“Got it.” Summer grinned. He spoke to her like he would any of the others, and she appreciated being treated in a similar way. His directness made her feel included. Like a part of the group.
She sat in the chair he indicated after he lifted off a stack of folders. And dropping them onto the pile on the corner of his desk, he frowned when they started to slide. “I hate going through my father’s files,” he grumbled, catching them before they could topple to the floor.
Dressed in jeans and a dark gray sweater matching the color of his eyes, he looked like a man who’d rather be out in the barn shooting off the guns he wore holstered under his arms. Or anywhere, really. Anywhere other than inside, facing a half wall of banker boxes she assumed contained more of the offending documentation he didn’t want to deal with.
Her grin widened at his defeated expression. “If those boxes are in the back of my car when Z uses it for bomb practice, I promise not to tell if you don’t.”
His steely eyes met hers, and he cocked a brow. “Did you just offer to enter into a secret pact with me, Ms. Summers?”
“I did,” she replied, realizing she’d grown comfortable enough with him to crack jokes.
“Well, the colonel would be rolling over in his grave, but his handwriting gives me a migraine, so don’t be surprised if I take you up on your offer.” He leaned back in his chair, and hands resting against his stomach, his fingers threaded together, he gave her his full attention. “So, how’re things going?”
“Good. But I have a couple of questions if you’ve got the time.”
“Fire away.”
“Well…” Always anxious when talking about money, or her lack thereof, she had to force herself to push on. “I’ve been wondering about the amount of my paycheck.”
“Are we not paying you enough?”
“God, no!” She threw up her palms, horrified he might think she wanted more money. “I meant the opposite. You’re paying me too much. Plus, you haven’t taken any deductions for the phone you gave me, room and board, or vacation pay. I mean, I assume there’s vacation pay. I haven’t actually seen a paycheck. But there’s too much money going into the account Jay opened for me, and I didn’t want you to think I was taking advantage by not telling you.”
“I see.” He nodded, his sharp gaze sweeping over her flaming cheeks. “I appreciate you bringing your concerns to my attention, but there’s been no mistake. The money deposited into your account is yours. You can do whatever you want with it. While you’re here, you’re a part of the team, so there won’t be any requirement to pay for room and board, the supplies you need, or to reimburse the cost of anything we give you. As for vacation, you’ll be compensated for any days you take. Simply let us know when you need time off. Sound fair?”
“Uh…” Fair? Stunned by the sheer magnitude of what he offered as fair, she couldn’t find the words to express her appreciation. Her gratitude? Her undying loyalty and devotion? What do you pledge to a man who single-handedly changed your life by giving you the opportunity to earn a living wage and then some? “That sounds amazing.”
“Great. What else you got?”
“Uh…” Still trying to process her raging emotions, she swiped at the tear about to fall from her eye.
“You said you had questions?”
“Oh, yeah.” Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. “About Halia, she needs a doctor. She’s fine,” Summer rushed to add when a look of concern crossed his face. “She’s due for her two-month check-up.”
“Can Jamie do it when he gets back?” he asked.
“He can do the general stuff. Height, weight, developmental progress. But I doubt he has the necessary vaccines.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” he agreed, making a notation on the list he kept handy. “I’ll have Jay vet a pediatrician and make an appointment when he returns. If your car doesn’t arrive beforehand, one of the guys can drive you into town.”
“Great.”
“Is that it?”
“Well…um…actually. I was wondering about Jamie,” she blurted. “What if he doesn’t want me?”
“Jamie?”
“Yeah. He’ll be home soon, right? What if he decides he doesn’t want me as a nanny for Halia?”
“Oh,” he said like he hadn’t considered the possibility. “I don’t think that’ll be the case, but let me ask you, Summer. Do you like living here?”
“Yes, I love it.”
“And I’m guessing by now you’ve figured out we’re not a private security company.”
In dangerous territory, her first instinct was to deny her suspicions, but after a moment of debate, she decided honesty was the best approach. “Well,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “I realized why Jay looked familiar a couple of weeks ago, but I figured you had a good reason for harboring the person accused of murdering your father.”
