The Nanny And Her Scrooge

Then he caught her glance and lifted a brow, offering her a mind-bending smile. “Yes?”

“The watercolors are beautiful,” she said, fighting to keep her composure. “Keep them.”

His laugh was short, brittle. “Funny. I thought you were going to say something else.”

She hesitated. “I was. Seeing you dressed up like that, reminded me of only one thing. A grinch in a penguin suit.”

His brows lifted in surprise, then he threw back his head and laughed, not the least bit irked at her audacity.

Nicki caved in and actually felt herself smiling. Then she chuckled, her laughter mingling with his in the cavernous room. She slipped the afghan from her shoulders and started to fold it, even as she shook her head, marveling at what had just transpired. “Okay. That’s good. For both of us,” she admitted, replacing the afghan on the back of the leather couch. “A little laugh at the end of a bad day. We may never be business associates, but at least we can laugh about our differences. And by the way, I’m sorry for that crack I made about not working for you if you were the last man on earth. It’s bothered me that I said that. I overreacted, and I know it.”

Jared’s laughter faded and he grew silent. His gaze settled on the top of her windblown hair, then ricocheted between her dimples. The woman had an uncanny knack for amusing him. She was bright, articulate, and remarkably attractive. On top of that, she was sincere.

“Nicki Holliday…you are the most—” The phone rang, interrupting him. He blinked. “Give me a minute…”

He picked up the phone and never had time to offer up the customary “Hello?” Sandra, his ex-wife, launched into her spiel. Even from four steps away, he guessed Nicki could hear her demanding voice. He turned his back. “Sandra…of course, I’ll take her….” While his ex-wife rambled on, Jared was vaguely conscious that Nicki had discreetly moved to the other side of the room. “Then we better do something about joint custody,” he said.

Could he actually turn this around to his advantage? He’d been waiting a long time—and patience had never been his virtue. His lawyer had predicted this day would come…. But Jared could already see through the ruse: his ex-wife was throwing up a smokescreen to get him to up the ante.

Pulling the phone away from his ear, he made a snap decision. He didn’t care what it cost, he wanted his child back.

Snagging a deep breath, he wedged the phone back against his ear, to endure Sandra’s screeching. “Madison doesn’t like Howie, and they pick on each other like a couple of little kids—”

“Fine. I’ll have my lawyer contact yours tomorrow.”

“But you’re still single, Jared, and you spend all your time at that stupid store. Madison needs a real home, a feminine influence. I know you, you’ll just dump her and forget her. She needs a woman around.”

Jared’s eye fell on Nicki, and suddenly the most outrageous idea struck him. Hell, he could bend the truth a little; his ex-wife had been doing it for the past ten years. “Actually, Sandra, I’m currently involved in a very serious relationship. She’s here right now. But…look…don’t say anything to Madison, will you? I’ll tell her when the time is right.”

He was met with dead silence on the other end of the line. Finally, “You?” Sandra accused. “And another woman?”

“Not with just anyone,” he said, thinking of Nicki in a Santa suit. “This is someone who cares. Someone who loves kids. She’s a nice woman. You’d like her.”

“Well, I…”

“Sandra, look…we’ll settle this.”

“I don’t care when it’s settled,” Sandra hissed. “Because I’m sending Madison out to you. Whether you like it or not.”

“I’ll arrange for her airline ticket,” Jared said smoothly, aware Sandra didn’t spend one cent of the child support he sent her on Maddy. She spent it all on herself.

When Jared finally dropped the phone back into the cradle, disbelief washed through him. After all these years he was getting his child back. Even if it was only part-time—for now.

Across the room, Nicki, silhouetted against a wall of windows, half turned in his direction. She frowned, concern written on her features. “Everything okay?” she asked.

“Never better,” he assured. He paused for a moment and straightened his jacket before moving toward Nicki. He had to make a decision and he had to make it quickly. “Would it be easier,” he asked bluntly, “for you to walk away from the Santa job, if I offered you a Santa-like job?”

She stared at him. “Are you serious?”

“Absolutely. You’d work here. In my home. With a pay raise substantially more than anything an elf could ever possibly make. I’d certainly match the Santa pay, and probably throw in a little extra. Actually, a lot extra.”

Surprise turned to suspicion. “Doing what?”

“Taking care of the most precocious little girl in the whole world.”

“Who?” she asked, frowning.

“My daughter. Madison.”

Nicki stalled, visibly weighing the implications. “Jared…” she said carefully, “you don’t even know me.”

“I know enough to know you’d be perfect for the job,” he stated. “And I need somebody right away. There’re twenty-nine days until Christmas, and this is not the ideal time for me to find a nanny.” He strode over to the baby grand and plucked the most whimsical portrait out of the display. He extended it to her. “Nicki, meet my daughter Madison. My ex, after two years, has decided she’s had enough. She’s giving me joint custody—and it’s the best Christmas present I could have asked for.” Jared unconsciously reached for her upper arm, persuasively squeezing it. “Nicki, think about this. You need a job, I need the help. Come on. Let’s make a deal.”

Chapter Three

Nicki agreed to talk about it on the way home. But in the car, she waffled. She liked Jared—almost more than she should. Yet she knew how he was when it came to business, how would he be when it came to family?

“You’re perfect for the job, Nicki. I read your personnel file. You’re a whiz with the kids. There were a dozen parents who called the store complimenting you.”

“Seeing a child for five minutes is a lot different than being a full-time baby-sitter.”

“You’ve got the imagination to handle it.”

“But there would be a lot involved—”

“Only Madison. Irene has been my housekeeper for years. She cooks, she cleans, she even does the laundry. She runs my place with an iron hand.”

“Oh, good,” Nicki said dryly. “Then I’d get to put up with two of you.”

Jared’s sensuous mouth twitched, but he stared straight ahead at the road. “Irene is efficient, she’s not an ogre.”

Nicki worried the strap of her purse, debating. “I don’t know…your hours for the next few weeks will be long.”

“That’s why I need someone reliable. I don’t have a lot of time to invest, and I have to make this work.”

“It’s going to be an adjustment for Madison. Especially if you aren’t going to be home very much. Maybe you should hire someone more experienced, more…” She lifted both shoulders, at a loss for words.

“Nicki, I’ve seen nothing but praise where you’re concerned. Your background check has already been done for the Santa Claus job, so I know nothing criminal or unsavory is lurking in your past. Reliable help is hard to find, and I need someone right away—someone I can trust.”

“But why does it have to be me?” she nearly wailed.

He stopped at a traffic light, tapping his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel. “Aside from all the other reasons, you convinced me you believe in Christmas. This year I have to make it special. I want someone who can make my house smell like gingerbread and who can pick out and wrap the perfect presents for a five-year-old. Come on…” He wheedled. “I know you’ve got the inside track on that one.”

Nicki’s head fell back against the headrest. “Sunny, the power print doll, and Curious Kendall, the electronic board game,” she intoned.

“See?” he said, depressing the accelerator, “I haven’t spent enough time with Madison in the last few years to know those things. I need someone—maybe a Saint ‘Nick’—to make us a family again.”

Nicki rolled her head over, to study Jared’s silhouette and ponder this new predicament. “You aren’t playing fair,” she said. “You’re using my arguments against me.”