“You gonna eat or what?” Jorge asked.
I slid my phone into my pocket and sat down. “Thanks for lunch.”
He shrugged. “Anytime. You usually buy anyway. Nice to know I can treat you every once in a while.”
As I picked up the carton of lo mein noodles, I set my sights on tonight. I had to find the right words and come in hot with a monetary deal; otherwise, I risked her saying no. And I really didn’t want her to say anything other than yes. She was a joy to have around. Asia wouldn’t stop talking about their time together. Having a singular nanny that came regularly would provide my daughter with the stability she didn’t get from myself or her own damn mother.
I just had to do everything in my power to get Eva to play on my side.
The rest of the day soared by, and when I got home, it was damn near nine o’clock. It had been a late day with even later meals, and I wolfed down a chicken wrap as I drove home. I hated making Eva wait as long as she had. Asia had been in bed for over an hour, and I could only imagine how long Eva had been twiddling her thumbs, waiting for me to get back.
When I walked through the front doors, however, I didn’t find an angry woman. I didn’t find anyone harrumphing or sighing because I was late. I didn’t find a scowl or a slew of questions as to where I had been.
Instead, I found Eva at the other end of the foyer, standing there with two coffee mugs filled with wine I could smell from the front door.
And with the coolness of an introverted high school nerd with much too big of a crush, I blurted the words out before I even closed the front door behind me. “How much would it take for you to quit your job at the spa and be a full-time, live-in nanny?”
12
Eva
Iblinked. “Sorry, what was that?”
Gavin closed the front door and locked it before he strode across the foyer toward me. His blue eyes held mine captive as his blond hair shuffled against his forehead. He looked positively exhausted, but the intensity and the passion of his words portrayed a very different scenario.
He plucked his coffee mug filled with wine before he ushered me down the hallway. “Let’s sit and talk. I had a whole spiel planned before that question,” he said with a chuckle.
I gave him a polite giggle, but his question kept tumbling around in my mind. Was this the “change in the babysitting schedule” he was talking about?
Did he really just ask me to name my price?
“Here. Sit,” Gavin said.
He pulled out a chair for me at the kitchen table, and I eased myself into it. I watched him walk around and sit in front of me, his feet promptly settling against my own. I felt his warmth trickling slowly up my legs, but I tried to keep my wits about me as he drew in a deep breath through his nose.
Then, he launched into his spiel. “So, Asia can’t stop talking about you.”
I smiled softly. “I’m glad. She’s a great girl.”
“And you’re great with her. I’ve never seen Asia so happy and so outgoing around another person. You’ve really done a number on her.”
Just her? “She’s special to me, too.”
He leaned forward. “Which is why you’re perfect for being her nanny. All of this ‘daytime evening time’ shit is just unstable for her. She struggles so much with change, and she’s endured so much of it in the seven years she’s been alive. Having one person here from the time she wakes up until the time she goes to bed will always be the best equation for her. And if we can work something out like that, then I can give you a plethora of incentives and options I’m sure you don’t get at the spa.”
What’s the harm in hearing him out? “Like… what?”
He leaned back against his chair and sipped his wine. “For starters, you name your price, and you’ve got it.”
“I’m still thinking about it. What else?”
“Weekends off and holidays. It’d be a strictly Monday through Friday job, with your weekends only being taken up by an emergency of some sort. I have no issues toggling my filming schedule around something like that, oh! And you’ll need a passport. If you don’t have one, I’ll pay for it.”
I blinked. “A passport? Why?”
He grinned. “Asia loves traveling. We take one major trip a year, and I know she’ll want you to come along. We can work it out later on, but if you choose not to come, you’d be on paid leave, and if you chose to come, I’d not only continue paying you for being with us, but I’d pay for your trip.”
My eyebrows rose. “That’s very generous of you. Thank you.”
