2. Lucas
Chapter Two
LUCAS
It's her.
The unreasonable girl from the coffee shop.
The exceptionally beautiful, annoyingly unreasonable girl.
The summer sunshine is glinting off her auburn ringlets. I've never seen hair like it, it's cascading almost to her waist like something out of a story book. Pity she doesn't have the charming princess-like character to go with it.
"What are you doing here?" Surprise is making me blunt. It sounds ruder than I mean it.
She flushes. Her nose has a sprinkling of freckles on it. It's a very cute nose.
"Uh. I'm here about the nanny job." She's embarrassed. And so she should be. How could anyone think that banning reusable cups was a good idea? I'm not going to let her get away with this, even if she does have spectacular hair, even more spectacular curves and a cute nose.
"Were you aware that the paper cups your coffee shop uses can't be easily recycled because they have a layer of polyethylene? Allowing your customers to bring their own reusable cups seems like common sense." Now I'm lecturing her but it's important to me that she understands.
She looks steadily back at me, despite her flushed cheeks.
"Yes, I'm very aware of that. I regularly tried to get my manager to change his policy.
We actually had a final disagreement about it after you left this morning and he fired me.
I'm here about the nanny job, not to discuss the environment. "
"The environment is actually a pretty big subject in this house. I based my business around it, uh... what's your name?"
"Natalie." She runs her hand through her wild curls.
"Okay Natalie. I'm Lucas Slate. What makes you think you're qualified to look after my children?" I'm definitely being harder on her than I need to, but she's got me on the back foot with her assertive reply and clear gaze. Her eyes are an unusual emerald green color.
"Is it okay if I come in?" She looks up at me - I'm standing on the doorstep and that, combined with my height, makes me realize she must be craning her neck to meet my eyes.
"Yes, of course. This way." I open the door as she steps past me. A wave of scent comes with her, a blend of lily and vanilla.
I lead her into the main living area. She looks around with her mouth slightly open.
I forget how impressive this space is at first sight; the view from the side of the mountain down into the valley below, the triple height ceiling and the huge beams made from fallen trees from the local forest. This house is the reason Magnus Huckle has been nominated for Architect of the Year and he richly deserves the award.
I gesture for her to sit down on one of the huge sofas.
I should probably offer her something to drink but I'm not sure how long this meeting is going to last. Is she going to want to stay when I've been lecturing her?
Again, I'm not quite sure of myself and that makes what I say come out more harshly than I intend it.
"Natalie. Tell me why you're the person to look after my children. You realize the position is just until the end of their vacation? Three weeks at most?"
"Um, Mr. Slate. Yes, I do. My cousin Alexis recommended me for this job to Mr. Huckle when she heard you were looking for a nanny.
I've looked after most of my cousin's kids, ranging in age from baby to teenager.
I spent two summers helping Alex at summer school coaching baseball.
Last Christmas I cared for my cousin Bette and her husband Edward's kids at my Aunt's place here in Snowflake while they went on a second honeymoon. " She draws breath and then stops.
She must be fifteen years younger than me and even though she's fronting this interview very well, she's definitely nervous. I'm also surprised she hasn't bailed out once she realized I was the customer she's had a run-in with. She must need this job badly.
"Why do you want to spend your summer looking after children?
Shouldn't you be lazing around by a swimming pool or something?
" I'm trying to lighten the mood, but I have a sudden image of her lush curves in a bikini and I feel my cock stiffen.
I shift my legs. This is beyond inappropriate and again I get the feeling I'm not the one calling the shots.
"Well, I'd love to be lazing by the pool but I have rent to pay. And I'm not scared of hard work." Her big eyes meet my gaze again and I get the sense of her commitment to whatever she sets out to do. I like that.
"Great. Well, you probably know I'm in a difficult position.
The scheduled nanny broke her leg and the agency hasn't got anyone available until next week.
I'm willing to give you a trial to see if you can handle the kids.
The housekeeper will take care of meals and cleaning; you just need to make sure the kids are happy.
I have to go into the city for a conference and then I have an event next week so I'll be in and out of here. "
She smiles. "That's fine with me."
"The children can be a handful but they're good kids. My ex-wife Eva and I are separated, but she works a lot in the city so they split their time between our homes and their grandma’s place in Snowflake Falls. Come with me and we'll go meet them." Logan is shouting outside and Zoe is screeching.
Logan is chasing his sister around and brandishing a huge stick which seems to have fallen from one of the trees at the back of the house. Zoe runs up to me and hides behind my legs. "Daddy, there's a spider on the stick."
"Logan, stop tormenting your sister right now. Give me the stick." I hold my hand out but he runs away with it. I pick Zoe up and take her over to Natalie.
"This is my girl Zoe. She's not really afraid of spiders, are you honey?" I stroke her golden hair.
"Only big ones." Zoe's eyes are round.
Natalie smiles. "Hey Zoe. I'm not keen on spiders too. My cousin Alfie used to chase me around with bugs too. Do you like animals?"
Zoe smiles back. "Yes. I like cats, dogs and alpacas. My backpack has an alpaca on it."
Natalie sits down on the grass. "Mr. Slate, why don't you let me get to know Zoe and Logan while you get on with stuff?"
I stare down at her for a second. I'm not used to being told what's going to happen. But I don't want to get into another power battle and Zoe seems to be happy, so I choose the path of least resistance.
An hour later I head back outside with some lemonade the housekeeper, Mrs. Klass, has made.
Logan, Zoe and Natalie are sitting in a circle playing some kind of TikTok clapping game.
I haven't seen Logan this absorbed in a while.
Natalie definitely has magical skills of some kind.
I feel like touching her skin to see if she's real, but that would be beyond creepy.
Logan looks up at me from under his floppy hair. I told Eva he should get it cut, but that's a battle for another day. "Nat is cool. She can be our nanny, Dad."
I laugh. "Okay, is that your final decision?"
He gives the faintest ghost of a smile. "It is."
Zoe stands up to come and put her arm around me. "I say yes too, Dad."
"Well that's decided then. As long as you agree, Natalie?" I offer her my hand to get up from the grass.
"It's a deal." Natalie puts her hand in mine and there's an instant connection. It feels like electricity sparking up and down my arm. I lift her up and her eyes meet mine. It's hard to break the eye contact and we gaze at each other for a moment too long.
"Okay, so I'll run you back down to Snowflake and you can start tomorrow morning? I'm here with the kids tonight, I have a meeting tomorrow but I'll be back in the afternoon. Mrs. Klass will be here too for meals and anything else you need."
"That's great." She walks slightly ahead of me through the living room to the front door. Her hips have a slight sway that's mesmerizing. I drag my eyes away from her gorgeous curves. This has to stay professional. My children like her and I'm not going to mess anything up.
When we're in the car together, it feels unbearably intimate. Her vanilla scent, her tumbling auburn curls and her soft thighs in those tight jeans next to me are disconcerting. I've never had this visceral a reaction to a woman before and I'm not sure if I like it.
“Were you studying before you worked at the coffee place, or did you have another job?” I glance over at Natalie.
“I was at art college. I make sculptures from natural materials and repurposed metal. I needed to pay my bills once college finished, hence the un-eco friendly coffee shop gig.” She grimaces.
“You can’t always choose when you need to pay the rent. My first job out of high school was at McDonalds.” I roll my eyes.
“That’s a hell of a lot of polystyrene.” She grins.
I smile and nod my head in agreement.
My business usually takes up the majority of my thinking time.
Once Eva and I separated, I didn't want to get into any complicated relationships that could adversely affect the kids.
So I've just been concentrating on work and family.
This beauty next to me suddenly makes me aware of what I've been missing.
I imagine what it would be like to kiss her soft lips, running my tongue inside her mouth, feeling her breasts pressing against me.
I need to get it together.
She's my employee.
I'm the boss.