"You mean other than the company I now run and the bank I make?" He scoffed. "I don't want anything."
"Too bad," I grunted at the phone. "You'll get something anyway and now I get to choose." I ended the call, laughing for the first time in a long time. Probably for the first time since Nate's last call.
I spooned up the chili even though it was damn near ice cold, still smiling as I thought of what to get Nate for his birthday.This wasn't exactly the life I imagined, but it was just the life that I needed.
It was quiet and peaceful. I could leave the mountain and get company when and if I wanted it, which I rarely did. It wasn't at all what I thought I'd be doing at the ripe old age of thirty-two, but it was perfect for me.
No, it was just perfect, period.
Chapter 2
Rosalee
Elite Nanny Service was my new employer. Technically, I didn't have a job yet, but Serenity Woods owned Elite Nanny Service, and she all but promised she could find me a placement soon. Tonight, though, wasn't an interview or a meet and greet with potential families; it was a mixer to welcome new employees.
I stood outside the ballroom doors where pop music played and conversation flowed, trying to shake my nerves. I looked down at the deep blue dress I'd picked out. It was flattering but not too sexy, and I didn't want Serenity thinking I was searching for a husband, because I wasn't. I wanted to work, and that was it.
"Are you planning on staring at the doors until they open?" a slightly husky voice sounded behind me, filled with amusement.
I turned to find a beautiful redhead wearing a leather jacket over a silky, pale pink dress that clung to her pregnant belly. "No, I was just trying to shake off my nerves."
"Nerves? For a ballroom full of nannies? Nonsense," she scoffed and hooked her arm through mine. "I'm Toni."
"Nice to meet you, Toni. I'm Rosalee, and I'm new to ENS."
"Of course you are. Come on, they don't bite, I promise." Before I could say anything else, she yanked open the door and tugged me inside the ballroom, where women in colorful dresses danced, drank, and laughed together like they were all friends and not colleagues. Not even really colleagues—just women who worked at the same agency. "I'll introduce you to a few of my girls."
"Um, okay."
Toni laughed and tugged me toward a group of women seated around a table. "Good evening, ladies. You're all looking suitably gorgeous. This is Rosalee, and she's new."
"Hi, Rosalee," they all answered with waves and smiles.
"Have a seat. I'm Lucy." She smiled, and her blue eyes sparkled as she motioned for the seat beside her and pointed to a black-haired woman in a green dress. "That's Sasha, and that's Molly," she said, pointing to a curvy blonde with a serene expression on her face.
"Nice to meet you all."
"What brought you to Texas and ENS?" Toni asked what I was sure they were all thinking.
I shrugged. "I was an executive assistant to a record producer in Los Angeles for about a year before he got a little too handsy. Then a studio head. And then a banker in Miami. Same scenario. Rinse and repeat. So I needed a change and saw the ad for Elite Nanny Service."
Sasha smiled. "And you figured anyone who could wrangle grown men could do the same for energetic kids?"
"Pretty much," I laughed. "I worked a job for about three months for an actor doing a play. No inappropriate behavior, just a play that bombed, and the family went back to New York." I sighed, feeling relieved that I'd gotten through the whole tale in a few short minutes and without losing my cool. "What about you guys? How long have you been with ENS?"
Two drinks later, I stared in shock at each of the women's smiling faces. "Have we shocked you?" Lucy asked with a knowing smile.
"So each of you fell for a single dad while on the job?"
They all nodded. "Well, technically, mine was an uncle," Toni offered. "If that makes it any better."
"Wow. I'm not judging; I'm just shocked. I mean, what are the odds?" I shook my head in disbelief. "That's astonishing."
"Be careful," Sasha offered and wiggled her eyebrows. "You might be next."
I shook my head so fast I was momentarily dizzy. "I'm not looking for that. At all."
"None of us were," Lucy offered with a small smile. "But when it happens, well, it's a really beautiful thing."
