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“Um…” Amelia couldn’t deny that this was getting a little too strange. She passed it off with a light chuckle. “I can’t help feeling a little like you’re interviewing me.”
Liam hesitated. Then he chuckled as well. “We’re just getting to know each other.”
“Okay…” Liam was still handsome and, despite his slightly strange questions, charming. “I suppose I’m just wondering exactly why you invited me to lunch.”
Liam sighed. “All right. I had hoped to wait a little before broaching this particular topic, but I suppose I’d better just say it.” He reached into the bag he’d brought and pulled out a slim folder. “Would you be willing to sign an NDA first?”
“Um…” Amelia gave another nervous laugh. “Why would I need to sign an NDA for our lunch?”
“I’ll be upfront with you.” Liam leaned forward and clasped his hands. His sea-blue eyes met Amelia’s with an intensity she couldn’t quite describe. “I invited you here to speak about a job. But before I can share any specific details, I’ll need you to sign the NDA.”
“A job?” Amelia felt herself deflating. This hadn’t been a date at all, just a job interview. Suddenly, Liam’s questions about her experience weren’t so strange at all. Although Amelia needed a job, badly, and Lilypad was a great company that she’d be happy to work for (if she wanted a job at all), this was disappointed. She’d thought there was a spark between her and Liam.
She’d been wrong.
“Exactly.”
“Okay. I have to ask, though, why we’re speaking about the job here, and not in your office. And why you’re interested in me, even though you haven’t seen my résumé. Do you even know what field I work in?”
“I’ll explain everything.” Liam tapped the folder with one finger. “Once you sign this.”
Curiosity won out, and Amelia took the pen Liam passed to her. She skimmed the papers, which essentially were an agreement not to share anything they talked about today, and signed them with a quick flourish. Then she handed the papers back to Liam, who checked her signatures, then slid the folder back into his bag.
“Thank you. And I do apologize for all the cloak-and-dagger.” He grinned and, despite herself, Amelia felt her heart flutter again. “Just so that we’re on the same page, you understand that the NDA you signed prevents you from sharing with anyone, including the press or other members of Lilypad, what we discuss today?”
“I understand.” Amelia’s curiosity grew. What kind of job could this be?
“Great.” Liam sat back and folded his arms across his broad chest. “Then I can tell you that?—”
Just then, the door opened and the waiter entered. Liam fell abruptly silent. His firm gaze on Amelia told her in no uncertain terms that they needed to pause the conversation until they were alone. The waiter was carrying a large tray, on which Amelia spotted two endive salads spotted with cranberries and dressed with a green-colored vinaigrette. He set the salads on the table.
“Your first course.” He smiled at Amelia and Liam, then exited.
“What were you going to tell me?” Amelia asked. She was beyond curious.
“All right.” Liam let out a puff of air. “I recently gained full custody of a little girl — a child I conceived with a woman I wasn’t in a relationship with. Anyway, her mother passed away, and care of the little girl has been passed on to me. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Amelia froze. Liam had a daughter he hadn’t known about? He was talking about a daughter — right? — even though he hadn’t used those words. Amelia wasn’t sure how to react.
“However, I am not… I am not able to be the parent she needs. And the fact that I am unmarried and have, well, an illegitimate child could create problems for my business.”
Still, Amelia didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say. The fact that Liam was currently a single father and that he’d had a child while unmarried didn’t bother her at all — she knew a lot of wonderful single parents. But the fact that he didn’t know what he was doing, even though he’d been a father for at least some time… and that he seemed mainly concerned with the impact on his business, not the welfare of his daughter… those facts made Amelia much less impressed with him.
“So, you’re looking for a nanny.” Amelia finally found her voice.
“Not exactly. As I mentioned, the care of the little girl isn’t the only issue at hand. Another matter is keeping my traditional investors happy. What I’m looking for is a woman who can become my wife, in name only, to help care for the child and to preserve my reputation. Ideally, that woman would be you.”
Amelia’s mouth fell open. This was by far the strangest conversation she’d ever had. Was Liam really asking her to marry him? On their second meeting?
Even though Amelia wasn’t much for romance, she’d always had a picture in her mind of how she might one day meet a great guy and get married. She’d imagined how he might get down on one knee on a cliff overlooking the ocean, take her hand, and ask her to be his forever. Now, Liam was actually proposing, and it was the farthest possible scenario from the one she’d imagined. They were overlooking an ocean, but that was where the similarities ended.
Amelia was already shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Liam. I don’t know exactly how you thought this conversation was going to go, but I’m not going to agree to marry a man I just met, even if it’s just for show. Especially if it’s just for show!” She got to her feet. The salad course still sat untouched on the table, but wasting food was the least of her worries right now. “I wish you all the best with your situation.”
“Amelia, wait.”
She hesitated, then turned back to Liam.
“I haven’t mentioned the pay.” Then he named a figure so astronomically high that Amelia’s mouth fell open once again. With that kind of money, she’d be able to take years off work — perhaps the rest of her life, if she were frugal.
