CHAPTER 1
Mila
October, 2022.
Jason Rhys Hawkins. Thirty-four. Divorced. Single dad. Successful business owner. And the man I’ve secretly harboured a crush on for as long as I can remember. For years I’ve stayed hidden in the background, quietly admiring him from afar. But now, fate has other plans—pulling me out from the shadows and straight into his private world. Because in less than one hour, I’ll be sitting across from him in his own home, interviewing for a babysitting job I was cornered into accepting by my nosy, scheming older sister.
The thought of being in such close proximity to the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen is enough to give away my nerves. Even as I slip into a pair of nude ballet flats, my heart beats wildly, as if it’s about to burst right out of my chest.
For goodness sake, Mila! It’s just a job. Chill!Apart from babysitting his five-year-old son, the extra income will help tremendously with my finances because, let’s face it, I’m barely scraping by on tutoring gigs and student allowances while juggling postgrad study and paying rent on a ridiculously overpriced shoebox of an apartment.
You’re totally fine. This is fine. You’ve got this, girl!
I’ve spent the last hour trying on outfit after outfit for this job interview, while my best friend groans and sighs dramatically on the bed behind me, muttering about how she’s going to stab mewith a pen if I don’t hurry up and make up my damn mind. Such a charmer, she is.
“So, what do you think?” I ask Sofia, giving a measured twirl for effect.
“I still think you should’ve gone with the navy dress and black heels. It’s far more elegant and sophisticated than the broke, desperate uni student look you’re currently rocking,” she says point blank.
“Sofia, it’s a babysitting job, not a CEO position. What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I turn back to the full-length mirror, taking in my outfit slowly. “It’s casual, yet perfectly appropriate for this kind of interview.”
“Sure, but a white button-down shirt paired with jeans and flats just screams ‘I’m cute but basic as fuck.’ Babe, you want to stand out, make a lasting impression on boss-daddy, not bore him to death,” she quips.
I stare at her like she’s lost her ever-loving mind. “Boss-daddy?” I snort. “That sounds like the title of an icky eighties porn. Ew, no!”
“Girl, please! Like you’ve never watched a bit of nanny and daddy action. There’s nothing hotter than watching the nanny being railed hard and fast by the hot dad while his kid and wife are in the next room sleeping.”
I wrinkle my nose in disgust. “First of all, I wouldneversleep with a married man, no matter how attractive he is. And second, I’d never go after my boss—likeever,” I say with conviction.
Ever since I found out my sister’s husband of six years had an affair with her best friend, I’ve developed a deep disdain for liars and cheaters. I also have zero tolerance for people who intentionally sabotage other people’s relationships. The idea of being someone’s mistress is so abhorrent to me, I’d rather throw myself off a cliff.
Sofia studies me through my reflection in the mirror, her expression calm yet observant, likely picking up on my nervousness. “Why are you so tense?” she asks with a curious tilt of her head. “You look like you’re about to pass out from a lack of oxygen. Just relax, babe. It’s not like the person you’re about to meet is a complete stranger. You’ve practically known him half your life.”
She’s right. I’ve known Jason since I was thirteen when he showed up to my sister’s twenty-first birthday party at our house one night. She had just recently started dating his best friend, Kaden—the same guy who later betrayed her. Jason was twenty-four at the time, eleven years older than me, and I remember thinking he was the most handsome guy I had ever seen.
Of course, I was too young for him to pay any attention to me. Back then, I was nothing more than Skylar’s kid sister, the one with the braces and a wild, frizzy mane I had to braid every single day. To make matters worse, I was a late bloomer, just stumbling into puberty. So, on top of being a hormonal teenager, I was becoming painfully aware of boys—developing crushes on guys at school… and, apparently, on twenty-four-year-old men too.
Honestly, even though Kaden has firmly earned the title of my least favourite person on the planet, the one silver lining to meeting him is that he brought Jason into our lives—someone who is everything Kaden is not. Charming, loyal, successful, a devoted family man, and genuinely trustworthy. He’s literally every woman’s dream.
I suppose that’s why I’m so anxious today. I’ve always seen him as this impossibly sexy, almost godlike figure. One look from him, and I’d melt into a gloopy mess on the floor.
“I’m not tense, just a bit nervous. I can’t afford to mess this up. I desperately need the money,” I reply, trying to sound somewhat convincing.
“You’ll be fine. He’s going to love you, so stop worrying!” She gives my outfit one last critical glance before adding, “Well, if you’re set on that outfit, I guess that’ll do. I can’t handle another hour of wardrobe changes. I’ve been starved long enough! Now can we please, please have something to eat? I’m practically wasting away here.”
“What do you feel like?”
“What do you have in your fridge?”
“I’ve got eggs, milk, cheese, some possibly expired ham, OJ, and water.”
She scrunches her nose in displeasure. “Door Dash it is then,” she replies, grabbing her phone and ordering chips and a burger for herself and a grilled chicken burrito for me on the app.
I honestly don’t know what I’d do without my best friend. Hard to believe we absolutely hated each other when we first met. Sofia was the stunning new girl at Hartmann State High, fresh from Newcastle. From the moment I saw her, I pegged her as an arrogant, pretentious, spoiled little bitch who thought she was the bee’s knees—a total people pleaser.
Things only got worse between us when she set her sights on the same guy I’d been crushing on since the start of our senior year—Aaron Bosworth, captain of the school’s rugby team and easily the most popular guy in our grade.
I had been eagerly waiting for him to ask me out, convinced he finally would, until Sofia showed up and ruined everything. But just a few weeks after Aaron finally asked me out, I discovered he had been secretly seeing Sofia at the same time.
