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“I told you I would,” he says.
“I didn’t think you were serious.”
“Of course I was serious.” He points at himself. “Look at my face.”
Speechless, I watch him spoon cornflakes into his mouth. “Nannies earn around twenty-five dollars an hour on average.”
“And you’re working twenty-four hours a day.”
“Well, kinda. But that’s still only six hundred dollars. And I’ve only been here a few days.”
“Aroha, you honestly have no idea how relieved I was that you dropped everything to come here and look after Leia.”
“I didn’t have to drop anything. I was out of a job.”
“Yes, but even so, you didn’t bat an eyelid before saying yes.”
“That’s because you’re my friend,” I say awkwardly.
He pokes his cereal. “I wanted to compensate you, and I know you need money. Do we have to argue about it?”
I look at my phone and think about my parents. Am I really going to tell him I’m not going to accept the money? I have to put them first, and their rent needs paying. “All right. Um… what should I do about tax?”
He waves a hand. “I’ll sort it.”
I give him an exasperated look. “James, you can’t just say ‘I’ll sort it.’ We should do it all by the book.”
He gives me a look. “I have a degree in economics and finance. When I say I’ll sort it, I mean it. I’ll organize the employer deductions when you give me your IRD number, and I’ll print you a proper contract.”
“Oh. Okay. I forgot you have two degrees.”
He has his last spoonful of cornflakes and stands up. “One more and I’ll be singing When Will I See You Again.”
The Three Degrees—that makes me laugh. He gives me a wry look and brings his dish over to put in the dishwasher. Then he checks his phone. “Ready to go by nine thirty, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
His eyes meet mine, and my pulse leaps at the sudden heat in those turquoise orbs. Ooh. He watches me a lot, but I assumed he was assessing my care of his niece, rather than because he was still interested in me sexually. That heat tells me something different. He still wants me.
I won’t act on it. But it warms me through to know.
*
Ten o’clock finds the three of us—me, James, and Leia—standing outside Café Muse in the bustling Riverside Market.
“He’s not here yet.” James is wearing a business suit, even though, as far as I know, he’s not intending to go into the office. I wonder whether he’s worn it to intimidate Blue. I’ve never seen a man wear a suit as well as James. Clearly, it’s bespoke, because the jacket fits his shoulders and is snug without being tight all the way down. The white shirt looks as if he took it out of the packet this morning, crisp and clean. His tie bears a silver pin. His hair is neatly combed. His emotion from the previous night has vanished, and he looks cold and stern.
I’ve also dressed smartly, and I’m wearing a pair of black trousers and a pink blouse. I’ve braided my hair and taken time over my makeup, even though I’m not expecting anyone to pay any attention to me. I washed Leia this morning, and I changed her and fed her before we left, so she’s dozing in her carry seat. She’s wearing a gorgeous floral dress with little white socks that have a lacy frill around the tops, and I’ve tied a matching scarf around her head, so she looks super cute. If Blue is going to play a part in her life—and maybe he’ll even get custody of her—I want him to love her immediately.
“Let’s go in and order a coffee,” James says.
We enter the shop and find a table near the window. I’m super nervous to the point of queasiness and don’t want a drink, but it’ll give me something to do, so I ask for a cappuccino, and he goes up to order.
He comes back and sits next to me, leaving the two seats opposite us for Blue and his partner, who is apparently accompanying him. James leans on the table, his arm a fraction away from mine. I can feel the warmth of his body even through his suit, and smell his cologne.
“You look nervous,” he says.
“I am nervous. Aren’t you?”
