Teresa Southwick - Finding Family...and Forever?

“If it’s not too much trouble, that would be great.”

“I’m happy to do it.” Emma was being well paid for her work, but it didn’t feel like work because she wanted to please him. That’s what bothered her the most.

Justin chewed a carrot then glanced at his son, who had little orange pieces of vegetable all over his face. “Tell me what he did today.”

“He was an angel.”

“Don’t sugarcoat it. What was this scoundrel really up to?”

She smiled. “It’s the absolute truth. He’s practically perfect. And by that I mean perfectly normal for his age.”

“What you’re diplomatically telling me is that my son got into everything. Or tried.”

“Yes, he did.”

“So, how is that perfect?”

“It’s exactly what he should be doing. Natural curiosity in a child is completely appropriate. Exploring his environment is his job.” She smiled. “And he’s really good at it.”

“He kept you running?”

She nodded. “It’s my job to make his surroundings secure. If I had a chore to do, I set up an area with a safe zone for him. And he loves to help. Folding towels, for instance. Did you know he loves the laundry basket?”

“I didn’t.” He tousled the boy’s downy, light brown hair. “Way to go, buddy.” In answer, Kyle slapped the high-chair tray, splattering food.

“And anything that needed doing in a nonsafe zone waited until he was down for a nap.” She sounded like a walking baby textbook, but it was important that he know how his son was being cared for. “He took a long one this afternoon, but now he looks tired to me. I have a feeling he’s growing.”

“What makes you think so?”

“Look at the way he’s eating.”

Justin laughed ruefully. “It’s really hard to judge how much is actually going in.”

“I gave him quite a bit and he’s not wearing that much of it,” she said, smiling at the grubby boy. “Do you like it, Kyle?” He shook his head but was grinning. “Silly.”

“That’s my boy.”

“He also needs more sleep, which is an indication of a growth spurt.”

“Good to know.”

There was silence for several moments and to fill it she said, “How was your day?”

“Calm. Routine. On schedule.” He wiped his mouth on a napkin. “Mostly surgery follow-up appointments and I’m happy to report all the patients followed doctor’s orders and are progressing well. Then there were consultations for elective surgical procedures. Stuff like that.”

“Nothing out of the ordinary? No emergencies?”

“No. It’s a good day when that happens.”

“I’m glad.”

Uneventful was a good thing. Her life had been just the opposite of that lately. And this dinner was no exception. On the surface it was a peaceful, seemingly normal meal, but she couldn’t help feeling as if talking about their respective days blurred the line between employer and employee.

Maybe the mountain air was messing with her mind. Lack of oxygen was doing a number on her head. What felt like thirty seconds ago, she’d broken her engagement to a man she’d learned was a liar and cheat. Now here she was thinking flirty thoughts about the employer who signed her paycheck and praying she didn’t forget herself and kiss him goodbye as he went off to work.

The right thing would be to confess to him the whole truth, then offer her resignation, but she couldn’t. Not yet. For the time being she had to keep her secret.

Chapter Three

“Our first trip to the grocery store, little man.”

Not surprisingly, Emma heard no verbal response from the rear seat where Kyle was happily staring out the window of her midsize SUV. It had arrived from California, and Justin had approved the safety factor. He’d installed the baby’s car seat himself, even though all child-related equipment was in her sphere of expertise.

It was kind of endearing how seriously Dr. Flint took his responsibilities as a father. That was another check mark in her employer’s “pro” column. Not that she was actively looking for “cons,” but it would help. In the few days since she’d become the solo nanny, her attraction to him hadn’t subsided.

She drove down Main Street and turned left into the parking lot of the town’s biggest market, appropriately named The Grocery Store. There were smaller stores for gourmet olive oil, coffee, health foods and specialty items, but this was where Sylvia had suggested she go for the bulk of the shopping. There weren’t too many cars here on this weekday morning and that suited Emma just fine.

She parked and turned off the ignition, then grabbed her purse and the diaper bag before exiting. After rounding the vehicle, she opened the rear passenger door and released the straps on the car seat to lift Kyle out. Propping him on her hip, she walked to the automatic doors with neat rows of shopping carts beside them. She released one then fished the cheerful animal-print seat liner out of the diaper bag and arranged it before lifting the baby in.

“Can’t be too careful,” she told him. “There are enough germs in the world that I can’t protect you from, but this I can do.” She smiled at him and he grinned in response.

“You’re in a good mood, big guy.” His answer was an unintelligible sound that she liked to think of as affirmative.

Pushing the cart, she walked into the store and scanned the layout, preferring to pick up boxed and nonperishable items first. After that, she’d get things like milk and the cream Justin liked in his coffee.

She watched Kyle scratch at a giraffe on the seat cover. “You seem like a naturally cheerful little soul to me. Did you get that disposition from your daddy?”

She walked down the baby-products aisle and grabbed baby wipes and the largest package of disposable diapers, which she set on the very bottom of the cart. After that, she bypassed cleaning products and headed for cereal and canned goods. There was no one around and she chattered away to her little charge as she picked up canned tomatoes for a batch of marinara and some enchilada sauce for a recipe Justin liked.

“So far, your dad seems like a pretty agreeable sort, too. I sure hope so, because if he ever finds out the whole truth, I could be in trouble.”

Rounding the corner to turn down the next aisle, Emma was trying to take in everything around her and not paying attention to where she was going. In her peripheral vision she saw another shopper. Just in time to avoid a cart collision, she pulled up short and automatically apologized. Then she got a good look at the woman she’d almost hit and her heart stopped, skipped once then started to pound. There were very few shoppers in this store and of all the people to run in to...

She was face-to-face with Michelle Crawford, her biological mother.

“I’m really sorry,” she mumbled. “Not watching where I was going.”

“No harm done. You’ve got pretty good reflexes.”

Emma’s mind was racing as fast as her heart. Questions without answers rattled around in her head. Should she say something about their connection? In a place as public as a grocery store? Was there a perfect place to drop the bombshell of who she really was? Getting away as fast as possible seemed like the very best idea.

She started to push her cart past the other woman. “Have a nice day.”

“Hello, Kyle. How are you?”

Emma looked at the baby, who was staring uncertainly, as if he sensed her tension. “How do you know him?”

“The doctor brings him into the diner when Sylvia has the night off.” She looked more closely. “You must be the new nanny.”

And so much more. “That’s right.”

“Welcome to Blackwater Lake. I’m Michelle Crawford.”

“Emma Robbins. Nice to meet you.”