Aldivista. His concentration seemed complete, which enabled her to study him without him being aware of it. He was better looking than the photographs she’d seen on the internet. What were his expectations for the trip?
“Mr. Aldivista,” she said softly. The jet was so quiet she knew he could hear her and she didn’t want to wake the boys.
He looked over. “Yes?” It took him a moment to focus. What was he thinking? she wondered.
“I thought maybe we should talk a bit more about what you expect from the trip. Will I be taking the boys around sightseeing, or will we be primarily at your grandmother’s place?”
“At Abuela Maria’s, I imagine,” he said, frowning slightly. “I don’t have any expectations. Just watch them. Keep them out of mischief. Try to have them behave.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” she asked, wondering if there was more to this assignment than she knew about.
“They’re a handful. If one wants to do one thing, the other wants to do the opposite.” He shook his head. “Hannah limits what they do because they’re so much trouble.”
Stacey glanced at the sleeping boys. They looked angelic to her.
“I think I can manage,” she replied dryly. How hard could they be?
“See that you do. I don’t want them disrupting my grandmother’s home.”
“I’ve never been to Spain, neither have they. I hope we see some of it while here. I’m sure the boys would love to see some of the old forts or castles.”
He looked at his computer, sighed and closed it. “Battery’s dead,” he said. Then he looked back at Stacey. “My grandmother’s home is right on the sea. The boys will find enough to do, playing on the beach. Easier to keep them corralled that way.”
She tilted her head slightly. “Will you be spending much time with them?”
“No promises. I’ll have to see how thing go at work.”
She wanted him to say he’d already planned on spending time with Juan and Pablo every day, but she was tilting at windmills. Die-hard business tycoons like Luis Aldivista never put anything before business.
“They don’t speak Spanish, do they?”
He shook his head.
“But you do?”
“Of course. I spent every summer in Spain from the time I was younger than the boys until I went to college and had to work summers.”
“Don’t you think they’ll have an easier time if you were with them some part of the day?”
“That’s why I hired you, Ms. Williams. Are you not up to the task? If so, I wished you’d spoken up before we left New York.”
“I’m more than capable of taking care of your children. I just thought—”
“I don’t pay you to think. Please just do the job for which you were hired.”
Stacey nodded, her enthusiasm dimming slightly. She gave him a polite smile when what she really wanted to do was bop him on the head. Turning away, she studied the sleeping boys for a moment. They looked angelic. And while their spirits had been high at the airport, she didn’t sense any malice or mischief in either.
Knowing they would land very early in the morning in Madrid, she leaned back and tried to sleep. She’d made transatlantic crossings before, and knew the first day or so in Europe was tiring due to the time change and lack of sleep. Not that these little guys would have that. They’d be wired with excitement. She’d better catch some sleep while she could.
Before drifting to sleep, Stacey imagined Luis having a change of heart and wanting to spend time with his sons. Thinking back over all the families she’d worked for over the years, only one or two came to mind who actually put their children and family fun above all else on a vacation. She really wished that would change.
When they landed in Madrid, the boys were cranky. That set the mood for the next stage of the journey. The connection to their next flight was tight and going through customs wasn’t as fast as Stacey wished. Still, they made the next plane and were soon airborne again on the one-hour flight to the coast. Once they landed in Alicante, Luis had Stacey watch the boys while he went to get their luggage and pick up the rental car he’d had reserved.
Tired from their flight, a bit scared with all the commotion at the foreign airport and not understanding the language around them, the boys clung to Stacey and said they wanted to go home. She explained everything around them, and then asked about their great-grandmother, trying to divert them from focusing on what they didn’t like.
“Have you ever met her?” she asked.
“She came to visit when we were little,” Juan said.
She smiled. To her these boys were still little.
“She always smelled nice,” Pablo added.
“So visiting her at her house will be fun, right?” she asked cheerfully.
“I want to go home,” Pablo said yet again.
“You’ll have fun this vacation, we’ll make sure of that. Then when you go home you can tell Hannah all about your trip!” she said, trying to keep him from dwelling on his wish to return home.
Once in the rental car, Stacey sat in the front beside Luis and the boys sat together in the back.
“It’s still about an hour’s drive,” Luis said, pulling out of the airport and getting on the highway. The traffic was heavy as people made their way to work. Soon, however, Alicante was left behind them as the car headed north.
Stacey gazed out the window as he drove. She saw glimpses of the sea from time to time. Anticipation rose. She hoped the weather would be good for the children’s sake. It was so much easier to play by the water than inside a strange place in inclement weather. She was prepared for either eventuality, however.
Luis drove on autopilot. He was tired, not having slept long on the plane. But as soon as he could get an internet connection, he’d send the office the work he’d done and then catch a nap.
He glanced at Stacey. She was restful to be around and didn’t talk needlessly. Didn’t flirt, didn’t try to charm him. He frowned. Where had that thought come from? He was immune to women who were looking for a relationship, as his sister often said. Maybe he was, but he’d been in love with Melissa and when she’d died, a part of him had died as well.
Besides, if he ever did become interested in another woman, it wouldn’t be someone like Stacey Williams. Melissa had been tall, blonde, a bit reserved and definitely sophisticated. While the coloring wasn’t too different, Stacey was totally the opposite of Melissa.
Sophisticated wasn’t the word he’d use for her. She bubbled with life. Everything seemed like an adventure. Though she had connected instantly with his sons.
His wife had been a real asset when he’d been courting investors for the new firm he was starting. She’d known how to entertain all levels of society. She’d
