Chasing His Nanny: A dad's best friend, age gap, single dad romance (Chasing Her Book 1)

1. Bree

“Just be yourself, Bree,” Amber tells me once again. Now I wish I kept my secrets to myself because I know she’s going to always be questioning me.

“I prefer you forgot about what I told you,” I reply as I grab my suitcase from the airport carousel.

She tilts her head to one side as she watches me lift the handle. “I’m your friend and I don’t want you getting hurt.” She walks over to me and wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. “And he’s too old for you. You know that, right?”

Nervously, I laugh as she steps back. She waits for me to tell her what she wants to hear.

“I know. My father would kill me, anyway.”

“Sorry?” Her eyes widen.

“Didn’t I tell you? He’s my dad’s best friend.”

She laughs. “And how old is your father?”

“Bree’s dad is in his forties, but God, he is hot,” Jade says, sneaking up behind me.

“Ugh! Don’t talk about my dad like that.” I pout at Jade. “Anyway, Dr. Havers is younger than my dad. He’s in his mid- thirties. They’ve only been friends since my dad became his lawyer.”

My father and Dr. Havers have known each other for at least ten years. My parents would often invite the doctor and his wife to our home for dinner over the years.

She was lovely—his wife, Madeline. She was a teacher and always talked to me about my schooling, asking how I was getting on.

I hate I have these feelings for her husband.

My heart clenches. My smile slowly fades as I remember her.

Life was hard on everyone after the incident. Especially Dr. Havers. Her death was the reason my father offered my services as a nanny for his children. Apparently, I could help him out for long enough to find a direction in my life.

One day, I know I’ll have to do just that.

“I suppose the children are really young,” Amber says as she pulls her suitcase closer.

I nod as my phone chimes.

Pulling it out of my pocket, I check the message.

Doc: I’m in the arrivals lounge waiting for you.

Oh no. I told him I could get a cab.

Me: Okay.

“He’s here,” I say, pulling each of my friends in for a quick hug before I grab the handle again. “I’ll see you ladies on my next Saturday night off.”

“Don’t be making excuses,” Jade retorts. “We know what you’re like for that.”

I grin. “Sometimes all I want to do is chill.”

Jade rolls her eyes upward. “You can chill with a glass of wine in your hand and the company of us lovely ladies.”

“See you later.” I grin at Jade before turning to Amber. “And damn you for marrying a hot guy and winning the bet.”

Amber’s face reddens. “Believe me, I wish you won.”

“I would’ve owned up to not giving the air attendant a blow job in the end. I was just being…”

“Then stop being that person and start being you,” Amber says.

“I’ll try.” Sighing, I turn and walk toward the exit doors.

In the arrivals lounge, I tighten my grip on my luggage when I see the much too good-looking Dr. Havers. He smiles as I walk toward him.

He’s the most attractive man I’ve ever known. He neatly trims his dark hair at the sides and at the top, giving him a smart and distinguished appearance with a subtle scattering of gray. Totally different from the boys my age—but I love it.

As always, he is professional looking, despite today having a bit of scruff on his sharp jawline.

“You okay?” He looks tired. “Have you been to work today?”

When he smiles, my eyes fall to his full, pink lips, and perfect white smile. “I’m fine. Whereas, you look like you need to go to bed.”

Yes, please take me.

My face reddens as I shake away that thought.

He takes my suitcase and places a steady hand on my upper back. “Did you have a pleasant break?”

I shiver at the contact. “Fab.”

He laughs. “Did you enjoy your time off work?”

“It was okay. Did you?”

“It was quiet without you.”

“That’s not a bad thing, is it?” I grin.

“Surprisingly, I missed it.”

His words cause a tightness in my chest.

Did he miss me?

Don’t be ridiculous.

“Where are the Hettie and Havana?” I ask.

My father coerced me into this job, but my heart really aches for the two children who lost their mother and now hug me like they’re scared to lose me, too.

Considering the only experience I had with kids before I became a nanny was a few babysitting jobs. They took to me and me to them within days.

“They’re with their grandparents. I thought you’d be jet-lagged.”

Dr. Havers pulls my suitcase as we walk to where he parked his car.

“Did you enjoy your time off work with them? Do anything special?” I ask as I open the door to his car and he opens the driver’s door.

“No, they didn’t want to go to the zoo without you,” he says, rolling his eyes heavenward.

I smile as I wait for him to get into the car and start the engine.

“That’s my babies.” Then my stomach does a weird lurch when he turns and stares at me strangely. “Sorry, I just mean they’re so used to me taking them places. I can take them if they still want to go.”

“We’ll take them on Saturday…” He pauses as he flashes his credit card to pay for the parking. “Sorry, that’s your day off. I’ll do some rescheduling at work and…”

“Saturday is fine,” I interrupt. “I don’t want them disappointed.”

“I’ll pay you overtime.”

“No. I want to do it for them, and I’ll have fun there too. Even if you’ll have a grumpy face the entire time.”

I’m more surprised he is going, but as I know the children will love their father being around for once, I say nothing about it.

A small curve rises on one side of his mouth. But he doesn’t turn my way. He remains staring at the road ahead. “Do you think I’m grumpy?”

“Sometimes.” I shrug my shoulders. “But after everything you’ve gone through, it’s understandable. I’d be miserable if I lost the love of my life.”

He turns and looks at me strangely, and I think he’s about to say something. Instead, he sighs.

“You’ll never believe what my friend Amber did on holiday,” I say, changing the subject. My voice rising with excitement. As I know he won’t guess or try to, I continue, “She married a man … a stranger in Vegas. How crazy is she?”

“Why?”

“He needed a wife to get his inheritance.” I laugh. “Can you believe families still do that? Anyway, as Amber wanted to win the bet, she agreed and now she has an American husband.”

“What bet?”

After everything I told him, that’s all he can say.

“We had a one thousand pounds bet on who could do the craziest thing in Vegas. Each person gave the winner a grand.” I shake my head. “I was winning until she did that. I could hardly argue with her.”

“What did you do?”

“Oh … well, I told everyone I gave the flight attendant a blow job in the airplane toilets.” I laugh as I stare out of the window as we get closer to home. “Only Amber knows…”

“You did what?” Fury coats his words and when I twist in my seat to see his face, his jaw clenches and he looks like he’s going to erupt.

“I never…” But I stop talking—because damn—he hates it.

I’ve got nothing from Dr. Havers before today. Yes, he’s nice to me when he feels like it. But this emotion is something else.

“It was nothing.” That’s the truth. It wasn’t.

“Oh, so now you go around giving blow jobs to strangers?” he retorts.

“You took a medical rep out for a drink and never came home until the next day. Are you telling me it’s okay for you and not me?” My voice raises a few octaves before I glare at him. “That’s sounds very...” Hypocritical is what I’m about to say but when he laughs, I stop talking.

“You sound jealous.”

“So do…” I go to answer far too quickly. I swallow the rest of my words. “I’m only letting you know how hypocritical you sound.”

He grunts something I don’t pick up, and I don’t ask what it was. Instead, I stare out of the window until the car pulls outside his home in Central London, and I realize we’ve not spoken for quite some time.

I push on the car door and stand on the sidewalk outside his beautiful home.

The house stands proudly on a tree-lined street in Kensington, its grand facade an impressive display of classic Georgian architecture. Large, symmetrically placed sash windows with white painted wooden frame give a crisp offset to the red brick wall.

I walk past the low wrought-iron fence that separates the house from the road and toward the dark wood double doors of the house.

Just as I reach out for the polished brass handle that gleams in the sun. Dr. Havers comes up behind me. He’s so close I can feel his warm breath on my neck.

“Sorry, I was out of order. I had no right. I’m your boss, not your father.”

I sigh. Wishing he was more.