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She rubbed her stomach. Maybe she was feeling the aftereffects of being sick earlier. “Still nice of you.”
“She’s my grandma. I wasn’t about to say no.”
“Would you be returning to Haley’s Bay if it weren’t her birthday?”
“Probably not, which she knows.” Affection filled his gaze. “My grandmother’s a sly one. But I’m on my way so she’s happy. I want the party to go smoothly. That’s what I’m counting on you for, Emma.”
She wrote the words “anticipate and prevent problems” in her binder. “Yes, Mr. Cole.”
“AJ.”
The man had seen her vomit. The only other people to see her do that were her parents, God rest their souls, and Libby. “AJ.”
He smiled. She smiled back. The moment lingered. Filled her with heat. She looked at her binder. “Anything else I should know?”
“My family is big and crazy and loud.” AJ sounded amused, not annoyed. “I have four brothers—Ellis, Flynn, Declan and Grady—and two sisters—Bailey and Camden. Not to mention my sister-in-law, Risa, and more aunts, uncles and cousins than I can count.”
“That is a big family.”
“The single Cole men will hit on you because you’re new in town and their reputations haven’t been sullied yet. They’ve done that in the past. You’re under no obligation to them, and let me know if they annoy you.” AJ’s dark eyes and serious tone told Emma he wasn’t joking. “What you do on your own time is none of my business, but don’t let your actions affect your ability to get the job done.”
His words irritated her. Okay, he didn’t know her, but she wasn’t about to sleep around because good-looking guys were giving her attention. She imagined his brothers were attractive, AJ in multiples, like the Hemsworth brothers. That could be dangerous. To her job and her heart. She jotted a note in the margin. “Stay away from Cole males.”
“I’ll keep my distance.”
A lopsided grin formed. “Smart.”
She hated the way her body responded to his compliment. “It’s been my experience that business and pleasure don’t mix well.”
“Mine, too.”
At least they agreed on something.
“But business has to be fun,” AJ added. “All work and no play...”
“Would be boring.” Emma recalled Libby’s description of the Cole corporate headquarters in Seattle with a game arcade, gym, massages, errand service, and free meals, snacks and drinks at the employee cafeterias. Fun seemed to be the operative word at his company. Not surprising given that he developed a photography-based blogging platform and created a social media gaming site for friends to compete. “I wouldn’t last long as a nanny if I didn’t play. Having fun means everything to children.”
“What about you?”
“I like to have fun.”
He drummed his fingers against the chair arm. “What do you do for fun?”
“Play tag, dress-up, bicycle, hunt for treasure, bake, board games, and go to the Oregon Zoo, the children’s museum or OMSI.”
His fingers stilled. “I meant what do you do when you’re not being a nanny.”
“Oh. Sorry. I like to read, watch movies, hike, volunteer at an animal rescue center.”
“Quiet pleasures.”
“It’s not always quiet at the rescue shelter, but the noise is different there. I love being a nanny. The children are wonderful, but they’re loud and full of energy and want your undivided attention. A little quiet is nice.”
“Alone time is fun for you.”
She bit back a smile. AJ wasn’t grilling her, but he seemed to want to know more about her. She would have expected a billionaire to brag and make sure the conversation centered around him. Not that she knew any billionaires, but she’d worked for a millionaire. “Escaping inside a dark theater with a bucket of popcorn, a soda, a box of candy and no one to take to the bathroom at the best part of a movie is the definition of superfun.”
“There’s a theater in Haley’s Bay.”
“Thanks, but I doubt you’ll be screaming and tugging on my shirt to get attention all day long.”
“No screaming.” He winked. “And I’ve found persuading a woman to take off her shirt works better than tugging.”
“I’m surprised you have to persuade them.” The man’s smile could charm a snake out of its skin. “I assumed women flashed you, like at Mardi Gras.”
“Only in my dreams.” With a wry grin, he settled back in his seat. “But they’re very nice dreams.”
“I imagine so.”
“What do you dream about, Emma?”
“I... Um, a lot of things.”
“Like what?”
She fiddled with her seat belt. “Cats. Children. Family.”
“Nanny things?”
A lump the size of a Super Ball burned in Emma’s throat. She swallowed, kept her smile from wavering and looked AJ straight in the eyes. “Yes, nanny things.”
Cat lover things. Mommy things. Wife things. Things a man who had a family, albeit an estranged one, would never understand. Things she dreamed about. Things she wanted...desperately.
Chapter Three (#ulink_c354aea5-d007-5a39-b5f7-49ec925f5a39)
Charlie, AJ’s chauffeur for three years, cut five minutes off the drive from the minuscule airport to Haley’s Bay. AJ rubbed his thumb against his fingertips.
He liked being on time. He preferred arriving early. Charlie was doing his job, getting AJ to his destination as quickly as possible. But this once, he wouldn’t have minded being late.
Still, he didn’t lower the glass panel and tell Charlie to slow down. Not until AJ had a reason, one beyond his wanting to prolong the inevitable.
Music played from the speakers. Stock quotes ran across the bottom of a television screen. The bar called to him, but he needed to be stone-cold sober when he faced his family. AJ glanced at Emma, seated next to him, the cat carrier at her feet.
She stared out the window. Her serious expression—dare he say dour—took prim and proper to the next level. So different from how she’d been right before landing. Her sense of humor had disappeared. Her smile, too.
She might be upset over getting sick earlier. She might be nervous about her new job. Or she might be acting the way she always did. Whatever the reason, she was his employee, his responsibility. The least he could do was help her relax after a rough flight and coax a smile out of her. “Let’s take a detour. Check out a lighthouse or two.”
Her lips twisted. “You’re expected at your grandmother’s house.”
“I wouldn’t be a gracious host if I didn’t show you the sights.”
“You’re not my host,” she countered. “You’re my boss.”
Being her employer was easy to forget. Libby had hired Emma. “I don’t mind playing tour guide.”
Her nose crinkled. “You have a schedule—”
“Subject to change.”
“True, but as your personal assistant I’m supposed to keep you on schedule.”
“True, but you’re also supposed to do what I ask.”
“Even if doing so isn’t in your best interest? I mean, you haven’t been home in ten years. Your grandmother might be peeking out the window waiting for you to arrive.”
He pictured Grandma doing that. “I’ll concede the point.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
His gaze met Emma’s. She removed her glasses to blow on the right lens. Pretty blue eyes surrounded by long, thick lashes. He hadn’t noticed her eyelashes before. “Does your grandmother do the same when you visit?”
“My grandparents are dead.” Emma put on her glasses and stared out the window. “Looks like we’re here.”
A wooden sign on the side of the two-lane road welcomed visitors to Haley’s Bay. The sign was new. The churning in AJ’s stomach wasn’t.
After a decade, the town had likely changed. In that same time, his life had also changed. His family’s opinion of him might never change. That could take a century. Or longer.
The last time he was home his family had tried to shame him into staying in Haley’s Bay. That wouldn’t happen again, but something else might. He wanted to be prepared. “One of your responsibilities is running interference for me.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I find myself in a difficult situation, I may need you to get me out of it by texting or calling or physically interrupting me.”
She smiled at the sleeping cat before looking up at him. “Afraid you might run into old girlfriends who might want to rekindle the flame?”
“That isn’t likely to happen.” His high school sweetheart and ex-fiancеe, Natalie, had dumped him and married one of his closest friends. AJ had been devastated, but recovered. A good lesson learned—immediate gratification was more important than loyalty to some people. “But there will be people around. My family, too.”
Emma eyed him warily. “Family?”
He nodded once. “Libby and I have a code word. If I text or say the word, she knows to take action.”
Emma removed her notepad from her bag. “What’s the code word?”
“Top secret.”
“If I don’t know what to listen for, I’m not going to be able to help you.”
He rubbed his chin. “We need our own word. Something obscure, but not too random.”
Emma tapped her pen against her notepad. “How about...lighthouse?”
AJ mulled over the suggestion. Ten letters would be a bear to text, but the word could be worked into a conversation without sounding like a non sequitur.
“That’ll work.” Satisfaction flowed through him. The word played perfectly into his plans. “To make sure we remember the code word, we’ll visit one now.”
“No need. I’ll remember.”
“A few hours spent sightseeing won’t make a difference.”
“What’s really going on?” She studied him. “You remind me of a kid trying to put off going to the doctor’s for a shot.”
His jaw tensed. “I’m not scared of needles.”
“You’re scared of something.”
Emma’s insight made him squirm. She had zero qualms pinpointing and commenting on what was going on in his head, trying to fix what was upsetting him. He was used to having people try to fix things for him, but not with nurturing concern, as if she really cared. AJ didn’t like it.
“I’m not scared of anything.” The words flowed quickly, one after the other without any breaks. Not like him. But then again, he was back in Haley’s Bay. That changed everything. “Okay, that’s not quite true. The threat of an EMP, electronic magnetic pulse, making every electrical device obsolete has given me nightmares.”
“You’re not scared about coming home?”
“Nope.” Damn. He sounded like a kid, a scared little kid trying to put on a good front, and Emma seemed to know that. “I lived here for eighteen years. I might be a little on edge, but that’s because I haven’t been here in a while.”
“Ten years is a long time.”
“I’ve been busy.” A stupid excuse, but she didn’t need to know the real reasons. “But I’m free now. Let’s take in a few sights on our way. This is my first vacation in over a year.”
Emma’s not-going-to-happen-on-my-watch shake of her head stopped him cold. “You’ll have a free block of time after your calls this afternoon,” she said. “Plenty of time to see the sights over the next five days.”
Her friendly tone, as though she was using extra patience for her recalcitrant charge, made him feel like an idiot for bringing this up again. He must be back in his hometown. He’d felt like the village idiot living here.
Emma leaned toward the limousine window. The shift of position brought a whiff of her citrus shampoo—grapefruit or maybe lemon. The fresh scent appealed to him like the nanny.
“Wow.” She pressed closer to the glass. “This place is beautiful.”
He followed her gaze to the sparkling expanse of water and the heart of the town hugging the shoreline. Pride welled. Foolish, irrepressible pride he buried in a no-nonsense response. “The town hugs the waterfront. Most of the shops and restaurants are on Bay Street near the harbor.”
“Is Haley’s Bay named after an original settler?”
“Yes.” AJ didn’t know if she was making conversation or wanted to know the answer. Given her occupation, he’d guess the latter. She seemed the type to pay attention and ask questions of white-haired docents leading museum tours. He wouldn’t mind taking her through a couple of the historic sites around here. “Haley was a trader who anchored in the bay during his voyages. That’s according to the Lewis and Clark expedition. The bay was renamed Baker Bay, after a British merchant, but the original town name stuck.”
“You know your history.”
Her praise made him sit taller. A stupid reaction, but returning to his hometown was a stupid move. He should have thrown a royal extravaganza for his grandmother on his turf, in Seattle. Rented the Space Needle. Staged a massive fireworks display. But she’d wanted the party here in the town where she’d been born and lived her entire life. “I learned Washington state history in school, but the old folks around here bring the past alive, especially the fishermen. They love sharing every legend about Haley’s Bay.”
“I’m usually the one telling stories. I’d love to hear some tales.”
