Authors: Claire Boston
And that was another problem. He couldn’t deny he was attracted to her and he had to add that to the equation. The nanny he hired had to be the best for Kate’s wellbeing and nothing to do with him. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t hire anyone he was attracted to. But he also didn’t have a lot of choice.
He went to Kate’s bedroom and poked his head in. “You can come out now.”
Kate jumped off the bed and raced out, looking around. “Where’s Libby?”
“She’s gone to her room to get ready. She’s going to come back and look after you tonight.”
“Yes!” Kate did a little happy dance.
Adrian smiled. “Kiddo, we need to have a talk.”
“Uh, oh.”
He led her over to the couches and they sat down. “I need to find you a new nanny.”
Kate slouched down in the seat. “Yeah, I know.” She peered up at him. “Can we make sure she’s not like Emily?”
“What didn’t you like about Emily?” Adrian asked.
Kate shrugged. “She was a bit boring. She didn’t really like to play games or do anything except shop.”
The guilt was sharp and hot. Adrian pressed his lips together. He should have noticed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It didn’t really matter. You and I do all the fun stuff.”
In other words, when he wasn’t around Kate was unhappy. God, it had been a mistake bringing her with him. He’d thought it was for the best – she’d get to see the world, and being in a different place might help her forget for a little while – but maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe Susan had been right. The doubt that was never far away hovered over him. “What’s on your nanny wish list then, kiddo?”
“What?” She squinted at him.
“If you chose your nanny, what kind of person would she be?”
Kate sat up straight, screwing up her face as she thought. “She’d have to like to play games like cards and board games.”
Adrian jumped up and took her notebook from the table. “Games.” He wrote it down.
Kate grinned. “She needs to like to go out and do stuff – but not shopping. Go exploring.”
“Exploring,” he said as he added it to the list. “Got it. What else?”
“She should be able to cook. Emily wasn’t very good.” Kate twisted her hands together. She did that when she wanted to say something else but she wasn’t sure she should.
“Spit it out, kiddo.”
“Well, it would be cool if she knew about writing.”
Adrian’s hand paused for a second on the notepad. “Writer. Okay, is there anything else?”
“She should be fun and kind too,” Kate added in a rush.
“All right. I think I’ve got it all. I’ll see what I can do.”
Could he ignore his attraction to Libby for the good of Kate?
He had some thinking to do.
***
Libby took her time getting ready. She’d done it now. She’d offered to care for Kate and now she had to wait for Adrian to decide. She wasn’t sure what would be worse – if he agreed or if he refused.
She fired up her laptop before she headed to the shower and afterward she checked the rest of her emails. The one from the realtor hadn’t magically disappeared as she’d hoped. She flagged it and ran through the rest. At the bottom there was one from George with the tour itinerary and the contract.
Her heart jolted. Did that mean Adrian had agreed?
She checked the time it was sent. He’d sent it this morning, before she’d seen Adrian, like he said he would.
She opened the contract first and worked through the legal speak. When she got to the part about remuneration, her jaw dropped. Even though she had a new deadline, being Kate’s nanny
definitely
made financial sense. She’d be able to afford the bond on a new place and replace her fridge if it died. She wouldn’t have to go to her parents for help. She just hoped the hours would work in her favor.
Mentally crossing her fingers, she opened up the itinerary and scanned it. Adrian had four concerts in Melbourne, four in Sydney and three in Brisbane before heading west to her home state for two concerts in Perth. Every couple of nights he had a break and between cities there were several days free.
Most of his media appointments were on the day of his first concert and of course he had sound checks to sort out as well. Kate only needed care on concert nights and the media day. There would be lots of free time for Libby to meet her writing commitments. She calculated her daily word count and winced slightly. It was still doable.
The breath she’d been holding whooshed out of her. Her impulsive offer wouldn’t jeopardize her career.
Besides, she had to wait and see if Adrian and Kate wanted her, and they probably wouldn’t. She shrugged away the thought.
Now that she’d offered to be Kate’s nanny she realized she didn’t really know anything about Adrian or Kent. Giving in to impulse she did an internet search. Scrolling through several gossip websites, she learned that he was either reported as a recluse or a party animal. One site had been created by a group of concerned parents rallying to stop his music being played on the radio. They thought it was a bad influence on children. Libby found some of his music videos and watched a couple. She didn’t understand what his fans’ parents were so concerned about. The lyrics were meaningful, all about not giving up, fighting for what you believe in and trusting yourself. Libby thought they were inspirational.
Checking the time, she flagged the emails she had to reply to, then packed up her things and went back upstairs to look after Kate.
***
Adrian let her in. “Kate’s having a shower.” He was slightly tense and his fingers drummed against the door as he held it open.
Was he regretting his decision?
Libby walked through and placed her laptop case next to the couch. She had to be professional and allay his concerns. He didn’t need to be worrying about Kate while he was at work. “What does she have for dinner?” she asked.
“The nanny usually cooks but I promised Kate she could order room service tonight. She’s not allergic to anything and she can have whatever she wants.” He paused. “There’s nothing too unhealthy on the menu.”
“What time is bedtime?”
“Eight thirty. She’s still recovering from the late night yesterday and we’re going out exploring tomorrow so I want to make sure she’s not too tired.” His tone was slightly defensive, as if he was expecting her to disagree.
“Good thinking.” Libby kept her tone light. “Anything else I need to know?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Sometimes Kate sleeps with her stars on. It’s a night-light that revolves and projects the night sky on the ceiling. It’s in her room and she knows how to use it. I leave it on all night for her.”
Kate came out of the bathroom dressed in green flannelette pajamas covered in blue stars and with her hair wrapped up in a turban. “Hi, Libby. Can we do some more writing tonight?”
“Of course.” Libby was surprised at how keen Kate was. Other children she knew would have lost interest when they realized how much work it was.
Adrian’s cell rang and he answered it. He listened to the speaker and then said, “Be right down.” He hung up and turned to Kate.
“I’ve got to go, kiddo.” He shuffled as if he wasn’t sure about leaving.
“Have fun.” She gave him a hug.
“You too.” He turned to Libby and handed her a business card. “If you need anything, this is George’s cell phone number.”
Libby reached for it, but she sensed he was still reluctant. “I’ll take good care of her. I promise.”
Their eyes met and Libby saw the love and concern he had for his niece. She’d never seen that kind of concern on her parents’ faces. Her insides melted.
“Hurry up, Uncle Ade. George hates to be kept waiting and Libby and I have work to do.” Kate grabbed her uncle’s hand and dragged him toward the door.
He grinned. “Okay, okay, I’m going.” He swiped his bag and let his niece pull him out of the room. He glanced back at Libby.
She smiled and waved, not at all worried about his reluctance. It was only to be expected. Kate skipped back into the room. “Ready?”
“Yep. Let’s get set up.” Libby placed her laptop on the dining table. “What time do you want to order dinner?” she asked. It was still early and Libby was full from her double choc, whipped cream, marshmallow delight, but Kate might be hungry.
“We could order now for six. Then we don’t have to worry about it.” Kate jumped up and snatched the room service menu from the sideboard. Bringing it to the table, she opened it and put it between them so Libby could read it as well.
“I’m going to try the Aussie burger. It’s got beetroot in it – that’s so weird.”
Libby smiled. “Tasty, though. I’ll get a salad.” At Kate’s incredulous look she added, “I had a big lunch. Do you want dessert?”
Kate flipped to the desserts. “Banana sundae.”
Libby stood and went to the phone to order. Afterward she turned to Kate. “Let’s get to work.”
For the next few hours they worked on their stories, stopping only to eat dinner when it arrived. They started with a brainstorming session that had them in fits of giggles, but then there was silence, broken by the clack of keys as they wrote.
Checking the time, Libby sighed. “Time for bed, Kate.”
“No, I just have to finish this bit.” Kate didn’t look up from her typing.
Was Kate going to be difficult? “Five minutes.”
She knew how long ‘just finishing a bit’ could take.
Kate grimaced but continued to peck out the words.
Libby stood and tidied up the dinner dishes, putting the tray outside to be collected by hotel staff.
She stretched, reaching her hands above her head and standing on tiptoes. Writing was such a sedentary job – she felt stiff if she sat for any length of time without getting up.
“Time’s up,” she said.
“Finished!” Kate said with a flourish.
Libby was surprised. She’d expected to have a fight on her hands. “Make sure you save it.”
A few minutes later, Libby tucked Kate into bed.
“Thanks for your help today, Libby.”
“It was my pleasure.” And it had been. She’d really enjoyed watching Kate’s mind work as she plotted and discarded ideas and then wrote down the story. “Will you come and say goodbye before you leave tomorrow?” Kate asked.
Libby’s heart compressed at the hope in Kate’s eyes. “Of course. You still have my card, don’t you?”
“Yep.”
“Then it’s not goodbye. It’s until we meet again.”
“Or until we write again.” Kate giggled.
“That’s right.” She gave the girl a hug. “Good night. I’ll be right outside if you need anything.”
“Night, Libby.”
Libby left the room, leaving the door open but turning off the lights in the main room so only the light over the dining table was on. She sat down at her laptop and stared at the screen.
She’d had fun tonight. Kate was easy to be around and Libby had to admit encouraging her to write was a joy.
For someone who had been orphaned, Kate was coping well. Libby put it down to how well Adrian cared for her. For a single man in his early thirties, he was a fantastic guardian.
Libby really wanted to spend some more time with them. Both of them.
And wasn’t that a problem? The last time she’d spent any length of time with a man, was when she’d still been with her ex, Clint, and she’d almost lost her book contract. It had doubly hurt when she realized her loss had been pointless – that he had only been using her. She’d never fall for that again.
She needed to focus on her new deadline and forget about men altogether. They weren’t worth the heartache.
She stared at the screen, willing words to come, but her mind wandered.
She’d been so in love with Clint.
It had been at one of her mother’s charity events. Libby always felt awkward at such events. People assumed she had money to spend because she had multiple books published and when she never bid on anything she felt she was being judged. On this particular night she’d figured her obligatory two-hour attendance was up when Clint had introduced himself. He was a doctor, planning to specialize in the same field as her parents. That should have been her first warning.
He’d made her laugh with his assessment of the people around them: those who were there to be seen, those who were sure their social status was locked up in how much they bid for an item, and those there to have fun.
Libby had been relieved to have someone to talk to. They chatted mostly about his work and for the first time Libby was glad all her family were in the medical profession, because she could understand what he was talking about and could empathize.
Before she knew it, it was the end of the night and Clint had asked for her phone number.
He’d called the very next day and they’d met for coffee. Libby had listened while Clint told her about his dream to be neurosurgeon like Libby’s father.
After that they spent as much time together as they could, but his long working hours made it difficult. Libby stopped writing so she could meet his schedule, and when they didn’t see each other he would call. She introduced him to her parents and then endured a dinner at which the three of them spoke about surgery. Afterward her father had been impressed by Clint. Libby might not have followed the family tradition, but she could marry someone who did.
She knew Clint’s roster by heart and was thrilled when the phone rang – and disappointed when it didn’t.
She told herself to be happy with the time he gave her, though it wasn’t much. Part of her worried that his job took so much of his time. Any children they had would miss their father like she had. But at least they’d have her.
Libby had been so caught up in the dream that she’d been late delivering her second manuscript and almost lost her contract.
Then she’d cancelled a dinner with her parents and Clint had been angry. He had a scholarship opportunity he wanted to discuss with her father. She’d told him to go without her and he had. From that point the phone calls were fewer and further apart. It was her mother who had told her that Clint had won the scholarship, and when Libby had mentioned she hadn’t seen him recently, she was told not to be needy. Training to be a surgeon was hard work.
Finally she found out the real reason she’d seen so little of him. Her mother had rung to tell her all about the wonderful scholarship dinner she’d attended the night before, and to ask why Libby hadn’t told her she’d broken up with Clint. He’d been there with a charming woman and they were engaged.