Authors: Rachel Cross
Maddy popped a bagel in the toaster and poured herself a glass of orange juice. Leisurely
breakfasts were a rarity these days. Her course load was light in her final semester
with no student teaching, but there was always overtime at the coffee shop, and morning
shifts there were insane. Maybe she’d bring a book and blanket and enjoy a lazy Sunday
at the park a few blocks away.
Her cell phone rang and she glanced at the screen. A local Los Angeles exchange but
not a number she recognized. Her eyes narrowed.
Please don’t let it be work
. She couldn’t say no to extra shifts, but it was shaping up to be a beautiful day
outside. Maybe she should let it go to voicemail? No, she really could use the money.
Sighing, she took the call.
“Hello?”
“Maddy?” said a deep voice on the other end of the phone.
A chill went up her spine. It had been two weeks, but she knew that voice. She ought
to by now. She’d had a continuous loop of Spade in rotation on her iPod since her
encounter with Asher Lowe on the plane.
“Mr. Lowe?”
“Yeah. Call me Asher.”
“How are you guys? I’ve been wondering how Ella’s adjusting.” How
does
a five-year old cope with losing her only parent and getting him for a guardian?
He’d seemed ill-equipped on the plane.
He cleared his throat. “Not good.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Listen, will you come to my house?” he asked. “I can have a car bring you.”
Maddy frowned. “Uh … why?”
“I wanted to talk to you about Ella.”
“Oh, I guess. I … I have a car. If you give me your address I can — ”
“The car’s ready when you are.”
“Excuse me?”
“The car’s waiting.” She peered out the window of her apartment. Sure enough, there
was a black town car at the curb. She frowned. How the hell did he know where she
lived? She remembered him looking at the tag on her luggage. He must have a good memory.
Still, he sent a car before she agreed to meet with him? Cocky. Or desperate. Probably
both. “Oh, okay … but — ”
“See you in a bit.” He disconnected the call.
• • •
Maddy looked out the window as the driver pulled into a gated driveway in a very exclusive
part of Santa Monica. Once buzzed in, the gates opened, allowing the sleek car to
make its way up the drive. Her eyes widened.
Now
that
was a big house. At the top of the driveway loomed an enormous, white stucco, red-tiled,
Tuscan style building. Red and pink bougainvillea wound their way nearly two stories
up on trellises lining the front walls on either side of massive front doors. She’d
never had occasion to be in this part of Los Angeles. Probably because she’d never
done one of those star tours of celebrity homes in the open-air mini-buses like the
one their car had just passed. It was filled with tourists and their cameras, leaning
out the windows, eager for a glimpse of a celebrity. Even a celebrity’s dog would
do.
The car came to a smooth halt at the apex of the circular driveway.
“Thank you,” she said to the driver when he put the car in park. He nodded over his
shoulder.
“No problem, Miss.” Exiting the vehicle, he came around to open her door.
Maddy climbed the front steps and rang the bell. The door was opened by a tall, lean,
dark-haired man with brown eyes and a warm smile. He was casually dressed in jeans
and the kind of classic t-shirt that was either vintage or top-dollar designer.
“Hi.” She reached to shake his hand. “I’m Maddy. Asher called me.”
“Hey, Maddy, we’ve been expecting you. C’mon in.”
She stepped over the threshold and he closed the door behind her.
“I’m Justin Montoya, Asher’s personal assistant.”
Maddy glanced around. This place was a freakin’ palace but tastefully decorated. Nothing
Cribs
like to mock here, though it was easily the largest house she’d ever been in — not
counting the White House tour she’d taken in college.
“Why don’t you come with me?”
She followed him down the long hallway to the rear of the house, and they entered
a study with views of a pool in the middle of a flowering garden. Maddy wandered over
to the French doors that led to a patio.
“Asher will be in shortly. Can I get you anything?”
Maddy clasped her hands together. “No, thanks. Um … how’s Ella?”
Justin shook his head. “Not good, Maddy. We don’t know what we’re doing,” he said,
spreading out his hands. “We’re all out of our element here, and poor Ella is having
a rough time.”
The door opened and Asher strode in. Her lungs seized up. Dressed casually in a form-fitting
t-shirt and worn Levi’s that lovingly followed every hard line of his body, it was
impossible not to notice his masculinity or his fatigue. Dark circles bruised the
underside of his golden eyes.
“Thanks, Justin,” Asher said.
“Need anything?” the assistant asked on his way out.
Asher turned to Maddy, brows raised.
She shook her head.
“We’re good, thanks,” Asher said.
Justin left the room, quietly shutting the study door.
Asher gave Maddy another one of those smiles that didn’t reach his eyes. “Have a seat,
please.” He gestured toward the sofa.
She sat on the edge of the sectional and studied him. By the looks of him, he wasn’t
getting much sleep. Was that part and parcel for a rock star, or were things with
Ella that difficult? In the weeks since she’d met him on the plane, she was ashamed
to admit she’d read everything there was to know about him and Spade. And none of
it made her hopeful about his chances of successfully parenting a five-year-old girl
— not the way he lived with touring, partying, and player-ing.
“I need help with Ella.”
Of course he did. If he hadn’t hung up on her so abruptly, she could’ve saved them
both time and inconvenience. “Oh. Well, I’d be happy to help out occasionally with
some babysitting — ”
“No, I need a full-time nanny.”
“I’m sorry. I could’ve saved you the time and car and driver. I’m in school — ”
“I know. But you also work full time in a coffee house right?”
Her brows knitted together. “Uh … yeah.” How did he even know that? “We can accommodate
your class schedule.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You can finish your degree. This is your last semester, right?”
She must have mentioned it on the plane, but the thing was, she didn’t remember telling
him that.
“I’m not a nanny.”
“I know. But you have the relevant experience. And I’ll pay you more than you make
serving up cappuccinos.”
“It’s not that simple.” She worked as a barista because the chain extended health
benefits to their employees. Nannies didn’t get benefits. She couldn’t afford to be
without coverage and it would be expensive to buy her own health insurance. Even if
they would accept her, which was doubtful, the coverage would be abysmal. When something
happened with her rheumatoid arthritis, she’d suffocate in debt trying to cover medical
bills. The school loans were bad enough.
“Sure it is.” He raked a hand through artfully mussed hair. He probably paid a fortune
to have it look like that, she thought uncharitably.
“Have you tried to find someone?” There was no doubt someone with his affluence could
get the best nanny in Los Angeles.
He prowled the room. “Yeah, but I haven’t found a good fit.”
She frowned. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I’ve been trying for almost two weeks. I’ve had the best people on this. We’ve interviewed
two dozen women and one highly recommended
manny,
and it just doesn’t work.” His control slipped a bit on the last word as his voice
rose. “She’s seeing a therapist and I’ve been in constant contact with the woman so
I know what to expect but … ”
“But?”
“I can’t handle it!” he half-shouted, pacing in front of her. “She still doesn’t get
it!” His mouth twisted. “She cries. Weeps. Says her stomach hurts. Doesn’t want to
go to school. She’s afraid of the dark and comes in my room at all hours.” He ran
hands through his hair again. It no longer appeared so artful. “She wants to sleep
in my bed — when she’s willing to sleep at all.”
Maddy’s heart lurched.
His voice shook when he said, “She wants to know if her mommy will come back if she’s
good.
Jesus
.”
Her eyes burned and she blinked rapidly.
That poor kid
. Asher was stirring up no small measure of sympathy too.
He threw himself down onto the couch next to her, and Maddy surveyed his red-rimmed
eyes. “Asher, I think … I mean … isn’t that the normal response to what she’s
going through?”
“Yeah. Or so the therapist says.”
“It’s going to take time for her to understand.”
He groaned.
“You need to stay calm, loving, and patient. I’m sure you’re doing fine.”
Asher raised his brows. “Maddy, I’m a lot of things, but patient doesn’t make the
list.” He leaned back against the couch and stared at the ceiling.
She’d worked a lot with kids that age, since her emphasis was in elementary education
and she’d grown up with hoards of preschoolers, but this was far outside her experience.
She’d lost her father, but that was different; she’d never even had a chance to know
him.
“All I can tell you is you’re dealing with someone who believes in fairies, Santa
Claus, and unicorns. In wishes coming true — in magic. Of
course
she believes her mother is coming back.” She waited until he met her gaze. When he
did, his eyes were haunted. “Asher, you can’t help her until you help yourself. How
are you dealing with your grief?”
He scowled. “I’m not the problem.”
“Do you have someone to talk to about the loss of your sister? Maybe if you — ”
“Not going to happen.”
“I mean a friend, Asher, not necessarily a therapist.”
He grunted.
She inched farther back on the couch. “I have to complete my degree this semester.”
“I already told you that wouldn’t be a problem,” he stated.
She looked up at the ceiling. “I … you don’t know anything about me.”
“I know enough. And I’m a good judge of people. Ella warmed up to you on the plane.
You checked out. You’re a bit over-qualified, but I think we can come to an agreement
on salary.”
She bit her lip. “It’s not so much the salary. I’d like to help you guys, but — ”
“The health insurance? No problem. I can provide excellent health benefits.”
Her eyes narrowed. It was weird and more than a little disturbing how much he knew
about her. Granted, she’d admitted she had an autoimmune disease on the plane, but
he was picking up on all kinds of subtleties. She met his glance and saw what she
hadn’t paid attention to in her previous encounter with him, keen intelligence in
the depths of those absurdly glamorous eyes.
He leaned toward her and stretched out a hand, beseeching. “Do this for me then. Interview
a couple of prospective nannies. Find me someone we both agree on this week or take
the job. I’m desperate, Maddy.”
His expression was pleading but his eyes were cold. She couldn’t shake the feeling
she was being manipulated. This town was full of nannies. Hell, he had the funds to
import one. He could find the reincarnation of Mary Poppins, if he wanted.
“I’d be happy to help find you someone qualified.”
“Do we have an agreement? If you fail, you take the job.”
How hard could it be?
When Maddy arrived at Asher’s home the next morning, Ella met her at the door, peeking
out from behind Justin.
“Hi, Ella. Do you remember me from the plane?”
Ella nodded, thumb tucked firmly between her lips, her somber milk-chocolate colored
eyes giving Maddy the once-over. Maddy walked over to the marble staircase and sat
on the second-to-last step. She patted the space next to her and Ella wandered over.
“Maddy, I’m heading out to the patio, okay? I need to walk Ella to the bus stop in
fifteen minutes,” Justin said.
“Can I take you, Ella?” Maddy asked.
The child studied her, expression serious, then nodded.
“Justin, she’ll direct me to the bus stop, and I’ll come back and help.”
“Great. Can I get you coffee? Tea?” he asked.
“No, I’m good.”
Justin disappeared and Maddy turned to Ella.
“How’re you doing?”
The little girl shrugged.
“You miss your mom?”
“Uh huh.”
Maddy put her arm around the child and gave her a squeeze. “I understand. My daddy
died when I was little. I missed him a lot.”
“Your daddy died?”
“Yep. But my mom told me I could talk to him anytime I wanted, and he’d always be
listening and watching out for me.”
“He
is
?”
“Yes. The same way your mom is listening and watching over you.”
Ella leaned back to stare at Maddy. “
Is
she?” she breathed, looking around the foyer.
“She is,” Maddy whispered. “And she’s sending all her love to you, too.”
“
All
of it? How come Uncle Asher and Grandpa didn’t tell me?” she whispered back, scandalized.
“Hmmm. I don’t know.”
The child considered her, suspicion warring with hope. “Can she talk to me?”
Maddy shook her head. “No. My dad wasn’t able to talk to me either. But even though
he didn’t talk to me and he couldn’t ever come back, I know he listens when I talk
to him.”
The child nodded wide-eyed and settled against her. “Are you going to take care of
me?”
Maddy’s heart flipped over. “Your Uncle Asher takes care of you, sweetie.”
“Can
you
stay with me?”
“I’ll be here for a bit. Should we get your things together to walk to the bus?”
Ella nodded and put her little hand in Maddy’s.
• • •
Justin was a gem, a master of efficiency with a quick mind who was receiving updates
from the three most reputable nanny agencies in LA.