his voice. “Dammit, not that easily.” He raked a hand through his hair. “My little girl has been miserable since she came to live at my house. I can’t help her. The nanny can’t help her. But you did. What choice do I have?”
“You were sure I would agree, weren’t you?”
“I hoped. It’s not forever. It’s just until she adjusts to living with me. Afterward, you’ll have your job back,” he said. “And my undying gratitude.”
Amanda sighed and walked away from him. She felt torn. If she stayed at Jack’s house, she would be in intimate contact with him on a daily basis. It wouldn’t be all business between them. She could end up falling more deeply for him. She could, in fact, fall irrevocably for him. It was a terrible risk to take.
She glanced at him, and the combination of ruthless determination and vulnerability stamped on his face quashed her inner protests.
Carol would either tell her she was crazy or that this was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. This could be Amanda’s only chance with Jack. This could be her chance to stop being the invisible woman. Maybe Jack would really see her, and maybe if he saw her, he would also see that she was meant for him.
“I still need to keep up my activities and classes. I will want to keep up with my friends.”
“Consider it done.”
“My cat will have to move in.”
He paused a millisecond. “Okay.”
“I will want to oversee the person temporarily assigned to this position, so I don’t come back to a mess.”
“Makes sense.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve never seen you this agreeable. Should I ask for a million in unmarked bills?”
He chuckled. “You might be surprised. You’ll do it?”
“I need to know that you’ll be spending time with Lilly in the evening and on the weekends.”
“I will. I would have before, but you know that Sandra made it difficult,” he said, meeting her gaze. “Anything else?”
“Just one thing,” Amanda said.
“Here comes the million in unmarked bills,” he said cynically.
“Not quite,” Amanda said, surprised at the slight edge of bitterness in his tone. She’d never heard it directed toward her before. “Once a week I’ll bring Lilly to your office and you will have lunch with her.”
Jack looked at her as if she were an alien he could never hope to understand. “I was certain you’d ask for more compensation,” he muttered. “Is that all?”
“Yep. I’m warning you, though. If your goal is Lilly in starched pinafores and speaking when spoken to, you’ve just gotten yourself into a doozy of a mess.”
His expression turned thoughtful, and she saw a rare glimmer of vulnerability in his strong features. “My goal is to make Lilly happy.”
Her heart caught. “I’ll do my best.”
The following week Jack took an overseas trip for the purpose of cultivating an international account. Although his days were filled with meetings and business lunches and dinners, his mind frequently wandered to thoughts of Amanda and Lilly. He placed a couple of transcontinental calls home and was relieved to hear all was well.
His meetings went so well he arrived home one day early. Jack entered his foyer to the sounds of laughter and the “Limbo” song. Delilah greeted him by weaving between his legs and purring. Following the sound of the music, he walked into the kitchen and saw his daughter and Amanda doing the limbo underneath a jump rope stretched across two kitchen chairs.
Amanda, barefoot and dressed in jeans and a cropped shirt, shimmied under the rope, her movements baring her belly to his gaze. “I don’t know about this, Lilly,” she said. “I’m not sure I can—”
Distracted by the curve of her waist, he watched her stumble. Hearing her little squeak, he automatically grabbed her to keep her from falling. Amanda stared at him.
Her hand clung to his, and he secured her with his other hand on her back. No bra, he idly noticed. His staid, conservative secretary wasn’t wearing a bra. A strange sizzling sensation spread through him. Her mouth formed an O of surprise. She had a pretty, lush mouth, he thought. He hadn’t noticed it before.
“You’re home early,” she finally managed, still holding his hand.
“I wrapped things up quickly.” He pulled her to her feet.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and her cheeks turned pink. She looked down at their joined hands. “Oh,” she said, and removed her palm from his as if it had been burned.
Jack would have sworn he’d seen her fingers tremble slightly when she’d lifted her hand to her forehead, but that couldn’t be true. And he sure as hell wasn’t feeling a kick of arousal.
Amanda made a sound resembling a faint chuckle, then, seeming to gather her composure, she turned to Lilly. “It must be your day, sweetie. You beat me at limbo, and your daddy’s here!” She cut off Lilly’s tape player and put her arm around his daughter. “He has been cooped up in an airplane for a long time, and I bet he rushed back just so he could see you. I bet he also needs a hug.”
Hesitating, Lilly eyed him with a mixture of wariness and childlike sympathy. With slow steps she moved toward him, and when he bent down, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Jack’s heart dipped. He picked her up and squeezed her small frame to him. “Hi, princess. Have you had a good time with Amanda?”
Lilly nodded.
“Have you been a good girl?”
Lilly nodded.
“Very good,” Amanda added. “Plus she was smearing me during the limbo dance. Since it was going to be just us girls tonight, Lilly asked if we could have spaghetti instead of the chicken cordon bleu the housekeeper left. I can heat up the chicken for you if you like?”
Jack shook his head. “Spaghetti’s fine.” He set Lilly down when she began to squirm. “I’ll clean up and be back down.”
After dinner and kissing Lilly good-night, Jack poured a drink in the den. Hearing the soft click of a door closing, he glanced out the window and saw Amanda on the back porch. He picked up a newspaper and skimmed it for a few minutes, then checked the window again. She still sat on the porch. He strolled outside.
“Nice night,” he said.
“Almost every night,” she said, rolling her shoulders. “I found out there’s less glare from the city lights here, so the evening sky looks beautiful.”
“I hadn’t really noticed,” he murmured.
“You’ve been busy making conquests,” she said, looking at him.
“Conquests?”
“Corporate
