They trooped inside, both covered in bits of leaves and grass, their cheeks flushed. Charlotte’s curls were a tangled mess, creating a wild halo around her face.
Mr. Aylett looked younger somehow, his usually perfect hair mussed, his expensive shirt wrinkled.
“We should wash up.” He plucked a leaf from Charlotte’s hair. “We look like we’ve been rolling around in the yard.”
“We have been rolling around in the yard,” Charlotte said.
“Oh, yeah.” He lifted her and headed for the bathroom.
Delaney was struck by how natural he was with her. He’d been more awkward before, more guarded around both of them. Today, he seemed comfortable in his role. Not just comfortable, but content.
Two very attractive qualities.
They returned, and the three of them settled around the kitchen table.
When Delaney had started working here, she’d offered to take her meals separately, but Charlotte and her uncle had both insisted she join them for the dinners she prepared. At first, it’dfelt uncomfortable, like trying to fit into someone else’s clothes. But they’d settled into a natural rhythm.
Charlotte chattered about their leaf fight while Mr. Aylett built her sandwich, then his own. His gaze fell on the bowl of baked chips, and one eyebrow lifted. “Those look…different.”
“They’re healthy,” Delaney offered.
“I see.” He picked up one of the golden chips and bit into it, his face thoughtful. “They taste…healthy.”
She ducked her head to hide her smile. He was teasing her. “I’d thank you.” She met his eyes across the table. “Except that wasn’t a compliment, was it?”
“Not even a little bit.” But his smile took any sting out of the words.
Grinning, Charlotte looked from one of them to the other like she was watching a tennis match.
The rest of dinner passed with easy conversation. Charlotte told her uncle about her new friend at dance class, and he asked questions, trying to draw her further out.
Delaney found herself relaxing in a way she hadn’t before in his presence.
When Charlotte’s plate was empty, Mr. Aylett stood. “Bath time for you, leaf monster. You’ve got half the yard in your hair.”
“Can Miss Laney read with us tonight?” Charlotte’s voice held a wheedling tone that sometimes worked on her, but never on Mr. Aylett.
“Miss Laney has been busy all day,” he said gently. “She deserves some time to herself.”
Wow. Most of her previous employers had expected her to be available around the clock. “I don’t mind?—“
“Go relax.” He lifted Charlotte from her chair and threw her over his shoulder like a bag of rice. “We’ve got this covered, don’t we, Charlie-Bear?”
Charlotte’s giggles faded as he carried her down the hall and up the stairs. Delaney stared after them, the warmth of the moment lingering even after they’d gone.
A few minutes later when the kitchen was spotless, she headed upstairs and changed out of her dirty, leaf-specked clothes. She donned clean yoga pants and a sweatshirt and then headed down the hall toward the staircase. The door to Charlotte’s room stood partially open, spilling warm light onto the hardwood. Delaney paused and peeked in.
Mr. Aylett was reading Charlotte’s favorite story. His voice shifted with each character—gruff for the bear, squeaky for the mouse, deep and measured for the owl.
Charlotte’s giggles punctuated his performance.
Delaney leaned a shoulder against the wall, transfixed. This wasn’t the buttoned-up businessman who hurried out the door each morning for work and returned haggard and stressed. This was someone else entirely—someone warm and playful.
A father figure, not an uncle trying to learn how to raise someone else’s child. The transformation she’d seen in both of them was remarkable, and watching it made her long for things she had no business wanting.
Stop it.
This was exactly what she’d promised herself she wouldn’t do—develop feelings for her employer. But standing in the darkened hallway, listening to him bring storybook characters to life for Charlotte’s delight, something shifted inside her.
