Elodie shifts Remy on her chest where she’s dozing off, her little eyes fluttering open and closed.
“It’s the boobs.”
Fuck, don’t look at her boobs, Henley.
“To answer your earlier question, no, I don’t have kids.” Elodie’s eyes scan my face for a few seconds before she says, “My mom owns a daycare. I’ve been around little kids my whole life. Before I moved out, I helped her take care of her little cubs, as she calls them.”
“A daycare, huh?” The lightbulb practically blinds me when it clicks on in my mind, a solution to one of my problems becoming clear as day. Shuffling in my seat, I prepare what I’m going to say. “Look, I know you came here to interview for the restaurant job at the lodge, but I actually have another position I think you’d be perfect for.”
Her mouth falls open. “Really? What is it?”
I take a deep breath and say, “My nanny.”
Chapter 3
Elodie
Not the Job or Boss I Had in Mind
Stuttering, I try to string together the words spinning around in my brain. “You want me to be your…nanny?”
Henley clears his throat, as though he needs a second to gather his composure as well. “Look, you have experience with babies that I don’t. Like I told you, I just found out about her last night. I have no clue what I’m doing, and I could use the help. I’ll pay you way more than what you would make working here.” His eyes search mine, heavy with hope. “So, what do you say? Will you be my nanny, Elodie?”
Coming back to Blossom Peak was just supposed to be a pit stop, a way for me to regroup before I either head back home with my tail tucked between my legs or I decide to go back to Los Angeles and give my dream another shot. Never in a million years did I think applying to work at the ski lodge temporarily would lead to me becoming a nanny for one of the most precious little baby girls I’ve ever seen.
But when I glance back at Henley, the desperation in his eyes nearly undoes me.
God, he’s entirely too good-looking—a problem in itself. As soon as I saw him walk into the lodge, I was drawn to him. He’s the definition of tall, dark, and handsome—thick, black hair cropped close on the sides, matching scruff lining his jaw, and a hard body encased in denim and soft cotton that hugs him in all the right places.
My eyes wouldn’t move from where he stood, especially holding that car seat with a diaper bag slung over his shoulder. There’s just something about the sight of a man being a father—it does things to my libido that should be considered illegal.
Maybe it’s because I was raised in a home where my father never helped my mom with us kids or the children at her daycare because that was a “woman’s job.” Maybe it’s because I rarely saw fathers come to pick up their children from the daycare or make an effort to be involved in their children’s upbringing. Or maybe it’s because the dream of having my own kids has always been in the back of my mind, especially with a husband who actually gave a damn about being a father—the opposite of the man I grew up with.
So, the way this man makes my body react should be reason enough why being his nanny is a horrible idea.
“I’d prefer if you lived with me as well, that way you’re there when I need you.” Waving his hands around, he says, “This is my home away from home, and sometimes that means being here at odd hours. I don’t know how to juggle a job and a baby.” Leaning forward in his seat, he clasps his hands together on the table, staring me down. The heat of his stare makes me clench my thighs together. “I’m seriously so out of my element here, Elodie, and I’m not too proud to beg.”
“You…you want me to live with you?” I dip my eyes down to Remy where she’s sleeping peacefully on my chest now, her eyes completely shut and her little mouth slightly open.
“My friend, Rhonan, has a live-in nanny and I’ve seen how much easier it’s made his life. I just think it would make the most sense with my schedule. Having Remy in one place just seems less complicated, and with your experience with kids through your mom’s daycare, I feel like I can trust you.”
I twist my head from side to side, trying to figure out if this is a joke and I’m being filmed.
“Elodie,” Henley says in a commanding tone that makes my eyes snap back to his. “Please?”
Oh my God. Heisgoing to beg.
“Okay.” The words leave my lips before I can think twice. When I see his shoulders sag and an exhale of relief falls from his lips, the man across from me looks like I just solved all of his problems with one word.
“Thank you. God, thank you, Elodie.”
I hold my hand up to stop him. “Don’t thank me just yet, Henley. I want to be clear about something.”
He leans back in the booth, his brows drawn together. “All right.”
“This is temporary. I only planned on being in Blossom Peak until Christmas.”
One of his brows lifts as irritation begins to paint his features. “Were you planning on telling me this after I hired you for the other job?”
