Page 8 of Forbidden Kisses

"Yes.”

“Great. I won’t leave you in the lurch when my job starts."

She was responsible. That earned her a lot of points in my book.

"When would you like me to start?"

I liked her confidence too. Riley was the type of woman I’d love to date. But I couldn’t date right now—especially not her. She was Jeremy’s new nanny.

"Tomorrow, if possible," I said, half joking, but she nodded.

"Sure, I can do that."

I stared at her. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"All right, then you’re hired."

She gasped. "Really?"

"Yeah. I think Jeremy, my son, will like you."

"I thought maybe you’d want to vet me or something."

"My HR person already took care of it. She contacted the employers you listed as references, and apparently they all gave glowing reviews.”

"You move fast," she said with a laugh.

"I need to. Usually, I’d take more time and interview more candidates, but my parents have their hands full right now, and they’re the ones watching my son."

"All right, then. Can you tell me a bit about Jeremy? What he likes to do, what his favorite toys are, stuff like that? It would help me bond with him."

I felt it in my bones that it was a great decision to hire her. She didn't seem to ask just to make conversation but rather because she really cared about my son’s well-being.

"He's going through a Spider-Man phase," I said.

She laughed.

"And he likes being outdoors, a lot."

"Well, that's easy," she replied. "San Diego has a lot of options."

"Exactly. Which brings up an important point. Do you own a car?"

Her face fell. "No. Is that a deal-breaker?"

"Not at all, just wanted to know. I can arrange for you to have a company car."

Her mouth formed an O, but then she pressed her lips together. "That sounds great. So, that means I’ll take him on trips around the city?”

“Yes. Maybe even outside the city. But we'll discuss everything in advance.”

"Of course."

"And he likes to go to the movies. I try to limit screen time, but it's not always possible."

"That's fine. I'm good at bribing kids with alternatives," she said with a grin. "Do you have any parks nearby?"