CYRUS
Miss Bruns stared at me with eyes so green, they reminded me of emeralds. Once more, I was struck by how gorgeous she was. Her wavy, red hair fell loose around her shoulders and stray strands caressed her pale face. A smattering of light freckles crossed her pixy nose, and that body…good Lord, it should be a crime for a woman to possess so many luscious curves.
It was a shame she had such a mouth on her, along with an annoying personality. She might have been able to tempt me, otherwise. As it was, though, all I wanted was for her to get out of my house before the headache she’d given me grew worse.
“What are you still doing here?” I demanded to know when she did not respond to my last question. Apparently, I’d made her speechless. I suspected that was a rarity. “I told you to leave.”
Before Miss Bruns could say a word in response, Megan hurried forward and stood in front of her, as if protecting her.
“Uncle Cyrus, don’t make her go!” the little girl begged. “Sadie is nice! I wanted to take her to my room, so she can see my new toys.”
Which ones? I thought, thinking of all the brand-new toys I’d showered on Megan since taking custody of her. Admittedly, I’d been spoiling the girl, but after everything she’d been through, I wanted to make her happy. For the most part, she seemed to be adjusting all right to living with me, but there was one thing that continued to concern me. She didn’t seem willing to bond with anyone other than me. Even at school, she wasn’t making many friends, and her teachers said she was quiet and kept to herself. That was a far cry from the bubbly, social, little girl she’d been when my sister had still been around.
The fact that she had already warmed up to Miss Bruns was…shocking. And a relief.
“Oh, I probably shouldn’t, honey,” Miss Bruns said in a gentle tone, resting her hand on Megan’s shoulder. “I need to get going. I’m sure you and your uncle have a lot to do yet today.”
That was part of my current predicament…I didn’t really know what to do with Megan. I loved her and wanted to care for her and protect her, but I wasn’t exactly a “kid guy.” I didn’t know the first thing about raising a child, let alone entertaining one. A nanny was a natural solution, especially given my busy work schedule, but finding the right fit for the position had proven a challenge. Miss Bruns was the first candidate that Megan had responded so positively to, and even though I couldn’t stand the woman after our brief meeting, I knew what I had to do for my niece’s sake.
Gritting my teeth, I choked out, “Perhaps you can show Miss Bruns the next time she’s here.” I looked up into Miss Bruns’s shining green eyes. “She’ll be moving in with us, after all, given that she’s your new nanny.”
Megan let out a squeal of delight, and Miss Bruns’s eyes shot wide.
“What?” she gasped. “You…you’re offering me the job?”
I reluctantly nodded. “Yes, I am. Megan has taken quite a liking to you, and I want her to be cared for by someone she’s comfortable with. Will you accept the position, Miss Bruns?”
She appeared hesitant, and for a moment, I thought she might actually turn me down. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
At length, however, she slowly nodded and said, “Yes, Mr. Grave, I’ll accept.”
“Yay!” Megan exclaimed, appearing delighted.
The girl’s response stunned me. She was acting like she and Miss Bruns were already best friends. Miss Bruns gazed down at her with a surprised smile, which lit up her face. I momentarily forgot how to breathe, which annoyed me.
Glancing away from her, I cleared my throat and grumbled, “I’ll need you to move in by the end of the week. Can you manage that?”
She frowned at me, and I could tell she wanted to snap something in response, but after a quick glance down at Megan, she looked back up at me and said, “Yes, that won’t be a problem.”
“Good.” I nodded. I needed to get away from her…I couldn’t make sense of my thoughts or my body’s response to her. She was too beautiful, but so infuriating. It was a frustrating combination.
Turning my attention to my niece, I said, “Come on, Megan. Miss Bruns has to go now, but she’ll be back very soon.”
“Okay,” Megan replied. She turned her eyes up to Miss Bruns and continued, “Come back real soon, okay?”
Miss Bruns’s smile returned. “I promise. Then, you can show me your toys.”
“Deal,” Megan grinned, holding out her hand for Miss Bruns to shake. I couldn’t help but smile at that. She was a little CEO in the making.
Moments later, Megan and I were walking Miss Bruns to the door. We watched her make her way down the front steps and hail down a Taxi. Once she was in the car and driving off, I shepherded Megan back into the house, praying that I hadn’t just made a terrible mistake.
Chapter 5
CYRUS
Three days later, Sadie came back with just a few boxes and a suitcase to move in. Thinking it was best that I stay out of her way while she got settled, I tasked my housekeeper, Mrs. Plumb, with helping her and showing her where her room was. I stayed in my office for most of the day, only coming out in the middle of the afternoon because I knew I couldn’t avoid her forever.
Making my way down the hall, I paused when I heard Megan giggling from her room. Slowly, I eased closer to the door and peeked inside to see what she was up to. Miss Bruns was inside with Megan, who was excitedly showing her new nanny all of her favorite stuffed animals that she kept lined up on her bed. Miss Bruns was nodding and smiling, showing genuine interest in what Megan was chattering about.
I had to admit, I was pleased to see Megan and Miss Bruns getting along so well already. It made me feel better about hiring the woman. Maybe we could make this work after all.
At that moment, Megan glanced toward me, and she exclaimed, “Uncle Cyrus! Did you know Sadie’s room is right across from mine? I can see her whenever I want!”
Miss Bruns turned toward me as well. Her expression was guarded, and I could see how tense her shoulders were, as if she were on alert. Like I couldn’t be trusted.
I clenched my teeth, my irritation returning in a rush.
“Are you all settled, Miss Bruns?” I asked in a stiff tone.
Nodding, she replied, “Yes, I am, Mr. Grave. Thank you.”
“I’d like to talk with you about some of my expectations for you and rules for the house.”
“All right.” Her tone was cool and clipped. When she looked down at Megan, however, her expression softened and her voice turned warm as she said, “I will be right back, sweetheart. Your uncle and I need to have a little chat.”
“Okay.” Megan grinned. “Don’t take too long, though. I want you to meet my dolls.”
“I’ll be right back,” Miss Bruns promised.
When her gaze returned to me, it was cool once more.
I bit my tongue, not wanting to snap at her for her clear ungratefulness in front of Megan. Silently, the two of us walked out of Megan’s room and headed down the hall toward my study. I waited until I was certain we were well out of earshot of Megan before I spoke.
“Something wrong with your room?” I asked, not even bothering to hide the irritation in my voice.
“What do you mean?” she asked, not looking at me.
“You’re acting like an ice queen,” I snapped. “Is this just your personality?”
She glared up at me.
“Actually, I’m a very warm and friendly person,” she said. “You just seem to bring this side out of me.”
I retorted, “Don’t give me all the credit. I’m sure this is rather natural for you.”
Her nostrils flared, but we reached my office before she could spit out any response. We went inside, and I slammed the door shut behind us.
“All right,” I said, my voice the same hard tone I used in meetings. “We need to establish some ground rules if this is going to work.”
She faced me, crossed her arms, and tilted her chin, boldly meeting my gaze.
“I’m listening,” she snapped when I didn’t start speaking right away.
I took a deep breath as I struggled to control my temper.
“First off, I’m going to need you to treat me with more respect. This is my home, and I’m your boss.”
She just kept staring at me with that cool gaze, seemingly unfazed.
“What else?”
“I don’t want random men coming in and out of here at all hours of the day,” I said, knowing it was an ugly assumption to make of her. “Keep your dating life away from my home and my niece.”
Her jaw dropped, and she appeared genuinely shocked.
“How dare you!” she hissed. “You don’t even know me, and you have the gall to say something like that to me?”
I didn’t offer an apology, even though I could admit that what I said had crossed the line. Still, I couldn’t seem to help myself when it came to this woman. She made me crazy. Everything she said seemed to trigger my anger. I wasn’t a patient guy to begin with, but she somehow managed to push me beyond my limits with little effort.
“Just make sure you keep yourself in line.”
“You are such a jerk. How is Megan such a sweet girl when you’re such a monster?”
Clenching my hands into fists at my sides, I struggled not to just start shouting at her in my frustration.
Instead, I snarled, “Maybe I should just fire you right now? Clearly, this isn’t going to work…”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Not this again. Don’t you have any other threats you can use?”
Stunned, I couldn’t think of a response, and she didn’t bother to wait for one. Turning on her heel, that sharp-tongued, little witch stormed away from me and right out of my office.