“She’s not the first mean girl I’ve encountered in life. She won’t be the last either.”
“Under my watch, she will.” He slaps the table, my hands still on top of his, and I jump.
He needs to stop being cute. And sounding so possessive. It’s not helping me keep my hormones in check.
“And—fuck—I should be apologizing. I got carried away. Crossed a number of boundaries. I meant no disrespect, Miss Thorne.”
“None taken.”Ready for a replay, if you’re up for it. Let’s go back there and make sure those girls got the message.“You just vindicated every version of me who never stood up for herself. Thank you for doing that.”
I refuse to give those bitches the power to hijack the rest of our night, so I change gears. “Thanks for bringing me here today. Wow. This view.”
“Thanks for giving me a reason. I’ve been meaning to come to this bar for ages.”
Not sure if it’s meant as one, but I’ll take the flattery.
And even though I’d also take the illusion that this is a real date rather than Dr. Preston being nice to his house guest and soon-to-be-nanny, I spend the rest of the night reminding myself I’m here for work. As a favor to Liam Gunn, who I hope will give me my next job in the career I really want.
So don’t screw this up, Mia.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
mia
Once more,I’m waking up to chaos in this house. Now it’s to clashing cutlery, laughter, overlapping voices—each one sharper than the last. It takes me a minute to untangle the sounds, but then I catch it: the high-pitched giggle of a child.
No. It can’t be. Is Lilyhome? She was supposed to come back tomorrow.
Why didn’t Dr. Preston say anything last night? And who else is down there? I don’t recognize them.
Leaping out of bed, I dive straight into my open suitcase, searching for the outfit I picked out for this exact moment.
For all my previous jobs, I’d stalk my future boss on LinkedIn, socials, and whatever digital crumbs they might have left online. But I couldn’t quite search a six-year-old online, so I did the next best thing. I bought something I hope will make her love me.
Ripping the tag off the unicorn T-shirt I never gotaround to washing, I face the full-length mirror and put it on.
It’s pink and printed with tons of funky unicorns. Some wear sunglasses, others have ice cream cones as horns. It’s ridiculous in the best way. And from the intel I gathered in Lily’s room yesterday, it’ll be a hit.
Then I put on some distressed jeans I dyed pink myself and spritz my hair with water to wake up the curls—well, waves, at best, this morning.
One last twirl in the mirror. That’s it. I’m ready to meet—and desperate to impress—my new six-year-old lady boss.This is so exciting!
“Hello?” I call out, soft and unsure, as I inch toward the kitchen, where all the laughter’s coming from.
“Mia?” The maybe-Lily kid spins on her stool. Oh, it’s her. I recognize her from the pictures hanging everywhere in the house. Her voice is curious, a little shy, but her wide grin matches the flutter in my chest. She’s beaming so hard, it pushes her cheeks high, her pretty green eyes nearly disappearing.
Preston answers for me. “The one and only.”
When my eyes meet his, my step falters. Is he… smiling? His face has morphed into a cartoon version of himself. That’s the first full, genuine smile I’ve seen on him. A true contented look. He moves to stand by Lily, and something in me softens.
He introduces me to her and to his parents—total sweethearts. Turns out grumpiness doesn’t run in the family.
Lily giggles every time I string a sentence together.
“What?” I ask, besotted with the girl.
She stares up at her father. I know that look: she’s asking his permission to answer.
“What are the rules of this house, Lily?”
