“Lay it on me, Harper. What’re your terms?”
“Huh?” She shook her head. “Right. My terms are simple.” She ticked them off on her fingers as she went. “You must be fully clothed at all times. You can’t make me all flustered in front of your nephew, making suggestive comments he wouldn’t understand.”
He rolled his tongue in his cheek. “You really think I would do that?” She knew him too well. Even after all these years.
“I know you would.” She flattened her palm on his chest. “Now be quiet and listen. We don’t have a lot of time before Drew finishes eating. No kissing, no touching—”
“No deal.” He had to draw a hard line at not being able to touch her. She was too much of a temptation. A goddess made just for him and she expected him to keep his hands off? She was delusional.
“Excuse me?”
He glanced at the small hand on his chest. “You’re already touching me, babe.”
She dropped her arm, her cheeks coloring again. “Ugh! You drive me crazy. Just put some clothes on and get your ass out in the kitchen before breakfast gets cold.”
He saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.” Before she could get away, he snagged her wrist and whispered in her ear, “Do we have any whip cream for those pancakes?” Whip cream conjured up a sticky experience they’d once had that involved a lot of tongue action and a steamy shower afterwards.
She groaned softly. “I’m gonna kill you, Deke.”
He laughed as she slipped through the door and closed it behind her.
Deke showered in record time, anxious to be a part of their little domestic scene before the party ended.
Having Harper back in his life, his home, developing a relationship with his nephew was more than he ever would have expected when he heard she’d rolled back in to town, but it was the perfect arrangement. Having her as his next door neighbour, being able to offer her a job, it was the beginning of what he hoped would be the reconciliation he’d been dreaming about for years.
When he stepped out of his bedroom Drew was watching his favorite cartoon and Harper was tidying the kitchen, but there was a big platter of flapjacks in the middle of the island with strawberries… and fresh whipped cream.
He grinned as he claimed a stool. “Fresh whipped cream?” He winked at her. “You didn’t have to go to all that trouble for me, but I’m glad you did. Thanks.” He wanted to offer to reward her for her hard work later, but was sure that would be crossing one of her invisible lines.
She shrugged. “No big deal. You had the ingredients on hand and it only takes a few minutes.” She dipped a spoon into the bowl and took a scoop. Her eyes locked with his as she licked it off the tip. “I normally like to serve it chilled, but this will have to do.”
He cleared his throat before shifting in his seat. His jeans were a hell of a lot tighter than they’d been a few minutes ago. Something about seeing her lick the whip cream stirred up memories that had been locked away for years.
“I hope you don’t mind that Drew’s watching a bit of TV while I tidy up?” Her eyes strayed to the boy and she smiled. “We’re going to swing by my apartment and pick up a few things, then I promised I’d take him to the park, out for lunch, and then to the library.”
He was jealous of his nephew, getting to spend the day with this beautiful girl. “Sounds good, send me your banking info. I’ll do an etransfer for weekly expenses and deposit the cash upfront for this week.”
She watched him stack pancakes, berries and whip cream on his plate before drizzling it with syrup. “You don’t have to pay me upfront. I can wait until the end of the week. And what expenses would I have?”
“Taking him places, buying him things, gas for your car.” He popped a bite into his mouth and moaned appreciatively. Damn. He could get used to this. “Hmm, this is amazing, Harper.”
“Glad you like it.” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter across from him. “But you don’t have to cover my expenses. I’m happy to take him for outings on my own dime.”
She was too sweet, but he planned to make it so easy for her to look after Drew that she’d never want to stop. “Got it covered.” He slid a juicy strawberry through the cream and popped it in her mouth, smiling when she had to choose to open her mouth or end up with cream on the tip of her nose. “How does twenty-five bucks an hour sound?” They hadn’t discussed her salary last night, but no matter the figure she threw at him, he’d be happy to pony up.
She coughed, before reaching for her coffee mug. “Deke, that’s more than I make teaching, and I have twenty-two kids in my classroom!”
“Perfect. Twenty-five it is.”
He grinned while reaching for his coffee. There was no better feeling in the world than being able to do nice things for her. He’d been flat broke when they dated before, and he had no idea whether he’d ever have more than two nickels to rub together, so while he’d always fantasized about being able to spoil her he didn’t have the means. Now he did.
“That’s too much.” She shook her head. “You’re already letting me stay in the apartment… salary plus expenses, that’s way more compensation than any other nanny working for you would get. And I don’t want special treatment.”
“How can I not treat you as though you’re special?” His voice was low, intended for her ears only. “You are special to me.”
“I… you…” She shook her head. “Sometimes I don’t know what to say to you.”
There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to do for her, but this wasn’t the time or place. “And if it makes you feel better about the compensation, I wouldn’t mind if you threw cooking in as part of the deal.”
