“Okay. Name it.”
“I’ve always been a live-in nanny so that I’m there whenever he needs me. This is not some kind of come-on. I take my responsibility seriously. I will also need to know the timeframe you have for how long he’ll be in your care, as well as what you want me to do with him while I’m here. He’s four years old, but if he’s turning five soon, we need to start organizing pre-school care where he’ll start to learn.”
“I’ll have everything arranged for tomorrow.”
“Excellent.”
“I have a few conditions as well.”
“Go ahead.”
“My private life is exactly that. I don’t want any pictures or stories being sold to the media.”
She held her hand up. “I’m professional, Wayne. There won’t be any stories or anything about you in the papers. I’m here to take care of Timothy. Will I need to worry about the press swamping him?”
“No. It’s a precaution. I’m rarely in the media, but when I am it’s newsworthy. I also refuse to have your partner or boyfriend here.” He’d noticed she didn’t have a ring on her finger.
“That won’t be a problem. I don’t have a boyfriend or a husband. Don’t worry, Wayne. You’ll barely know that I’m here. I can promise you that.”
They finished going through some of the points and conditions. After twenty minutes, that was done, and she stood up, holding out her hand.
Wayne took her hand, and he couldn’t deny the thrill that rushed through him just at her touch alone. He held her hand tightly, not wanting to let go.
Still, when she pulled away, he didn’t have much choice. Releasing her hand, he followed her toward the front door, opening it for her. She thanked him, and he watched her leave.
She stopped and turned toward him. “Don’t forget lunch. He’ll need a sandwich or something.”
“I won’t.” He didn’t close the door until she was on the elevator.
Timothy woke up as Wayne finished cutting their sandwiches. Placing them on the table, he patted the seat beside him. The little boy was looking all around.
“Temperance has gone for now. She’ll be back, though.”
“Is she going to be taking care of me?” Timothy asked.
“Yes. Did you like her?”
“She was nice. She read me a story, and she didn’t yell at me. She likes playing trucks.”
“You like her?”
“Yes.”
Wayne took a bite of his peanut butter sandwich. Glancing at Timothy, with his blond hair and green eyes, Wayne didn’t even recognize the photograph of the boy’s mother, and four years ago, Wayne had been in Europe for an entire year. He didn’t drink to excess, so it wasn’t like he’d have forgotten her. Besides, he usually had to kick women out of his bed.
He thought about Temperance.
She wasn’t what he’d expected. He wondered if Catherine, Robert’s wife, had felt threatened by the other woman’s beauty.
Catherine, being an ex-model, was used to being the center of attention. In recent years that attention had faded when a shiny, younger, new toy came onto the market. She’d not taken that hit well according to Robert.
Wayne wondered what Temperance’s story was. She didn’t seem impressed by his wealth, or by his apartment. To him, it was all very strange. No woman had ever fascinated him as much as Temperance had.
There was a warmth to her that he wasn’t used to. The women in his circle were usually cold, driven by their own selfish desires. They wanted what they could get and to hell with everyone else.
Pushing Temperance to the back of his mind, Wayne knew without a doubt that it didn’t matter who she was. In a few weeks, a month tops, she’d be out of his life. All she was doing was being paid to be nice. He’d see it like that, and to hell with everything else.
****
“You’re leaving again?” Lilah asked the following morning.
Temperance looked at her suitcase with enough clothes to last her. She had a few possessions, a couple of photographs, and her e-reader. There wasn’t much else she needed. “I’m afraid so.”
“So much for the whole new career choice.”
She nodded, taking a deep breath. “I can keep looking while I take care of little Timothy.”
“There you go again?”
“What?”
“You’re already devoted to that boy. Children have a way of getting under your skin, and you already adore him.”
“I can’t deny it. He’s … so lost and alone. I don’t think anyone’s even taken the time to ask him if he’s okay. They’ve just put him with a man who considers him a hindrance. Anyway, I’ve paid the rent for this place for the next six months. I want you to promise me that you’ll look for other work. I did a lot of research, and even though there are measures taken, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“You’re like a mother hen,” Lilah said, wrapping her arms around her. “I’m going to be fine. Once this is done, I think we need to find you a husband so you can have a football team of babies to keep you busy.”