The Secret Billionaire's Nanny: A Single Dad & Nanny Romance Page 3

  “Dad? Can I have some money for ice cream?” she asks.

  Lucas pulls out some cash for her. “Only if you get us cones, too.”

  “I can’t carry three cones!”

  Lucas laughs and looks over at me. “What do you say? Should we go get some?”

  “Definitely,” I say.

  As Lucas and I follow the girls over to the ice cream place, we get another few looks from women who I assume are also the mothers of Penelope’s schoolmates. This time, though, I just stand up straighter and smile over at Lucas. And when he smiles back, I feel like nothing can hurt me.

  A few days later, though, when I’m in the grocery store with Penelope one afternoon, something awful happens. Penelope has just gone off to look at the candy aisle—I’ve told her that she can pick out one thing—and I’m in the produce section, picking out apples. As I pick up another one to add to my bag, I sense someone approach, and I take a step to the side so that I’m not in the way.

  But it’s not the apples the person is interested in.

  “We all know what you’re after,” the woman hisses.

  My eyes shoot up to her. I immediately recognize her from the beach. “Excuse me?”

  “Don’t pretend like you aren’t,” she says.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  She smirks at me. “What? You think none of us have tried? You think you’re special or something?” She leans in a little closer. “Were you a virgin? Is that why he likes you?”

  “Fuck you,” I say. I throw the bag of apples in my basket and bolt away. My hands are shaking, and I’m completely disoriented, but I find Penelope and tell her that we have to go. She gives me a strange look.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I say, gripping the handle of the basket tighter. “We just need to go, honey.”

  My hands are still shaking the whole drive back home. And the woman’s words keep pounding in my ears. What the hell was she talking about?

  As soon as we get home, I want to text Lucas. My gut’s telling me there’s something important I need to know that he hasn’t told me. But I don’t want to disturb him at work. And I should probably calm down a little more before talking to him.

  Besides, I want to look him in the eyes when I ask him.

  Chapter Six

  Lucas

  “She did what?” I growl. “What the fuck is wrong with that woman?”

  I’ve only been home for a few minutes and Sophia and I are standing in the kitchen, out of earshot of Penelope. Sophia has just told me about what happened in the grocery store, and I’m completely shocked to hear that someone would say things like that to her.

  “What did she mean, she knows what I’m after, Lucas?” Sophia says.

  “She’s nuts, Sophia. I’m so sorry you were subjected to that.”

  “I just want to know what she was talking about.”

  I press my lips together. I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to lie to Sophia. But this isn’t how I wanted to tell her the truth, either.

  “What are you hiding from me?” asks Sophia.

  But I can’t speak. The words just won’t come.

  “Fine. Don’t tell me.”

  “I’m sorry, Sophia,” I say. “But you can trust me. I promise.”

  She doesn’t say anything for several seconds, then lets out a big sigh. “I don’t think I can do this.”

  My chest constricts. “What are you saying?”

  “After our day at the beach, I thought I was strong enough to handle whatever judgments other people were going to make about seeing us together. But then today happened. And I have a feeling it’s going to keep happening. Especially since that woman said ‘we.’” She takes a breath. “I’m really sorry, Lucas. I love looking after Penelope. And I have genuine feelings for you. But I can’t let myself stay in a situation like this. It could very easily send me into a dark place.”

  And then it feels like someone’s stabbing me in the gut as she says the next words: “I can’t do this. I’m sorry. But I have to quit. And I can’t see you anymore.”

  I try, desperately, to think of something I can say to her that will change her mind. But even telling her the truth about me won’t make a difference now. Because this isn’t about us. This is about other people.

  “What if I talk to them? To those women?” I say.

  “Please don’t,” she says. “That will only make it worse.”

  She’s right. Fuck.

  “I’m going to figure this out,” I say.

  She gives me a sad smile. “I’ll stay until you find a replacement, okay?”

  But I refuse to look for a replacement. That is, I refuse until Sophia gets confronted again when she and Penelope are out in a park one afternoon. It’s a different woman this time, but the same sort of thing of spewing nasty comments at her. And as much as I want to get the cops involved, or go yell some sense into those cruel women myself, I know that for Sophia’s safety, the best thing to do is to remove her from the situation. So I put up an ad, emphasizing that I need someone as soon as possible.

  I get over a dozen replies within twenty-four hours.

  After filtering out the people I can tell wouldn’t be a good fit, I email the rest to set up in-person meetings. I take the following afternoon off from work to meet with each of them. By the end of the day, I have a new nanny ready to start looking after Penelope as soon as the next day.

  But telling Penelope the news when I get home is tough. She looks from me to Sophia with furrowed brows, then says, “Don’t leave, Sophia. Please don’t leave.”

  “I wish I didn’t have to, honey,” says Sophia, crouching down to Penelope’s height. “But I do. I’m going to miss you so much.”

  Penelope starts crying, and Sophia takes her into her arms. I feel awful, seeing my little girl in pain. This is all my fault, too. If I hadn’t stepped over that line with Sophia, if I’d been able to restrain myself and keep our relationship professional, then those women would never have started bullying her. She wouldn’t be leaving right now. And Penelope would still be her usual happy self.

  “Will I ever get to see you again?” Penelope asks.

  Sophia swallows. “I don’t know. I hope so.” She wipes her own eyes and pulls back from the hug to look Penelope in the face. “I know you’re really sad right now. But you know what, Penelope? You’re going to meet your new nanny tomorrow. And I know she’s going to be great. I want you to promise me that you’ll be just as welcoming to her as you were to me. Okay?”

  Penelope nods. “Okay.”

  “Good. Now give me at least three more hugs before I go.”

  Chapter Seven

  Sophia

  I dip my brush into a glob of paint on my palette and smear it across the canvas. The blue picks up some of the black paint that hasn’t dried yet and continues to darken as I keep dragging the brush. I add a few more strokes to the canvas, then step back and try to see the piece with fresh eyes.

  It’s good, I think. It still needs work. But it’s getting there. And so are the other pieces I’ve been working on. I have four done so far in the series. These new paintings look nothing like my previous work. They’re dark, aching, and moody.

  Which is, of course, exactly how I feel inside.

  It’s been a tough couple of weeks. It’s really sucked, not being able to see Lucas and Penelope. I miss them so much. But I know that leaving was the right thing to do—the situation with those women was only going to escalate if I’d stayed.

  I add a little more paint to the corner of the canvas, adding more depth to a spot that feels too flat. When I step back again, I feel the painting hold together a little better.

  The sound of a video call rings from the other room. I set my brush and palette down and wipe my hands off on the splattered apron tied around my waist as I go grab my phone.

  My mood instantly brightens when I see that it’s Ava calling. Although we’ve been texting ple
nty—especially when all the drama went down—it’s been a while since we’ve video chatted. I tap Answer and hold the phone up in front of my face.

  “Hey!” she says, her face pixelating and then becoming sharp. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

  “I was painting,” I say. “But I could use the break. I’m glad you called.”

  “Oh! Can I get a sneak peek of your work?”

  “I mean…if you really want to see it.”

  “I really want to see it, Sophia. Come on.”

  “Okay. Hold on.” I carry the phone into my living room, which I essentially use as a painting studio. I show Ava the paintings I’ve finished, eventually making my way over to the one I’m currently working on.

  “Oh, wow,” says Ava. “They’re incredible, Sophia.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No, I mean it. I know I always say that I like your work…but there’s something different about these ones. I think you should show them to a gallery or something.”

  I look at the paintings again. She really thinks they’re that good?

  “Really?” I say, turning the phone around so that my face is in the frame again.

  “Really,” says Ava. “I wouldn’t just say that.”

  “Well…thank you. That means a lot to me. And I’ll seriously consider the gallery thing.”

  “Please do.”

  I smile. “Anyway…how are you? How’s the internship?”

  “It’s great,” says Ava. “I’m so glad I came here. And the city’s amazing, of course. I miss you, though.”

  “I miss you, too.”

  “And I’m sorry everything got screwed up with Lucas. If I’d known something like that would happen, I would have never—”

  “Stop, Ava. It’s not your fault.”

  She nods. A second passes. “Do you still think about him?”

  “Of course I do,” I say.

  “I’m sure he thinks about you, too.”

  “Ava…” I say.

  “Sorry. I know. I just wish there was some way you two could be together.”

  “Well, there’s not.” And once I change the subject, she doesn’t bring him up again.

  Ava and I catch up for a while longer, getting lost in chatting and laughing just like old times. It’s so great to talk to her. It’s exactly what I need. And after hanging up, I consider what she said about my paintings, and I look at them with fresh eyes. Maybe Ava’s right. Maybe there is something special about these ones. Maybe they’re even good enough to pique a gallery’s interest.

  I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot, right?

  The first gallery I approach says no. So does the second. And the third. By the time I email the fourth gallery, I’ve already mentally prepared myself to hear yet another no. But two days after sending the email, I receive a response back, and…well, it’s not a yes, but it’s not a no, either.

  They want me to bring my work in.

  I show up at the gallery the next day with nerves in my stomach and two of my paintings under my arm. When I tell the woman at the front desk why I’m there, she smiles kindly and tells me that someone will be right with me. Less than a minute later, a woman walks out and shakes my hand.

  “Thanks for coming in today, Sophia,” she says. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing your paintings in person.”

  Nervously, I wait as she sets them against the wall and studies them for a while. Finally, she turns to me.

  “These are both very beautiful,” she says. “You said it’s a series of four?”

  “Thank you,” I say, my pulse pounding in my ears. “Yes. That’s correct.”

  She nods. “Excellent. Well, we actually have a group show coming up in a few weeks, and one of our artists had to drop out at the last minute. I think your paintings would make a lovely addition to the show. I’m envisioning hanging the four paintings together as a set. How do you feel about that?”

  “I…that would be amazing,” I say. It takes all my restraint to not scream out in joy.

  “Wonderful,” she says. “Come on back to my office with me and I’ll fill you in on all the details.”

  Chapter Eight

  Lucas

  “I see her, Daddy!” Penelope shouts, and before I can stop her, she darts into the crowd. I follow her, apologizing to the people I’m forcing my way past. This gallery is way more crowded than I expected. It’s exciting, though, to see so many people here.

  When I finally catch up with Penelope, she’s giving Sophia a hug. Sophia is laughing, telling her how good it is to see her. Then Sophia’s eyes drift up and she sees me.

  “Lucas,” she says, her face bright and happy. I take a step closer and give her a hug. It’s so good to hold her in my arms, even if it’s only for a few seconds.

  “Congratulations on the show,” I say.

  “Thank you,” she says. “But how did you find out about it?”

  “Ava emailed me.”

  “Ah,” says Sophia, giving a knowing nod. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  “So which pieces are yours?” I ask.

  Sophia points to four paintings hanging together on the wall. They’re dark and striking. Emotion surges in me as soon as I see them.

  “Wow,” I tell her. “Those are…I don’t even know how to describe them. They’re wonderful, Sophia.”

  She smiles. “Thank you.”

  I look at her again and take a breath. “I hope it’s okay that we came.”

  “Of course it is,” she says. Her voice grows a bit softer. “I missed you. Both of you.”

  “Sophia,” says Penelope, tugging on Sophia’s shirt. “Look. I lost a tooth.”

  “You did!” Sophia says. “Did the Tooth Fairy leave you anything?”

  “Uh huh. Two dollars.”

  “Wow. That’s more than I ever got.”

  “Will you come to dinner with us?”

  Sophia looks at me questioningly. “Um…”

  “We’d love to take you out,” I say. “To celebrate. No pressure, though. I know you might have other plans.”

  Sophia smiles at me again. She’s such a beautiful sight. “I’d love to have dinner with you two. I only need to stick around for another ten minutes or so, and then we can go. That okay?”

  “That’s perfect,” I say.

  Penelope and I catch up with Sophia over steaming bowls of ramen. Mostly, it’s Penelope telling Sophia all the stuff she’s been doing, as well as telling her about how the new nanny has been.

  “Don’t worry, though,” says Penelope, lowering her voice and leaning over her bowl of ramen, “I still like you more.”

  Sophia laughs. She asks Penelope about the rest of her summer plans, and whether she’s excited for school to start in the fall. I love seeing how happy Penelope is around Sophia. And I get it. Being around Sophia makes me really happy, too.

  It’s also bittersweet, though. Because this is what we’re missing out on. But I think I’ve finally found a way that the three of us can have this—that is, if Sophia still wants it.

  “Do you want to tell Sophia our big news, Penelope?” I say. “You’ve been so good at keeping the secret.”

  “Big news?” says Sophia. Oh, shit. She looks concerned. Maybe this isn’t going to go over like I thought.

  “We bought a new house,” announces Penelope.

  Sophia’s brows lift. “You did? Where?”

  “Not too far from here, actually,” I say. “It’s a good neighborhood. Quiet. Good schools. And the commute’s not bad.”

  “That’s exciting,” says Sophia. “Congrats.” She’s looking at me with curiosity in her face, though. I think she can tell that there’s more I want to tell her. But now’s not quite the right time. Soon, though.

  Our waitress approaches the table, bringing us a fresh pot of tea.

  “Thank you,” I say. I can still feel Sophia’s eyes on me, but I turn to my daughter and say, “Why don’t you tell Sophia about all the fun stu
ff in our new neighborhood, Pen?”

  It’s after dinner, when Sophia and I are walking side-by-side down the street and Penelope is a little ways ahead of us, that I finally get a chance to really talk to Sophia.

  “I’m sure you’re wondering why we moved,” I say.

  She nods.

  “Well…after everything that happened…I realized that community wasn’t right for us. And when I talked to Penelope about it, she was excited about the idea of living somewhere new, too. It’s her adventurous spirit, I guess. Anyway, we started looking at houses the next day. And now we’re in the new one.”

  “You make it sound as easy as picking out a cake at the store.”

  “I have the resources to make things like that easy.”

  Her footsteps slow. “So it was about money. What that woman was yelling at me about, I mean. She was accusing me of going after your money, wasn’t she?”

  “Yes.”

  Sophia frowns. “I don’t understand, though. You don’t seem…um…how do I say this?”

  “I don’t seem rich?”

  She nods. I smile.

  “That’s because I don’t like flaunting my wealth,” I say. “And I don’t care about material goods. I do like spending money on certain things in life—like good wine and amazing vacations. But that’s plenty for me. Besides, I want Penelope to grow up in as normal of an environment as possible.”

  “I see,” says Sophia. “Well, that makes sense.”

  I stop walking. So does she. I want to reach for her hand, but I don’t want to make any assumptions, either.

  “Sophia,” I say. “I’ve missed you so much. I’ve thought about you every day since you left. And now that there’s no obstacles in our way…will you give me another chance?”

  A smile plays across Sophia’s lips. It’s the biggest smile she’s given me all night. “I was really, really hoping you’d say that. Yes. Of course. I’d love nothing more than to be with you.”