My first suggestion would be to stop thinking we were all adoring him, though it was probably true. “Can I think about it and do some research?”
“Of course. I would expect nothing less.”
“Is that all?”
“For now.”
I stood up and he followed.
“Good night, Miles.”
“Good night, Aspen.”
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I look forward to it.”
Me too.
Chapter Ten
Nannylifewasthebest kept secret. Never in all my years of working did I ever arrive at work with anyone as happy to see me as Henry was when I crept into his room early Tuesday morning. He had just woken up, but as soon as he saw me, he jumped out of bed and ran to me. “Nanny!”
I was becoming very fond of the title, and especially of his little arms around my neck. “Good morning. Did you sleep good?”
He nodded. “I need to go to the toilet.”
It was funny to hear him say toilet instead of potty, but it was a British thing. I knew that from my love affair with the BBC. “Do you need help?”
“I’m a big boy.” He untangled himself from me and ran to his own personal bathroom made for children. The toilet was tiny, and the sink and countertop were lowered so he could easily wash his hands. It also meant he could easily make a mess, which he had done yesterday. Water and soap were kid magnets. I listened intently while I picked out his clothes to make sure we didn’t have a repeat of the bubble fest from yesterday. Another set of shorts with a collared shirt andsweater. I really needed to talk to Miles about getting him some pants and more casual clothes.
While listening to see if I needed to check on Henry, I heard something that caught me off guard. David Bowie’s “Fame” blared from down the hall. As soon as Henry was out of the bathroom, I picked him up and followed the music to Miles’s office. The door was cracked enough for me to see Miles in a whole new light. He was not only singing aloud at the top of his voice, which honestly wasn’t half bad, but he was dancing. Like awful, white-guy dancing. Lanky arms and legs flying all over the place while he spun around. He even grabbed a pen and started singing into it like a microphone.
Henry started giggling, alerting Miles to our presence, but that didn’t stop him. He only pointed at us with his pen and yelled, “Fame!” along with David Bowie. I probably should have turned around and left him to his party for one, but he mesmerized me. It was refreshing to see that the dashing Brit had a silly side. Henry wanted to join in, so I set him down and he toddled over to his uncle, who I was pleased to see picked him up and danced with him. Maybe he wasn’t as inattentive as I thought. Unfortunately, he was getting more attractive with Henry in his arms. It made me wish I had my phone with me to snap a picture. Hmm. That gave me an idea to think about regarding his social media presence. For now, though, I enjoyed the scene.
Miles frequently flashed me his beautiful smile, making my body not only sting, but zing. My feelings were coming back. That couldn’t be good. Yet I didn’t want to look away. In fact, it had me wishing I could have given Chloe moments like this with a better man than I chose to be her father. She was turning out all right, I remindedmyself.
As soon as the song was over, Miles flipped off his silly switch and set Henry down.
Henry wasn’t pleased about it. “Dance more,” he demanded.
“Not today. It’s time for me to work.” Miles looked my way. “This is part of my ritual.”
“Ritual?”
“Yes, each day before I write, I readThe Telegraphwhile I work out, then shower, dress, and dance.”
“Do you dance to the same song every day?”
“It changes on my mood.”
“How’s your mood today?”
He grinned at me from behind his desk. “Quite well, thank you.”
“I’ll leave you to it. Come on, Henry, let’s go see Chloe and eat breakfast.”
Henry’s mood remarkably improved with the mention of Chloe and food. “Co-ee!” He ran to me.
