livid with me afterward.”
If anything, it made my desire to hire him grow tenfold. “I’m not looking for what’s already out there. I’ve spent weeks discarding resumés from nannies who aren’t half as honest as you are. And I suppose that’s what it boils down to. The honesty. I want to be able to see my daughter at the end of the day and know she’s been in the hands of someone who sees raising her for what it is. The dirtiest job on the planet.”
Peyton’s mouth twisted up slightly. “Is she that bad?”
“At the moment? She’s worse.”
“How old is she?”
“She’ll be three in September. Nothing works. She can love something for five seconds and then declare it’s the worst thing in the world. Her tantrums—I won’t go there. But I feel as if I’ve tried everything at this point. From disciplining her to ignoring her when she starts screaming, from rewarding good behavior to distracting her from whatever’s making her mad.”
Peyton let out a low whistle.
“Does this mean you’re alone with her?”
“Yes.” I wasn’t going into why. We didn’t know each other well enough for that.
“So, let me get this straight,” he said, facing me full on. “You’re looking for a PA who will be with you by day, all while maintaining a close relationship with the other nanny, and then by night, the PA dons the nanny cap. You want someone to stay with you literally twenty-four seven. Who would agree to that?”
“Someone young and driven,” I responded. “Someone who wouldn’t mind putting their own life on hold for a year or two while securing their future financially.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. A fucking adorable sight. “Who are you?”
Ah. Perhaps I should’ve introduced myself sooner. No matter. I reached forward and extended a hand. “Edward Delamare. Reluctant heir of Westwater Hotels.”
“I guess you could afford it,” he muttered, shaking my hand. He had long, slender fingers. God, I wanted them in places. “Why reluctant?”
I shrugged and sat back again. “That’s a story for another day, but we all have our responsibilities. I admired my grandfather a great deal, and when he asked me personally to take a more hands-on position with the company before he passed, I couldn’t refuse.”
There were only two heirs left today. My cousin and me.
I could tell that Peyton didn’t know how to respond, or where we’d go from here, so I continued. “I have two days left in the city. Should you call in sick tomorrow and shadow me for twenty-four hours, I’d make sure you’d be compensated generously. You’d meet Julia, my daughter, and Cathryn, her nanny.”
“What about your current PA?”
“I don’t have one. She quit last week.”
“Oh.” He pinched his bottom lip and glanced toward the check-in counter, then back at me. “How often do you travel?”
“Usually only a month or two out of the year, in total, but this year is hectic,” I admitted. “I’m on the road most of the time. Cathryn has graciously agreed to accompany me on all trips throughout the summer, but then she’s going to stay home more. She has a family of her own to be there for.” And two well-behaved kids in high school.
Peyton furrowed his brow. “Shouldn’t Julia be at day care or something?”
I inclined my head. “Right now, I’m traveling too much, and I want her with me. But when I’m in Boston, she’s at the company’s day care from seven to five.” The problem was that I usually worked from seven to seven. That was when Cathryn helped me, outside of her own position in HR, which I explained to Peyton.
“Got it.” He was thinking about it, at least. He stretched out the seconds that passed, and his knee bounced.
I took another sip of my coffee. “Where does your sister live now?”
He looked at me like it was the strangest question. “At home with our mom.”
“Ah, I thought you said—”
“That’s a story for another day,” he mimicked.
My mouth twitched, and I couldn’t help myself. “Don’t get smart with me.”
Amusement danced in his eyes.
Tempting boy, this one.
“Do you enjoy traveling?” I wondered. He needed to hear some of the perks he’d get for working alongside me.
“I wouldn’t know,” he replied. “I haven’t gotten the chance yet—except for last year. I went to LA to help a friend, but that’s as far as I’ve been.”
Interesting. He was used to being there for others. He’d raised his sister, and he’d worked hard; he had to.
“In the next few weeks, I’ll be traveling