A warm, soft feeling runs over my body. “Nobody has ever called me Bree,” I whisper.
“That’s not true, I just did.”
I smile softly.
“So, do we have a deal? You won’t leave? We can try and work this out?” His hopeful eyes hold mine.
I nod. “I guess.”
He stands and looks around, as if he suddenly wants to run.
“Why do you hate being in this room so much?” I frown. “The day you showed me this room, you wouldn’t even walk in.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. It feels very personal being in your space. Makes me uncomfortable.”
“You’re weird.” I smile. “Goodnight, Mr. Masters.”
He grins, clearly happy he got me to stay. “Goodnight, Miss Brielle.”
He hobbles on his sore foot, and then stops at the doorway, turning back. “Please don’t ever run me over again.”
“If you don’t stand in front of my golf buggy again, I won’t.”
He shakes his head in amusement and leaves my room, and I smile at the back of the closed door.
Well, that was unexpected.
I wait at the bottom of the stairs. “Come on, guys, we have to go or we will be late.”
The sun is shining brightly and I slept well last night for the first time since I arrived. I’m feeling a bit better after Mr. Masters came to talk to me last night. Maybe this will work out after all. Sammy bounces down the stairs in his school uniform, passing me his school bag when he reaches the bottom step. “Willow, come on!” I call.
“Don’t rush me,” she growls as she comes down the stairs. She stomps down past us with her school bag slung over her shoulder. Sammy and I exchange looks.
Hmm, she’s in a mood this morning. I get into the car and she sits in the backseat, glaring out the window with her arms folded over her chest. I glance at her in the rearview mirror.
What is her problem? She was fine yesterday. God, teenagers.
“What’s on today, guys?” I ask.
“I have library, and then we have sport after lunch,” Sammy answers.
“I put your lunches in your bags. Dad left them in the fridge after he made them last night,” I say.
“I’m not eating it.” Willow scowls. “I hate what he packs me. It tastes like shit.”
I bite my lip to stop my smile. Good to know it’s not just me she hates today.
We get to her school and I pull the car over. Willow climbs out without a word. I wind the window down and call out, “Have a nice day, dear.”
She flips me the bird and keeps walking, making me giggle.
Sammy smiles and grabs my hand, grateful that she doesn’t get a rise out of me.
“Are we going to go and have our coffee and hot chocolate now, little man?”
He nods with a beaming smile. “Yep.”
I pull out into the traffic. “I think I’m the luckiest nanny in the whole world to get to have hot chocolate with you every morning.”
His cute little face lights up and I feel my heart constrict. No shit. I really am the luckiest nanny in the whole world.
“Spill the beans,” I say to Emerson.
It’s Monday night and we are at Willow’s soccer. It’s dark and cold. Huge lights light up the fields. Sammy is kicking a ball with some little kids on the fields next to us. Emerson has come with me so we can catch up and
talk about Mark, the guy who picked her up from the airport. She worked for an art dealer back in Australia and had to email Mark’s company about some art that had to be shipped over. They got talking and started a friendship. She was convinced he was the one. He ended up getting her a job so that we could do this working holiday thing. I’m not sure we would be here if it wasn’t for his hounding.
“God, I don’t know.” She sighs. “There just seems to be no spark.”
“What do you mean?
“He doesn’t have ‘the thing’, you know. He’s short, and to be honest, he kind of annoys me.”
I giggle as I sip my coffee. We’re sitting in the car as we watch Willow train.
We watch the cold mist appear in front of everyone’s mouths when they speak.
“This place is fucking freezing,” she mutters into her coffee.
“I know, right? Witches tits cold.”
I glance over and see Mr. Masters walking across the field. He’s wearing his navy suit and a long, dark overcoat. His hair is short, and his jawline strong.
I feel a flutter in my stomach. Something seems to have changed for me with him. Now, I seem to be thinking about him all the time.
When he talks to me, I have to concentrate on not watching his big, red lips.
It’s distracting. He really is gorgeous.
“Mr. Masters is here.” I smile. “Back in a second.” I jump out of the car and make my way over to him.
“Well, hello, Miss Brielle.” He has this Cheshire cat kind of grin on tonight.
“Hello.” I go up on my toes as I speak.
“How was your day?” he asks. His tongue darts out to lick his bottom lip and I feel my stomach clench.
“It was great. How was yours?”
He smirks. “Good. Run over any poor, unsuspecting golfers today?”
I giggle as I run my hand through my ponytail. “No, I save my specialized driving skills for you.” I look down. “How’s your foot?”
“Barely attached,” he replies dryly.
“I can cut it off if you like? Save you a hospital visit.”
He chuckles. “Scarily, I have no idea if you’re joking or not.”
We both laugh. Willow looks up, and he gives her a wave. She waves back.
“I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” I say.
“I thought I’d make the effort.” His eyes hold mine and I smile. This has to do with my dig at him the other night.
“You go away on Wednesday, right?” I ask.
“Yes, first thing. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“We’ll be fine.”
“Janine is going to do extra hours, too. She’s there to help you at any time. She and her husband can come and stay at the house if you want them to.”
“We’ll be fine,” I repeat. I point to the car with my thumb. “Emerson came with us tonight. She’s sitting in the car.”
He dips his head and smiles. He waves at her and she waves right back. “I should let you get back to her,” he says.
“Okay.”
“I’m going to sit on the other side of the field. I’ll see you at home?”
The air between us is buzzing like it’s electricity.
Where is this coming from?
“Sure.”
Our eyes linger a little too long on each other’s until I force myself to look away. “See you at home.”
I turn, walk back to the car, hop in and slam the door. My heart is beating in my chest.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Emerson snaps.
“What?”
“You flirt with each other?”
“No. What do you mean?”
“He just checked out your ass as you walked away.”
My eyes widen, my excitement soaring. “Really?”
She rolls her eyes. “He’s fucking old, Brell.”
I smile as I watch him walk across the fields away from us.
“He’s not that old. He’s thirty-nine.”
“That’s old”
“You do have to admit, he is pretty hot for an old guy.” I smile.
She smirks as she watches him. “I suppose in an old, rich guy kind of way… he is.”
I’m sitting at the table and helping Willow with her homework. She has an assignment due tomorrow and is freaking out.
Mr. Masters is in his office. I can hear him on the phone talking to someone. He’s been on and off his phone all night.
“I need my compass.” Willow sighs.
“Where is it?”
“In my desk drawer.”
“I’ll get it.” I walk out to the foyer and take the bottom step. I can hear Mr. Masters speaking on the phone.
“They are about to go up,” he says.
He listens for a moment.
“Buy five-hundred now.”
I stop on the second step so I can eavesdrop He listens for a moment. “I’m considering putting a million on.”
What the fuck is he talking about?
“Okay, yes.” He pauses. “I’ll transfer five-hundred-thousand now. It’s a sure thing. I’ll double it in a month.”
Holy shit!
Mr. Masters plays the stock market. That’s where this money comes from.