“I understand you’re the new nanny.”
“That’s right.”
“I work here Thursdays through the weekend.”
“Do you like it?”
He grinned. “I do now. If you want anything, call down to the kitchen when I’m on duty and ask for me.”
“I believe we have everything we need,” a deep, masculine voice answered for her. Nick had come out on the terrace, surprising both of them. He had an aura that could be intimidating. Just now he sounded vaguely dismissive.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Wainwright.” Toni took hold of the cart and left the terrace without delay.
“Was he bothering you, Reese?”
She shook her head. “He was being friendly. That’s all.” She walked over to the table with its large white umbrella and sat down beneath it. “Are your in-laws still here?”
He took a seat opposite her. “No. After Jamie went to sleep, they left to meet friends for lunch. Otherwise I would have invited them to have a meal with us.”
“Do you think this visit has helped them?”
Nick took the covers off their dishes. She hadn’t had a club sandwich in years. “I’m sure it didn’t, but there wasn’t anything they could voice a complaint about. It’s apparent that with you here, everything’s under control.”
But Reese knew they had made scathing remarks about her. If the looks Mrs. Hirst had given Reese in the kitchen could inflict damage, she would have been vaporized in an instant.
“Earlier Walter told me Anne was…fragile,” Nick added, as if he were choosing his words carefully. “After the way they both behaved today, I can see they’re still not happy with the idea of my bringing Jamie home. I should have made the break sooner.”
Reese sensed he was in a brooding mood. “It’s hard to make decisions when you’re grieving.”
“You have some knowledge of it?” He’d posed the mild question while devouring his sandwich.
“My fiancé and I broke up at Christmas. It hit me very hard, but I couldn’t compare it to your loss. When you have a child born into the world, you don’t expect to have to carry on without your wife.”
A bleak look entered his eyes. “Erica was in good health until she went into the hospital. Her labor wasn’t normal. By the time she got there, the placenta had torn and she’d lost too much blood faster than they could replenish it. The doctor performed a Cesarian before Jamie got into trouble.”
“Thank heaven for that,” she whispered. “He’s a little angel.”
He studied her through a veiled gaze. “Does that mean you’re not ready to back out of our contract yet?”
“If you knew me better, you’d realize I’d never do that, but I’m assuming your in-laws don’t have much faith in me. From their perspective I suppose it’s understandable.”
“I’m very pleased you’re here to help with Jamie, so let’s not worry about them. As you said, when a person is in mourning, their emotions are in turmoil. Nothing would help them but to have Erica back.”
Nick was talking about himself, too, obviously. Reese didn’t know how he was functioning. The best thing to do was change the subject.
“I’ve been thinking. How do you feel about my taking Jamie out and about in the stroller tomorrow? Just short little forays at first. Depending on how he does, maybe longer ones.”
“That’s fine. Later today we’ll program your cell phone so you can call me or Paul at any time. When you want to take Jamie farther afield, arrange it with him. He’ll drive you to spots where you can explore to your heart’s content. I’ll give you a remote to the penthouse to keep all the time. All I ask is that you check in with Albert coming and going. It’s for your safety.”
In other words, with Nick’s kind of money he would be a natural target if someone decided to arrange a kidnapping. Only now was she beginning to realize what an enormous responsibility she’d taken on. “I’ll be extremely careful with him, Nick.”
“I have no doubt of it.” He finished his salad. “I’ll open a bank account for you first thing in the morning so you’ll have funds to draw on.”
“Thank you.”
“We haven’t discussed your hours yet. If I can depend on you Monday through Friday until five every day, then you can be free to do as you wish the rest of the time. How does that sound?”
Incredibly generous. “I couldn’t ask for a more perfect arrangement. But please feel free to depend on me if something comes up in the evening or on a weekend and you need my help.”
“If that should happen, I’ll pay you overtime.”
“That won’t be necessary. Being allowed to live here in such luxury with all my meals paid for is like another salary in itself. I wouldn’t dream of taking more money than we agreed on.” She helped herself to the salad.
An amused gleam entered those dark eyes. To her chagrin her pulse sped up. The phenomenon kept happening the more she was around him. “Since we have that settled, are there any questions you want to ask me?”
“There’s only one I can think of right now. Do you know when Jamie’s supposed to go in for his next checkup?”
“The nurse indicated he saw the doctor three weeks ago. I’m going to be taking him to a new pediatrician here in the city named Dr. Wells. I’ll give him a ring tomorrow and find out when he wants to see him. They’ll send for his records right away.”
“I think that’s wise in case he needs another immunization soon.”
He sat back in the chair to drink his coffee. One of the first things she’d noticed in the limo yesterday was that he didn’t wear a wedding ring. In one way she thought it odd because his wife’s death had been so recent. On the other hand, maybe he’d never worn one, or possibly he didn’t like rings of any kind. And maybe you’re thinking about him way too much for your own good.
“If there’s anything you want to do for the rest of the afternoon, take advantage of the time, Reese. I plan to get a little work done around here and do a few laps in the pool.”
“How can you do any work when your office is in shambles?”
A chuckle escaped his throat. “I’ll worry about it later.”
“The mess will still be there later. Why don’t we tackle the other bedroom while Jamie’s out for the count? I’ll feel much better if we set it up for you. Don’t forget I’m the one who managed to get everything knocked out of whack. Kind of like the little kid who comes along and destroys the puzzle you just put together.”
His haunting smile turned her heart over. “Okay, let’s get busy.” He rose to his tall, imposing height. “But when we’re through, I’ll take care of Jamie until I leave for work in the morning.”
“He’ll be thrilled with all your attention.”
Hurrying ahead of him, she walked through the apartment to peek on the baby, who was fast asleep. He looked so precious with his arms and legs spread out, his little hands formed into fists.
“Not a care in the world,” Nick murmured near her ear, surprising her. She could feel the warmth from his hard body. For a moment she had the urge to lean into him and cling. Almost dizzy from unbidden longings, she turned away. But in the next instant she spied a glint of pain in those dark orbs and despised herself for being so aware of him when his thoughts had absolutely nothing to do with her.
Leaving them alone, she rushed out of the nursery and down the hall to the other bedroom.