Regardless if his mother had lied or not about who was Timothy’s father, someone could have at least taken five minutes to care about him.
She kept on reading as he slowly began to relax against her. He nudged her arm out of the way, and she pulled him close reading while the time passed.
If the job was hers, she’d take it. There was no way she’d be able to walk away from Timothy without knowing he was okay.
One thing was for sure, she couldn’t stand Wayne Myers. That wealthy billionaire had a few lessons to learn.
Chapter Three
Wayne finished the call after dealing with a client for over two hours. He tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking about Temperance. For some reason, he’d imagined a much older, stern-looking woman with white hair, and a glare to her face that made all boys afraid.
Instead, he’d opened the door to a raven-haired beauty with shocking blue eyes and a tempting smile.
Her curves stood out, especially in the tight jeans, and the shirt didn’t cover the fact she had a decent set of tits. They were nice and big, and made men dream of falling asleep on top of them.
The phone call had been a welcome distraction. He’d rarely let attraction get in the way of work, and there was something about Temperance that he did find highly sexual.
Getting to his feet, he left his office and made his way down toward the sitting room where he’d directed her. He didn’t know what he expected, but the sound of her voice and nothing else wasn’t it.
He leaned against the doorframe and found Timothy curled up against Temperance. Her arm was wrapped around him as she read him a story. The little guy was so close to sleep his eyes were drooping.
She didn’t stop reading.
Her voice was mesmerizing as she read the story. She sounded so calm, so relaxed, and even though he’d watched her for only a few minutes, he understood why Robert recommended her. Most of the nannies wouldn’t read to Timothy or sit with him.
Wayne had been appalled by the lack of care they actually showed, and it had pissed him off. Watching Temperance, he knew without a doubt he was onto a winner.
She stopped the moment Timothy snored.
Wayne didn’t say or do anything as she closed the book and slowly eased the child into her arms. He watched her lift him up in her arms and place him on the sofa. She started looking for something, and she finally saw him standing there.
“Do you have a blanket?”
He didn’t see one in the room, so he made his way back to Timothy’s room, grabbed a blanket, and returned. She was already cleaning away his toys, placing them on the table.
Temperance took the blanket from him, carefully draping it around Timothy. She stroked his head, and that seemed to soothe the boy’s dreams.
When they were sure he was asleep, Wayne pointed toward the other room.
Entering the dining room, he pulled a seat out for her to take, which she did without any arguing. Some women took real offense to a man acting like a gentleman.
“Should he be asleep this early in the day?”
“It’s a nap. He’ll wake in a few minutes, long enough for you to put a sandwich together for his lunch.”
“Oh.”
“You’ve not been letting him sleep?” she asked.
“No. I’ve been giving him lunch, though. I didn’t think boys should be falling asleep. He should be in school soon.”
“He’s four years old,” she said. “He’s young. Children need sleep and rest.”
Crap! He’d known that.
Wayne gritted his teeth at his own disappointment in himself. He’d said the boy was five and in fact he was four.
“See, I’m completely out of my depth. I will pay you whatever you want, Temperance. Please, will you be his nanny?”
She hesitated. “I want to be. He’s such a sweet boy, but I, erm, I’ve been thinking about a career change. This is all …”
“This is just temporary. When we find his actual father or family, he’ll be out of your hair. No longer a problem.” Temperance looked at him, and he didn’t like the sadness in her eyes. “I will pay you whatever you want, and afterward I’ll even help you in a career change.” Temperance looked toward the sitting room, and he saw she was struggling. “Name your price. I will pay you anything.”
“Price isn’t the problem, Mr. Myers.”
“Wayne, call me Wayne.”
She sighed. “Wayne, price is not the problem.”
“What is?”
“I become involved with the kids. They mean something to me. They’re not just a job. They’re … people. They have minds of their own and dazzling personalities.” She was smiling. “This job is temporary, and you can go back to your perfect organized life. I will walk away again. Some nannies may see this as a job or a way to snag a rich husband. I’m not like that. I already had to walk away from one job because of a jealous wife. Those kids depended on me, and I feel for them.” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t be talking about this.” She ran a hand down her face. “Yes, I will take the job as Timothy’s nanny. There are a few things that I will require.”