Taste of Desire

“I assume you’ll be starting in the morning,” Emma said.

“Yes. I was worried that Riquet might take a while to get used to me, but she really took to me. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s just her friendly nature. She’s really adorable, and I’m excited about this opportunity.”

“Good,” Emma said. “I’m glad.”

“You said he hasn’t dated since his wife’s death?” Salina found herself asking.

“No,” Emma replied, shaking her head. “Janine was his world. In fact, what I’ve seen him do more than anything else is throw himself into work even more than he did before.”

“Workaholic, hmm?” Salina said. “Isn’t that like the pot calling the kettle black?” Maybe people who worked in the legal field had to be workaholics. The devotion to the kind of work they did—which at times could be mind-numbingly boring going through all those case files, as far as Salina was concerned—had to require that a person be totally committed to their vocation.

“I know I’m bad,” Emma began, “but Jake’s even more of a workaholic than I am. At least I take the weekends off. Zachary would have a fit if I didn’t make time for him. He already complains that I don’t spend enough time with him as it is. Jake, however, has been known to head into the office on Saturday and work all day. It’s obvious to me and everyone else at the firm that that is his way of dealing with the pain.”

“He works on Saturdays?”

“Oh, yeah. Quite a bit.” Emma paused. “He didn’t talk to you about his schedule?”

“Well … not really. I guess I just figured it’d be a Monday-to-Friday gig. That said, he’s offering me a very generous salary, so I’m not going to complain.”

“This’ll be great for you,” Emma said.

“And speaking of my new job,” Salina began, “I’d better get to bed. I have to be there bright and early in the morning.” She went to her sister and gave her a hug. “Thanks again, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The early morning commute to Manhattan was awful. Not only did the world seem a colder, more miserable place, Salina couldn’t help thinking that she could be snug in bed for another hour, instead of up at an ungodly time to head to work. She was glad she’d decided to pack a small suitcase—just in case—because she had a feeling she would end up staying at Jake’s place tonight.

When she arrived at Jake’s residence, she found that she had no problem gaining entrance to the building, as he’d told her she wouldn’t. She made her way up to the fifty-sixth floor, her stomach tickling on the insanely fast ride up the elevator.

She felt a little awkward letting herself into the apartment—as though she should knock first—but it was early, only a little after six, and she didn’t want to wake Jake if he wasn’t already up.

She opened the door and crept into the apartment. As she stepped into the living room, she was surprised to see Jake sitting at the nearby dining room table.

“Oh,” she said, startled. She put down the travel bag she’d brought with her. “I didn’t think you’d be up.”

He was wearing a T-shirt and black silk pajama bottoms, and looked like he was ready to pose for a high-end photo shoot. How was it that he looked just as good so early in the morning as he had the night before?

“Morning,” Jake said, rising. “I wanted to make sure you had all the information you needed for the day.” He lifted a black book from the table. “This is Riquet’s schedule, with all the pertinent phone numbers you’ll need, the address for her preschool and the addresses where she needs to go for her various extracurricular activities.”

Salina approached Jake and he handed her the book. The gold-embossed letters engraved into the leather read: “RIQUET’S CALENDAR.”

“It should all be self-explanatory,” Jake went on as Salina opened the book and found the appropriate date in January.

Salina continued to flip the pages forward. She could see that Riquet’s calendar had been scheduled all the way to March. Even play dates.

“There’s a lot in there, but what you’ll notice is that the schedule is the same for every week. Today is Wednesday, so after preschool Riquet has a play date from one-thirty to two-thirty with Sarah, and then ballet lessons.”

“The play dates are always the same every week? With the same kids?”

“Yes,” Jake replied. “Maria believes—and I concur—that having a regular routine for Riquet is the best thing. This way, she’ll know what to expect every day and won’t feel any anxiety.”

Salina nodded, but she didn’t totally agree. Routines were necessary, yes. But so was spontaneity. A child needed to learn that there could be a break from routine and that the world wouldn’t fall apart. Life didn’t always follow the pattern people planned for.

Jake’s wife’s premature death proved that.

Salina flipped back to today’s date on the calendar, and noted that in the lunch column even a meal had been marked in. Macaroni and cheese. Certainly the girl’s routine wasn’t so rigid that there couldn’t be spontaneity when it came to meals?

“Everything should be in there that you need, and if you find you’re confused about anything, please don’t hesitate to call.”

“Got it,” Salina said. As she closed the book and looked at Jake, offering him a smile, she noticed that he averted his gaze.

“I’m going to get dressed, get ready for work. Riquet usually wakes up by seven, and on Wednesdays Maria makes her pancakes for breakfast. Her preschool is about a twenty-minute car ride—Ed, my driver, will be downstairs at eight to pick you up.”

“We have a driver?”

“Once he gets me to the office by seven-thirty, he heads right back here so he can take Riquet to school. Once she’s in her class, he can bring you back to the apartment or out to do shopping, run the necessary errands you need to.”

“Okay.” Salina nodded. Being a nanny in New York City entailed a lot more than she’d anticipated. Riquet’s schedule was busier than she’d known any child’s to be back in Buffalo.

“I’m going to shower now,” Jake said, still not directly looking her in the eye.

Once Jake headed off in the direction of his bedroom, Salina went to the kitchen. It was large, with a wraparound counter that ended in a breakfast bar. The cupboards were maple, a contrast to the pale beige backsplash and beige-tiled floor.

Coffee was already brewed in an elaborate-looking coffeemaker. Salina would have to ask Jake how to use it.

Though she had time, she went into the cupboard and looked for the items besides eggs she would need to make pancakes. She found flour and sugar, but no vanilla, and sadly no cinnamon. She would make sure that she picked those items up today once Riquet was in school.

Salina spent the next few minutes familiarizing herself with the kitchen. It was a chef’s dream. Double ovens, a gas stovetop, large counter space for working … She would enjoy making many a meal here.

She glanced toward the dining room and saw that the only thing on the table was Jake’s large coffee mug. There were no plates in the sink. Jake hadn’t eaten.

He hadn’t said that she should make breakfast for him, and Salina wondered if he planned to pick something up on the way to work. Perhaps a bagel. Something he could eat quickly and go.

Well, that wouldn’t do. Jake was already up with files before him, doing work. He needed food for energy and sustenance.

Salina brought her small suitcase to Maria’s room and set it on the bed. Then she went back to the kitchen and measured the ingredients to make pancakes. She was finishing the first batch when Jake entered the kitchen.

Freshly showered, the man looked sexy as hell. Salina swallowed. She needed to keep things in perspective. She had to remain professional, and not go all tongue-tied when she saw him. So what if he was a gorgeous man, with his white dress shirt partially unbuttoned and revealing a hint of golden brown skin on his chest, and the scent of his aftershave smelling so incredibly appealing? None of that would affect her performance as nanny.

Salina placed two medium-size pancakes on a plate for Jake, then extended it to him. She already had butter and syrup on the table for him. “You didn’t say if I should make breakfast for you, but I took the liberty.”

Jake finished buttoning his shirt, then took the plate from Salina. “Normally I eat on the run,” he began, “but this is good. Thank you.”

Salina glanced at the clock on the microwave’s display.

It was almost six forty-five. She took the skillet off the stove and placed it on a back burner, then turned to head toward Riquet’s bedroom to check on her. But before she got out of the kitchen, Jake spoke.

“These are delicious,” he said.

“You like them?”