11. Olivia
11
OLIVIA
“ S o what do you think we should do for your weekly treat?” I asked Catie. I’d decided it would be good to instate a weekly routine Catie could look forward to. And this week, I definitely felt like I’d earned a treat myself.
After all, it was a mere two days since the great Declan Byrne followed me to a bus stop and begged me to come back because he finally realized I was the best nanny in the whole wide world.
At least that was the joke I’d made to Molly when we went out to the pub last night. I’d glossed over the whole thing until it sounded like a funny misunderstanding. I’d done it partly because it would feel like a betrayal of Declan’s trust to repeat any of what he’d actually said. But I’d also kept silent because if I thought about the whole thing too long, I found myself getting emotional.
It was hard to think about Declan going from being a kid who just wanted to be told that everything was going to be all right to a man determined to protect a little girl he loved from ever experiencing half of what he had.
I couldn’t think about how in all the families who had fired me, Declan was the only one who had realized he was in the wrong and chased after me. I was used to seeing value in my work, even if no one else did, but with Declan, for the first time in years, it felt like someone else saw my value. And it was the grumbly, emotionally constipated, lethally gorgeous Irishman who slept down the hall from me.
But I couldn’t think about it. So instead I was throwing myself into my job.
Catie stared up at the ceiling and swayed back and forth a little bit, considering. “We go to the bookstore all the time anyway, so that’s not really a treat. And Uncle Declan lets me have ice cream every night.”
That he did. Declan was an undeniably soft target for Catie’s sugar cons.
Catie brightened. “I want a movie night. On the big TV, not a laptop. With popcorn.”
I smiled. “That sounds perfect.”
“And you and Uncle Declan will be there, so it will be like a family movie night,” Catie added.
Oh. A family movie night.
No matter how many families I worked for, it always caught me off guard how quickly kids included me in their understanding of “family.” It was a bittersweetness I was never prepared for.
Catie was waiting for an answer, so I made myself smile. “That sounds like a great idea. But I don’t know your uncle’s schedule. How about you go wash your hands for lunch and set the table, and I’ll ask Uncle Declan what he thinks.”
Catie bounded off, murmuring to herself about the merits of potential movie picks.
I climbed upstairs and knocked softly on Declan’s closed office door. I didn’t want to interrupt him if he was in a meeting.
“Come in, Olivia,” he called.
I opened the door. “How did you know it was me?”
Declan’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he talked. “You’re the only one who knocks that softly. It’s the only soft thing you do.”
“Hey. I can be soft,” I said defensively.
His smile was crooked, and a little bit wicked. “I’ll bet you can.”
I fought off a blush as he came to a stopping point on whatever he was working on and turned his chair to me. Why was I blushing?
“What can I do for you, Ms. St. James?” Declan asked, his tone something that almost sounded like it bordered on affectionate. Weird—I must have heard him wrong.
“I want to build in a fun activity Catie can look forward to each week. She wants a movie night with all of us.” I couldn’t quite bring myself to say family movie night . “But I know you’re busy, so…”
“No, that sounds brilliant.” His phone started buzzing. He glanced at the screen, then swiped to answer it. “Let’s do it tonight, yeah?”
I nodded, scurrying out as he took his business call in his firm I pay your salary so impress me voice.
I closed the door and blew out a breath. Apparently, I was having a movie night with the Byrnes.
D eclan was still in his office at seven thirty when I started the microwave popcorn. Catie skipped into the kitchen, looking adorable in her purple butterfly pajamas.
I did a double take. Did those butterflies have fangs?
Catie put her hands on her hips. “Where are your pajamas?”
“You don’t have to wear pajamas to watch a movie,” I said.
“But it’s movie night,” Catie protested.
Declan strolled into the kitchen. “Mmmm, that smells good.”
I flashed him a smile, relieved he’d actually showed. Then my heart flipped. Soft pajama pants—printed with something that looked like computer code—were slung low on his hips. And a gray T-shirt curved around his biceps in a way I’d be thinking about for a while.
He looked…intimate. Casual.
He’d completed the outfit with lime green fuzzy socks, which was possibly the only thing he was wearing that wasn’t inexplicably sexy.
“You’re wearing the socks I gave you!” Catie beamed.
Dammit , I thought. Now the socks were sexy too.
Declan raised his eyebrows. “Where’s your pajamas? It’s movie night.”
“That’s not a thing,” I protested, laughing.
“It is in this family.” Declan grinned, his eyes lingering on me a little longer than they needed to.
Or maybe it just felt that way. I turned to pull the popcorn from the microwave and dump it in bowl. The back of my neck felt flushed. “Catie picked that new animated movie about the crow who solves mysteries. If you want to go cue it up…” I trailed off as Declan’s phone buzzed.
He glanced at the phone and swore. “Sorry. This is important. Give me fifteen minutes. When I come back, I want to see you in proper movie night attire.”
My heart sank as he walked away. I’d seen this show play out a million times. Dad promises to be there for a family thing. An important business matter comes up. I explain to a hurting kid that Dad won’t be joining us after all.
After our conversation at the bus stop, and Declan’s eagerness this afternoon, I’d let myself believe Declan might be different. I knew he wanted to give Catie everything she wanted, but I wished he’d been honest with himself about whether he could take the time away from work.
Because at the end of the day, intending to keep a promise wasn’t the same thing as actually keeping it.
I glanced at the clock, trying to figure out how long I should wait to break the news to Catie that our plans had changed a bit.
I dragged my feet, making extra popcorn, pouring drinks, even changing into my pajamas. Finally, I headed into the TV room and settled on the couch next to Catie. “Hey, hon. Slight change of plans. Uncle Declan had to take a business call, but?—”
“But he’s done now,” Declan announced, striding into the room and plopping down on the couch on the other side of Catie. “Were you going to start the movie without me?” He made a tsking sound.
I couldn’t believe it. His call had actually wrapped up on time. “Sorry,” I said. “I’ve never seen an important business call wrap up that quickly.”
“Oh, it didn’t,” Declan said. “I tagged in Anil. That’s the point of having a business partner, right?” He reached a hand into the bowl, scooping up a truly massive amount of popcorn and grabbing the remote.
The movie started, but I wasn’t really watching. I was still stunned Declan had chosen time with his niece over personally managing a business matter.
Billionaires didn’t do that. Especially not the young, hungry, self-made ones.
As the movie unspooled, I found myself increasingly aware of Declan’s physical presence. The easy drape of his arm along the back of the couch. His low, surprised laugh when the movie would slip in a joke for adults. The way he absently scratched the dark stubble along his jaw as he and Catie debated theories about which character had stolen the crow’s bottle cap.
I shifted, restless. Sure, Declan was attractive. But I’d been able to ignore that—mostly—when he was just some arrogant asshole I worked for.
He was still arrogant. And at times, he was still an asshole. But he could also admit when he was wrong, and I’d come to see that he always put Catie first.
He was generous too, even if he tried to hide it. I’d found out last night that while Molly lived in Galway now, she’d grown up in Ballybeith, a few years behind Seamus and Sinead in school. She’d been delighted to share all the gossip she had on the Byrnes. Two years ago, Declan’s lawyer Thomas had become the sole administrator of a mysteriously funded foundation that always seemed to have a grant available to help anyone in the village going through a hard time. Thomas was tight-lipped about who funded the foundation, but everyone knew it had to be Declan.
I’d also found out from Molly that while Declan had a friends-with-benefits relationship with a few similarly minded women in Galway, according to the local gossips, he hadn’t had a serious relationship in years.
I glanced at Declan’s dark profile, wondering what it would be like to be one of the women who casually rang him up when they were in the mood. Did he normally invite women here, when he wasn’t hosting a six-year-old? Or did he show up on your doorstep, smile wicked and eyes hungry as he followed you inside and pressed you against the wall, caging you in with his body?
I shivered.
“The movie’s not that scary,” Declan teased.
“I’m not scared,” I muttered. “I’m cold.”
Declan yawned and went return our empty dishes to the kitchen. Evidently, he didn’t mind missing the crow’s adorable duet with a puppy.
I tried to return my focus to the screen. It worked until Declan returned from the kitchen and tossed me a spare sweatshirt.
I caught it, confused, until I remembered I’d told him I was cold. This time he sat next to me, since Catie had used his absence as an opportunity to sprawl out on the other half of the couch.
It was amazing how much space a wiggly six-year-old could take up.
I pulled the sweatshirt on, since the alternative was confessing that I was thinking dirty thoughts about my boss.
The sweatshirt was loose and big in a way that made me feel…delicate. Sheltered. Worse, it smelled like Declan, which was some combination of fresh soap, aftershave, and something I couldn’t identify. If I’d been alone, I might have done something really embarrassing, like sniff the fabric, just to figure out what that third scent was.
I supposed I could understand why, if you wanted casual sex, you’d go for someone like Declan. What I couldn’t wrap my brain around was, how did you walk away from a man like Declan, once you’d had him?
Or was he always the one to walk away from you?
Declan leaned over and murmured in my ear. “Bet you ten euro the cat did it.” His low, rough voice sent a delicious chill running over my skin.
It also made me realize I’d completely lost the plot of the movie.
“No bet,” I bluffed. “It’s obviously the cat.”
“Shhh!!!” Catie ordered. “Stop talking.”
Declan and I exchanged a chastened look, though Declan didn’t look particularly sorry. I felt like the good student who’d been lured into talking during class by the bad boy.
We managed to stay silent for about an hour, when I noticed a faint snoring sound and realized Catie had conked out.
I nudged Declan. “She’s out. I can put her to bed, if you’ve got things to do.”
Declan flashed me a smile. “And miss finding out who stole the bottle cap?”
“You said it was the cat,” I reminded him.
“The cat got alibied a half hour ago. You’re not paying attention to this at all, are you?” Declan said.
I crossed my arms and settled deeper into the couch. “I might have other things on my mind,” I admitted.
“Like?”
As if I was going to answer that.
Instead, I said, “Thanks for the sweatshirt.”
“It was as much for my benefit as yours,” he said.
“What?”
“That tank top. It…never-mind.” He leaned forward, stretching. “You’re right, we should call it a night.” He turned off the movie, gently scooped up Catie, and carried her upstairs.
I watched them go, feeling a rush of affection mixing with something dangerously more complicated.
I flopped back on the couch and stared at the ceiling, reluctantly admitting to myself that I had the hots for Declan.
This is not a problem , I told myself. As long as he doesn’t find out. And as long as it doesn’t go further than occasionally admiring his arms. And his voice. And his brain.
“Nope,” I said to myself, cutting off that train of thought. “Don’t go there.”
This wouldn’t be a problem. It couldn’t be.