Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“Did she agree to that?” Ana asks.
“I haven’t asked. I wanted to run it by you first. It would mean removing her from Kingston’s payroll since she’d be working strictly for me.”
“As long as Kira’s okay with it, I am. If we need to hire someone else in the future, we’ll worry about it then. I can’t believe they’ve been sleeping in their freaking car and we never knew.”
We talk for a few more minutes, and when I hear someone padding down the stairs, I let her know I’ll update her with Kira’s decision tomorrow.
I step out of my office just as Kira’s rounding the corner. She doesn’t notice me at first, so when she does, she shrieks, clutching her chest.
“Sorry,” I say with a chuckle. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s like you came out of nowhere,” she breathes, glancing around like there’s a trap door hidden somewhere.
“This is my office.”
I open the door behind me that looks like it’s part of the wall when it’s closed, and she peeks in curiously. With her body so close to mine, I catch a whiff of her scent—coconut with a hint of vanilla. Her arm brushes mine, and I stiffen in response, overwhelmed by her scent and touch hitting me all at once.
I’ve made it a point to avoid getting too close to Kira, knowing nothing good can come from my attraction toward her—and seeing the way she practically eye-fucked me by the pool when I took my shirt off, I have no doubt she’s just as attracted to me—which is why it’s even more imperative that I keep my distance from her, especially if she’s going to be living here. Boundaries are going to need to be set to ensure lines aren’t crossed.
“I was going to get a bottle of water,” she says, stepping back. “If that’s okay …”
“You don’t need permission to go anywhere in this house,” I tell her, closing my office door and walking to the kitchen with her following. “Is Violet asleep?”
“Out like a light,” she says with a soft laugh as she has a seat at the island. “With how many times she went up those stairs and down the slide, I’m surprised she stayed awake long enough for me to give her a bath. Addie asleep?”
“She did in fact fall asleep while I was bathing her,” I say, handing her a bottle of water from my fridge.
“Thank you,” she says with a watery smile. “I didn’t realize how badly we needed this.”
She closes her eyes and shakes her head, and it takes everything in me not to round the island and pull her into my arms. Every day I see her at the childcare, she always looks so put together, dressed professionally with her hair and makeup done. But right now, dressed in a pair of pajamas with her wet hair up in a messy bun and no makeup on, she looks utterly defeated. Still beautiful, but defeated.
“How long have you been living in your car?” I ask, sitting next to her.
“Almost three months,” she admits, turning toward me. “But we sleep at a motel occasionally to do laundry and shower. I’ve almost saved enough to rent an apartment, and then we won’t have to sleep in the car anymore.”
“You’re not sleeping in your car again.”
“You don’t understand,” she starts but immediately closes her mouth.
I wait several seconds for her to explain, but when it’s clear she’s not going to, I set my hand on top of hers and lock eyes with her. “You’re right. I don’t understand. But what I do know is, you wouldn’t be sleeping in your vehicle unless you had no other choice. If and when you’re ready to tell me what’s going on, I’ll be here. But until then, I want you and Violet to stay here.”
“What?” she gasps, shaking her head. “No, we couldn’t—”
“You can,” I argue. “I need to hire a nanny, and I’d like to hire you.”
“But I work for Kingston.”
“Taking care of Addie,” I point out. “Ana’s decided she’s going to work from home for a while after the baby comes, which means the only baby you’ll be caring for is my daughter. I spoke to Ana, and she’s agreed.”
“She knows?” she whispers.
“I had to tell her.” I squeeze her hand comfortingly, ignoring how soft her skin is. “But nobody is judging you or thinks any less of you. You’re a wonderful mother, and I would love it if you came to work for me. I don’t trust a lot of people with my daughter, but I trust you.”
And that’s the truth. For the past month, I’ve watched her take care of Kingston and Addie and the other kids at the childcare as if they were her own. She not only takes care of them, but she also cares about them. I see it in the way she speaks to them and interacts with them.