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“I bet she smells like mold since she obviously lives in that tree there,” Harrison said, reaching forward and tapping the picture.
“Okay, I’ll add those notes,” Violet told them seriously.
I crept past to my office, utterly charmed. Seeing her bewitch those heathen children did something to my chest I couldn’t understand, and I loosened my tie so I could breathe better. There was no lying to myself anymore. A million days could pass and I’d still be in love with Violet.
Will lay on my couch, staring at the ceiling. “I’m sorry to abandon her with them, but I needed a few minutes,” he said. “Whatever they broke, I’ll replace.”
“They’re actually doing great out there,” I said. “It’s like a library story time.”
“Liar,” he hissed, jumping off the couch and poking his head out the door. His jaw dropped. “Those are my children. Those are the ones I remember.” He strode out the door. “I’ll double whatever he’s paying you to be the kids’ nanny,” he said.
Ava and Harrison shouted hooray. I hurried over and they crowded around me, hugging my legs. They were pretty cute when they wanted to be. “That’s a no,” I told Will. “I need her more than you.”
“I’d be happy to babysit once in a while if I have the time,” she offered, getting up and going to her desk. She took out some shipping labels and handed them a sheet. “You can make your own stickers with markers or paint.”
“Can we, Dad?” they shouted in unison.
“Sure, that sounds like a fun, quiet activity.” He looked past my shoulder at Violet. “I’ll pay you two hundred dollars an hour if you can babysit them next Friday evening.”
“Uh, I’ll definitely try to clear my schedule,” she said.
She and Will beamed at each other and jealousy ripped through me like a jagged blade. This was ten times worse than seeing her flirt with Jed.
“She’ll be way too busy,” I said.
She frowned at me. “We don’t usually have anything after hours,” she said. That was true, she’d been flitting out the second the clock struck five the last seventeen days. I knew she was only after the huge paycheck Will was dangling. She wasn’t interested in my older brother. I knew I should be reasonable.
“I’ve decided to take on the Brighton campaign,” I said.
I had been spending more time in the art department, where I used to work before I became editor-in-chief when I inherited the magazine. I missed the camaraderie and late nights, and I’d been trying to get them to agree to this high profile pitch. There was a tight deadline, and it was risky, but if we got the account, it would be a major deal for the magazine.
“You did?” Violet didn’t look as excited as I thought she would. “We’ll need to get started right away, won’t we?”
The kids had grown bored of not being the center of attention anymore and were pulling everything out of Violet’s desk drawer, stuffing what they wanted into their pockets like street urchins and tossing what they didn’t across the room.
“Yes,” I told her. “Lots of late nights. No babysitting opportunities, I’m afraid.”
“Ava, Harrison, that’s enough,” Will bellowed. They only giggled, knowing nothing would come of his bluster. “Give Violet back her paper clips right now.”
Violet held out her hand, sliding her top drawer open and pulling out a small packet of cookies. “Trade?” she asked. They forked over their stolen loot and snatched the cookies.
“You can eat them after lunch,” Will said, sighing as they tore it open and had the cookies in their mouths before the sentence was complete. Ava decided Will got more than her and punched him in the arm. He pretended it hurt more than it did and faked a howl. Will hustled them out the door, and I slowly followed.
“This is what I saved you from,” I told her.
She blew out a breath and mouthed a thank you. “Have a nice lunch,” she called as we left.
At lunch, I had to hear about how great and fun Violet was from the kids, as if I didn’t already know. I had decided on a jealous whim to take on the new project, but I was ultimately glad I did. It was time to step up my game with risky moves like this. Spending lots of late nights with Violet was the icing on the cake.
Chapter 20 - Violet
I breathed a sigh of relief when they were gone. After I managed to get the kids to settle down, I was on pins and needles, waiting for them to start acting up again. I could only imagine how exhausting they must be for their nanny, and wasn’t that shocked when their dad offered me such an outrageous amount to babysit. I was sure I could handle them for a few hours for that kind of money.
I wanted to kill Eli for ruining it until I heard about the Brighton campaign. It was sure to be a great learning experience. I couldn’t help but wonder if he had ulterior motives, though. He couldn’t be jealous, could he? I dismissed that thought right away. He seemed to be taking our new, strictly professional work environment very seriously. And it didn’t seem to be bothering him much at all.
It had been bothering me. I still couldn’t stop thinking about him in all my off hours. Being around him and not able to touch him was worse torture than when he actively tried to make me miserable. I was still wearing my most frumpy clothes and pretending I wasn’t scorching most of the time. I was sure I’d be just as heated in normal clothing the way being around Eli continued to make me feel.
He returned to the office after lunch looking like he’d taken a beating. Jacket off, shirt untucked, hair tousled. Basically, the cutest thing I’d ever seen. I pretended I was more absorbed in my work than I really was and a fluffy pink pom-pom keychain landed on the edge of my desk.
