“Okay. I’ve got nothing pressing once I’m done with my other jobs this week. If I’m living here I’ve got to cook for myself anyway. Might as well cook for everyone.”

  As much as he was thrilled to hear her say that, he didn’t want to take advantage either. He’d talk to her more in the coming weeks. The last thing he wanted was for her to be overworked and decide she needed to leave.

  Understanding

  Friday night, Max let himself into the house from the side door. He hadn’t seen Quinn’s car in the garage, so he knew she wasn’t home yet either.

  If he remembered correctly, it was her last night at the restaurant as a cook. He expected her home around ten with any luck. She worked last night too, and that was when she got in.

  “We had pizza for dinner, Daddy,” Lara said when he hung up his jacket.

  It was almost seven. He ran to the hospital when he was finished with his patients in the office and hoped to get home early, but a teenager was brought in with a large laceration on his skull and down the side of his face. Even though Max wasn’t on call, he took the case rather than call someone else in.

  “I’ll grab a piece when I come back down. I’m just going to shower and change quick. Where’s Davey?”

  “Downstairs playing video games with Charlie and Mike.”

  “Okay. I’ll talk to him later.”

  At least Davey was interacting with his friends and not sulking, so that was reassuring.

  Twenty minutes later, Max was pulling his pizza out of the microwave and taking a bite of the soggy slice. He should have just eaten it cold. “Where’s Jennifer?”

  “I think she’s on the phone in her room.”

  Max walked over to the hall leading to Jennifer’s suite, leaned in, heard her voice, and popped back out.

  “How was school today?”

  “Awesome. I got a hundred on my history test. And Melissa threw up at lunch and all the girls screamed and the boys laughed. In gym class, we played dodgeball and I got three boys out. Oh, and Mr. Winters is out sick. We had a sub and she was young and pretty like Quinn.”

  Max patiently ate his limp pizza while Lara rambled on about her day. He actually expected her to say more. Must have been a quiet day for her. Lara’s last comment about Quinn was one he chose to ignore.

  “Sounds entertaining.”

  Yes, Quinn was pretty, but she was also young. And she was his employee. She was hired to care for his kids and the house. Nothing more, regardless of the fact he’d dreamed about her again last night. He had to figure out what was going on. The last thing he needed to do was start walking around in a haze over the nanny.

  “Speaking of Quinn…if you’re still up when she gets home, I’d like to talk to her in private. So either go downstairs or to your room, please.”

  “Is Quinn in trouble?” Lara asked, looking worried.

  “Not at all,” he assured her.

  “Okay. Because I like Quinn a lot. She’s fun. Even Davey likes her.”

  That was good to hear. He’d seen some of that himself already. He hadn’t missed Davey in the kitchen with Quinn this week helping her put her cookbooks away. He’d stood back and watched and listened. Davey was still quiet, but he didn’t seem as quiet around Quinn.

  Two hours later, the kids were in bed, Lara sleeping and Davey finishing up a movie he was watching. Jennifer was in her room at the moment and he was still waiting for Quinn.

  He heard the garage door open and turned when she walked into the kitchen. She jumped when she saw him sitting on the couch. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think anyone would still be up.”

  “It’s only nine thirty,” Max said.

  “True. Guess it just seems later for me.”

  “That’s because you’ve been up working since you made breakfast for us this morning.”

  He watched as she hung her jacket up and slipped her shoes off. “I’ll just get out of your way.”

  “If you have a minute, I’d like to talk to you.” She walked forward, then hesitated when he didn’t stand up. “Have a seat.”

  “I’m too dirty to sit on the furniture. If it’s going to take some time, do you mind if I clean up and change first?”

  He should have realized that. “Sure, go ahead.”

  When she walked out of the room, he went and got a glass of wine for himself. He didn’t drink often, but he enjoyed a glass now and again to relax.

  “Do you want a glass of wine?” he asked her when she returned ten minutes later. Her hair was still up, but he smelled the fresh scent of soap on her as she walked in the room wearing sweats and a T-shirt. He liked that she felt comfortable enough to dress any way she wanted. It had nothing to do with the fact that her shirt was a bit snug and soft looking and her sweats had some saying on the butt. No, he wasn’t looking at her tiny rear, not much.

  “No, thank you. I’m working.”

  He frowned. “I thought I told you, you don’t work twenty-four seven. This isn’t a test, if that is what you think.”

  “I didn’t. Not really. But it’s fine. I’m good.”

  “Don’t you drink?” He didn’t know why he asked that question; it was of no interest to him. It shouldn’t be, right?

  “Wine now and again when I’m with friends, but not often.”

  He didn’t push it. Instead he said, “Now that you’re cleaned up, have a seat.”

  Her lips twitched and he was glad she took the comment jokingly as he intended. He handed over a sheet of paper to her. “Your background check came back today. I thought you’d want to see it. That copy is yours.”

  She looked it over quickly, turning the sheet over and then back. “It doesn’t say anything.”

  “Nope. Clean record. You didn’t even need to mention your history as a teen.”

  “Yeah, I did. I mean, if I didn’t and something came up, that would have been worse.”

  Back to the straight arrow again. “True. Now you know for the future. It can be our little secret.”

  “Thanks for understanding.”

  He did understand that about her. That it wasn’t something she was proud of, but knew she needed to be upfront with. She could put it behind her now, and he was happy he could do that much for her.

  “So what do you think of the job so far?”

  She lifted up a bit and tucked one leg under her hips, looking like she was getting comfortable.

  “It’s pretty easy. I mean it’s not as crazy as I thought. I feel a little guilty that when the kids are in school during the day there might not be much for me to do once my cleaning is done. The house is already immaculate, so it’s easy to maintain.”

  “Don’t feel guilty. Consider yourself on call. You’ll put in more hours than the average full-time employee. It will all work out.”

  “Can I ask you about the kids?”

  “Sure.” He was glad she brought it up.

  “Lara seems pretty well adjusted. She just rolls with the punches.”

  “She’s always been that way.” Which made the divorce much easier on her end. “But not Davey.”

  “No. I can tell he’s shy, and he’s making an effort with me, which is nice. Is there anything I should know? Is everything okay with him in school? Lara tells me everything in her life so far,” she said, laughing.

  “There aren’t many secrets with Lara. And really none that I know of with Davey. His problems lie more with me than anyone else, I feel.”

  As much as it pained Max to say that, he knew he had to be honest.

  “How’s that?”

  “Davey’s quiet, that’s true. I don’t know that he’s shy so much as he is going through that typical preteen phase. He’s got friends at school, his grades are good, he’s active, and all his teachers say he’s a pleasure to have in class. I don’t see any of those things at home though.”

  Max had expected this behavior when they moved here, but he hadn’t expected it to last as long as it did.

  “Can I ask why, or is it too personal?”

  “It’s too long of a story for tonight. Let’s say that when Davey’s mother, Mia, and I divorced, it wasn’t a good situation. I tried my best to shield the kids from it, but there were times it was unavoidable. I said some things and acted in ways I’m not proud of back then. I’m not sure if Davey blames me for the divorce or not. He doesn’t want to talk about it.”

  Max tried to keep the truth from the kids, but it was hard. They weren’t stupid; it was pretty obvious what was going on to Davey since he was a bit older and closer to his mother than Lara was.

  Lara had always been a Daddy’s girl and he loved that. Mia had pampered Davey until Lara came, and though it lessened, she still focused on Davey. Mia always showed more favoritism to Davey than Lara…when she was around to pay attention to anyone. In those last few years, she only paid attention to herself.

  “Thanks for telling me. I just wanted to know if there was anything I should steer clear of talking about with the kids.”

  “Nothing really. Davey is a bit sensitive about his mother, but that is about it.”

  “She called Lara the other day, but Davey said to say he was busy when she wanted to talk to him.”

  Max shouldn’t have been surprised. It wasn’t any different than most of the other times Mia called, which wasn’t often. Time didn’t make a difference to Lara, and she chatted away with Mia like it was yesterday, but when Mia wanted to talk to Davey, he wouldn’t.

  “He’ll talk if he wants to. I want them to have a relationship with their mother.”

  Too bad their mother didn’t seem to want to have one with them. Her loss. Lara told him everything, so he knew Mia had called. She hadn’t called in months.

  “Quinn, when did you get in?” Jennifer asked, walking into the room.

  Quinn picked up the piece of paper with her background on it, folded it and shoved it in her pocket. He wasn’t really watching her hand go there. Wow, he needed to get a grip.

  “About twenty minutes ago.” She stopped and addressed him, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head to bed. It’s been a long day.”

  “No, we’re done. See you tomorrow. Remember, I’m not on call this weekend, so you’re free to do what you want. Don’t feel like you have to hang around or wait on us.”

  She nodded her head and slipped out. Jennifer grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured herself some wine, then came to sit with him in the family room.

  “So what do you think of her?” he asked.

  Jennifer took a sip, then smiled. “You mean the energizer bunny? What’s not to love about her? This has been the most relaxing week I’ve had here. Thanks for my going-away gift.”

  He laughed, he had to. Only Jennifer would think of it that way. “She does seem tireless.”

  “Every time I go to do something, it’s already been done. I don’t know how she slips around this house unnoticed and gets it done so fast.”

  “Really? Like what?”

  “She drove to the school with me, and dance for Lara and karate for Davey. She knows their routines. I try to clean when she’s cooking meals for you guys, but half the time I can tell she’s already beat me to it.”

  He shook his head. “She’s had a rough life.”

  “I can see that. She doesn’t say much and it’s not my place to ask. I only know what you’ve told me.”

  “I don’t know much more than what you know. Just things I see. She’s a hard worker,” he said, suspecting she was that way to keep her jobs.

  “She’ll work out well for you, Max,” Jennifer said, smirking at him.

  “What’s that look for?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I think you’re all going to be just fine with Quinn here.”

  Kind Eyes

  Quinn rolled over and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Surprisingly, it was seven o’clock on a Saturday morning. She’d slept longer than she thought she would and wondered if she was the last one up.

  She swung her feet over the side of the bed and sat there looking around the guest room she’d been staying in the past few days.

  It wasn’t anything special in terms of décor, but still was nicer than any room she’d ever occupied. The queen-sized bed had more room than she knew what to do with.

  Small twin beds with lumpy old mattresses—if they were on frames that was a plus, sometimes they were just a mattress on the floor—were more her style. Her last apartment only had a pullout sofa. After the first night on that, she quickly learned what areas to move away from to avoid a spring in the back. She was happy to leave it there for the next tenant.

  But this bed in Max’s guest room was like a cloud. A big fluffy cloud that you wanted to wrap around yourself as you floated up to the pearly gates. Soft and comforting.

  As much as she wanted to lie in that luxury, she had things to do.

  After a quick shower, she made her way to the kitchen and realized that the house was still pretty quiet. Since it was too early to run the errands she had on her list of things to do, she’d start breakfast.

  With the coffee beans ground and brewing, she pulled out the extra loaf of bread she’d baked two days ago. She’d thought for sure it’d be gone by now, but since it wasn’t, it was perfect for big thick slices of French toast. She remembered Max ordered that at the restaurant weeks ago.

  Whoever owned this house before Max either was a professional cook, or they’d hired one. Everything she could have imagined was at her fingertips. Even a warming oven.

  It was a crime that Jennifer never did much more than plug in a crockpot or turn the stovetop on.

  With the first batch of French toast on a plate and warming, she decided to indulge in a cup of fresh-ground coffee herself. The last few days, she’d been drinking the coffee Jennifer made from the pot, since she only made just enough of the fresh ground brew for Max.

  “I could get used to this.”

  Quinn turned as she was pouring her cup of coffee to see Max standing there in a cotton shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and a pair of jeans that had seen better days. Her eyes traveled down some more and noticed he was barefoot. Nice big feet. Geez, what the heck was wrong with her thinking that?

  This was the first time she’d seen him this casual. Not that he always had a suit on, because he didn’t. He just didn’t ever look this…normal to her.

  She fixed the cup of coffee for him that she’d just poured and handed it over, then turned to grab the French toast she’d slid in the warming oven. “I like cooking for people.”

  “We’re happy to have someone cook for us,” he said, his eyes smiling at her. “Go make yourself a cup now. I know this was supposed to be for you.”

  She didn’t bother to deny it and went ahead and fixed her own cup. She’d made extra anyway, anticipating he’d be down. He always seemed to appear within ten minutes of when the coffee was brewed or the food was cooking.

  “If you don’t need me for anything today, I have a few errands to run in town.”

  “The weekend is yours to do what you want. I told you that,” Max said. He got up and grabbed a fork and knife, while she placed the maple syrup in front of him. “You didn’t need to make us breakfast this morning before you left, but I’m glad you did.”

  She hoped he didn’t think she was trying to suck up to him. She honestly enjoyed cooking and she still felt like this job was too good to be true. It didn’t feel right to her to live here on the weekends and do nothing.

  “What time do the kids normally get up on the weekends? I thought I might have been the last one up this morning.”

  He laughed around a bite of food. “I’m usually the first one up. Jennifer strolls in shortly after she hears me banging around in here. Lara is next and then Davey. Everyone is normally up no later than nine.”

  She’d been trying to be quiet because she didn’t want to wake Jennifer. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

  “I was just lying in bed thinking about what I needed to do this weekend. Then I smelled coffee. It’s a good way to get out of bed.”

  She didn’t feel comfortable thinking about him lying in bed, but for some reason her mind went right there and stayed. What did he sleep in? Was he a pajama person, or nothing at all? Pajamas didn’t seem his style.

  And that wasn’t what she should be focusing on while he was staring at her. Did her face just turn red? She hoped not, but suddenly she was getting warm.

  Thoughts of him had been popping into her head at the oddest moments lately. She’d catch him looking at her, then he’d turn away. Nothing that creeped her out, but more like gave her the tingles in the pit of her stomach. If she was a fanciful person—which she wasn’t—she’d say she had a crush on him. A crush was more dangerous in her eyes than thinking he was attractive.

  She had to pull herself together though. He was her boss and this was her job. A job she needed to make work. Things like this didn’t happen to people like her, and she couldn’t risk blowing it.

  Thinking of Max as anything other than her boss was a surefire way to watch it go down the drain. She didn’t need any type of distraction. Her life was full of distractions that she’d been weaving around, so having an employer mess with her mind wouldn’t be a good thing.

  It didn’t matter that the longer she was around him, the more she noticed how good-looking he was. Not in a traditional sexy way, or bad boy look. More in a kind way.

  He had kind eyes, strong features, and full lips. Mind off his lips, she lectured herself. I’m not fanciful, she reminded herself. This isn’t a crush, even if he is attractive.

  Clearing her throat, she said, “Just let me know if I make too much noise or I get in the way.”

  She busied herself making the rest of the French toast and was thankful that everyone else seemed to smell the food in the air and make their way to the kitchen before the last piece was cooked.

  By nine, she was pulling her jacket on and getting ready to walk out the door when she saw Max walk into the kitchen. “Is there anything in town that you need? I shouldn’t be long.”