“Oh… we fucked up… we fucked up real bad!” Cecilia turns to me with horror in her eyes. “Oh my God. Em! Silas is going tokillme!” she whispers in an angry voice even though our visitor can clearly hear her. I can’t help the giggle that slips out at her freaked-out expression. “This isn’t funny, Em! Do you think Greyson will be okay with this? Because I can promise you,he won’t! No, ma’am.” She shakes her head from side to side vigorously.
I place my hand on her shoulder. “Calm down, babe. Everything will be fine. How about we invite our guest in instead of leaving him on the front porch to witness your mini meltdown. The man probably thinks we’re crazy by now.”
“I don’t. I always seem to get a reaction when my clients meet me for the first time. Although this is by far the best one,” our guest says with a chuckle.Jesus, he even has a hint of an accent. Italian, maybe?He stretches out his hand with a gleaming smile. “Hi, I’m Sam Castello from Ravenburg Agency. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
Cecilia takes his hand with a nervous giggle, then her eyes shoot to mine quickly. “He has an accent, Emma!” she says in a hushed voice through her teeth.
This time I laugh fully, shoving her aside slightly. I take Sam’s hand and give it a firm shake. “Ignore her. She’s just now realizing her husband may not be in the best mood when he realizes what we’ve done,” I tell him.
“Ah, I see. Hiring the nanny behind their backs.” He laughs along with me.
“I’m Emma Mackenzie, and this is Cecilia Hayes. Please, come in.” I pull the door back some more and let him in.
“You have a very beautiful home, Mrs. Hayes,” he says to Cecilia as he takes a look around.
“Oh, please, call me Cecilia or Cece. No need for formality here. Let me show you around the house while the kids finish their nap.” She guides him farther inside the house, and I take a moment to look at him.
Yup, she’s right. The guys are never going to be okay with this.
Sam looks like he just walked off a photo shoot for a cover magazine. He’s wearing a pair of black jeans that hug his ass andthighs perfectly, with a bleach-white t-shirt that stretches over his muscular form.
He’s not as large as the boys, but he clearly works out. And if I had to guess, I’d say he’s half an inch shorter than Grey and around his mid-twenties with sun-kissed skin and a clean-shaven squared jaw.
Finger-length dark-brown hair that has that sexy messy vibe covers the top of his head, as if he just climbed out of bed after a wild night but still looks ridiculously hot. And then there are those deep brown eyes that shine with mischief.How is THAT a nanny!?
Sam looks over his shoulder as they turn down the hall, his mouth turning into a wicked smirk as he winks before disappearing from view.Oh, God! Now he probably thinks I was checking him out. I mean, I was, but not in the way he might think.
I walk over, about to join them on the house tour, when I spot the bottle of wine Cecilia had taken out during lunch.On second thought, I’m going to have that glass of wine.
Twenty minutes later, they return to the kitchen, and Cecilia narrows her eyes when she notices my half-empty glass. “Yeah, finally we might need the wine. Would you like one, Sam?”
“Oh, no, thank you. I don’t think that would be very professional of me,” he chuckles.
I take out two extra coupes anyway. “Please, you came here on your day off to meet us and the kids. We aren’t those strict parents who expect you to be professional around the clock. As long as you aren’t drinking on the job, I don’t see any harm in you having a glass with us now.” I smile warmly.
“If you’re sure, then yes, I’d love one. Thank you.” He takes a seat at the island beside Cecilia, and I take the seat next to his after passing out their wine.
“I have to say, I now understand why you had so many glowing recommendations,” I say, laughing.
“We should have connected the dots,” Cece adds, giggling into her glass as well. “Although now it makes more sense why there was no picture on your profile. If there was, you’d always be the pick of the day.” She laughs harder, then stops abruptly. “Oh God. I’m so sorry, that was highly unprofessional of me. We just really weren’t expecting you to look like this.”
He laughs. “It’s all right. I’m quite used to this. I’ve been in the business for the last five years, and I can assure you, I’ve seen and heard everything your mind can imagine.”
“I don’t doubt that,” I tell him, then steer the conversation back to why he’s really here. “So tell us a little more about yourself, Sam. We’ve both read your file, so we know your work ethic, but we’d like to know the man behind the name.”
“Well, I was born in Washington, but both my parents are from Italy. That’s where my accent comes from.” He smirks at Cecilia, and she instantly blushes. “I’m twenty-five. I moved to New York for my studies when I was eighteen and started part-time at the agency while finishing off my courses. And now that I’m done, I work full-time until I can get my own business running.”
“What kind of business?” Cece asks him.
“I’d like to open my own restaurant. It’s always been my dream, and my passion truly lies in the kitchen. I can cook you up just about anything and make it into a five-star meal.”
“Well, you’re definitely winning some points with that. We tend to have a few big hungry men over for dinner, and they love home-cooked meals. Who knows, maybe we’ll hire you as a chef instead of a nanny,” I say jokingly.Well, slightly.
“I promise to make large portions when I’ll be feeding the little ones. So you’ll be able to sample my food. Maybe even leave one of those glowing reviews when I finally open my own place.” Hegrins. “So tell me about the kids. Dante is fifteen months old, right?” He turns to Cecilia for confirmation, to which she nods. “And Gracie is eleven months?”
“That’s right,” I answer.
“Are there any important things I should know? Character traits? Things they like or don’t like?”
