Page 20 of A Convenient Secret

What just happened? Yesterday I had a silly crush on the timbre of his voice, and today I call him sir, and… have I affected him like that?

I drop the appliance on the ground and rush to the powder room hidden under the stairs. Washing my face with cold water helps with the persistent blush, but does nothing to my racing heart.

I wish the odd situation would erase my stupid infatuation with him. It does the exact opposite. I’m way over my head with a man like Declan. And he probably got aroused by bossing me around… Did he?

I can’t go back out there. Are we going to pretend I didn’t see? That would probably be the best course of action.

When I finally emerge from the bathroom, I find Declan vacuuming the large rug by his sofa. Pausing, I observe him for a moment. He shed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, the sinews of his forearms bulging with every move.

I’m not sure what captivates me more… Seeing this man cleaning his house? Or just seeing him doing something, anything really?

And why on earth do I find him vacuuming so damn attractive? It’s like I saw an outline of his cock, and I’m drawn to him by some potent mixture of pheromones.

This is a disaster. I will have to run into him for an entire week. Jesus.

I step from the shadows of the staircase, and he stops, tapping casually at the top of the appliance with his foot. The humming stops.

Declan doesn’t look at me. That’s more of a familiar dynamic between us.

“See you tomorrow at seven,” he says, speaking to the space in front of him.

The scared, inexperienced girl in me is grateful he pretends nothing happened. Grateful he retreated back to being his usually aloof version of him.

Great. That’s probably for the best.

“I’m going to say goodbye to the kids.” I don’t wait for his approval and run upstairs.

He doesn’t start the vacuum until I turn the corner.

My heart is still pulsing chaotically from my encounter with Declan as I ride the subway back to Brooklyn.

What a day.

I can’t wait for a nice long shower. The good thing is that I told him about the mix-up, and he seems to have accepted the situation. Also, he knows who I am, and even knows my name. That’s a bit of a surprise.

Maybe his mom told him.

What’s not so good? I’m still in charge of keeping his kids safe and alive for a week.

While they were in kindergarten, Declan’s housekeeper showed me their rooms on the second floor, their playroom, and their schedule.

Color-coded on a board in the kitchen, it outlines all the activities. The kids have their own driver, and sometimes, when they each have a different activity, Declan’s driver is in charge of getting Zach to and from his soccer practice. Is he there by himself? Is the driver helping him to get changed?

Jesus. Single parenting isn’t easy. And I only got an overview on a piece of paper. It’s overwhelming. I can’t imagine how a busy man manages it all. No wonder he’s in dire need of a nanny.

Maybe easing up on their schedule might help him. Not that I would suggest that ever.

Why do all their nannies quit? I wanted to ask the housekeeper, but it felt too nosy after only fifteen minutes with her.

I can’t believe I ended up working for Declan. Only I can get into this kind of situation. Jesus.

What a day.

Though I did enjoy the confetti fight with the kids. I don’t even remember when I was last silly like that. Probably never. It felt so liberating.

It was so nice to see them unleash their uncensored side. Declan may be upset about his precious carpet—arguably, there are less messy ways to have fun—but those kids needed to let go.

I don’t know where their mother is, and obviously their father’s time is limited. Still, they are adorable. Such beautiful little souls.