She frowned, and I was surprised. She usually loved getting dressed up and going to Zaza’s. It was a special treat, something we did just the two of us.
“Would you rather do something else?” I asked.
“Could we…could we build a fort and watch a movie?” She was practically bouncing on her toes.
“That sounds great.”
“And…and no phones allowed.” She raised a hand triumphantly into the air.
Talk about mom guilt.
I hated to let her down, but I needed my phone. I had clients relying on me, employees relying on me. I’d built my business from the ground up, and the pace was relentless. I was lucky to be able to agree to watching movies. Even so, it meant I’d be staying up late into the night answering emails. Still, it was a sacrifice I’d gladly make to spend time with Soph, especially after Cal bailed on her.
“Sweetie, I’d be happy to build a fort and watch movies. But I have to keep my phone on me. You know that.”
She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Cece’s mom doesn’t have her phone on all the time.”
I wanted to retort that Cece’s mom was married to a well-known movie producer who would prefer she be nothing more than a trophy wife. But I bit my tongue.
“Well, it’s part of my job.” I wouldn’t apologize for it. I just had to hope that, one day, she’d understand.
“Sometimes I hate your job,” she huffed and stomped off down the hall just as the doorbell rang.
Great.I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. This summer was already off to a great start. And it would be just my luck that she’d hate Preston too. Unfortunately, we didn’t have many options.
Okay, no options. He was our only option. I had to make this work.
I spied a man’s silhouette through the frosted glass of my front door as I approached. Tall. Muscular. Surely this wasn’t the new nanny.
I opened the door, expecting a college kid, but he was all man. And I couldn’t stop my eyes from roaming his features. Dark chestnut hair that was longer on the top than the sides. Skin with a golden hue. He was dressed professionally—wearing a pair of fitted chinos and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. But it did nothing to hide the magnificent body beneath the clothes. He looked like someone who belonged on a Hollywood set, not…I swallowed…a nanny. Still, he could just be my new neighbor. My new, incredibly hot neighbor.
“Hi,” he said, and my knees nearly buckled at the richness of his baritone voice. At his dazzlingly white smile. “I’m Preston Hawthorne. From the Hartwell Agency.”
My mouth went dry, but I forced myself to speak. “Yes.” I smiled. “I’m Alexis Black. Please,” I said, opening the door wide. “Come in.”
I could feel his eyes on me as I led him through the house. “Soph,” I called. “There’s someone here I want you to meet. Sophia?” I called out again when she didn’t answer.
I turned to Preston. “She’s probably in her room.”
He smiled, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. Seriously, the man was hot. Like, fry-my-brain hot. And I realized he was staring at me expectantly, as if he’d asked me a question and was waiting for an answer.
“I’m sorry. What?”
More like, what the hell was wrong with me? We lived in LA—Hollywood. I interacted with beautiful people all the time, especially in my line of work. Beautiful, wealthy, successful people. And I never felt intimidated. Never got tongue-tied. But Preston seemed to have a strange effect on me, and I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it.
He chuckled, the rich sound sending vibrations through me that resonated deep in my core. “I asked if we should go find her. The first time I meet a kid, I like to do it on their turf—where they play.”
I smiled brightly, wondering how much of a disaster Sophia’s room was. Usually, she and Gabby would play and then pick up. But I’d just been thankful she’d entertained herself while I worked. I hadn’t cared about the cleanup.Until now.
I resisted the urge to rush up the stairs ahead of Preston to check. It was tempting, but…if he was going to spend the summer with us, he deserved to know what he was getting himself into. Especially if he was going to be sleeping here.
Not here, I reminded myself. In the pool house. With at least two locked doors between us.
“Have you nannied for many girls, or has it mostly been boys?” I asked when we reached the upstairs landing.
I could hear Sophia talking to her toys in her room, and I leaned against the banister, interested to know more about Preston.
“I spent the last year with a little boy Sophia’s age. But it was part time. I watched him after school and during breaks, as well as the occasional evening.”
