Jasper
Okay, so perhaps I took a risk with Harley. I mean the guy has no experience whatsoever looking after children. It’s quite obvious that Tristan doesn’t like him and the hostility that’s causing between the two of us isn’t healthy. But I feel responsible for Harley losing his job that night at the restaurant and all I could think about was trying to make things right by offering him a job. Maybe I’m just reading too much into this. Tristan is a teenage boy with raging hormones, bringing out the troublesome in him. It’s certainly nothing Todd and I haven’t had to deal with before. And how can I possibly ask him to leave now, after seeing how well he gets along with Kit and not to mention Violet. Her face lights up every morning when he enters her room to braid her hair, and if I’m being perfectly honest, he does an impeccable job of helping her get ready. I’ve never seen either of them look so perfectly dressed for school.
Hiring a live-in nanny was not something Todd and I ever spoke about when he was alive. After the kids were born, he agreed to put his career on hold to raise the children full-time while I continued to work, and I would help him at the end of my working day. From the moment Harley stepped foot inside this house, I knew things were going to be … different. And there’s just something about this guy–man that I can’t quite put my finger on. Something that keeps telling me not to let him go. And this is why I am in the current situation that I am because I made a decision purely on impulse and guilt, and no, I don’t regret my decision. Not one single bit.
Having Harley here these past two weeks has definitely been a blessing. He’s been looking after the children all day, which means my business partner, Candy, and I have managed to get a lot of work done without the children constantly running in and out of my office every time they need help with their homework or something. And I have to admit, having another man around the house again does feel good. Really good. Although I have to say that at times, having a manny around the house can get quite disorientating because I’m having to get used to the fact that there is another person living in this house taking care of things that Todd and I usually did together.
I take my seat at the breakfast table in my usual position, and the kids take theirs. Violet is to my right, Kit is on my left and as always, Tristan decides to sit the farthest away from me as possible. Drew prepares us a fantastic buffet breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and sausages. After the children have filled their plates, Drew brings mine to the table and places it in front of me. I unfold my napkin and place it down on my pants and open the newspaper to the finance section. While I scan through the daily stock market figures, I notice Harley standing in the doorjamb yawning, wearing an open robe and boxer shorts.
“Do you people always get up this early on a Saturday?” he asks.
“Yes. Most of the time. I prefer that we all sit down and enjoy breakfast as a family, together. Seeing as it’s the only time everyone is home all at the same time.”
I lower my newspaper as Drew pours me my morning coffee and then my eyes wander over in his direction and immediately roam his body from head to foot. And once I realize exactly what I’m doing, I fold up the newspaper, place it down on the table and clear my throat. “And most of us manage to get dressed appropriately for the occasion,” I add.
He quickly straightens his posture in the doorjamb, then closes his robe and ties a loose knot at the front.
“Dress for breakfast, got it,” he says.
He walks through the dining area where we’re all seated and over to Drew who prepares his plate of food. When she hands it to him, he grabs a glass of juice with his free hand and begins to leave the room.
“You can join us for breakfast, Harley.”
He stops walking and turns around to face me.
“You don’t mind?”
“Of course not. You’re the manny and a part of this family, so it’s only natural you’d join us.”
I scoop a forkful of eggs into my mouth, then after digesting my food, take a sip of my coffee.
“What are everyone’s plans for the weekend?”
Harley asks, looking around the table.
“Dad’s business partner, Candy, is coming over, and the two of them are going to be working, so we usually leave the house when she arrives.”
“Really? And why is that?”
Harley asks, placing some hashbrowns in his mouth.
“She hates kids,”
all three children answer in unison.
“She doesn’t hate kids. Where on earth would you get a ridiculous idea like that?” I ask.
All three children point their finger at Drew, and she tries to give me her best innocent look when it’s obvious the children have just thrown her to the wolves.
“I never said that,”
Drew says.
“Yes, you did. A few weeks ago, after we came back from seeing Hamlet at the theater, you told us that you overheard Candy saying, and I quote, ‘I hate kids.’”
Tristan says from across the table.
I turn my head in Drew’s direction and glare at her.
“Look, maybe you just misinterpreted what you heard.”
“No, it was quite clear that’s what you said.”
Drew draws silent, and she stands there looking around the table at a complete loss for words.
“So, this Candy, she’s a business associate?”
Harley asks.
“If that’s what you want to call her,”
Drew adds. “She’s been trying to get ’s attention from the moment she started working for him. And I’m not talking about the attention that requires a signature on some documents, if you know what I mean.”
“Wait, so Candy doesn’t know that you’re gay or that you were married?”
Harley questions.
“Oh, she knows. She just doesn’t care. You see, Candy is one of those women who likes to think that––”
“Drucilla?” I warn.
“I think I’ll go to the kitchen and cook up some more eggs.”
“That would be a good idea,”
I tell her as she exits the room.
We all enjoy our breakfast and then my phone rings. I look down at the screen and see Candy’s name.
“Excuse me,”
I say, lifting myself out of my seat as I answer the call and bring the phone to my ear. “Hello, Candy,”
I say as I leave the dining area.
“And I also need you to sign these. Here and … here.”
Candy places some papers on my desk for me to sign, then she leans over my shoulder, making it a point to reveal her exposed cleavage.
“Working hard as usual I see, Candy,”
Drew says as she walks through the door.
Candy quickly straightens up and then places both her hands on my shoulders. She then hands me a pen and I sign the documents on the table.
“I didn’t realize that’s how a respectable businesswoman was supposed to dress,”
Drew continues, her eyes angling up at Candy’s.
“And you’d know, of course. I must have told at least a dozen other women how good they look in that outfit.”
Candy’s eyes roam all over Drew’s attire.
“Well, at least I don’t have to wear a push up bra to make my boobs bigger to try and get the attention of a man. A gay man, I might add, who has absolutely no desire to flirt with a woman.”
“At least I have boobs,”
Candy replies. “What’s your excuse?”
“Will you two knock it off,”
I say. “Candy we really need to finalize these papers before the charity benefit this evening. You know I hate attending these things when we have unfinished business.”
There’s a mountain of paperwork on my desk that still requires my attention, and I really should attend to it. But right now, all I can focus on is making sure these other papers are signed and finalized before the event tonight. Candy insisted we have the party here, but I would have preferred to hold the event elsewhere, mostly because I don’t want the children to be here when everyone arrives. I don’t like having them involved in my business affairs, and I prefer to keep their lives private.
Candy moves to the other side of my desk and takes a seat, then she starts sorting through the papers I’ve just signed. Since I hired Harley, I’ve managed to get on top of my workload and all the paperwork that goes with it. And if I’m being completely honest, having Harley around has actually relieved a lot of stress. I lean back in my chair, then stretch out my legs underneath the table and cross them before removing my glasses and pinching the bridge of my nose.
“Have you picked out a suit for tonight?”
Candy asks, her face still buried in paperwork.
“You know me. I can always throw something together at the last minute. What about you? Have you picked out a dress?”
I lean forward and resting both my elbows on the table while I clasp my fists together.
“I have. Something unique and special, actually.”
I raise my eyebrows. I can’t deny that Candy is a very attractive woman, and despite my having no interest in the opposite sex, she still continues to flirt with me on a daily basis. Maybe it’s because she knows she can’t have me. Or maybe she just enjoys being a tease. Either way, I’ve assured her countless times that our relationship is nothing more than business. And that’s as far as it’s going to go.
“You haven’t told me about the new nanny yet. What’s she like?”
Candy asks.
Her question has me leaning back in my chair. “She is a he, first of all. And Harley is great for someone who hasn’t had any experience looking after children.”
“Wait, your nanny is a man?”
“Yes. He’s our manny. We met by chance, he had just lost his job, I needed someone to take care of the children while I was at work, and the timing was just perfect.”
She moves toward me and leans across the table.
“And what do the kids have to say about him?”
“Like most things, it took some adjusting, and it still does. We’re still getting used to the idea of having someone else in the house, especially after Todd.”
“That must have been pretty difficult for you.”
“I wouldn’t say difficult. Like I said, it took some adjusting.”
It’s actually taken a lot of adjusting. Getting used to the idea of having another man in the house was not something I’d planned. I always thought, after Todd died, that it would just be me, Drew, and the kids. But having Harley around has certainly made things easier. I haven’t even thought about sex or a relationship. My sole purpose has been focusing on my work and providing for my children. And yes, there are times when I wake up alone in bed in the middle of the night and cry because I suddenly remember that I’m all alone. After Todd died, I had no desire to look at another man, much less start another relationship with one. And even though Harley has only been working for me a short time, there’s something about him that’s … enticing. And I’ve noticed it since the first moment I spoke with him outside the restaurant that night.
“?”
Candy’s voice breaks through my thoughts.
“Huh?” I say.
“Where were you just now?”
“I’m sorry. I honestly don’t know where I was. Did you say something?”
“I was just wondering what time you want me here for the benefit tonight?”
“About seven thirty. The guests will start arriving at eight.”
“Perfect. Well, I can finish this up tomorrow. I should head home and make myself look gorgeous.”
She gets to her feet and gathers her papers together before stuffing them into her briefcase. She then grabs her purse from my desk and walks out of my office. Convincing myself that I’m not going to get any more work done tonight, I clean up my desk and make my way out of the office and into the living room. I run through the night’s itinerary with Drew and make sure she’s totally on board with everything for this evening. I am having the event catered and it’s not the first time I’m hosting an event in my house. However, I still like to keep her informed about everything that is going on, just in case there are any unforeseen hiccups during the evening. When I’m done talking to her, I text Harley to make sure he and the kids are okay. I sent him out shopping with the kids to buy outfits for this evening. Todd was never fond of having the kids present at work functions. He preferred to keep our family life private. But recently, I’ve decided that they are a part of what Todd and I share, and they shouldn’t be hidden away from what I do. They are my entire world, my everything, and they deserve to be shown off to all the people who are associated with me, personally and professionally.
With a wide, satisfying smile on my face, I head to my room and head to my closet to select my outfit for this evening.