line. “Hello, Mr. McKnight?”
“You must be Emma’s sister,” he said without preamble. “Salina?”
“Yes,” Salina answered. She couldn’t help noting that the man’s voice was deep and sexy.
“Please, call me Jake.”
“Okay. Hi, Jake. I understand you need a temporary nanny.”
“Yes. Can you start immediately?”
Salina had not expected that Mr. McKnight would want her to start immediately. She figured he might even be interviewing other prospects to feel one hundred percent comfortable with his decision. But she said, “Absolutely. If you want me to start right away, I can.”
“By right away, I mean right now. If you could come to my home, meet with me and meet with my daughter, that would make things much easier for when you officially start tomorrow morning.”
“You want me to come right now?” Salina asked, glancing at the clock. It was shortly after 6:00 p.m.
“Is that a problem?”
“No. No problem at all. Just tell me your address, and I’ll be on my way.”
As Salina scribbled the information on a pad, the image of Jake’s handsome face popped into her mind. Releasing a sigh, she vowed to resist the temptation of his allure and promised herself to keep the assignment professional.
Chapter 3
An hour later Salina had exited the subway and was heading to Trump World Tower. The building was enormous, its black-and-bronze-tinted glass stunning. Across the street was a park with landscaped grounds and fountains, which Salina could only imagine was incredibly beautiful in the spring and summer. The Trump building towered over the neighboring United Nations Plaza Tower, a structure with a unique design that angled inward as it neared the top, to form a pointed peak. Both addresses were high-priced real estate, and Salina couldn’t help remembering that unfortunate day weeks ago as she headed toward the exclusive residence on the Upper East Side, but she swallowed her nervousness and reminded herself that Jake McKnight, devoted father and widow, was not Donald Martin.
She went through the typical doorman greeting, followed by the concierge calling her up to Mr. McKnight’s suite. Within minutes, she was on her way up the elevator to the fifty-sixth floor.
A few minutes later she was knocking on door 56-B. Within seconds Jake opened the door.
And even though Salina had known he was very attractive, she was taken aback by the sight of him.
The man was gorgeous. She had forgotten just how much so. He was tall, definitely over six feet. He had wide shoulders, the kind that said he worked out or had played sports. He was clean-shaven, making his strong jawline clearly evident. His golden brown skin was similar in complexion to hers. Everything about him was utterly sexy, but his eyes were his most compelling feature—brown with flecks of gold.
“Hello,” Jake said.
“Hi,” Salina responded. And she noticed in Jake’s eyes the same expression she had seen the night of the charity event. Then, she had thought he was simply brooding. Now she recognized the look for what it was—sadness.
“Thanks for coming right away,” Jake said.
“No problem. I’m happy to help out.”
“Come in.”
Jake stepped backward so that she could enter the apartment, and Salina did so, looking around as she did. The first thing she noticed was the high ceiling, probably around ten feet. The living room area was large, with polished oak floors. Salina guessed that this space alone was probably twelve hundred square feet or so. The unit boasted floor-to-ceiling windows with an incredible view of the New York skyline. Though it was dark outside, Salina could see the Chrysler building in the distance.
Jake’s furnishings were tasteful and elegant. A sandy-beige-colored sectional was near one window in the living room, which looked soft and comfortable. A matching recliner was opposite that sofa close to one of the walls. On the main wall facing the large sectional was a giant plasma television, likely sixty inches.
Unlike Donald’s residence, this condo didn’t feel sterile. It felt homey. In fact, there were toys scattered over the floor in front of the sectional—little horse figurines and stuffed animals. And as Salina walked farther into the living room, she could see that there was a little girl sleeping peacefully on the sofa, a knit blanket wrapped over her small frame.
“Oh, my goodness, she’s adorable,” Salina couldn’t help exclaiming. And she was. The little girl’s hair was done in two pigtails, and she had one of the cutest little faces Salina had ever seen. Round, like a cherub. She looked like a little angel.
“Thank you,” Jake said, a smile touching his lips. Then he faced Salina once more. “I realize that we never talked about a price. I just offered you the job and you accepted. But rest assured, the salary I’m offering is going to be well worth your time.”
And then Jake told her a figure, and Salina was flabbergasted. It was more than she had expected. At least double what she thought he might offer—and very generous.
“Will that be okay?” Jake asked.
“Okay? That’s more than okay. In fact, it’s quite generous. Thank you.”
“No. Thank you. You are really helping me out here.”
“What time do you expect me to arrive for work?”
“I know you’re in Brooklyn, and really what I need is someone to be here in the mornings with Riquet, and get her up, get her dressed for preschool. At noon, she needs to be picked up from her preschool, and you would take care of her in the afternoon. She has a number of activities she’s involved in, like her art class, ballet, piano lessons and gymnastics. Four days of the week, she has something to do in the afternoons. That also includes scheduled play dates.
Maria has the schedule set, which I’ll show you.” He paused. “I know this is sudden, but you’ll have a pretty demanding schedule, so I was thinking that, with you living in Brooklyn, it’d be better if you lived here for the time being.”
Salina swallowed. “You want me to live here?”
“Ideally, yes. I’d love for you to be a live-in nanny, like Maria was. Like Maria is,” he corrected. “I think it will be much simpler that way.”
Salina hadn’t considered that the position would be live-in, but it made sense, given the fact that she didn’t live down the street from him. The commute every morning on a crowded subway would be stressful and annoying.
She said, “I understand.”
“If you’re not comfortable with that, then by all means you can feel free to come in each day. That said, your job will begin at six-thirty in the morning. I think it would be easier for you if you were right here on the premises and didn’t have to add extra time to your day by coming and going.”
“Yes, that makes sense.” Salina paused, crossed her arms over her chest. “I feel I should disclose something here—in case it’s a concern to you. I’ve never been a nanny before. I’ve only worked in day care.”
“Well, your sister speaks very highly of you. I trust her opinion and her judgment. If she says you’d be a great nanny, I believe her.”
Salina