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“Creating whatever you want and whatever you can think of with whatever you have. Let’s see.”
I leaned back in my chair to peek inside the play area. Heather and Collins were rooting through the art station, ripping open and slamming shut different drawers and cabinets until they found whatever they were looking for: construction paper, modeling clay, pipe cleaners, and God knew what else.
They quietly created until Collins fell asleep on her arms at the table, at which point Heather carried her to the futon and spread a blanket over her.
I darted back to my laptop. My email queue was officially unmanageable, thanks to the fact that I had ignored it all morning in favor of seeing how my daughter liked her new nanny.
“You don’t trust me.”
I turned to see Heather leaning against the door frame with her hand propped up on her hip. I’d like to see the curve of that hip in a dress, dolled up for a night out with me—blue eyes highlighted with shimmery makeup and her chestnut hair falling loose around her shoulders. How long had it been since I lost myself in a woman like Heather? Too long, especially if I was fantasizing about how she’d look dressed up—out of those jeans and into something I could slip my hands beneath.
“I don’t trust many people with my daughter,” I said. “It’s nothing personal.”
She waved me off. “It’s fine. I don’t trust you, either.”
I blinked at her. “In what way?”
“That you’re going to leave my mom alone.” Heather’s blue eyes flashed with barely controlled fury. “You think you own her.”
“I don’t.” It was hard to stay calm with that kind of accusation. “But Carol, your mom, I needed her. Collins flourished when she was around your mom. Carol always knew just what to say. I doubted that anyone could ever replace the hole she left in my daughter’s life until you came along.”
“I’m not a replacement. I’m temporary.” Heather took a heavy seat in the chair across from the workstation I’d haphazardly set up in this room. “What leads do you have on someone else taking care of Collins?”
None.“I’m working on it.”
“Uh-huh.” Heather wasn’t buying it. “There should be some good options out there for her. And it's not like you can’t afford it.”
“You have no idea what you're talking about.”
She gave me a slow blink. “Okay. You just told a child psychologist she didn’t know what she was talking about when it came to your daughter’s health and happiness. Why?”
“This is a small town,” I said. “The preschools here are not equipped to handle security threats to my daughter. Anyone could just walk in there and walk out with Collins after saying they had permission.”
Heather sat back in her chair. “You’re worried about your daughter’s safety. Especially in the care of strangers.”
“It’s part of everything,” I said, holding my hand out. “All of it. Everything you see. I’m a billionaire, Heather. People could use my daughter against me.”
“What kind of people?”
“Anybody. Business competitors, criminals, anyone.”
“Anyone specific you’re afraid of?” Heather looked surprisingly relaxed for the kind of conversation we were having. “Any possible enemies? Is it time for Collins to have a dedicated security staff?”
“She already does,” I said. “She just doesn’t know it.”
“Don’t you think it’s important to be upfront with your daughter about the life she has?”
“She’s four fucking years old, Heather.” Instead of being shocked by my vitriol, Heather only nodded encouragingly at me. It was infuriating. I wanted a legitimate reaction from her, not all this psychobabble.
“So you don’t trust strangers. Fair enough.” Heather crossed her legs. “But what about your family? You have, what…a sister and brother? And both your parents are retired now?”
“That’s not an option.”
“Why not?”
“My brother’s busy being in love,” I said, recognizing my bitter tone for what it was—jealousy. “And my sister’s flighty. My father wasn’t there to raise any of us. If I put Collins in my mother’s claws, it’ll fuck her up for life.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You know what? I don’t have time to do whatever it is we’re doing. I have work to do.”
“I’m sure you do,” she said easily. “Lots of responsibilities in running a company. Hard to let people run your family when you’re unable to do so.”
