Page 21 of Chasing the Sun

Bryce hadn’t mentioned Rita specifically, but knowing how thorough he was, she was probably right.

“Thanks,” Chloe said.

“You know, there was a rumor about the last nanny who worked for him.”

Chloe held up her hand. “I don’t need to know…”

“Someone said she made a pass at him, and he not only turned her down, he fired her.”

It didn’t surprise Chloe, because, hello, the man was gorgeous. However, the casual way Rita had said it, like she was discussing the weather, irritated her. Did all stay-at-home moms gossip like this? Did the nannies too? The story sounded feasible, but who had fed it to Rita, and how many other neighbors knew?

“Well, I don’t have any intention of…”

“Oh, I’m not saying you would do that. I’m just telling you what I heard.”

Chloe had only talked to Rita for five minutes, but already she didn’t trust her. Maybe she had Molly’s best interests in mind, but something about her rubbed Chloe the wrong way.

“Anyway, Bryce would never stoop so low as to have an affair with his nanny. Especially when there are plenty of rich single women right in his own backyard.”

Okay, now she’d gone too far! “Are you one of them?” Chloe asked, seething. She’d zoomed right past the point of politeness, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

“Excuse me?” Rita said, looking insulted. “Are you insinuating that I…?”

“Not insinuating, just asking.”

“I’m a happily married woman, thank you very much!” With that, she turned on her Birkenstocks and marched back to the bench she’d originally been sitting on.

“Five more minutes, Sadie!” she yelled and then turned her back on Chloe.

Chloe was still fuming, but she waited until Rita and Sadie had left before she told Molly it was time to go.

As they rode the bikes home, she replayed her conversation with Rita while keeping her eye out for cars. The woman had been trying to warn her away from Bryce, which made her suspicious. However, she might have taken things too far when she’d insinuated that Rita might be the one interested.

Now what? Do I tell Bryce about this? I should have kept my mouth shut!

Who knew playgrounds were emotional minefields for the adults? And to think she’d been worried about Molly getting hurt!

Chapter 8

Bryce walked into the house and called, “I’m home,” but nobody answered. Knowing Molly, she’d probably dragged Chloe upstairs to play dolls or read books. When he went into the kitchen and glanced out back, he stopped in his tracks.

Molly was floating in the pool, safely tucked inside her swim ring, and Chloe was standing outside the pool, facing away from him. That would have been fine except that she was wearing a bright pink bikini that exposed much of her body to his curious eyes.

Molly smiled and giggled at something Chloe was saying. Then Chloe was airborne, tucking herself into a tight ball and landing with a loud splash in the deep end of the pool.

She popped up, flung her hair back, and swam over to Molly, who was clapping at her performance. This display shouldn’t have been so captivating to him, but he couldn’t turn away. The previous nannies had opted to use the pool during his work hours, so he’d never seen them in a swimsuit. In Chloe’s defense, she hadn’t known exactly when he’d be home, and it was clear she wasn’t trying to impress him.

Suddenly Molly shouted, “Daddy, Daddy!” and waved excitedly at him through the window.

He waved back, avoiding eye contact with Chloe at first. Then he realized how ridiculous he was being. The woman was taking care of his child, and the least he could do was be polite.

Chloe looked at him somewhat sheepishly, and he gave her a brief nod. It wasn’t the friendliest of gestures, but it was better than nothing. He was contemplating what to do next when Molly shouted, “Come out here, Daddy.”

He’d been gone all day, and he could hardly refuse her. Now he’d be forced into a close encounter with a very sexy, dripping-wet Chloe.

When he entered the lanai, she was already helping Molly out of her swim ring and up the pool steps.

“Don’t run!” He and Chloe shouted at the same time. He was pleased that Chloe seemed as concerned with Molly’s safety as he was.