knew she shouldn’t be surprised that Jess had introduced himself again and barely remembered the last time he’d seen her. He’d proved over and over that she was about as memorable as a bus bench. Part of her desperately wanted him to notice her. The practical, street-wise part instinctively knew there was as much chance of that as deleting her past and inserting one that included a home where she felt wanted.
More shocking was that he’d been expecting a stranger named Elizabeth Bradford. When Ginger had told her that it was a go for her to be Morgan’s nanny, she’d assumed he knew about and had agreed to the arrangement. Obviously she’d assumed wrong. He’d started the ball rolling then turned everything over to his employees, who didn’t have a clue about them being acquainted.
“Aunt Libby?” The small hand gripped tighter.
“What is it, sweetie?” With an effort Libby kept her tone even and friendly. Kids didn’t miss much going on around them—good and bad. She didn’t want the little girl to sense her concern. If anyone was to blame for this misunderstanding, it was Jess. He’d been too busy to take a personal interest, which was exactly the reason she’d felt the need to stay with Morgan in the first place.
“Is it time for SpongeBob yet?” Morgan asked.
“You’re right. I forgot.” And the distraction would be good, Libby realized. She recognized confusion on Jess’s face. “It’s a cartoon.”
“I knew that. I think. Do you want to watch television?” When the little girl nodded, he pointed into the family room. “Right this way.”
He grabbed the remote from a shelf in the entertainment center then turned on the TV. “What channel?”
Libby wasn’t surprised that he didn’t know off the top of his head. News, sports or movies were probably more his thing. That wasn’t his fault. She told him the numbers that were second nature to her and seconds later the big yellow guy with the quirky smile came on the screen followed by the sound of his squeaky voice.
Wow. It was the most awesomely clear, bright, big picture she’d ever seen up close and personal. Probably it was the best, latest and most expensive technology on the market. A far cry from her small, old, economical set.
Libby touched the little girl. “Look, Morgan. Sponge-Bob has never looked better. What do you think?”
The thin shoulder lifted briefly. “It’s fine.”
“Why don’t you sit on the sofa with your doll?”
Uncertainty glittered in her eyes before she scrambled up onto the big, L-shaped leather corner group. She looked tiny and frightened and Libby hated leaving her by herself, but it was the lesser of two evils. The bigger bad would be this vulnerable child being present for the talk Libby and Jess were obviously going to have.
Ginger was an extraordinarily efficient woman. Because Jess hadn’t handled the negotiations personally, obviously something had been lost in translation. Like the fact that he was already acquainted with Elizabeth Bradford.
“We’ll just be in the other room, kiddo.” She leaned down for a quick hug. “Just a few minutes. Okay?”
Clutching her doll, Morgan stared up with sad brown eyes. “Promise?”
“Cross my heart.” She automatically made the gesture over her chest then held up two fingers.
When she glanced at Jess there was an odd expression on his face. Then he angled his head and she followed him into the foyer, where the plain black and princess suitcases still stood, looking very out of place on the marble floor with the fancy crystal chandelier overhead.
Jess, on the other hand, looked right at home. Which he would, since this was his home. She’d always wondered what it was like, a part of her curious about the man who couldn’t even remember her name. But she remembered everything about him in far too much detail. The flesh-and-blood man was even better than the image she carried around in her head.
Other than the wedding where she’d first seen him in a traditional black tux, the other run-ins had been casual and his clothes reflected that. Formal or informal attire made no difference; he was an extraordinarily handsome man. She thought she’d prepared herself for seeing him face-to-face, but steel girders and cinder blocks wouldn’t have been enough to do the job.
It was Saturday and clearly he wasn’t dressed for the office. In his chest-hugging black T-shirt and worn jeans he looked less like the wealthy man she knew he was. His black hair was cut short and the scruff of beard on his cheeks and jaw made his blue eyes look bluer. Her heart hammered, making it hard to think straight, which was darned inconvenient when thinking was important because she had a lot on the line.
He folded his arms over the chest she’d just admired. “So, let me get this straight. You’re the nanny?”
“I am.” At least she hoped so.
“I don’t think so.”
“Give me one good reason,” she said.
“We know each other—”
“That’s not technically true,” she interrupted. Best to take the wind out of his sails before he picked up speed with that thought process. “Knowing each other would imply you remember my name. But every time our paths cross you stick out your hand and say ‘Hi, I’m Jess Donnelly.’” She slid her own shaking hands into the pockets of her jeans. “That says Teflon brain.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know. Teflon. Slippery. Nothing sticks. Like the fact that we’ve met. In my book, we really don’t know each other.”
“You were Charity’s maid of honor. You came to their housewarming barbecue. You’re godmother to that child.”
“And you’re godfather.”
“I remember.”
“All evidence to the contrary.” She bit her tongue but it was too late because the words were already out.
His gaze narrowed on her. “I learned a long time ago not to assume that everyone recalls who I am. I meet a lot of people and always introduce myself.” He lifted one broad shoulder in a casual shrug. “It’s polite, avoids potential awkwardness and now it’s a habit of mine.”
“I see.” But it wasn’t really okay and she didn’t know why. “So you’re aware that I’ve been taking care of Morgan for over nine months?”
“Ben mentioned it.” A dark look slid into his eyes. “Before he and Charity left—”
“When he asked you to be her legal guardian if anything happened,” she finished.
“Yeah.”
“Obviously there’s been something of a misunderstanding. Just so you know, I’m more than willing to take on the nanny job.”
“No.”
“Even though I’ve been caring for her all this time?” She blinked. “Just like that? You don’t even want to think about it?”
“There’s
