Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
He tilts his head to study me, our hands still clasped together.
Three…two…one.
My eyes widen in shock. “OH MY GOD!”
His tough guy exterior finally cracks, just a bit. He very nearly smiles.
“I know you! You’re famous!”
“Barely.”
“Oh don’t be modest! Come on—you’re like a superstar! My dad is obsessed with you. My brother is obsessed with you! I’m…okay, I admit, I’m not a super big baseball fan—I’ve been a little busy—but I’m still really impressed.”
“You don’t have to keep shaking my hand.”
“Oh!” I let go. “Well this changes things.” Last night flashes through my mind for the thousandth time, only now it’s somehow worse. My hand flies up to my mouth as I gasp. “I assaulted Luke Allen. My dad will never forgive me.”
“No offense, but there wasn’t that much of an assault.”
“Dear god! What if I’d hit your hands! I bet they’re insured for like a billion dollars each!”
“Not anymore,” he says, sounding amused.
I frown, trying to figure out what he means by that, but he’s already moving on.
“About last night…did you not realize I was coming? Is that why you were so surprised? Because Pat knew about the change of plans. I told him I was coming here for the summer rather than going to Colorado, and if he failed to inform you—”
Horrified, I grab his forearm with a reassuring grip. “No. The fault is entirely mine. Pat did send me a text message, but I didn’t see it. The thing is, I have a very large family, and we have a group text. It can get out of hand sometimes, and I had silenced my phone in the evening then forgot to check it before I went to sleep…”
It’s true. I didn’t see Pat’s text until this morning. It read: Change of plans. Hamptons owner, Mr. Allen, will arrive today. Please prepare the house for his arrival using the PDF checklist I emailed to you.
I wonder if “throw a slipper at his head” was on that list; I’ll have to check.
Luke looks relieved to know Pat’s not made a mistake. Then less relieved when he realizes I’m still touching him.
Oh right. No putting your hands on your boss. That’s a good rule to live by, something that would have served me well in my last job.
I let go and prop my hands on my hips. “So, all’s well that ends well, huh?”
He doesn’t confirm this. I’d guess he’d say we still have quite a bit of unfinished business.
He clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck. Already, I can hear the guilt seep into his voice when he begins, “So here’s the thing, Chloe…you’re here, employed as a caretaker for the house, which is slightly redundant now that I’ll be here for the summer…”
Oh god, I can feel it coming, the axe.
A dejected “Oh” is all I manage.
“And Ned maintains the grounds.”
“That’s been made abundantly clear,” I tell him with a little laugh.
“And a cleaning service will come every other week…”
So you see, you aren’t needed. You’re fired.
I know that’s what he’s about to say. I will lose two jobs in less than a month and be right back where I was before, shacking up with Nonna, shoving a chair underneath the bathroom doorknob just for some freaking privacy.
“I can cook!” I exclaim suddenly. “I’m trained and everything!”
I gesture toward the breakfast food littering the counter on the off chance he missed it all on his way into the kitchen. The quiche could use another few minutes, but I don’t pass up the chance to whip it out of the oven this very second, swerving close once I have it in hand and wafting the scent his way before I set it down to cool.
Then I smile and boldly put my offer out there. “I understand what you’re saying. My duties have changed, but”—I hold up my hand to stop him before he can interrupt me—“perhaps I could maintain some caretaker duties, fill in the gaps on the weeks the cleaning crew isn’t here, and cook for you and your daughter whenever you’d like.”
“Daddy?” A quiet voice sounds from down the hall.
A little girl pads into the kitchen with a stuffed unicorn tucked beneath her arm. She rubs sleep from her eyes and blinks, looking between her dad and me, trying to piece together the scene she’s just walked in on.
Luke doesn’t hesitate. He hurries over to scoop her up, easily carrying her into the kitchen with her resting in one of his arms.
“Hungry, Harper?”
“Yes. But Daddy, why am I still wearing my clothes from yesterday?”
“You fell asleep in the car last night and I didn’t want to wake you up. You know what else? I didn’t brush your teeth either, so I guess we’ll have to brush double good this morning.”
She laughs. “That’s so silly!”
Luke smiles at his daughter, and it completely transforms his features. The hard lines, the sharp angles, they melt away, leaving a man so intoxicatingly handsome it makes my stomach clench.