Teresa Southwick - Marrying The Virgin Nanny / The Nanny And Me

Hands down, it was the most beautiful space she’d ever had in her life. But all of it paled in comparison to what she’d found on the dresser after settling Brady for the night.

She stared at the black-velvet jewelry box. It was not a very large box and she’d heard that good things come in small packages. Another in a list of gifts from Jason.

For the last four weeks he’d been doing thoughtful things like this. Flowers. Candy. A generous bonus in her paycheck. All of that was wonderful, but didn’t make her heart pound like it was now. She’d have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to know he was wooing her. Not in a romantic way. More of a loyalty retention, boss-employee appreciation sort of way.

But romantic things came in small packages, too. Hand shaking, she reached out and picked it up. In her whole life no one had ever offered her a small black-velvet jewelry box. She’d dreamed and fantasized about Jeff giving her an engagement ring—something that would fit in an elegant container like this. She hadn’t thought it could, but her heart pounded even harder.

Even as she ran her index finger over the soft, curved lid, she had an uneasy feeling. Flowers were a sweet gesture. Candy was candy. And a bonus for exemplary work was not out of the ordinary. But this was…She wasn’t sure what it was.

“Open it, you nit,” she chided herself. Lifting the lid, she gasped when two large diamond-stud earrings winked and sparkled. “Oh, my—”

They were quite possibly the most beautiful things she’d ever seen. And she had to give them back. Right away. Before the idea of trying them on took hold.

If Jason’s routine held true to form, this time of night with his son settled in sleep, he could be found working in his study. The door was ajar, with light trickling onto the plush hall carpet. She raised her hand to knock and took a deep breath before tapping lightly.

“Come in.”

She pushed the door wide and met his gaze. “May I speak with you?”

“Of course,” he said, pushing his glasses to the top of his head.

He’d changed out of his suit into jeans and a white cotton shirt, with sleeves rolled to just above his wrists. The missing power tie did nothing to diminish his power and one look tied her insides up in knots. That was so not how she wanted to feel for this conversation.

She walked in and set the jeweler’s box on his desk. “I spent time in the convent, but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid and naive.”

He glanced down, then met her gaze. “I’m not sure what I did to make you believe I think that, but nothing could be further from the truth.”

“You’re trying to bribe me into changing my mind about staying as Brady’s nanny.”

“Bribe isn’t an especially flattering word.” He closed his laptop. “I prefer the word incentive.”

She put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin toward the velvet box. “So you don’t deny that’s a shameless attempt to convince me to extend my contract?”

“No.”

That took the wind out of her sails. “Oh.”

“It was the latest in a string of attempts—flowers, candy and a very generous bonus.” One dark eyebrow lifted. “All of which you accepted graciously.”

“This is different.”

“How so?”

Good question. It was personal? Not personal enough? “It just is,” she said stubbornly. “I can’t accept diamonds. It feels wrong.”

“What if I told you they’re cheap imitations?”

“Are they?”

“No.”

“Then it’s too expensive, extravagant and any other ex word you can think of,” she said.

“Not for me.” He smiled, but there was no warmth in it.

“Look, Jason, don’t think I’m not grateful that you appreciate my work with Brady—”

“It doesn’t look like work when you’re with him.”

Doesn’t feel like it, either, she thought. No way would she tell him that and have him use it against her. “He’s a sweet-heart. But I can’t stay any longer.”

“Why?” There was an angry edge to his voice. “Look, Maggie, I’m not hitting on you.”

“I didn’t think that.” Not really, even though a tiny part of her had hoped.

“Are you afraid I will if you stay? Did someone do that to you?”

“No.” If only it had been that ugly. Self-righteous anger would have helped her get over her hurt.

“Then tell me why I can’t alter the terms of this agreement and hire you permanently at an incredibly generous salary.”

“Because money isn’t everything. It doesn’t buy happiness.”

“It buys a hell of a lot of security.”

“It doesn’t buy an insurance policy against heartbreak.”

“What are you talking about?”

The dark, angry expression on his face chipped away her resolve that her past was no one else’s business. Maybe she did owe him an explanation.

She gripped the back of the chair in front of his desk until her knuckles turned white. “When I turned eighteen, I had to leave Good Shepherd because I aged out of the system.”

“Aged out?”

“Too old for state funding.”

“That stinks.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “Fortunately I’d graduated from high school and I was determined to go to college. I had some scholarship money but still needed to work. My experience helping at the home came in handy. I got my first nanny job, which included room and board. I lived with a family and took care of the three minor children.”

“Minors? That implies there was an adult child as well.”

“The oldest son—Jeff Warren—This is the family I told you about.” A vision of brown hair and blue eyes flashed through her mind. He was handsome, smart and sweet. And he broke her heart. “He had a bachelor’s degree and was working on his master’s.”

“And he hit on you?”

“It wasn’t like that. We dated.”

“And then he hit on you?”

“You have to let that go.”

She almost smiled at his tenacity. If she had any stars left in her eyes, she might believe Jason was jealous. But Jeff had taken all the twinkle out of her and left the hard reality in its place.

“What then?”

“We dated. The family liked me and approved of the relationship. We were engaged to be engaged.”

“So it was all good?”

“Until Jeff’s father got a promotion and was offered the opportunity to build a mega resort in Macau.”

He frowned. “I guess he didn’t want to commute?”

“No.” She laughed and tried to keep the bitterness out of it, although without complete success. “Jeff’s parents decided to move the family and gave him the option of finishing school here. He agonized over what to do, but eventually came to the conclusion that a classroom was no substitute for life experience. He moved with the family and we agreed that calls and e-mails would keep us connected. His parents said I was like a daughter to them and promised to keep in touch, too. It wasn’t ideal, but we’d formed a bond and I finally had a family.”

“But no happy ending?” He removed his glasses from the top of his head and tossed them on the desk. “Otherwise this wouldn’t feel like a cautionary tale.”

She didn’t bother with a short affirmative answer. “He communicated at first, but it lessened over time and finally just stopped. When I called, he admitted that he’d met someone and was engaged.”

“Son of a…”

Sadness welled up in her. It wasn’t as acute, but still had the power to wound. “His parents eventually stopped communication, which was only natural under the circumstances. But natural didn’t make it any easier to come to terms with. I gave them my loyalty, my heart, and I lost everything.”

“That’s a tough break, Maggie, but—”