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“Well,” I say. “I’m a nanny and I’ve been a live-in nanny for the last three months to the most incredible little boy ever.”
“You must really like kids. Do you have any of your own?” he asks.
“Heavens, no,” I say. “Being Jacob’s nanny will be enough for quite a while. He’s still very young so I get plenty of hands-on experience. Every day is a new adventure with him.”
Asher stops stroking my leg and slowly pulls away. “Um, what’s his name again?”
I take note of his strange behavior and try to figure out what I said to make him react this way.
“Jacob,” I say. “He’s nine months old and has some of the most striking green eyes I’ve ever seen. His parents spend a lot of time doing their own thing, so ninety-five percent of the time, Jacob is in my care which is why I’m rarely ever free.”
Asher moves completely away from me and puts his hands in his lap. “What do his parents do?” he asks.
“His mom is working on relaunching her modeling career and his dad does something with hedge funds,” I say.
The color drains from Asher’s face and I watch his jaw tense up several times. I lean over and put my hand on top of his.
“Are you okay?” I ask. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
He shakes his head slowly just as the limo rolls to a stop in front of my building. Ed opens the door for us and I exit right behind Asher. He holds open the door to the lobby and escorts me to the elevators.
“Nothing’s wrong, everything’s fine. So, you live here with Jacob and his parents?” he asks.
“No,” I say. “Just Magdalene. Heath has his own place. But enough talk about my job. I want to thank you for such a lovely evening. I really enjoyed spending this time with you.”
“Likewise,” he says.
We wait silently for the elevator. I’m not sure what else to say. Asher’s whole demeanor has changed and I’m not exactly sure why. The elevator doors open and I step inside.
“Well,” I say. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Asher nods and turns around to the lobby doors. He doesn’t give me a goodnight kiss or anything, he just walks away.
What the hell just happened?
Chapter 10
ASHER
Two weeks fly by. Two long fucking weeks since I had my date with Jade and I’ve been dodging her ever since. I scroll to her number at least ten times a day before talking myself out of calling her. The blacked-out names in her background check make sense now.
I’ve known Heath for years and I know in certain areas of his life, he would gladly pay an arm and a half to protect it. Magdalene is a whole other bag of worms I’d rather not have re-opened. Dealing with the delicate intricacies of life involving people I know has been something I’ve worked hard to avoid. I don’t need the conflict of interest or accompanying headache.
I just haven’t had the words necessary to explain all that to Jade. How can I tell her that I don’t want to get involved with her because she’s the nanny to an asshole friend of mine? Besides, the whole “it’s not you it’s me” thing is a little too cliché for me to effectively use it as an excuse.
I opted instead to throw myself headfirst into work, and most nights I don’t go home until the wee hours of the morning just to start the whole cycle over. I deliberately go out of my way to avoid Jade. I have Ed call up to let me know the coast is clear before I make a beeline to my car every morning. I hate having to do this, and I wouldn’t have to if she didn’t live right next door. The messed-up part is, I really want to see her again. I fight with myself daily and the only thing that takes my mind off things is exercising, specifically running.
As soon as thoughts of Jade enter my mind, I grab my running shoes and head outside. At this point, I find myself running several times a day. I start off at a slow jog and take my time at first so my body can warm up. It’s not long before I’m in a full-blown sprint. I ignore the ache in my legs and burning in my chest as I force myself to keep going. It’s late in the morning and the sun is slowly heating up the day. Salty droplets sting my eyes before running down my face.
I circle the block and start to slow down as I begin to make my way back to my place. I like to start my runs at a faster pace and slow down the closer I get to home. I round the corner and jog steadily pass a pretzel vendor set up next to a park. The light changes just as I reach the intersection and I’m forced to inhale the delicious fumes coming from the stand. I jog in place as I wait for the light to change and I briefly look over at the cart hoping to catch a glimpse of the warm salted bread.
