Chapter Three
Duncan
"Duncan, are you sure you don't want me to take this over?" Magda, my HR manager, asked. She was managing the background checks on everyone I was interviewing today.
"No, this person will look after my son. I want to get a good feel for them."
"All right, just wanted to make things easier for you."
"And I appreciate that, but some things I can't delegate."
I got up from my chair, taking my laptop with me.
Magda had sent me everything electronically.
I’d scheduled the interviews in a coffee shop a block from the office.
I had five today, and I was determined for one of them to work.
I’d met candidates on two other days this week, and they were abysmal.
That's why I'd asked my HR manager to sort through all of the other résumés and only schedule the top five.
Magda had more experience with hiring than me, though it was usually for financial experts, not nannies—but experience was experience.
Sterling Investments was one of the biggest financial service companies in the country.
Our offices were on several floors of a building on the corner of Market Street and 4th Avenue.
I was proud of what I'd built from the ground up with my brothers, but now some of them were focusing on other ventures.
We all met at least once a week for a strategy session, discussing all of the businesses, but Chase and I were the two who focused mostly on Sterling Investments.
Speak of the devil. Chase caught up with me just as I was leaving.
"Done already for today?" he asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to interview some candidates to be Jeremy's nanny."
Chase nodded. "I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. I can hire someone for Sterling Investments in a heartbeat, but a nanny? That’s more complex." He was absolutely right. "Let me know if I can help with anything."
"Will do."
I knew he meant it. I was closest to Chase, and even though we didn’t always see eye to eye on things, I’d never doubted that he had my back—all of my brothers did.
I walked at a brisk pace to the coffee shop while reading through the résumés again on my phone. Magda had attached notes about the background check for each one, but I didn't really care about them. If she'd vetted them, it meant everything was good. She’d alert me if anything was amiss.
Three candidates were in their sixties—retired kindergarten teachers. They sounded perfect. The fourth was a fifty-year-old teacher who retired early because of health problems, which already made me wonder if she could keep up with Jeremy.
It was the last candidate who I was least optimistic about: a twenty-four-year-old graduate from law school with zero experience in babysitting. At first glance, she wasn’t at all qualified. I should have asked Magda why she kept her résumé.
Entering the coffee shop, I sat down at one of the tables by the window. I had to wrap this up today. My parents were doing a great job, but they had their hands full with the store. This was really not a good time for them to watch Jeremy.
And no matter how much I shifted things around at the office, I couldn't take off every day at two o’clock.
He had school for another month, and then he was starting summer school, which was also only until two o’clock.
The last thing I wanted was to have my son at work with me.
That was the worst of both worlds—I couldn't focus enough on work, and I definitely couldn't focus on him. I didn't want him to feel ignored.
Four interviews later, my optimism completely faded. How was it possible that not one of the candidates was good enough?
The first one flat-out admitted she was happy she was retired because she never really liked kids.
Hello? This was a nannying job! Why would she even apply?
The second one told me she didn’t understand why youngsters these days were so obsessed with not letting kids watch TV, considering back in her time, the TV had basically been their nanny and they turned out fine.
Obviously, she went into the no pile. Jeremy’s screen time was minimal no matter if it was the iPad or TV.
The third one said she could only do mornings, which infuriated me because the job posting specifically asked for nannying in the afternoon.
The fourth one… well, it turned out my fears were not unfounded.
She'd admitted that since her knee surgery, she couldn't move around a lot.
She was hoping that she and Jeremy could mostly stay at home. That was definitely not okay.
After she left, I nearly threw in the towel, but I had one interview left, so what the hell? It couldn't be any worse than the ones before.
I went to the counter to order a coffee, surveying the place.
The café was surprisingly empty. Some customers were wearing headphones, speaking in low voices, probably working.
Otherwise, the place was pretty nondescript and depressing.
Or maybe that was just me because I hadn’t found a nanny for Jeremy.
Once it was my turn, I asked for a black drip coffee. The barista rang it up with a smile and turned to start making my drink.
The second I grabbed it from the counter, a bombshell beauty walked through the front door.
She had dark brown hair that she’d pulled into a ponytail.
Her eyes were green, her lips were perfectly shaped, she had high cheekbones—and I couldn't stop watching her.
She scanned the crowd as she came in, so I checked the rest of her out.
Her yellow dress was snug around her waist. Damn it, I couldn't look away from her.
When I headed to my table, the realization hit me. She was still looking around, as if she was searching for someone. Changing my path, I walked over to her, mentally whipping myself into shape.
"Riley?" I asked.
She blinked, looking at me with a smile. "Yes. Are you Duncan Sterling?"
"Yes. Do you want something to drink?" I asked her.
"Oh no, no, I can’t drink anything caffeinated now or I won’t be able to sleep. Sorry, I'm rambling," she said. "I'm a bit nervous."
"There’s no reason to be," I told her. Don't check her out, Duncan, for fuck's sake . Once she sat down, I lowered myself into the chair opposite her. "So, you took the bar recently?"
"Not exactly. In February.”
"Then why are you interviewing for a nannying job? Sorry, I don't mean to be rude," I asked.
She shook her head. "No, it's a valid question. I do have a job offer that starts in August, hence why I'm happy this position is only for three months. The company wants to wait for the bar results, which I don’t have yet."
"That makes sense. It takes time to get the results, I’m sure," I said. “All right, so thank you for making time to meet me today. Let's start with a simple question. Why do you want the job?"
She smiled sheepishly. "I love kids. I was looking for a job like cleaning or waitressing, although I do prefer cleaning because I can do that on my own."
She didn't like to spend time with people? Jeremy was a handful. "So, you don’t like to socialize?"
"Oh no, I do like kids. I don't like grown-ups as much," she said very confidently. I cocked a brow at that. "Yeah, I know I'm going to be a lawyer. The jury's still out if I'm going to be a good one, though."
I liked Riley’s energy. I was certain Jeremy would like her too.
She looked around. "Is your son here?" she asked.
"No, I've had four interviews before this. He's got too much energy to sit for that long.”
She pressed her lips together. "I'm your fifth choice, huh?"
I decided to be completely honest with her. "Actually, Riley, you're the last candidate standing. Everyone before you flunked their interviews, so to speak."
She genuinely grinned. I liked that. She was the first out of them all who sincerely wanted the job. "So, I have no competition? Damn, I'm good at winning that game."
I laughed. Her excitement was palpable. "My concern is that you don't have any experience nannying."
"No, I don't. But does it count that I've always wanted to be a sitter and to work with children? I also have a younger sister, and I helped raise her. We’re six years apart, and now that we’re older, she’s become my bestie.”
Damn, she was cute. Which worried me.
“Besides,” she went on, “your son is ten. I would have probably had a bit more trouble with someone much younger, but I think he and I can get along well."
The more she spoke, the more attractive she seemed.
Damn it, stop this, Duncan. She's younger than you and potentially your only chance at finding a decent nanny.
“It’s all there in the questionnaire,” she added.
“I haven’t looked at that,” I admitted. “My HR person did.” Clearing my throat, I said, "Tell me more about you."
"Honestly, I'd always thought I'd have kids by twenty-five." She pressed her lips together. "Sorry, that's probably too much information."
I was shocked by her admission, as she was right, it was deeply personal.
"Anyway, law school and generally a law career aren’t compatible with having a child, or a marriage for that matter, so I want to get my fix and be your son’s nanny."
I liked her easygoing nature. And the look on her face right now that made me want to kiss her.
No, Duncan! Just no!
Riley continued, "But first, I’d like to know why your previous nanny quit.”
"She didn't quit," I said. "She's taking a few months’ break because her mother had surgery and required her help."
"Poor thing. Is she okay?" Her entire face transformed. A deep frown marred her forehead, and her cheeks sank in. How could she be concerned about a stranger?
"Yeah, it's all good. Her mom just needs more help around the house than she previously thought."
"So then it's a sure thing that she's going to be back in three months?"
"Yes.”
“Great. I won’t leave you in the lurch when my job starts."
She was responsible. That earned her a lot of points in my book.
"When would you like me to start?"
I liked her confidence too. Riley was the type of woman I’d love to date. But I couldn’t date right now—especially not her. She was Jeremy’s new nanny.
"Tomorrow, if possible," I said, half joking, but she nodded.
"Sure, I can do that."
I stared at her. "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"All right, then you’re hired."
She gasped. "Really?"
"Yeah. I think Jeremy, my son, will like you."
"I thought maybe you’d want to vet me or something."
"My HR person already took care of it. She contacted the employers you listed as references, and apparently they all gave glowing reviews.”
"You move fast," she said with a laugh.
"I need to. Usually, I’d take more time and interview more candidates, but my parents have their hands full right now, and they’re the ones watching my son."
"All right, then. Can you tell me a bit about Jeremy? What he likes to do, what his favorite toys are, stuff like that? It would help me bond with him."
I felt it in my bones that it was a great decision to hire her. She didn't seem to ask just to make conversation but rather because she really cared about my son’s well-being.
"He's going through a Spider-Man phase," I said.
She laughed.
"And he likes being outdoors, a lot."
"Well, that's easy," she replied. "San Diego has a lot of options."
"Exactly. Which brings up an important point. Do you own a car?"
Her face fell. "No. Is that a deal-breaker?"
"Not at all, just wanted to know. I can arrange for you to have a company car."
Her mouth formed an O, but then she pressed her lips together. "That sounds great. So, that means I’ll take him on trips around the city?”
“Yes. Maybe even outside the city. But we'll discuss everything in advance.”
"Of course."
"And he likes to go to the movies. I try to limit screen time, but it's not always possible."
"That's fine. I'm good at bribing kids with alternatives," she said with a grin. "Do you have any parks nearby?"
"Yes, there’s one, but there’s also a pool in the condo complex. It's got two slides. Jeremy absolutely loves it, so I think you’re going to spend some time at the pool. Is that a problem?"
She grinned. "That I'm being paid to play with a kid in the pool? No, Mr. Sterling, it's absolutely no problem, I assure you. Does Jeremy have any food restrictions I should be aware of?"
"Please call me Duncan. And I don't expect you to cook," I said as she leaned back in her chair, running her hands through her hair, a lock of it falling over her left breast.
I took in a deep breath. She was twenty-four, and I was thirty-three. She was going to be my boy's nanny. What the hell had gotten into me?
"Still, it doesn’t hurt to know."
"No allergies. I cook a few times a week, and then the rest of it, we just order food."
She tipped her head to the side. "Listen, I'm no slouch in the kitchen. I can totally prep some early dinner so you’ll have it when you're home."
"That would be amazing," I said. “His previous nanny said she couldn’t watch him and cook at the same time, but I’d pay you extra if you had time to do it.”
“No, no extra payment needed, I really enjoy cooking.” She narrowed her eyes. "His mom isn't in the picture?"
"No, we aren't together, haven't been for years. She lives in Ireland."
My tone was final. I didn’t want to discuss the matter of his mother further.
"All right. Do you have a picture of him?" She sounded shy all of a sudden.
"Sure, I've got a million." I took out my phone and slid it to her. "And my screensaver."
She clicked the screen, "Oh, this is such a cute picture."
“I took him to Disneyland a while ago. He climbed on that boulder because he insisted that he wanted to be the same height as me in the picture."
He was still much shorter, but he’d been happy anyway.
"He looks a bit like you."
"Yeah, he does," I said. "All right, Riley, my HR person will be in touch."
"Okay."
"We won’t be able to finalize everything in time for you to start tomorrow, but how about the day after?"
"Sure, that sounds great. I can't wait. It was great meeting you, Duncan. I think this will work out just fine.”
"So do I," I said, then shook her hand. Her skin was incredibly soft. I held on, rubbing the back of her hand with my thumb. I barely tamped down the impulse of getting closer to her. "Have a great day," I said.
"You too."