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)
“I don’t know what to say,” she murmurs, removing her hand from my touch to wipe her eyes that have filled with tears.
“You and Violet would have your own rooms and bathrooms. Addie’s and my rooms are on the west wing of the second floor, so you guys can have the entire east wing to yourselves. As you saw tonight, my home is plenty big enough for all of us. Your hours would be eight to five, Monday through Friday. With Addie getting older, it’s harder to work from home with her. On the days you’re not needed, you’ll still be paid. Nights and weekends are yours, aside from the occasional evening I might need you, but I’ll give you plenty of notice.”
“Ana was paying me in cash,” Kira says. “I don’t have a bank account …”
Ana told me as much, which should’ve been a clue that there was more to her story than met the eye, but Ana just chalked it up to her being new in town and not having had time to open a bank account yet.
“I’ll pay you two thousand a week in cash.”
Kira’s eyes widen in shock. “That’s—”
“Eight thousand a month.”
“Too much.”
“It’s what I would pay any nanny I hired. I do have one stipulation though.”
Her body stiffens as she prepares herself for the other shoe to drop because she doesn’t trust me yet. And something in me wants her to trust me. I don’t know what she’s been through, but seeing as it’s just the two of them, something tells me that there’s a reason there’s no man in the picture. And my guess is, since she doesn’t have or want a bank account, she’s hiding out from him. That’s something we’ll have to discuss eventually, so I know what we’re dealing with and how to make sure they’re safe. But for right now, I need to take it one step at a time so I don’t scare her off.
“I want you to sign a one-year contract to live here and work for me. Anywhere you rent will be a drive to where I live, and I want someone here since my hours are all over the place. The company has a lot going on during the summer, and with the holidays, I’m going to need you quite a few nights. I want Addie to have consistency in her life, and it will be easier this way.”
Most of what I just said is bullshit, but it’s the only excuse I can come up with to convince her to stay under my roof, where I know they’ll both be safe, instead of her renting an apartment on the other side of town.
“Okay,” she agrees, shocking the hell out of me. I thought for sure she’d argue about the one-year contract. “But I think we should have a probationary period, just to make sure it works. Ninety days, and if we’re both happy, then I’ll sign a nine-month contract. If we’re not, then at least I’ll have enough to get my own place, and since Violet is turning five in July, she’ll be able to start kindergarten in the fall.”
“Sounds good,” I tell her. “I’ll have the papers drawn up. Since the phone you were using belongs to Kingston, I’ll have to get you a new one. Do you want to keep that number?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she says. “I only use it for work.”
“Okay, get some sleep.” I pat her hand and stand. “We have a busy day ahead of us at the museum tomorrow.”
She opens her mouth, having obviously forgotten about our plans, but I leave the kitchen before she can argue or try to change them. I don’t know what it is about this woman, but I’m drawn to her, and for the first time, I’m looking forward to Addie and me spending the day with someone other than Julian and Ana.
“God, that smells like heaven,” a feminine voice behind me breathes, shocking the hell out of me.
When I spin around, I find Kira standing in my kitchen, her hair messy from sleep and a small, unsure smile on her face.
“Sorry,” she says. “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”
“It’s all good. I’m just not used to people who can get out of bed on their own joining me this early in the morning,” I say with a laugh.
She steps farther into the kitchen and nods toward the espresso machine. “Looks like we have the same idea.”
“It’s the only way to get through the morning with a toddler,” I half joke.
“If I could, I’d have it directly injected into my veins,” Kira jokes back, having a seat at the island. “I think the smell lured me out of my sleep and down here.”
“How do you take your coffee?”
“Usually with caramel-flavored creamer, but really, it doesn’t matter as long as it has caffeine.”