Chapter 12
The days are flying by. It’s been five months since I started working here as Ellie’s nanny, and it’s been an incredible experience.
I’ve never taken care of a child before, and doing so now is wonderful.
I don’t know if it’s because of this enchanting little girl, but I’m loving every moment, caring for her as if she were really my daughter.
I’ve tried to get into Mr. Owen’s office, but I was almost caught three times.
I’m devising a new tactic—let’s see if this one works.
Our relationship, which was horrible at the beginning, is much better now.
We can actually have normal conversations, and he’s been participating quite a bit in the activities I do with the little one.
I’ve also noticed that being near him satisfies me, makes me crave more.
My grandmother says I’m falling in love with him—impossible.
Me, so focused, so in control of myself, I can’t let that happen.
Not that I don’t want to, of course. Owen is hot, I confess, and I think older, more mature men are easier to deal with—they already know what they want.
I’ve never dated. I always focused on my studies, and also because I was pretty ugly when I was younger, no boy ever looked at me.
That never held me back as a woman, because in my head, I wanted other things.
I always saw my parents working hard, and that was the example I had.
After Mom died and Dad turned to alcohol, I had to grow up and take on more responsibilities, whether I wanted to or not.
I went to live with Grandma, maintaining the same lifestyle since our family was well-off financially, but I wanted a job.
My father managed to bankrupt the company he had worked so hard to build in less than a year.
To help him, I worked part-time at a coffee shop owned by a friend of my grandmother’s.
I really liked the work, but I had to leave because I promised I would get my father out of prison.
I needed to get into the best law school because, with how complicated his case was, I wanted to understand it better.
I buried myself in books and graduated top of my class.
I confess that today I love what I’m studying.
Soon I’ll have to find an internship. Jhon offered me one at his office, but if I go there, it’ll be too obvious since Owen knows who my father’s lawyer is. So I’ve already ruled out that possibility.
College break is coming up, and when I return I’ll need to have chosen somewhere to intern, so I decide to talk to my dear boss and see if I can intern there.
I gather my grades and performance reports because I know how professional he is and how much he values good lawyers—and there I’ll also be even closer to what I want.
He’s in the office. It’s already late at night when I get back from college and see the light on. I go straight there—the sooner I resolve this matter, the better. I stop in front of the door and give three little knocks. I hear him tell me to come in.
“Good evening, sir. Sorry about the hour, but I’d like to talk to you, if possible.”
“Sit down, Amélie. What’s this about?”
“My semester is almost over, and when I return, I’ll need to intern at a law office. I know yours is the best, so I’d like to know if there’s a chance I could learn from you.”
“Well, first I need to see your academic performance.”
“Oh, of course. I already have all the documentation for the internship—here it is,” I say, taking a folder out of my bag.
“I’ll take a look. Have you already chosen the area you want to work in?”
“Criminal,” I say without hesitation. He looks at me and says:
“Excellent. I’ve worked in several areas, and I confess it’s my favorite too. But now, as a judge, I can’t practice anymore.”
“It’s a really interesting area, and I connected with it.”
“Is there a lawyer in the family?”
“No, I’ll be the first. My grandfather was a doctor, a neurosurgeon. My grandmother also worked in the field, but she stopped when she got married.”
“Is he still alive? I only ever hear you talk about your grandmother.”
“My grandfather passed away a few years ago, also from cancer, but he worked until the very last moment he could.”
“So today it’s just you and your grandmother.”
“Yes, my grandmother always helped my mother raise me, so after my mother passed away, it was just the two of us.”
“I never hear you mention your father, Amélie. Did he pass away a long time ago?”
He asks me this question and I swallow hard, the saliva scraping down my throat. I don’t want to lie and say he’s also deceased, but I can’t tell the truth—not now.
“Yes, he died in a car accident, before my mother. That’s why my grandmother helped raise me.”
“I’m very sorry.”
“Thank you. Well, I’ll let you finish working. Do you want a glass of milk or juice? I can bring it to you.”
“Juice would be great. I need to finish reviewing these documents.”
“I already know a bit about some of this, if you need help. I’ll go get the juice for you.”
I leave the room he’s in and head straight for the kitchen.
I’m getting closer to him, which is great.
What I really want is access to his office, but no one can enter without his permission.
He’s not a man who trusts easily, but with a little finesse, I’ll get there.
I grab the glass of juice and some cookies I made earlier today and take them to him.
I walk into his office, set the small tray on his desk, and I’m about to leave when he speaks.
“You don’t have a boyfriend, Amélie?”
Why that question now? I don’t get it, but I answer anyway.
“No. Like I said, when I was young, I was the ugliest girl in school, and after I lost my parents, I got a part-time job at a coffee shop. Then I quit to focus on my studies. So I never really thought about it.”
“I don’t see you going out, especially on weekends. You’re always home, unless you’re visiting your grandmother. Mattia, a friend of mine, invited me to dinner at his restaurant sometime. Would you like to join me?”
“But, sir, is that appropriate—an employee going out with her boss? Although I don’t care what people say, so yes, I accept. I’ve always wanted to visit Mr. Mattia’s restaurant.”
“Then I’ll set it up for Saturday. Be ready at eight.”
“Okay, thank you so much for the invitation. Now I need to rest—tomorrow Ellie wakes up early with that enviable energy of hers. Good night, sir.”
I say this and walk out, leaving him there alone—and incredibly, I’m happy about the invitation, as if I’d been waiting for this much longer than I realized.
Stop being an idiot, Amy. First, a gorgeous man like him would never look twice at a twenty-year-old girl.
Second, you’re his enemy—have you forgotten?
I smack myself on the head and mutter to myself, a habit of mine.
I go to my room, put on my pajamas, and get into bed, with Owen tormenting my thoughts, but eventually I drift off to sleep.