Wow. He was worried she was going to take off with the Waterford, but he was going to give her a credit card?
She couldn’t figure this guy out.
“I was thinking we should get Charlotte involved in some activities,” he said, “like…dance or…I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I have no idea. If you think she’d enjoy lessons of some kind, feel free to arrange it.”
“I grew up with four sisters. Among the five of us, we did pretty much every activity you can imagine. I’ll feel her out, see what she might like. I assume she likes the park. Is it all right if we do that?”
He nodded, then added, “All I ask is that, for the first few weeks, you let me know where you are so I don’t worry.”
“I’ll share my location with you.”
They exchanged numbers, and she did that, which reminded her…
“Yesterday, when I stopped Charlotte from running out into the street.” She put her phone away. “That was you, wasn’t it?”
He narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“I saw someone duck behind a tree. At the time it made me nervous. I thought maybe it was a kidnapper.” She’d laugh at her own paranoia if he weren’t giving her such a serious look. “I assumed when you showed up?—”
“I was behind you. I saw Charlotte and was running to intercept her, but you got to her first. Once I knew she was safe, I wanted to see what her nanny would do. Not that I wouldhave kept her on, but if she’d been horrified at taking her eyes off Charlotte, if she’d been repentant, I would’ve offered her severance—a week’s pay, anyway.”
“She blew that.” But the rest of what he’d said registered. “Wait. Then who did I see?”
“I have no idea. Someone was watching Charlotte?”
Delaney thought back to that moment, to the glimpse of a person ducking away. “I could have imagined the whole thing.”
“Either you saw someone or you didn’t.”
“I did.” The words came slowly as she remembered the moment. “I just had a weird feeling, that’s all. That doesn’t mean the person was doing anything wrong.”
He seemed to take in that information. “It sounds like you have good instincts.”
Her? She had terrible instincts, but she wasn’t going to tell her new employer that.
“If you ever get that feeling again,” he said, “or see something suspicious, tell me right away.”
“Okay.” The discussion reminded her… “You said last night that you’re upgrading your security system.” He’d mentioned it as an aside when he told her the code. “Did something happen?”
“We had a break-in a few nights ago. It was the same morning as your interview. Not that that excuses my rude behavior.”
“You were home?”
“We were.”
“Any idea who did it?”
“It might’ve been random. Whoever it was, the alarm scared him away.”
“If it wasn’t random, who could it have been?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are you sure? Because if it affects Charlotte…” She wasn’t in the habit of arguing with her employers, but it had to be said.
“If I learn anything else about the break-in, I’ll let you know. Meanwhile, the additional sensors should alert us if whoever it was comes back.”
It wasn’t the security she had at home, but then Mr. Aylett wasn’t as paranoid as her former CIA-agent father. Also, presumably, he didn’t have the same kinds of enemies. “Does she have any regular activities?”
