He regarded her for a moment. ‘So, it’s a… self-preservation strategy?’
‘I prefer to call it a happy medium. Too many hospital shifts and I get burned out. But I miss it if I’m away too long.’
‘The best of both worlds?’
Nat shrugged. ‘I like to temper the Ernie days with the Julian days. Both workplaces let me have permanent shifts. No weekends, no night duty. Two days at St Auburn’s gives me my hospital hit, keeps my hand in, let’s me know I’m alive. Three days at the crèche restores my sanity. It keeps me Zen.’
He seemed puzzled by the admission and she wondered if the man even knew what Zen was let alone experienced the phenomenon.
‘Do you have childcare qualifications too?’
She narrowed her eyes. Why did this suddenly feel like a job interview? ‘I’ve done my certificate and have a child health qualification.’ She cracked open the lid on her can of soft drink and eyed him over the top as she took a swig. ‘Why?’
His gaze brushed over the bob of her throat as she swallowed and Nat’s gut clenched but thankfully his eyes didn’t linger, meeting hers as he cleared his throat. ‘I think I have a solution to your eviction situation.’
Of their own volition, Nat’s eyes mapped the movement of his lips.
‘Oh, yes?’ she said cautiously, trying to ignore the fullness of his mouth. A mouth made for whispering. Made for kissing.
Bloody hell –get a grip, woman.
‘You can stay with me. And Julian.’
The canteen noises around them faded as his stunning suggestion plonked on the table between him like a boulder. Live under his roof? A man who, fully clothed, grim faced and utterly inaccessible, made her heart flutter like an epileptic butterfly? What the hell could he do in his own place, where the pretence of professionalism didn’t exist? Where he’d be all relaxed and homey and… wearing less.
‘Just until your unit is built, of course.’
Nat blinked as her mind shied away from inconvenient images of Alessandrowearing less. ‘But… why? I barely know you.’
He shrugged. ‘I have the room, you need a place. And you’d be doing me a favour, helping with Julian. I haven’t been able to find a suitable live-in nanny and Julian adores you.’
It made Nat happy to think she was making a difference to the serious little boy who came to the crèche and that the feelings were entirely mutual. She was always pleased to see him and her heart melted faster than an ice cube in this damn heatwave when his solemn little face lit up like a New Year’s Eve firework display the moment he spotted her.
But that wasn’tthis.
She frowned. ‘You want me to be a…nanny? I already have a job. Two, actually. Which, by the way, I love.’
Alessandro shook his head. ‘No. I don’t expect you to give up your jobs. Julian can still go to the crèche but he could go and come home with you, which means he wouldn’t have such long days there. And he wouldn’t have to go on weekends and when I’m called in at night.’
Nat listened to his plan, which she supposed, from his point of view, sounded reasonable. A clear-headed, clear-cut offer which would be mutually beneficial.
So why did it seem such an illicit temptation?
‘I’d pay you. And it would be rent free, of course.’
Of course.Nat reeled, her brain scrambling to take in his offer. She looked at him all big and dark and handsome with the added grimness that made him heartbreakingly attractive. She didn’t know much right at this second but she did know saying yes to Alessandro Lombardi was a very stupid idea.
‘No.’
Two black brows drew together. ‘You’ve had another offer?’
Nat contemplated lying. But it really wasn’t her way. Already her cheeks were growing warm just formulating a falsehood. ‘No.’
He shrugged. ‘Then it’s settled.’
The haughty set to his jaw had her bristling at his arrogant assumptions. ‘No.’
‘I don’t understand. What’s the problem?’
