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Chapter 5: Riley
I slept fitfully after Nathan left me last night, restless as I kept thinking about his sexy mouth. His lips were full and the combination of that and those blue eyes made me want to break the rules I set after I took this job. I was his nanny and if I wasn’t, we’d never cross paths. He would never want a simple girl like me, not when he was this older, successful man. He could have any woman that he wanted and probably did. Maybe that’s why he needed a nanny. He wanted to have free time to have some private time for himself.
I shook my head and turned on my side as the wind blew
outside. Despite my anxiety, this was a beautiful home and a room that I’d learn to enjoy. It just wasn’t truly mine yet. I needed to finish getting my things here and sorted, so there was some order to my new place. I knew that it was the morning but not what time, and I focused on the monitor to see if Ella was moving yet.
Nope. It was quiet.
I snuggled under the blanket that I’d pulled from the set last night and smiled. I thought that Carli was staying for another day but according to Nathan, she was leaving today. I’d truly be alone with the little girl and working as a nanny. She was not overwhelming to me at all, but the prospect of a new job was. I rolled to the other side as I breathed in, closing my eyes to sleep a bit longer. This bed was comfortable, and I drifted back off to sleep until I heard Ella over the monitor.
I listened as she called out for Nathan, smiling as he walked in to greet her. He was so sweet as he chatted with her and responded to her happy giggles. I glanced at the window to see that it was bright out now and crawled to the head of the bed to look outside and take in the ocean.
Holy shit. This was where I lived now.
I rose and used the bathroom, washing my face before I pulled on some worn jeans and a t-shirt. I wanted to make breakfast for everyone even though I was certain Nathan would protest the idea. I loved his kitchen and having everything I needed to cook anything my heart desired appealed to me. I considered telling him to fire his chef as I walked into the kitchen, smelling coffee as hushed voices came from the living room. I poured a cup and added some cream before stirring it, loving the sound of Ella talking over the sound of the TV. I walked in to see her cuddled up to Nathan as he talked softly to her, his own cup steaming on the table a few feet away. “Good morning,” I told them as he turned to look at me, her little face turning towards my voice as well. She smiled as I walked over to sit in the recliner across from them, taking a long sip from my coffee.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” His voice was still sleepy, and I imagined waking up beside him for a fleeting moment to hear that voice.
“It’s cozy in there. Different from my apartment so I’ll need to adjust but that bed is amazing. Thank you. I had this ratty double at the apartment that I was planning to replace.” I smiled at him, meeting his gaze as he held Ella securely on his lap.
“Did you open the windows?” I smiled at the question, looking into his eyes before nodding.
“I did. Of course, I did.” I looked towards the back of the house, wondering if I could sneak down for a walk before I remembered breakfast. “Can I cook breakfast? Your chef doesn’t prepare that in advance, does she?” Nathan gave me a sharp look as I shrugged. “It’s just eggs and some toast. Maybe some bacon and sausage, and I’ll mix it up other days. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
“That or we can go out for a brunch of sorts,” he replied as I glanced at the tracker on my wrist.
“When does she have to be at the airport?” I asked as footsteps sounded on the stairs.
“Two. I always make him take me to this fabulous place to eat when I leave, but the baby will want to eat,” Carli said, walking in the room in jeans and a similar shirt to the pink one that I wore. She grinned at me and dropped to the couch beside Nathan and Ella. Carli leaned in to kiss the little girl as I watched, lost in the love between this family for a moment.
“Do you want some eggs and toast?” I asked Ella as she looked at me with a wide smile. She nodded, and I laughed as I stood to cook it. “Does she have juice or milk?” I asked Nathan, pausing before I walked into the kitchen.
“Milk,” he told me with a grateful smile as I nodded. I found pans and eggs, buttering the pan before I heated it. While I was waiting for that, I pulled out a piece of sourdough bread to toast, looking through the many kitchen windows into the yard. It was so beautiful and peaceful, and I smiled to myself as I glanced at the pan, seeing that it was ready. I cracked an egg into a bowl to scramble before pouring it in, popping the bread into the toaster as it cooked. This was an easy breakfast and something the little girl should love. I could easily switch things up and make sure she ate every morning.
Once the food was done, I plated it and got it to the table. I poured some milk into a sippy cup and looked at the little family as they talked amongst themselves. For a moment, I felt like an outsider for a second before Nathan looked at me. “It’s ready.”
“Let’s go eat, Ella,” he told her as she moved from his lap to run into my arms. I carried her to her seat with a giggle and got her settled in as Nathan went to get his coffee. He also brought mine, and we sat with Ella as she started eating. Nathan asked Carli if she wanted some coffee and she joined us once she had a cup in hand.
“How come you’re leaving?” I asked Carli as she sighed.
“One of my clients got into some hot water. I need to do some damage control. I wanted to stay, but they were already so generous to give me these two weeks off.” Carli shrugged before taking a sip. “We’ll make a good day of it.”
I nodded and glanced at Ella grabbing egg in her hand and shoving it into her mouth. I laughed, and the others looked at her as Nathan shook his head. I let them watch her finish as I excused myself to shower for the day, looking around the space as water flowed down from three separate shower heads. Three people could fit in here, and my bathroom at the apartment could easily fit into this one. I washed my hair and body before conditioning, rinsing off so I could dry my hair. I only dried it halfway, leaving it down in loose curls over my shoulder. I put on a little makeup to make my face look a bit less pale and chose some fitted jeans and a button up green shirt with a black camisole underneath. I slipped my feet into some black sandals and walked back into the main part of the house.
Carli was sitting with Ella on the couch and she looked up at me, smiling. “If you want to take a shower, I can hang with her.” I was looking forward to my time with Ella since she was so sweet and clearly intelligent.
“That sounds great. Thanks for being here, Riley. I think it will be good for Nathan.” She stood, and I felt heat wash over my face. I could never tell her that I was fantasizing about her brother.
“I think this will be great. He’s doing me a huge favor giving me this job.” Carli headed upstairs, and I sat beside Ella, where she was playing with a doll. “Hi, Ella.” We chatted, and she handed me a doll to play with, making me smile. We were making up stories about their lives when I felt something change in the room. I looked up to see Nathan, dressed in some jeans and a fitted deep green shirt that displayed his muscular torso beautifully. “Hey.”
“She’s happy with you,” he observed, coming to sit in the recliner across from us as Ella waved at him.
“It seems so,” I replied as he ran a hand through his hair.
“Is Carli upstairs?” Nathan asked as I nodded. “Good. We’ll go grab some food and hit the beach before we take her to the airport.”
“That sounds nice,” I told him as our eyes locked for a moment.
