a bass drum in his chest. Those chocolate eyes, that pointed chin—he could picture himself taking it between his thumb and forefinger and tilting her face up toward his own.
“Hello,” she said, her own white teeth flashing in a smile. “Here, Logan. Check out that lifeboat a minute and let me know what you think.” Logan took the book, putting it studiously in his lap, and the woman stood gracefully. Drew met her halfway across the room, his hand extended to shake. “I’m Penelope Fox. Your uncle—”
“I had to step out for a minute.” Drew’s uncle rushed back in through the front entrance. “Call from one of my students.” He came across the office and gave Drew a quick embrace. “I left Logan in good hands, and Britta—where’d she go?”
“Here,” sang Britta from the doorway, a stack of papers in her arms. “Copies are done. Are you headed out?”
Drew laughed. “Yes. Meeting room down the hall. Are you good, Uncle Sam?”
“Better than ever.” The older man clapped his hands. “Logan, the playground is calling our names.”
Logan scrambled off the sofa and put the book carefully on the table. “I want to go on the swings.”
“We’ll go on the swings.” Sam led him to the door.
“And the slide.”
“And the slide, three times if you want.”
“Four!”
“Four times, if you want.”
“Wait!” Logan wheeled around and came tearing across the room toward Drew. He leapt at the last second, landing solidly in his arms. When had he gotten so big?
Drew hugged his son tightly with a pang. It wouldn’t be very long before Logan stopped doing this. “Love you, buddy,” he murmured into his ear.
“Love too, Daddy.” The little boy, who had his blond hair and blue eyes, scrambled to get down as quickly as he’d come up. Drew stood him on his legs—they were full-on preschool legs now, losing the softness they’d had when Logan was a toddler—and the boy was off again.
Not to Sam, but to Penelope Fox.
Logan ran full tilt into her knees, wrapping them into a fierce hug, and Drew caught a glimpse of her surprised smile as she leaned down to pat Logan’s back.
What was in the air today—magic? It wasn’t just his plans with Jack that had Drew feeling so optimistic.
He had to pull it back. This kind of optimism had gotten him into the mess with Susan, which—as he reminded himself daily—had forced him to lay off at least two dozen people while he got Preston Logistics back on its wobbly feet. If he managed to acquire Jack’s business, the company would be solid again. He had to focus.
Logan let go of Penelope’s knees and ran at full speed back to Sam, who caught him by the hand and called a goodbye as Logan dragged him out.
“He’s full of energy.” Penelope’s voice had a smile in it, though her expression was more reserved now that Logan had left the room. “You have a sweet boy.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“I bet he’s a hit at the playground.”
“Oh, usually the center of attention, for sure.”
Drew was missing something, and Penelope’s presence in the room made it hard to think what it was.
“Ms. Fox’s resume and application.” Britta stepped to his side and pressed a slim folder into his hands.
Right. The interview.
“Right this way, Ms. Fox.” Drew led her down the hallway and into a meeting room with a table for six. Penelope took a deep breath and settled into one of the seats. He took the one across the table.
God, she was stunning. A faint hint of spring rain and jasmine floated across the table.
“Penelope Fox. It’s a pleasure to have you here.”
“It’s good to be here. Most people call me Penny.”
“Penny.” It felt good just to say her name, but they were in the office, and she might be his nanny. Best to draw a firm line. “Ms. Fox. Most people around the office call me Mr. Preston.”
“Mr. Preston it is.” She folded her hands on the table and took a deep breath. How could a smile that was so subtle be so confident at the same time?
Work. Focus on the work.
“How did you hear about the open position, Ms. Fox?”
“I’ve been casting a wide net in the area.” She leaned forward slightly as she spoke. “When I saw the posting, I thought the position would work nicely with my experience.” Penny ran through some of the highlights, and Drew picked up her resume so he could force himself to stop looking at her perfect lips.
He’d read the words on the paper before, but now they struck him in a new light. Yes, there was experience as nanny listed there—but far more experience in corporate work. Penelope Fox was way overqualified to be a nanny. But Logan had liked her instantly. The last nanny search had been exhausting for everyone.
Hire her.
“—a lot in common.” She squared her shoulders, smiling at him. “And I’m available to begin work right away.”
“You’re licensed to drive, correct?” He rifled through the other sheets of paper in the folder. “I wanted to check—”
A knock at the door caught his attention—Britta. “Ms. Fox’s clearance papers,” she said, hustling across to give them to Drew.
They were flawless. Not a ticket, not a blemish.
As Britta slipped out the door, he took another look at Penelope Fox. She looked him in the eye, expectant. Radiant, even.
“I have a list of questions I’ve prepared about your philosophies, but honestly…” Drew ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m impressed with the way you connected with my son. He doesn’t take to everybody so easily.”
She blinked, shaking her head as if his comment was a bit of a surprise. “He’s a lovely little boy.”
“My gut says I should hire you right now and stop the search.”
Her eyebrows went up. “Now?”
“We haven’t even scratched the surface of the candidate list for the nanny position.” Drew laughed. “I shouldn’t be telling you that, but there you go.”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “Right, yes.” Penelope squeezed her hands together. “Well, I can’t say I’d be opposed to it if you offered me the job. I can work nights and some weekend days, too, if it helps.”
“And you don’t mind several trips a day to the playground?” The suit she was wearing would never work for an outing like that, but if she dressed like this for the interview, she undoubtedly had a wardrobe fit for the world’s greatest nanny.
A pair of voices at the door interrupted his train of thought. “Guys, room’s occupied.”
His brothers, Charlie and Archer, stopped halfway through the door. Archer grinned, eyes dancing. “Sorry to interrupt.” They went back the way they came.
“My brothers,” he said with a tight smile. “You’ll be seeing them from time to time, when you’re picking up and dropping off.
“Not in the office?” Penny asked.
“Oh, no. Logan doesn’t spend much time at the office. The last couple of weeks have been an anomaly, with my uncle helping out.”
“Of course.”
Hire her. That little voice was a gut reaction to the way she’d been with Logan, and Drew knew from experience that the first choice could be the best one. The way Logan had hugged her…
“Let’s skip the rest of the questions. Will you do the job to the best of your ability, knowing that my son is the most important thing in the world to me?”
Her expression turned solemn. “I will.”
“Then welcome aboard, Ms. Fox. You’re hired.”
Grab your copy of The Billionaire’s Pretend Wife (Preston Brothers Book One) from www.LeslieNorthBooks.com