From Nanny To Wife (2 page)

"He's not," Pam stated. "I've been working for him for five years. I enjoy my job." She grinned. "I enjoy looking at him, too."

Hope grinned back. "Tell me about him."

Pam raised her glass to her lips and took a drink before she spoke. "He's extremely wealthy. He owns a publishing company and a shipping company. As I said, he has a three-year-old daughter named Zoe. He answers to her, not the other way around. She has him wrapped around her little finger."

"What about her mother?" Hope inquired.

Pam sat back against the seat with a sigh. "Mr. Kendall divorced Zoe's mother two years ago. It was a bitter divorce. Laura, that is Mr. Kendall's ex, tried to drag Zoe into the middle of it all. Mr. Kendall wasn't having it. I don't know exactly what happened, but Zoe ended up living with him. He's a very private man. Something tells me has a lot of skeletons in his closet."

"We all have something to hide," Hope said. "When does he want to meet with me?"

"Would tomorrow, say nine-thirty, work for you?"

"Yes," Hope muttered.

"You know where Kendall Industries is located, don't you?"

"Of course," Hope said. "I passed it on my way here."

"Thank you for agreeing to this on such short notice. Mr. Kendall is anxious to find someone," Pam explained. "His housekeeper is looking after Zoe right now, but the poor lady is getting up there in age and can't keep up with Zoe very well."

"What happened with the last nanny?" Hope wanted to know.

Pam shrugged. "I don't know. You'll have to ask him."

Hope fiddled with her napkin as she thought about Ryan Kendall and the meeting she would have with him tomorrow.

Chapter 2

Hope entered Kendall Industries the following morning and made her way across the marble-floored lobby to the bank of elevators. The sound of her pumps striking the floor was loud to her ears and she had to resist the urge to tiptoe. At the elevator, she pushed the button and tucked several strands of long blond hair behind her left ear. When the elevator arrived, she stepped inside and jabbed the button for the top floor.

The doors slid open a minute later and Hope walked out into a reception room. Pam sat behind a desk talking on the telephone. She glanced toward Hope and acknowledged her presence with a wave of her manicured hand. While she waited for Pam to end her phone conversation, Hope looked at the painting on the wall in front of her. It was of a sailboat. The sun was hanging low in the sky casting brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow on the water.

"You're early," Pam said, hanging up the phone. "Let me see if Mr. Kendall is ready for you."

"I don't want to rush him," Hope said. "I can-"

The intercom on the desk came on suddenly and Ryan's voice was heard through the speaker. "Pam."

Pam leaned over and pressed the intercom button. "Yes, sir?"

"Has Ms. Landry arrived yet?"

"Yes, sir," Pam answered.

"Please send her in."

Pam smiled up at Hope. "Go on in and good luck."

"Thanks." Hope adjusted her purse strap, took a deep breath and moved toward Ryan's office. Grasping the doorknob, she opened the door and entered the room.

"Please have a seat, Ms. Landry," Ryan said his eyes on the paper before him. "I'll be with you in a minute."

Hope took a seat in one of the leather chairs near the desk and placed her purse on the floor. She folded her hands in her lap and gazed out the large window behind Ryan. "The view is beautiful."

Ryan raised his head and looked at Hope. "Yes it is."

Hope stared into his eyes and her heart skipped a beat. He was a handsome man with dark brown hair, deep blue eyes and broad shoulders. The only fault she could find in his face was that his
nose was a little crooked. Realizing she was staring, she swallowed hard and lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry for interrupting you. Please continue with what you were doing."

"I can finish this later." Ryan pushed back his chair and stood. He moved around the desk and held out his hand. "Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome," Hope said, shaking his hand. Her skin tingled at the contact and she could only hope she wasn't blushing.

Ryan settled in the chair adjacent to Hope and unbuttoned his suit coat. "Before we get started I would appreciate it if you would turn your cell phone off. I don't want any interruptions."

"I don't have a cell phone," Hope said.

Ryan arched a brow. "No cell phone? We live in the age of technology and you don't have a cell phone."

"I had one, but I lost it during the move."

"Where did you live before moving here?"

"Texas," Hope said. "Houston."

"What brought you to New Jersey?"

Hope thought of her ex-husband, his wife and their house full of children. An ache pooled in her chest and she quickly averted her gaze. There was no way she was going to tell him that she left Houston because she couldn't stand to see her ex move on with his life when she felt like she was standing still. "I had nothing to keep me in Houston. Pam suggested I move here. I thought a new place would be a breath of fresh air."

"Pam told me you have been a nanny for seven years." Ryan studied Hope for a moment. "What made you decide to make a career out of taking care of children?"

Hope tried not to squirm under Ryan's penetrating gaze. She wished he would not ask such questions. She couldn't bring herself to tell him the reason she decided to take care of other people's children was that she couldn't have any of her own. "What made me decide? Well after my divorce seven years ago, I had to make some changes. One of those changes was starting a new career. I was looking through the classifieds in the newspaper and came across an ad. A couple was looking for a nanny for their four-year-old son. I used to baby-sit. I knew how to take care of children. I applied for the position and was hired."

"I want you to know that I'm going to perform a screening and a police record check as well as a reference check."

"I don't have a problem with that." Hope bent forward and pulled a folder out of her large purse. She held it out to Ryan. "It's my resume."

Ryan took the folder and opened it. Scanning the paper, he said, "I see you have training in first aid, CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. That's good because I expect the best care for my daughter."

"Do you have a picture of Zoe?" Hope asked.

Ryan leaned toward his desk and grabbed the silver framed photograph. He handed it to Hope. "It was taken last year."

Hope took one look at the picture and her heart melted. "She's a beautiful little girl," she said, smiling. "You're a lucky man."

"I know I am," Ryan said.

Hope handed the photograph back to Ryan. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Ryan said.

"What happened to the last nanny?"

Ryan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Zoe has had three nannies in the last two years. The first one had a difficult time following my rules, the second one liked to sneak her boyfriend into the house at night and the last one had a nasty habit of smoking. I don't allow smoking near my daughter."

"I see." Hope shifted in the chair. "I assure you, Mr. Kendall, I don't smoke. I don't have a boyfriend, but if I did, I wouldn't be sneaking him into your home. It would be disrespectful not to mention unprofessional. Finally, I don't have a problem with following rules." She grinned. "As long as you don't have a rule that says I can't have junk food. The last couple I worked for was health nuts. I ate a lot of tofu and bean sprouts. It was a night mare."

"You can eat all the junk food you want," Ryan said. "Just don't share it with Zoe." He cleared his throat. "I'd like for you to come to my home for a paid trial day. At the end of the day, if I'm satisfied with the way you took care of Zoe then you will sign a contract."

"All right," Hope said. "When would you like me to come to your home?"

"Tomorrow," Ryan answered. "Is that possible?"

Hope nodded. "Tomorrow is fine."

"Good," Ryan told her. "Now let's discuss what will happen tomorrow." He checked his watch before continuing. "I'd like for you to come at eight-thirty. When you arrive, I'll give you a tour
of the house and go over the rules with you. Once we're done, I'll introduce you to Zoe and the staff. My housekeeper, Maggie, will familiarize you with Zoe's routine and help you any way she can. Tomorrow evening I'll let you know if you're hired. If you are, we'll discuss your duties, wages, hours and the terms of your employment. Do you have any questions?"

"No," Hope muttered. "Not at the moment."

"If you think of any you can ask me in the morning," Ryan said as he stood. He walked around the desk, picked up a pen and scribbled something on a piece of paper. "Here is my address and number."

Hope got to her feet and took the scrap of paper from Ryan. Sticking it in her purse, she led the way to the door. "If you need to reach me my number is on the resume I gave you."

Ryan opened the door and stepped aside. "I will see you in the morning."

Hope smiled at him. "Eight-thirty sharp."

Ryan did something he didn't normally do. He went home at a decent hour that evening. It was a quarter after five when he strolled into the kitchen. Zoe was sitting in her booster seat at the table nibbling on a chicken leg. Ryan kissed her head and then sat down beside her. "Can Daddy have a bite of your chicken?"

Zoe held out the half-eaten chicken leg.

Ryan took a tiny bite. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Zoe repeated.

"No. Say you're welcome."

"You're welcome," Zoe chirped.

"Good girl," Ryan said.

"Are you hungry, Mr. Kendall?" the cook asked. "Can I fix you a plate?"

"Yes, please." Ryan removed his suit coat and laid it over the arm of the chair beside him. He unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up to his elbows.

The cook set a plate in front of Ryan. "Let me know if there is anything else I can get for you."

Ryan picked up a fork. "Thank you, Gordon."

"You're welcome, sir."

After dinner, Maggie assisted Zoe with her bath and then watched as the little girl brushed her teeth. When Zoe was ready for bed Ryan came into the room to read her a bedtime story. They settled on the bed and he began to read a story about fairies. By the time, he was done with the story Zoe's eyelids were drooping and her chin was resting on her chest. Ryan tucked her into bed and kissed her goodnight. Moving toward the door, he stopped when she called out to him.