Page 9 of Don’t Fall for the Billionaire
Chapter Nine
Charlotte
I was in the kitchen, plating the pizza I ordered for Eloise and me.
Ashton walked in, and I swallowed hard. Crisp black designer dress pants and a light gray button-down shirt with the sleeves slightly rolled up, looking like he'd just stepped off the front cover of GQ Magazine.
His cologne lingered in the air as he passed by—scents of sandalwood and cedar with a touch of citrus.
He didn't bathe in it, like other wealthy men I'd known.
It was subtle, but not too subtle. A scent that suited him perfectly, balancing the polished professional man with something wilder and more dangerous.
A smell that made my legs squeeze together.
“I'm leaving now.” He leaned over and kissed the top of Eloise's head. “Be good for Charlotte.”
“I will, Dad.”
“I'll see you two in the morning.” He looked at me.
“Oh, a late night?” I asked.
“Most likely.” He smiled.
After he left, I sat at the table with Eloise and ate my pizza.
“He's always going out,” Eloise said.
“Oh yeah?” I took a bite of my pizza.
Suddenly, a sadness washed over her as she lowered her head.
“Hey, what's wrong?” I asked.
“Now that you're here, he'll never be home anymore. I kind of liked not having a nanny.”
“Why? Because your dad had no choice but to be home more?”
She slowly nodded.
My heart broke, for I knew what it was like not to have your dad around growing up.
“You know what? I have so many things I want to teach you that you won't have time to worry about your dad not being around.”
“Like what?” She lifted her head and looked at me.
“Making pies.” I grinned.
“I love pie.” Her eyes widened.
“Good. Because we're going to bake a lot of them. I learned how to make them from my mom, and now I'm going to teach you.”
“What kinds of pie do you make?” she asked, taking a bite of her pizza.
“All kinds. And now, with fall coming, we can bake all things apple and pumpkin. What do you think about autumn?” I cocked my head.
She shrugged. “I don't know. I never thought about it. Summer is my favorite season because there's no school.”
“Ah, I loved summer when I was a kid for that very reason.” I smiled.
My first night sleeping in my new bed was beyond amazing. I wasn't sure if I'd ever slept in a more comfortable bed in my life. I was up at 6 a.m. to shower and get ready before waking Eloise up at 7. When I opened my bedroom door, I smelled it—his scent that lingered through the hallway.
Walking into Eloise's room, Ashton had already woken her up.
“Good morning.” I glanced at my watch. “It's 6:58. I see your dad already woke you up.”
“Yeah.” She reached into her closet and pulled out her school uniform.
“I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast.” I smiled.
“Charlotte, can you do my hair?” she asked.
“You bet. How do you want me to do it?”
“I want a French braid.”
Shit.
“I'm afraid I don't know how to do a French braid, but I'll learn. I promise. How about a regular braid for today?”
“Okay.”
After braiding her hair, we went downstairs.
“Morning.” Ashton smiled. “Charlotte, this is Sylvia. Sylvia, this is Eloise's new nanny, Charlotte.”
“It's a pleasure to meet you, Charlotte.” Sylvia smiled.
“You too, Sylvia.”
“I have to get to the office. Have a good day at school, sweetheart.” He walked over and kissed Eloise's head.
I bit my bottom lip as I watched him walk out of the kitchen, dressed in his designer suit and Italian loafers. Damn, he was sexy.
After Dominic returned from dropping Ashton off at the office, Eloise and I climbed into the back of the Escalade. When we reached the school, I climbed out and grabbed Eloise's hand.
“There's my teacher.” She pointed.
“Your teacher is a man?” I asked.
“Good morning, Miss Cross. How are you today?” her teacher asked.
“Morning, Mr. Sullivan. This is my new nanny, Charlotte.”
“Hello, Charlotte. It's nice to meet you.” He extended his hand.
I would admit that Eloise's teacher was hot. Damn. I never had teachers who looked like that when I was in school.
The bell rang, and Eloise let go of my hand when she saw Kelsey.
“Have a good day!” I shouted.
She turned and gave a small wave.
“Are you the new nanny?” A young woman walked over.
“Yes. I'm Charlotte.” I smiled.
“It's nice to meet you. I'm Millie. We, nannies, take the children to the park after school if you'd like to bring Eloise and join us.”
“Sure. Sounds fun.” I smiled.
I climbed back into the Escalade and shut the door.
“Mr. Cross just called. He needs me to drive him to a meeting. I can drop you off somewhere after.”
“That's fine. Can we make a Starbucks run first? Please, Dominic? There's one right down the street.”
“Okay. But if there's a long line, we can't wait. Mr. Cross is waiting, and he doesn't like to be kept waiting.”
I prayed the whole block down there wouldn’t be a line. And there wasn't. I could hear the pumpkin cream cold brew calling out to me.
“Can I get you a coffee?” I asked Dominic before I stepped out of the SUV.
“I'm good, Charlotte. Thanks for asking, though.” He smiled.
I held the plastic cup between my hands, took a sip, and closed my eyes in satisfaction. This was the moment I'd been waiting for, and I wasn't sure why Starbucks was late in getting its fall drinks out this year.
Dominic pulled up to Cross Properties & Development, where Ashton stood on the curb waiting for us.
“It's about time,” he snapped, opening the door.
“Sorry. It's my fault. I asked Dominic to stop at Starbucks first.”
“Starbucks? Seriously? We have coffee at the house.”
“Not a pumpkin cream cold brew.” I grinned, holding up my cup. “Tell me, Mr. Cross. How do you feel about autumn?” I asked, staring at him and leaning closer.
“Autumn?” His brow arched.
“Yes.” My grin grew.
“I don't know.” His brows furrowed. “I never thought about it. It's just another season.”
“But it's not.” I frowned. “It's a beautiful time of year when the leaves change colors, crisp air takes over, the sound of crunching leaves under your feet, pumpkins, spices, mums, and apple pie.”
“If you say so,” he said, chuckling.
“Why are you chuckling?”
“It's just a season, Charlotte.”
“But you kind of like autumn, right?” I asked.
“Sure. It's a hell of a lot better than winter.”
I let out a breath. He wasn't a psycho about autumn like Jeremy was, and he smelled a lot better.
Dominic pulled up to the curb in front of a tall building, and Ashton climbed out. Before shutting the door, he popped his head inside.
“I'm going out tonight,” he said.
“Eloise will be thrilled,” I said.
“Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean?” His left eye narrowed.
Shit.
“Nothing. She just mentioned that you're never home and she wishes you were.”
“I have a life too, you know. I'll see you later.” He slammed the door shut.
“I guess the truth hurts,” I said to Dominic, who was staring at me through the rearview mirror. “I mean, the poor kid just wants her dad home every once in a while. Is it so hard for him to stay home and spend some time with her?”
“He's making up for the last month since Maura quit,” Dominic said.
“Why did she quit?”
“Her mother is ill, so she moved back to England to take care of her.”
“Was she nice? Was she pretty? How old was she?” I wanted to know every detail about her.
“She was—how do I put this? She was nice enough, I guess. Eloise wasn't that fond of her, so they got into it a lot. Ashton always took Maura's side when it came to Eloise. She was forty-five and reasonably attractive.”
“I can tell you're trying to be nice, Dominic. But I need the real tea on that woman.”
“Fine, Charlotte. She wasn't attractive at all. She could be insulting when she wanted to be, and I never trusted her.”
“Why?” My brows furrowed.
“She treated Eloise like a task instead of a child. She was stern, and Eloise was defiant. She knew exactly how to push that woman's buttons.”
“And Ashton was okay with how she treated Eloise?”
“He never really said much. But then again, he wasn't around. Mr. Cross likes his social life.”
“I bet he does.” I rolled my eyes.
“Please, don't mention any of this to Ashton,” he said. “He goes off the rails if he knows people are talking about his personal life.”
“You have my word, Dominic.” I smiled.