So yes, I was sympathetic. And heaven knows I needed the money – but not so badly that I'd solve my own problems at Willow's expense.
To Mason, I clarified, "I meant stability with a nanny."
"So you're unstable, huh?" He gave me a look. "You mean mentally, or…?"
Oh, for crying out loud. "No. That's not what I meant, and you darn well know it."
I swear, his lips curved ever so slightly as he said, "Do I?"
"Of course you do," I said. "I'm just saying that even if I did accept – which I can't – I'd only be there 'til next fall."
"So? That's a year from now."
"Nooooo," I said in my overly patient voice. "It's eleven months."
"Which is eleven times longer than the last nanny lasted."
I blinked. Maybe four or five months ago, he'd fired the only nanny I'd been familiar with. But according to Arden, she'd been replaced right away.
And yet, the way it sounded now, the replacement nanny had been fired, too. Or had quit. Or whatever.
So she'd lasted only a month?
I heard myself say, "Seriously? What happened?"
His jaw clenched. "Trust me. You don't want to know."
He looked so disgusted that I felt the blood drain from my face. "She didn't do anything to Willow, did she? Because if she did—"
"She didn't."
"Oh." I blew out a relieved breath. "Well, that's good."
"No kidding," he said. "So, the job's yours if you want it."
Next to us, Livia spoke up. "But she already has a job."
I did a double take. "I do?"
With a tight smile, she replied, "Yes. With my dad's jewelry store. Remember?"
"Well, I remember interviewing," I said. "But the manager, he said he'd let me know next week."
"Screw him," she said. "You're hired."
I frowned. I wasn't sure Livia had the authority to make such an offer. "Um, seriously?"
She nodded. "Oh yeah. Trust me. I'll make it happen."
Still, I hesitated. "Make it happen? Meaning it hasn't happened already?"
She made a sound of annoyance. "Well, you only interviewed yesterday."
"I know," I said. "And I'm really thankful. I just mean, without an actual offer–"
She sighed. "It's handled, okay?" And with that, she smiled up at Mason. "So you need a nanny, huh?"
He gave her a long, cold look. "Me? No."
At this, Livia threw her head back and laughed, just like she had earlier, except this time, she couldn’t quite pull it off. And when she finished, she got the same funny looks I'd gotten from the people around us.
Even Mason looked a little disturbed. In a tight voice, he told her, "That wasn't a joke."
"Sure it was." She beamed up at him. "You are so funny."
Oh, please. Under my breath, I mumbled, "I thought he was an a-hole."
As a general rule, I didn't curse. Aside from some creative word-smithery, I hadn't truly cursed in years, not since deciding to become a grade-school teacher.
The way I saw it, if I gave up those words ahead of time, it would greatly reduce my odds of accidentally cursing in front of the kids – which is why I'd gone with the abbreviated version of what Livia had called Mason earlier.
Even so, she looked at me like I'd just said the F-word in Sunday School. With a little frown, she said, "I can't believe you just said that."
"Me?" I said. "You said it first."
"Yeah, but I was only joking."
I knew Livia. She hadn't been joking. But I also knew that she'd forgive a guy just about anything if he was hot enough. And Mason was very hot. Rich and famous, too. He was Livia's dream guy on steroids.
By now, one thing was beyond obvious. A-hole or not, she wanted him, bad.
As if to prove my point, she turned back to Mason and said, "Hey, I know! You should hire me."
I heard myself gasp. "What?"
She looked to me and said, "Well, you can't take it. You already have a job."
"But—"
"Now shush," she said. "Mason and I are talking."
I replied, "You are not."
"Of course we are," she insisted.
"No," I repeated. "You're not. Because you're the only one saying anything."
She gave me an annoyed look. "Yeah, because you're always interrupting." She looked back to Mason and gave him a winning smile. "So, you were saying…?"
It was then that Mason looked to me and said the most shocking thing yet. "You wanna dance?"
Chapter 5
Mason
Her lips parted, and she blinked several times before saying, "Excuse me?"
She was wearing a white V-neck sweater, along with a pale denim mini-skirt. Instead of high heels, she wore white canvas sneakers with white ankle-length socks.