Page 27 of Nine Week Nanny

A company car? Okay, I can deal with that.

Dana Black checks her watch. "Thank you for coming on such short notice, Sloane. Perhaps we should finish up downstairs? Mr. Carrigan, do you have any questions?”

"No. I believe the agency will reach out with all of the final logistics. I've seen all I need to see.”

Isn't that the truth?

He turns and heads back toward the stairs. The two of us follow.

“I’ll check on Lennon and Camila. Thank you for coming, Ms. Brennan.”

I offer a weak smile.

In the foyer, Dana thanks me again, crisp and professional, before pulling out a ringing phone. I mutter something polite and hurry out, hoping for a clean escape before Pope returns.

The humid air hits me as soon as I step outside, thick and salty compared to the chill of his house.

I slam my car door harder than necessary and sit frozen, staring at Pope’s sprawling beachfront home through the windshield. My hands shake slightly as I grip the steering wheel.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I say out loud through a shaky voice.

I jam the key into the ignition and pull away from the driveway, watching the house shrink in my rearview mirror.

My fingers fumble with the Bluetooth connection. "Call Maris."

Three rings later, her voice fills my car. "So? How'd it go? Are you the new Mary Poppins of Palm Beach?”

"The house is incredible. Beachfront, private access, marble everything." I take a deep breath. "The kid is sweet but barely talks. There's a court-appointed guardian watching everything."

"Sounds intense but fancy. So what's the dad like? Old? Creepy? Hot widower?"

"Oh, I can tell you exactly what he's like." My knuckles turn white on the steering wheel. "Remember that guy from the bar last week? The one I... you know."

"The hot businessman you had mind-blowing sex with then snuck out on?" Maris laughs. "What about him?"

"That's him. That's the dad. Pope."

Silence stretches for three full seconds before Maris screeches, "SHUT UP!"

"I wish I could." I merge onto the main road, my stomach churning. "What are the odds, Maris? Seriously, what are the goddamn odds?"

"Holy shit. So you slept with your potential boss before he was your potential boss? That's?—"

I let out a humorless laugh. "Nothing’s gone right since I set foot in this god forsaken town. Now I’ve signed up for nine weeks of working for the man I should never see again."

My mind flashes to everything I let him do, thinking it was safe because I’d never see him again. Embarrassment and rage flush through me in equal parts.

“Yeah. I can see your dilemma.”

I blow out a breath, watching the road blur ahead. "Fuck my life."

EIGHT

Pope

Camila kneels in front of Lennon, her hands gently cupping his shoulders. The morning light creates a halo around them both, making this goodbye feel more ceremonial than I expected.

"I'll call you tonight, okay? And in two weeks, I'm bringing Luis and Sofia to visit." Her voice remains steady while her eyes betray her. "We can all swim and play on the beach."