Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
“Hang on,” he called to me.
I stopped.
“Can you give me a few minutes to talk to Miss Gray?” he asked Annie.
She slid down along him until her small feet met the floor.
“Wait for me in the living room, okay?” he asked her gently.
She walked towards the living room without even glancing at me.
"Did she say much today?" he asked me.
"Not really. Mostly, she played on her phone, but don't worry about it. These things can take some time. It's an adjustment, but she'll get there."
"You have a lot of confidence," he stated as we stood in the doorway.
"I don't know if it's confidence. It's more like I have faith that eventually, I can get through to any child as long as I'm patient."
"Well, thank you.”
He leaned forward slightly and I caught a whiff of his cologne. It was so intoxicating I nearly knocked myself out.
"It's a real relief having someone around that knows what they're doing."
"I know what you mean. Every parent is nervous the first day when they leave their child with someone new.”
Was it my imagination or was his eyes hungrily roaming my body? “Have a good night, Christian."
"Goodnight, Hannah."
I smiled and waved before I walked away. Even though I didn't turn back to look at him, I could feel his eyes on me. I felt like I would melt underneath his gaze. When was the last time I'd felt like this? Being around Christian stoked my excitement and made my body react in ways I’d never felt before.
Once the door closed I allowed myself to take a deep breath. Whenever I was around him, all I could think about was his hand on my thigh or his lips on mine. And the more I thought about him, the more I fantasized about the possibilities.
"Okay, calm down," I muttered to myself as I rolled down my window to let in some air.
How the hell did I intend to work for Christian if every time I saw him, I had a million inappropriate thoughts about him? It was starting to feel like more than a silly crush that would fade with familiarity. Problem was it wasn’t fading it was growing stronger and stronger.
I sat up a little taller. "He is my boss and I'm his employee. I'm going to be cool, calm and professional. End of story."
That's what I had to focus on… my job and his daughter. Nothing else. Besides, he would be at work most of the time. It wasn’t like I would have to see him every second of every day. Surely, I could handle that. A hello in the morning and an update on how Annie was in the evening. Then a good night. Yeah, I could do that.
Definitely.
Chapter Eight
Hannah
A week passed and life with Annie settled into a new dynamic. It was a fun time. By fun, I meant I felt ready to pull my hair out. She didn't ignore me anymore. She just said no… no matter what I asked, then flounced off. My reaction was to smile and ask again, because I wasn't going to give up.
Her reaction would always be just downright against anything I said. If I asked her to put her shoes on, she ignored me and walked around barefoot for ages. If I asked her to put away her toys, she took them all out.
I saw the actions and reactions for what they were.
Small acts of defiance calculated to drive me insane.
I knew she was giving me a hard time on purpose. I'd never had to work so hard to gain a child's trust. In the past, it had always taken a few days at most and then I was their best friend. Not with Annie. I started to lose confidence in my ability. Maybe she would be the exception to the rule and I was about to lose my child whisperer status.
"How was she today?" Christian asked as he came home and sat his briefcase on the kitchen counter.
"Same as usual," I said as I put on a smile. "I don't think she wants much to do with me. Did she like her last nanny?"
Christian shook his head. "Honestly, the last nanny quit after a very short time.” He looked at me warily. "I hope you're not going to do the same."
"Of course not," I said as I waved a hand and put the last dish into the washer. I shut it and switched it on before I turned back to look at him. "I was just wondering because it's pretty common for children to have a favorite and not like the new one."
He frowned. "No, she didn’t bond with the last girl.”
"That's okay. We'll work through it." And I meant it too, because she was a pretty good kid even if she seemed so distant. Smart, independent and when she was with her dad, she was just like any other happy, bouncing child.