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And she definitely couldn’t think of me. Period.
“I just meant you don’t want to hire a nanny who’s all about you. I don’t think Briar will be like that. She just got divorced a few months ago, and from what the security firm said, she’s not looking for another guy to replace her ex.”
Divorced? I thumbed through the report.
Ex-husband Danny Jansen filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, and St. Clair resumed use of her maiden name. St. Clair did not contest the divorce and moved out of the marital home. Danny Jansen married Shana Jones one month ago, and they are expecting their first child in three months.
St. Clair currently resides with her parents in Los Angeles.
Wow. That was a lot to unpack.
“See what I mean?” Adam asked from my elbow where he was clearly reading over my shoulder.
“I do. Have her sign the NDA. I’ll bring Zoe down for the introduction when she wakes up.” I pulled my cell phone out and checked the baby monitor app. The tiny screen showed Zoe moving in that restless way that meant she’d be awake soon.
Adam paused on his way to the door. “You don’t want to talk to Briar first?”
“I’m not the one she’ll be working with. Zoe’s opinion is the most important. Maybe if I’d paid closer attention to it, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”
“Zoe has liked all the nannies.”
“Yeah, but she’s never bonded to them. She would always whine for me and cry when I left. She needs a woman in her life who’s fun and plays with her and puts her needs first.”
“You do know that Mary Poppins is a fictional character, right?”
I rolled my eyes. “Get the NDA signed. I’ll be down with Zoe in a minute.”
Adam chuckled as he left the room.
A squawk from my phone had me checking the baby monitor app again. No doubt Zoe was awake and plotting her escape. The video feed showed me Zoe sitting up in her bed and patting her favorite stuffed bunny while quietly babbling to herself. She told Bunny all her secrets.
My heart melted.
I thumbed the volume button and listened to her toddler talk. Half the time I couldn’t understand what she was saying, but I loved every single syllable out of her mouth.
Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I headed for her room. And when she saw me standing in her doorway, she squealed.
“Dada!” Her little body shimmied out of her floor-level toddler bed, and she ran over to me, burying her face in my knees. She hugged me as tight as she could then gave me grabby hands as she demanded, “Up. Up.”
I hoisted my eighteen-month-old baby girl into my arms and she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck. My heart about choked me. This. This right here in my arms was all I ever needed. “You have a good nap, sweetheart?”
“Dada, hungwy. Cheez toes?”
I laughed. If there was one thing in this whole world I could count on, it was that Zoe would wake up happy and wanting Cheetos. “Let’s go see if there’s any in the pantry. Want to take Bunny with us or does she need to sleep longer?”
“Bunny! Cheez toes.”
“We’ll take Bunny, but no feeding her Cheetos. You remember how dirty she got last time?”
Zoe squealed as I added Bunny to my wiggly load and immediately buried her face in her plush fur. I grinned to myself as I carried both of them down the stairs, listening to Zoe’s happy babbling about Cheez toes and malk.
Right up until I reached the stairway and heard the murmurs coming from below.
More specifically, the feminine one.
Briar. Right.
Shit.
