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“Yes, it had style,” I said in response to Max’s rating. “But did you see that form? Poor girl is gonna throw her back out just trying to stand up straight.”
Max laughed. “It’s just a different style than yours, Hales. It’s not bad, just different.”
It was then that I heard the front door open twenty minutes earlier than it was supposed to. Max and I weren’t making out or anything, but our bodies were definitely tangled together in a way that looked a little suspicious.
Having the kids show up early was bad enough because Leann was definitely a little tattle-tale. But what I couldn’t have predicted was that it would be even worse.
Just as Max and I pulled ourselves apart, James walked into the living room, the sounds of the kids getting unpacked from school not far behind him.
He gave me a confused look, then an understanding one. He narrowed his eyes at Max. “You’re Kevin’s nephew, right?”
Max nodded and stood, holding out his hand. “Yeah,” he said. “My mom is his sister.”
“You’re Laurie’s kid?” he asked, genuinely seeming interested. “You do look a lot like her.”
Max laughed and nodded. It seemed Max might have saved the day and my job by being Kevin's nephew. I took a deep breath, searching James’s face for any lingering signs of irritation.
When I caught his eye, James gave me a neutral expression. Thank God. It seemed like I might be the first nanny in all of history who wouldn’t be fired for having her boyfriend over unexpectedly.
“Well, I’ve got to get going,” Max said, turning to me. “Don’t judge these other skiers too harshly without me.”
I giggled. “Get out of here,” I said, laughing.
I noticed James watching us, studying us even. And as Max left, he turned to me as if to ask a question, then changed his mind and walked away.
“Hi, Haley,” rang out Katie’s cheerful voice.
“Hey, Katie,” I said, still watching James walk away. “Show me what you have for homework today.”
Chapter Ten
James
Hosting the annual Ski Lodge Owners party was not what I had planned on doing with my night, but here I was, playing the hero once more because Ted had decided to take his family on a last-minute trip.
I usually liked being the guy that people came to for last-minute changes, but with work being so busy and Haley still adjusting to stuff around the house, it wasn’t as easy as just sending my kids to a sitter.
I was anxiously pacing the penthouse kitchen when Haley walked out of her bedroom.
“You okay?” she asked. “You seem…”
“Nervous, frazzled, stressed?”
“Something like that,” she replied. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
I could think of about a million things she could do to help, some of them absolutely unmentionable, but none that I would openly share. “I don’t suppose you want to go to a party tomorrow, do you? Under duress, I’m agreeing to host a cocktail party, and I need to make it look like I’m more popular than I am.”
Haley looked like she was expecting anything other than that and was caught off guard.
“Uh…” she replied. “I don’t know if I have anything to wear.”
“Even better,” I said, thinking about the opportunities that buying a dress for her could present. I’d been horny as all hell for the past week, and picturing Haley in some low-cut, skin-tight dress was giving me a semi. “Let me pay for you to go shopping. And you can bring a friend to the party if you like,” I said.
She seemed to think about it for a second, then nodded. “Yeah. That would be fun, thanks.”
“You’re welcome. You’re doing me a favor honestly. Kevin used to be my ‘date’ for all the things like this, but now he’s got Anna, and I’ve been replaced.” I realized almost immediately how bitter that came off. I was happy for Kevin, but he’d been my wingman since we both bought our resorts in the same year. We both spent all the money we’d made as competition skiers and made a name for ourselves.
Haley looked at me like I was a little crazy, and to be honest, if I was in her position, I would probably think the same.
