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He wasn’t quite successful. “Can’t you just tell her Jess is busy or didn’t answer her phone or something?” he asked, his tone more abrupt and clipped than he would have liked.
Elise lifted an eyebrow at him. “I’m not going to lie to her, Jordan. I’ve never done so and don’t intend to start now. If that’s the route you want to take, you’re going to have to do so yourself.”
He rammed a hand through his hair in frustration. Was every female put on this earth simply to vex him? “Fine, feel free to invite Ms. Raffi over to watch Sonya.”
The telltale eyebrow lifted even higher. “She’s Ms. Raffi to you, huh?”
“Your point?”
Elise actually walked over and shut the door. That couldn’t bode well. Whatever she wanted to say, she apparently didn’t want Sonya hearing it.
“Let’s see,” she began. “Sonya told me in detail about the fun evening the three of you spent at some type of ice cream novelty spot in town. I know you took her with you to attend the charity auction. Oh, and there were also pictures of you and her splashed all over the internet, some of which seemed like you were having quite a great time together.”
“You saw the pictures, too, huh?”
“I tend to notice when my employer is a trending hashtag.”
“Again, I ask if you have a point.”
She threw her hands up in the air. “My point is I’m wondering why, after all that, you’re referring to Jess so formally as Ms. Raffi and why you seem utterly aghast at the prospect of her stopping by.” She suddenly stopped. “Unless...oh, my!”
Jordan swore once more, not bothering to try and conceal it this time. How was this any of his employed nanny’s business? Jordan came close to asking her just that, but refrained. After all, the woman had completely altered her life to move out of the city to come settle in this rural town with them. He owed it to her to at least let her speak.
Elise went on, “I know I’ve only just met her, but from what I’ve seen, Jess Raffi is a genuine, kind and compassionate woman. So whatever went wrong, I’m guessing the blame falls squarely on your shoulders.”
That settled it. There was no way Elise was getting any kind of raise anytime soon.
Not that he needed to explain himself, but Jordan found himself answering to her. “I don’t know what you mean. Nothing happened that could go wrong.” He said the last two words in air quotes.
Elise crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Really? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m guessing Jess started to get close so you closed yourself off.”
She was out of line. Elise had only recently entered their lives. She knew nothing about the anguish he’d felt watching his father suffer. She hadn’t heard the man asking for his young wife—a wife who had no desire to comfort the husband she’d vowed to honor and cherish.
And Elise hadn’t been privy to the conversation when the woman Jordan had been dating for the better part of the year declared the relationship over, only because he refused to turn his back on a child he’d been entrusted with.
If Jordan’s reaction to witnessing such betrayals was to become closed off, then it was no one’s concern but his own.
That was it. He may owe it to Elise to listen but far enough was far enough. “Invite her over or don’t. Frankly, I don’t have the time nor the patience to deal with it. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have to make that call.”
Elise didn’t say another word, just turned to the door and walked out, her disappointment in him unmistakable in the rigid set of her shoulders.
Jordan slammed the phone down as she exited. Another person he had let down.
What was yet one more?
His sister was doing her best imitation of a fish when he walked out onto the patio an hour later. But Jordan’s focus landed solely on the woman standing by the pool, clapping and cheering Sonya on.
Part of him felt glad to see her here, happy that she’d accepted Sonya’s invitation. Another part wanted to turn back into the house. But his sister was expecting him. So here he was.
Jess wore another colorful sundress again today, this one a pale green with a soft billowy skirt that displayed just enough of her legs to make his palms itch. Strappy leather sandals adorned her feet and showed off bright pink polished toes. Jordan thought hard to recall the last time he’d noticed the color of a woman’s toes and couldn’t think of one.
