Chapter 3 #2
My little girl stands in front of the fridge, raspberries scattered around her, along with shards of a glass bowl. Beneath one arm, she holds tight to her teddy bear. It was a present from Annie before she passed and contains a recorded message just for her, and Maddie never goes far without it.
She looks up at me, bottom lip trembling. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I know I was supposed to stay in my room, but I wanted a snack.”
“It’s fine.” I crouch and assess the mess, determining what part to sort out first. “Don’t move,” I instruct. “I don’t want you to get glass in your foot.”
Because she’s eight and thinks she knows better than her dad, she doesn’t listen.
“Ow!”
Before I have the chance to straighten again, Sabrina is effortlessly scooping Maddie up and plopping her on the counter.
“Lift your foot for me, sweetie.” She chucks her under her chin, earning a smile. “I’m Sabrina. What’s your name?”
“Maddie.” She sniffles, wiping tears with the back of her hand.
“That’s a beautiful name. How do you spell it?”
“M-A-D-D-I-E. That’s short for Madelyn. Which is M-A-D-E-L-Y-N.”
“Wow, you’re a great speller.”
My heart lodges itself in my throat. This woman is distracting my little girl to keep her from thinking about the glass in her foot.
Fisher appears with the first-aid kit from the hall closet. He passes it to Sabrina, then looks at me, one brow cocked. “You gonna pick that up?”
Bastard.
With a grunt, I collect the dustpan and handheld broom from beneath the sink and sweep up all the pieces I can see.
“You’re really pretty,” Maddie tells Sabrina as I’m pulling the cordless vacuum from the pantry.
“Thank you. So are you.”
“I wish I had hair like yours. I like curls.”
Sabrina’s responding laugh is soft. Fuck. Quickly, I flip the switch on the vacuum to drown out the sound.
When I shut it off, my daughter is still sitting on the counter. She’s sporting a Band-Aid on her foot, but her face is dry of tears. She’s only known Sabrina five minutes, but she already looks at her like she hung the moon and stars.
I know right then that I’m fucked.
If Maddie likes her, I have no chance of ever getting rid of her.
“Hey.” I ruffle her dark hair. Hazel eyes, the same as her mother’s, blink up at me. “Are you okay?”
She breaks out in the sweetest smile. “Sabrina fixed me all up. Good as new.”
The woman my daughter has instantly taken a liking to smiles back at her, patting her knee. “Can I grab you a snack before I go?”
I narrow my eyes. Who is she to offer my kid a snack in my house? If she’d just leave, I could tend to Maddie myself.
“I’ve got her.” The harsh words escape me just as Maddie says, “Yes, please.” She points to the pantry door. “Could I have a granola bar? It’s in a yellow and orange wrapper.”
Head lowered, I give it a shake. Now she chooses something safe and non-breakable.
Sabrina shoots me a wink as she passes. She knows she’s getting under my skin, and she likes it.
“Is she going to be my new nanny?” Maddie kicks her legs back and forth, her heels bumping the cabinet beneath her.
“No.”
“Yes,” Fisher says from the corner.
I all but jump out of my skin at the sound of his voice. I’d forgotten he was still here, watching like a goddamn creeper.
“Yay!” Maddie throws her arms up. “Sabrina, did you hear? Uncle Fisher says you’re my new nanny.”
Eyes dancing, the too beautiful for her own good woman presses her lips together like she’s trying not to laugh. She sobers quickly, though, when she sees my stone-cold expression.
“I’m not so sure that’s the case, but I would love to be. You’re a cool girl.” She tears the granola bar wrapper open and passes it to my daughter.
With a groan, I drop my head back.
Maddie tilts her head. “What do you mean?”
Sabrina shrugs. “I don’t think your dad likes me too much. You wouldn’t want me to have a mean boss, would you?”
Maddie’s bottom lip trembles like it did when she dropped the bowl of raspberries. “Daddy, you wouldn’t be mean to Sabrina, would you?”
Fisher snickers from his spot in the corner. I’m glad one of us is amused.
“Mads, let’s not talk about this right now. I’m sure Sabrina has places to be.”
“Your dad’s right. I need to go.”
My daughter’s eyes go wide and a little watery. “Will I see you again?”
Sabrina shrugs. “Maybe. I hope so.” That last part is spoken so quietly I would have missed it if I weren’t good at reading lips.
“I’ll walk you out.”
Sabrina straightens at the sound of my voice. I find myself standing taller too.
“I have to grab my purse.”
I jerk my head in a nod and follow her back to the dining room.
She swipes her purse from the table, hefting it over her shoulder. The thing looks heavy. What does she have in there? Ten tubes of lip gloss and a bowling ball?
“You don’t like me,” she states plainly. “I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because you find me attractive.”
I open my mouth to argue, but she holds up a finger to silence me.
“I’m not stupid. I know when a man is checking me out. But I’m here about a job. I’m here for that little girl in there. That’s all I care about. If you can’t set your attraction aside and do what’s best for her, then there’s something wrong with you.”
Anger steals through me. “Who are you to tell me what’s best for my daughter?”
“I’m not saying I’m the answer to your problem. I’m telling you that if won’t hire me because you find me attractive, it says way more about you than I think you’d like to admit.”
“Fuck you.”
She bats those long lashes. “Only in your dreams, Noah.”
A growl rumbles in my chest. “Get out.”
“Gladly.”
I follow her to the front door, and when she’s stepped outside, I shut it carefully behind her rather than slamming it like I want to.
Fisher steps up beside me, his focus fixed on the dark-haired beauty who’s climbing into a 4-Runner that looks like it’s one firm gust of wind from entirely falling apart.
“Not this one,” I hiss. “Anyone but her.”
He frowns, his brows knitted. “Dude, she’s by far the best candidate.
” He points out the window at the decrepit SUV disappearing down the driveway.
“Your daughter is already halfway in love with her, and the woman has a damn teaching degree. She’ll have no trouble keeping Maddie on track while you’re on the road. She’s single—”
My stupid fucking heart takes off at a sprint.
I hold up a hand and glower at the man I thought was my best friend. “What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”
Fisher bites back a laugh, his eyes full of mirth. “I just mean there’s nothing tying her here. She won’t up and quit because she misses her boyfriend.”
At the mention of some fictional boyfriend, I bristle.
“No.”
Fisher sighs, arms crossed. “She’s the only one candidate who already has a passport.”
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose.
Fuck.
Thanks to pure dumb luck, Sabrina Howard just landed this job.