Wedding planner—to wife and mother?

Jamie Wallis needs a replacement nanny for his daughter—fast! So when a stunning young woman comes to him with a business proposal, he has a different proposition for her...

Securing Jamie’s investment is essential, but Sophie Firth wasn’t expecting to be asked to care for his daughter! However, once they meet, Sophie can’t help adoring little Sienna. And, as Christmas approaches, Sophie quickly becomes part of the family—and Jamie can’t resist letting her into his heart!

Sophie knew the hug was a mistake as soon as she’d done it.

She could smell the citrussy scent of his shower gel and feel the steady thud of his heart against her. And the surge of sheer attraction, tempting her to jam her mouth over his and let him lose himself in her, forget his pain for a while…

This was insane.

It had to stop.

Now.

She dropped her hands and pulled away. Sorry. I overstepped the boundaries. I just thought you could do with a hug.’

‘I could. Thank you,’ he said.

‘I...um...I’d better get going.’

‘Thank you for today,’ he said. ‘For everything you’ve done. I appreciate it.’

‘No problem. I’ll see you Monday.’

Panic skittered across his face. ‘Sophie, I know it’s pushy of me to ask, but... I don’t have a clue what to do with Sienna tomorrow. There’s only so much story-telling and colouring we can do in a day.’

‘You could always do something messy,’ she suggested. He looked horrified.

He looked horrified.

She frowned. ‘Didn’t you do that sort of thing as a kid?’

‘No. My mother didn’t like mess.’ Her thoughts must have shown on her face, because he said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with liking a tidy house.’

‘And there’s nothing wrong with a bit of mess, either,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t take that long to clear up.’

She left without finishing her coffee, and before she did anything really crazy—like sliding her arms round his neck and kissing him stupid.

Christmas Bride for the Boss

Kate Hardy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

KATE HARDY has always loved books, and could read before she went to school. She discovered Mills & Boon books when she was twelve and decided this was what she wanted to do. When she isnt writing, Kate enjoys reading, cinema, ballroom dancing and the gym. You can contact her via her website: www.katehardy.com.

To Gay, my much-loved stepmum, who’s the living proof that stepmothers are AWESOME.

Praise for

Kate Hardy

‘I was hooked… Her Festive Doorstep Baby is a hearttugging emotional romance.’

—Goodreads

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Praise

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

‘ALL RIGHT, MISS FIRTH. You have ten minutes to convince me why I should invest in your company.’ Jamie Wallis leaned back in his chair, unsmiling, and looked at her.

Sophie caught her breath.

This was it.

The next ten minutes could change her entire life.

She needed to be more professional now than she’d ever been. And she really needed to ignore the fact that Jamie Wallis was one of the most beautiful men she’d ever met. The photographs she’d seen didn’t do him justice. And Eva hadn’t warned her that you could practically drown in his dark eyes.

Focus, she told herself. Because everyone’s counting on you to get his backing. And you don’t do relationships any more. Not since Joe. You finally learned your lesson: focus on your business.

‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I’m assuming you’ve gone through the accounts I sent you, so you’ll already know our company’s bottom line is solid.’

He inclined his head, still unsmiling. ‘So why exactly are you asking me to invest in your company?’

She took a deep breath. ‘Because as well as you owning several resorts, your company offers specialist holidays to travellers, so Plans & Planes—being a travel agency and event planning service—fits in very well with your business. Especially as we’re introducing a new service which merges both sides of our company—something you don’t offer at the moment.’

‘Which is?’ he asked.

‘A planning service for people who want to get married abroad. We can organise everything from the wedding ceremony and reception through to the honeymoon, plus accommodation for the guests, and we’ll deal with all the paperwork.’ It had been her brainchild and she’d been so looking forward to developing the new service.

Until Eva had dropped her bombshell.

‘And your approach to me has nothing to do with the fact that your former partner is my late wife’s cousin?’

Sophie had expected that question and worked out her answer in advance. ‘Eva suggested you as a potential investor, I admit. But I researched your company before I decided to approach you. I’m not looking for nepotism. I’m looking for someone who sees a good investment that fits in with their own business plans.’

‘I see.’ He steepled his fingers. ‘What about the fact that Eva’s leaving the company? How do I know that everything at Plans & Planes isn’t going to take a massive nosedive without Eva at the helm?’

It was a fair question and Sophie wasn’t going to take it personally. ‘The impact of Eva’s departure on the business is mainly financial.’ The impact on her was another matter: Eva was Sophie’s best friend as well as her business partner and she’d miss Eva hugely. ‘Eva’s deputy, Mara, has worked for us for the last three years and she’s ready to step into Eva’s shoes on the travel agency side,’ she explained. ‘Mara has the experience, the knowledge and the capability to take that part of the company forward. I’m staying to manage the event planning side and the new weddings abroad service, so there’s continuity of management.’

He made a couple of notes. ‘If the business is flourishing, why do you need an investor?’

‘Because, as I’m sure you’re aware, Eva is moving to New York with her fiancé.’ Aidan had been headhunted by a top New York advertising agency and the opportunity was too good to turn down. ‘So she needs me to buy out her half of the business.’

‘And you have no savings you can use to buy her out, Miss Firth?’

She had, until two months ago. She took a deep breath. ‘No.’

‘Why?’

Telling him the truth would make it sound as if she was trying to manipulate him. Plus it was between Sophie, her brother and her sister-in-law. She wasn’t going to break their confidence. ‘Personal reasons,’ she said.

‘Won’t your bank give you a loan?’

She winced inwardly, knowing how bad her answer was going to sound, but she wasn’t going to lie. ‘No.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Because your financial management isn’t good enough?’

‘There’s nothing wrong with my financial management,’ she said patiently. ‘The business is doing well.’

‘Then why don’t you have savings, Miss Firth?’

‘Personal reasons,’ she repeated.

‘That, Miss Firth, is tantamount to telling an insurance company that you’re a businesswoman. It’s too vague. They’ll need to know precisely what business you’re in so they can assess the risk.’

‘I’m not asking you to insure me, Mr Wallis. I’m asking you to invest in the business.’

He gave her a cool, assessing look. ‘Miss Firth, if you want me to invest in your company, you can’t hide behind “personal reasons”.’

Maybe she could tell him some of it. Broad brush rather than details. ‘All right,’ she said reluctantly. ‘Since you ask, I lent my savings to someone I love very much.’

‘Then surely you can ask that person to return the money, now you need it for yourself?’

‘No.’

He frowned. ‘Why not?’

Because the money had been spent, and her brother and sister-in-law were already under enough pressure. This was their fourth attempt at IVF, and she didn’t want to make it any harder for them than it already was. ‘I can’t explain more without breaking a confidence.’

‘So you’d rather see your business go under?’

‘Of course not. We have four staff and a roster of reliable temps, and I want them to have job security.’

He shrugged. ‘Then ask for the money back so you can buy out Eva’s share of the business.’

They were at stalemate. Or maybe there was another way round this. ‘Do you have siblings, Mr Wallis?’ she asked, already knowing that he did but not knowing how close he was to them; not every family was as close as hers.

He inclined his head. ‘Two.’

‘If they needed you, would you hesitate to help?’ she asked.

‘Of course not.’

Just what she’d hoped he’d say. ‘Then I can safely say you would’ve made the same decision I did, in those circumstances,’ she said.

‘Given that I don’t know the circum—’

His mobile phone shrilled, cutting him off mid-word. He glanced at the screen, as if about to hit the button to decline the call, then frowned.

‘I apologise, Miss Firth. I’m afraid I need to take this.’

From the expression on his face, this was definitely a private call, Sophie thought. ‘Shall I wait...?’ She indicated the reception area outside his office.

He looked grateful. ‘Thank you.’

Sophie left Jamie’s office, sat down on one of the chairs and closed her eyes.

The bank had already said no. It was pretty clear that Jamie Wallis, her plan B, was going to turn her down. So now she needed to work out a plan C.

Crowdsourcing? No. It’d make her look as if the business had run out of money. Which it hadn’t.

Offering shares in the business to the rest of the team? But Mara was about to get married and the other three were saving up the deposit for a flat. None of them had any spare money, much less the ability to raise a loan to buy out part of Eva’s share in Plans & Planes.

And Jamie’s suggestion of asking Matt and Angie to return the money was completely out of the question. Her brother and sister-in-law had been eligible for one free cycle of IVF treatment; it hadn’t worked and they’d already used up all their own savings and taken out a loan to pay for the next two cycles, which had also failed.

OK, so there were no guarantees that the fourth cycle would be the lucky one, and if it had been purely a business decision Sophie probably would have decided that the risk was too great. But this wasn’t a business decision. How could she possibly have stood by and watched their hearts break when she could do something to help? So she hadn’t hesitated on offering to fund another cycle of treatment. She’d said it was a loan that Matt and Angie could repay whenever, but she’d always intended to quietly forget about the money. If the IVF worked and they had the baby they so desperately wanted, it would be the best repayment she could ask for.

* * *

‘So let me get this straight,’ Jamie said, scowling at the phone. ‘You’re telling me that Cindy broke her leg skiing yesterday, so she won’t be able to walk, let alone work, for at least another two months. And you can’t offer me a temporary replacement for her because the nanny who took over while she was on holiday is already on another assignment, and everyone else on your books is already either on an assignment and can’t possibly be moved, or has gone down with a virus.’

‘I’m afraid so, Mr Wallis. I know it sounds like a feeble excuse, but it’s quite a nasty virus. It takes a couple of weeks to get over it. I’m so sorry,’ Felicity, the agency manager, said.

‘Effectively you’re leaving me in the lurch.’ Was there anyone in his staff he could ask to switch roles temporarily? He could hardly ask one of the resort team to move to London for two months, especially with Christmas coming up. There was nobody suitable in his London team, either. Those with children already had enough on their plates and he couldn’t expect them to neglect their own children for Sienna. The ones without children didn’t have the relevant experience. Short of asking his mother to help—and he knew from first-hand experience that his mother preferred to parent at a distance—Jamie knew he was stuck.

‘I wish it wasn’t the case, but I’m afraid the situation’s completely out of my hands, Mr Wallis,’ Felicity said.

He could try another agency, but he still wouldn’t be able to guarantee having a new temporary nanny in place by the end of today—or that she’d be able to stay until Cindy was back at work. He didn’t want to dump his daughter on a string of women she didn’t know. Sienna needed continuity.

‘How soon do you think you’ll be able to get me a nanny to replace Cindy until her leg’s healed?’ he asked.

‘I really don’t know, Mr Wallis. It depends how quickly my staff recover. It might be a week, or it might be a fortnight.’

Although Jamie really wanted to shout at Felicity in utter frustration, he knew that would be counter-productive. Fran had always said you caught more flies with honey. His late wife had always been more patient with people than he had; he found it hard to be charming in the face of sheer incompetence. ‘This is going to be very difficult for me,’ he said, resisting the urge to twist the guilt by reminding Felicity that he was a single father and didn’t have anyone to take up the slack. ‘But could you please call me as soon as someone’s available?’

‘Of course, Mr Wallis. Thank you for being so understanding.’

He forbore to comment, not trusting himself to stay polite.

And now he had a problem. A big one. An unspecified time—anything between a few days and a couple of months—without a nanny, and even when someone became available it might not be for the whole period that Cindy was away. He was in the middle of setting up a new resort, so he simply couldn’t take the best part of the next few weeks off work to look after Sienna. He’d trusted the agency to deal with any situation like this, and they’d let him down. Badly.

What the hell was he going to do?

It was rare that he found himself in a situation where he wasn’t in complete control, and he hated the feeling of being helpless.

Sophie Firth was sitting in the reception area outside his office. Right now, they were both in a mess. She needed someone to invest in her business quickly so she could afford to buy out her partner; and he needed a nanny for the next few weeks.

He could maybe help her—especially as Eva was his late wife’s cousin and he ought to support his family—but right now he needed to focus on sorting out his immediate problem. He was going to have to turn her down.

He took a deep breath and went out to the reception area. ‘Miss Firth, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.’

‘That’s fine,’ she said.

He raked a hand through his hair. ‘I’m sorry—I can’t help you right at this minute. Something’s cropped up and I need to deal with it.’

* * *

Just as Sophie had expected. She needed Plan C. Disappointment still flooded through her. He wasn’t even going to be honest and say he wasn’t interested.

Something’s cropped up.

And to think he’d called her on being vague.

Then again, there was something akin to desperation in his eyes—as if something had happened and he didn’t have a clue how to deal with it. From the research she’d done on his company, she knew he was a shrewd businessman; his company had grown from strength to strength in the last few years, and even the death of his wife hadn’t affected the business. What could have happened to throw him like this?

Before she could stop herself, the words came out. ‘Are you all right?’

He looked at her in shock. ‘How do you mean?’

‘You look,’ she said, ‘as if someone just dropped something on you from a great height.’

‘You could say that.’ He sighed. ‘It’s my problem. I have to deal with it.’

But he sounded as if he didn’t have the faintest clue where to start.

This was none of her business. She had enough of a problem herself. She should just walk away. Instead, she found herself asking, ‘Can I get you a cup of tea or something?’

She cringed even as the words came out. It was his office, not hers. What she was saying was totally inappropriate.

But he smiled at her. The first real smile she’d seen from him. And it made her knees weak.

‘That’s kind,’ he said.

‘And inappropriate. Sorry.’

He shook his head. ‘That’s kind,’ he repeated. ‘But at the moment tea isn’t going to help.’ He looked at her. ‘Given your business, you must know people in lots of different career areas. I don’t suppose you know any nannies, do you?’

‘Nannies?’

‘That call just now was from the agency which supplies the nanny who looks after my daughter. Cindy—our nanny—broke her leg last week when she was on a skiing trip. And the agency has nobody available to stand in for her right now.’

So he needed childcare help?

Maybe she could turn this into a win-win situation.

‘So I need someone to invest in Plans & Planes, and you need a nanny.’

He looked at her. ‘Yes.’

‘Maybe,’ she said carefully, ‘there’s a solution that will work for us both. A business solution.’

‘You know a nanny?’

‘Not exactly.’ She took a deep breath. ‘What type of hours are we talking about?’

‘Sienna’s at nursery school five days a week, nine to four-thirty.’

Long hours for a little one, she thought. ‘So your nanny takes her to nursery school, picks her up, and that’s it?’

‘And works evenings and weekends.’

So when did Jamie Wallis spend time with his daughter? she wondered.

More to the point, it made her own half-formed plan unworkable. Time management was one of her best skills, but even she couldn’t cram an extra twenty-four hours into a day. ‘Can that be negotiable?’ she asked.

‘How?’

What was the worst he could do? Say no. Which was pretty much what she thought he’d say anyway. She had nothing to lose—and potentially a lot to gain. And she wasn’t afraid of hard work.

‘I could be your temporary nanny,’ she said, ‘and you could invest in my business.’

He stared at her. ‘You’re a qualified nanny?’

‘Not a qualified nanny,’ she said. ‘But my parents’ next-door neighbours own a nursery school, and during sixth form I had a part-time job there—Wednesday afternoons, when I didn’t have lessons, and two hours after school on the other weekdays. So I have experience of working with under-fives. Even if it was ten years ago. Plus I have a four-year-old niece and a two-year-old nephew, and I’m a very hands-on aunt.’

‘Define “hands-on”.’

‘I see them every week. I babysit, so I do everything from playing to craft stuff and singing. I do bathtime, bedtime stories and the park.’ She looked at him. ‘I sometimes have to work with children as part of an event, so I—and all my staff—have an up-to-date Disclosure and Barring Service check certificate. And I’m happy to give you Anna’s details so she can give you a reference from my time at the nursery school.’

* * *

A quid pro quo.

Sophie Firth wasn’t a qualified nanny, but she was the next best thing.

‘So you’d give up your job for the next two months?’ he asked.

‘No. That’s why I asked about compromise,’ she said. ‘My business partner is leaving in six weeks’ time. We need to reallocate all her work and recruit a new member of staff. Plus I already have a full diary. I can reallocate some of my work, and do the rest while Siena is at nursery school and at weekends.’

So he’d be with Sienna twenty-four-seven. Just the two of them. His throat went dry at the idea. He couldn’t do it. ‘I need a nanny and weekends,’ he said.

‘I can do one day. Two halves, if that works better for you. But I need experienced staff, and recruitment takes time.’

This was starting to sound workable. ‘I could lend you a couple of my staff to take off some of the pressure. Ones with experience in the travel industry and who’ve worked with—well, not events in the way you run them, but promotions. There must be a fair crossover in the skill sets involved.’

‘There is,’ she agreed.

‘So if I lend you some staff, you’ll do the full weekend?’

‘Two half days or one full,’ she repeated.

‘I’m in the middle of negotiating a new resort. I can’t take time off work right now.’ That wasn’t the only reason, but he wasn’t discussing the rest of it with a total stranger. Even if she was potentially sorting out his huge headache.

‘You said you had siblings. Can’t they pitch in and help?’

‘They live too far away.’

‘What about your parents?’

Absolutely not. His parents had never been hands-on when he and his sisters had been tiny. They’d always been focused on the business. Until the next generation was old enough to have their lives organised—and that was one of the reasons why his sisters had moved to Cumbria and Cornwall respectively. Gwen Wallis had tried to run their lives in the same way she ran her business. Not wanting to explain that, he shook his head.

‘I apologise if I’ve just trampled on a sore spot,’ she said softly. ‘That wasn’t my intention.’

It sounded as if she thought his parents were elderly and frail, or had passed away. That wasn’t the case but it was too complicated to put into words. ‘It’s fine,’ he said. ‘So you do weekends?’

‘Two half days or one full,’ she repeated.

He wasn’t sure whether to be more exasperated or admiring. She wasn’t budging. Then again, she was already making a big compromise—giving up a large chunk of her working week and meaning that she’d be running two jobs at the same time.

Admiring, he decided. Sophie Firth had a good work ethic—and she’d thought on her feet to come up with a solution that would benefit them both.

This was crisis management. Good crisis management. She’d seen the problem, come up with a solution and seen where the gaps were. It was the best proof she could have given him that she was good at her job, and investing in her business would be a sound decision on his part.

‘Obviously I need to check out your references with the nursery school,’ he said.

‘And talk to Eva—you know her, and she’s known me since our first day at university. She can give you a personal reference.’ She took out her phone and handed it to him. ‘Just so you can be sure I’m not calling her while you’re otherwise occupied and priming her on what to say.’

He really liked how quick she was. The way she thought. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was fighting for the survival of her own business, he’d be tempted to offer her a job as a project manager on his team.

‘All right. If your references check out, you’ve got a deal.’

* * *

She’d done it. Sophie knew that Anna and Eva would give her a good reference.

But her conscience couldn’t quite leave it there.

‘Two caveats,’ she said.

‘Which are?’

‘Firstly, you’ll be strictly a sleeping partner in Plans & Planes, and you don’t interfere in the way I run things.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘What if I can see where you can make improvements to the business?’

‘You can make suggestions, but you don’t interfere,’ she said. ‘Though that’s not the deal-breaker.’

He looked intrigued. ‘What is?’

‘Your daughter gets the final say.’

He frowned. ‘How do you mean?’

‘She meets me. We spend some time together. And then you ask her—and not in front of me—if she’d like me to look after her while her nanny gets better. If she says no, then it’s a no.’

He nodded. ‘That’s fair. And it also tells me you’re the right person for the job, because you’re putting her needs first.’

But why wasn’t he? Sophie wondered. Yes, he had a business to run—but it was much bigger than hers. He could delegate a lot of his work. Why didn’t he take the time off to look after his daughter?

Given that she’d already made a gaffe about his parents, this wasn’t something she could ask directly. She’d need to be tactful.

‘Okay. I’ll talk to Eva and your parents’ neighbour. Can you give me the numbers?’ he asked.

He didn’t know Eva’s number? Well, maybe Fran—as Eva’s cousin—would have been the one to stay in touch. ‘You’re probably best to call her at Plans & Planes.’ She gave him the office number. ‘Failing that, this is her mobile.’

He wrote the numbers down as she dictated them. ‘Thank you.’

* * *

Anna Harris confirmed everything Sophie had told him.

‘She worked for me during sixth form—two hours at the end of the school day, plus Wednesday afternoons. The kids loved her. I did try to persuade her to do her degree in early years education, but her heart was set on doing English.’ Anna paused. ‘I thought she was running her own business?’

‘She is. She’s, um, doing me a favour,’ Jamie admitted.

‘Ah. Typical Sophie. Of course you’re right to check her out, but I have no hesitation in recommending her.’

‘Thank you,’ Jamie said.

It almost felt superfluous to check her out with Eva as well, but he wanted to be sure. For Sienna’s sake. Because he did love his daughter, even if he kept himself at a distance. He wanted the best for her.

Only, the best meant not him.

He dialled Eva’s number.

‘Good morning. Plans & Planes, Mara speaking,’ the woman on the other end of the phone said, sounding cheerful and welcoming.

Mara was Eva’s second in command, according to Sophie. If her business acumen was as good as her phone manner, it boded well for the company, he thought. ‘Good morning. May I speak to Eva?’ Jamie asked.

‘May I ask who’s calling?’

‘Jamie Wallis.’

‘Oh!’ For a second, Mara sounded flustered. Clearly she not only knew who he was, she also knew how important he could be to the future of the firm—and that Sophie was meant to be schmoozing him right now. ‘I’ll just put you through, Mr Wallis,’ she said.

Eva answered, seconds later.

‘How are you, Eva?’ he asked.

‘Fine, thanks, Jamie. And you?’

‘Fine, fine.’

‘Um, aren’t you in a meeting with Sophie right now?’ She sounded worried.

‘Loo break,’ he fibbed. Because explaining their deal would take too much time.

‘Oh. Right.’

‘Eva. Look, I know I haven’t seen you for a while—’

‘That’s OK,’ she cut in. ‘Everyone understands.’

He mentally filled in the rest of it: how difficult things must have been since Fran died, and how it’s harder to stay in touch with people who aren’t in the immediate family circle. It was true, but he was guiltily aware that he often hid behind his circumstances.

‘Thank you. I just wanted to ask you a couple of things,’ he said. ‘Would you mind?’

‘Of course,’ she said.

‘You’ve known Sophie how long?’

‘Eleven years. Since we met on the first day at university.’

‘And you’ve been in business together for five years.’

‘We’d still be in business together for the next fifty years, if Aidan hadn’t been headhunted,’ Eva said. ‘But it’s just not doable to run my half of the business from a different continent and a very different time zone, and it’s not fair of me to dump all the work on Sophie and still expect to mop up half the profits.’

Good points, he thought. ‘So you’d say Sophie was reliable and trustworthy?’

‘Absolutely.’ Eva’s voice was firm with conviction.

And now the crunch question. ‘And she’s good with kids?’

‘Yes. She babysits her niece and nephew all the time. Why?’

‘Idle curiosity,’ he fibbed.

But there was one little thing that was bothering him. He knew he was being a bit underhand, but he consoled himself that this was the quickest way to get the last bit of information he wanted. And wasn’t all meant to be fair in love, war and business? ‘And I’ve worked out for myself that she’s kind-hearted. It was nice of her, wasn’t it, to help her family with the money?’ It was an educated guess; Sophie had only said she’d lent the money to someone she loved, but she’d also asked if he would help his siblings if they needed it. Which made him pretty sure she’d lent the money to one of her siblings.

‘Yes, but that’s Sophie all over—always thinking of others before herself,’ Eva said. ‘I really hope the IVF works for Matt and Angie this time.’

So he’d guessed right. She’d lent the money to one of her siblings and their partner. For a very personal reason: an expensive course of IVF treatment. And she’d refused to break their confidence by telling him what she’d done. Then again, if she had told him the truth, it would’ve looked as if she was trying to tug at his heartstrings and manipulate him. He liked the fact that she hadn’t done that.

‘Let’s hope so,’ he said. ‘Thanks, Eva. Good luck in New York.’

‘Thanks.’ She paused. ‘Jamie, I know I’m only an in-law, and not even a close one because I was Fran’s cousin, but you’re still family. Don’t be a stranger.’

‘Thanks.’ Guilt flooded through him. He had been a stranger. Especially to Fran’s family. Because how could he expect them to be rally round him, when he was the one responsible for all their pain—the one who was responsible for his wife’s death? It would be like sprinkling salt over a wound. He couldn’t do it. ‘I’ll talk to you soon,’ he said, knowing it was a polite fiction and also knowing that Eva was well aware of the fact, but what else could he do?

* * *

Jamie walked back into the room and returned Sophie’s phone. ‘Thank you for your patience, Miss Firth. We have a deal.’

Yes. The business was safe, Eva would get the money she needed, and her staff had job security again. Mentally, Sophie punched the air. ‘Thank you,’ she said, trying to keep her voice businesslike.

‘Though, actually, I probably didn’t need to make those calls. I’m a reasonable judge of character.’

That’s what she’d thought about herself. Dan and Joe had proved that to be a lie. She couldn’t have got it any more wrong if she’d tried. ‘I’m happier that you checked me out properly,’ she said.

‘Okay. Do you drive?’ he asked.

‘Yes.’

‘That makes life easier. I have a car that Cindy uses, so I’ll put you on the insurance. Perhaps you could let my PA have a copy of your driving licence and let her know all the information that the insurer would need.’

‘Sure. I have my licence with me.’

‘Good. So are you able to meet Sienna this afternoon?’

If Sophie wanted to save her business, she didn’t have much choice. She’d just have to move her meetings. ‘What time do you want me to meet you at the nursery school?’

‘It’s probably better if I pick you up from your office and take you with me,’ he said. ‘Perhaps I could pick you up at half-past three, to give me time to brief you?’

‘All right.’

‘Thank you, Miss Firth. Or may I call you Sophie?’

‘That rather depends on whether you expect me to curtsey and call you “sir”,’ she said dryly.

He smiled. ‘Jamie will do.’

‘Sophie.’ She held out her hand. ‘So, to recap, if Sienna likes me, then my side of the deal is that I’ll be your temporary nanny until Cindy can come back to work. Your side is that you’ll buy out Eva’s share of my business, and lend me two staff while I’m nannying for you, to help with the transition.’

‘Deal,’ he said, and shook her outstretched hand.

Her skin actually tingled where he touched her. Which was so inappropriate—if this worked out, technically he would be her part-time employer and her part-time business partner. She couldn’t afford to react to him like that. Worse still, he’d quickly masked an expression of surprise, so she had the feeling that he’d felt exactly the same.

This had the potential of being a complete and utter disaster. Especially with her track record in relationships, and in any case Jamie Wallis was a single father who really didn’t have time for a relationship.

Maybe she should call off the deal.

But she didn’t have a plan C and she needed him to buy out Eva’s share of the firm. So she’d just have to ignore every bit of attraction she felt towards him and keep this strictly professional.

‘One thing I should have asked you,’ he said. ‘Given that this means you’ll be juggling your workload and it’s going to take up more time in your day, will it be a problem with your partner?’

‘I don’t have a partner,’ she said. ‘And, just to make it clear, I’m not looking for one.’ She knew that not all men were the same—her stepfather and her brothers were all wonderful—but she always seemed to pick Mr Wrong. Three years of dating Dan, and thinking that he was going to ask her to marry him when instead he’d dropped a bombshell; and then Joe, who’d lied to her from the outset and she’d felt disgusting and grubby when she’d learned the truth.

She wasn’t going to put herself through all that again, falling in love with someone who would let her down and break her heart. After Joe, she’d promised herself that she’d keep all her relationships either business or strictly platonic. ‘So I’ll see you at half-past three,’ she said. ‘You have my mobile phone number in your file. If you could text me in the next couple of minutes, so I have your number, we can keep each other posted if anything crops up.’

‘All right,’ he said.

‘And I’ll see your PA with my driving licence on my way out.’

‘Thank you, Miss F—Sophie,’ he corrected himself. ‘See you at half-past three.’

* * *

It looked as if he had a new nanny and a new business partner, Jamie thought as Sophie left his office. A bossy one who liked to run things her own way; but he thought part of that might be bluster. The fact she’d said that Sienna should make the final decision told him that she’d be fair and listen.

Sophie Firth intrigued him. She was the first woman to intrigue him since Fran. If he was honest with himself, she was the first woman to attract him since Fran—with those sincere brown eyes and a warmth that drew him—but he pushed the thought away. It would be too complicated to have any kind of relationship with her outside a purely professional one.

Plus, after what he’d done, he didn’t deserve one.

This was going to be strictly business.

* * *

‘So Jamie actually said yes?’ Eva asked.

Sophie lifted both hands in a ‘whoa there’ sign. ‘It all hinges on whether Sienna likes me.’

‘Sienna?’

‘He’s got a nanny crisis. The deal is, if Sienna likes me, I’ll be her temporary nanny until her real nanny’s broken leg has healed. And in return he’ll buy you out.’

Eva frowned. ‘So what about Plans & Planes? Are you hiring a temp to replace you?’

‘No. I’m borrowing two members of his team to help with the workload,’ Sophie said. ‘I’ll be here when Sienna’s at nursery, and I can catch up with paperwork in the evening.’

‘Well, that explains why he asked me about you and kids when he called. I thought he just wanted to double-check that you were a safe bet in business,’ Eva said thoughtfully.

‘What did you tell him?’ Sophie asked.

‘That I’ve known you since our first day at uni, and if Aidan hadn’t been headhunted we’d still be business partners when we’re really old, and you have a niece and nephew that you see all the time,’ Eva said.

Sophie relaxed. ‘Okay. Well, you certainly helped. I just have to hope that Sienna likes me—or I’ll have to start dreaming up a plan C.’

‘But you’re going to be working stupid hours, if you’re being a nanny on top of what you do here,’ Eva said, looking worried.

Sophie shrugged. ‘It’s not for ever, just for a couple of months, maybe. I’ll manage.’

She hoped.

‘So, to save me putting my foot in it, what actually happened to your cousin?’ she asked.

‘They were on holiday, two years ago, and Fran fell ill,’ Eva said. ‘She died before they could fly her home. It was so sad. She was only thirty-three.’

‘And that means Sienna was only two when it happened, so she’ll only know her mum through photos and videos. Poor little mite,’ Sophie said.

‘Jamie was devastated. I’m not sure he’s really recovered. Today was the first time I’d really spoken to him since the funeral,’ Eva said.

‘Didn’t his family rally round?’

‘One of his sisters lives in Cornwall and I think the other lives in Cumbria,’ Eva said.

No wonder he’d said they were too far away.

‘And he said his parents can’t help, either,’ Sophie said. ‘So I’m guessing they’re either too frail or they’ve passed away.’

‘Oh, they could help, all right,’ Eva said, ‘but his mum would take over. Fran said Gwen was really overbearing and forever trying to organise their lives for them. The epitome of a difficult mother-in-law.’

‘Ouch.’ That might explain why Jamie’s sisters had moved so far away from London, Sophie thought. And why Jamie seemed to keep himself at an emotional distance.

‘Fran’s mum is lovely, but Fran looked so much like her, I think it just brings back what he’s lost every time Jamie sees her,’ Eva said. ‘Plus they live in Norfolk, so they’re a bit too far away for him to be able to ask them for help.’

‘Poor man,’ Sophie said. Now she was beginning to see what made Jamie Wallis tick. And he had an even better excuse than she did for avoiding relationships: he was still a grieving widower, whereas she’d simply lost trust in her own judgement of people.

* * *

When Jamie left his office at half-past two, his PA raised an eyebrow as he passed her desk. ‘Is everything all right?’

‘Nanny crisis. I’m getting the potential temp to meet me at the nursery school,’ he explained.

Her face softened. ‘And how is Sienna?’

‘Fine. And hopefully she’ll get on with the temp.’ If he kept referring to Sophie as ‘the temp’, hopefully that was how he’d come to see her. And he was absolutely not going to think about her caramel hair and how it would be lit with gold in the sunshine. For pity’s sake. He didn’t have time to think like that about anyone.

He called in at his house to pick up the file Cindy had left for the temporary nanny while she was on holiday, showing Sienna’s routine, then drove to Plans & Planes. Sophie’s office was very different from his own; the downstairs acted as the shop front for the travel agency, but when Mara showed him upstairs, where the event management side was based, he could see that the office was completely open plan, with two small rooms that he assumed were for client meetings.

Eva, who was sitting at one of the desks, came over and greeted him with a hug. ‘You’re a lifesaver, Jamie. Thanks.’

‘Hopefully, Sophie’s going to be a lifesaver for me, too,’ he said.

‘That all depends on whether Sienna likes me. It’s the deal breaker,’ Sophie reminded him as she joined them.

‘Ready to go?’ he asked.

‘Ready.’

He handed her the file when she got into the car. ‘Cindy put this together for when she was away. It’s Sienna’s routine plus a list of answers to the kind of questions she’d expect someone to ask.’

‘That’s useful. Thank you. I’ll read it on the way to nursery school, if that’s all right with you,’ she said. ‘And maybe you can answer any further questions I might have?’

‘Sure.’ He liked the fact that she was so businesslike.

* * *

Sophie’s misgivings increased as she skim-read the file. ‘Let me get this clear. You expect the nanny to get Sienna up in the mornings, then help her get her bathed and dressed and breakfasted?’

‘And help her clean her teeth, then drop her at nursery school,’ he finished.

‘Why don’t you take your daughter to nursery school yourself?’

‘Because I have a business to run. I need to be in the office quite a while before she needs to be at nursery school.’

Sophie knew Jamie was a single father, but from what she could see the work-life balance just wasn’t there. When did he get to spend quality time with his daughter? According to this file, he didn’t even eat with her in the evenings. There was a menu of what looked like typical nursery food, which clearly she would be expected to cook. Did Sophie eat on her own, or with the nanny? Sophie’s heart sank.

Fran had died two years ago, so surely Jamie should be smothering his daughter in cotton wool rather than using his work to avoid the little girl? It sounded more and more as if he was a cold workaholic who put his business first, second and third.

Sophie could remember what it felt like to be the daughter of a workaholic, one who’d missed every school performance and every parents’ evening because he was always too busy. Her father had never had the chance to put things right because he’d died of a heart attack when she was ten. She was so aware of all the things they’d missed out on; even though her mother had remarried six years later and Sophie loved her stepfather dearly, she still missed her father and wished they’d had the chance to share things.

Maybe, she thought, she could change things for Sienna so the little girl didn’t grow up with that same hole in her life, that same sense of loneliness and wondering secretly if something was wrong with her because her dad didn’t spend time with her the way her friends’ dads did. And, even if seeing Sienna reminded him of what he’d lost, at least Jamie still had his daughter.

Jamie Wallis didn’t just need a nanny, he needed someone who could help him fix his relationship with his little girl.

And Sophie thought she might just be the one to do that.

CHAPTER TWO

WHEN JAMIE PULLED UP in the nursery school car park, Sophie asked, ‘Should I stay here in the car? Because then it won’t confuse anyone.’

‘In case Sienna decides she doesn’t want you to look after her? Good point.’ He nodded. ‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’

He climbed out of the car, went over to the gate and spoke into the intercom, and then disappeared through the gate, shutting it behind him.

Sophie read through Cindy’s file again while she was waiting for him to return with Sienna. The more she read, the more sure she was that things needed to change. Jamie was a workaholic, the way her own father had been, and he wasn’t seeing anywhere near enough of his daughter—which wasn’t good for either of them.

A movement caught her eye and she looked up. She saw a little girl walking nicely down the path next to Jamie; obviously this must be Sienna. She was a pretty child, with a mop of curly blonde hair and her father’s dark eyes.

She climbed out of the car and waited until Jamie and Sienna had reached her before crouching down so she was on the little girl’s level. ‘Hello. I’m Sophie,’ she said. ‘And you’re Sienna, yes?’

The little girl nodded shyly.

‘Sophie’s going to spend the rest of the afternoon with us,’ Jamie said, ‘so you can get to know her a bit better and decide if you want her to look after you until Cindy’s leg is mended.’

Again, there was a shy nod.

Better start as I mean to go on, Sophie thought. ‘Would you like me to help you into the car seat?’ she asked Sienna.

The little girl gave another nod, and Sophie’s heart squeezed. Maybe Sienna was just a bit shy, particularly as Sophie was a stranger. She really hoped that Sienna wouldn’t be this quiet once she’d got to know her; one of the joys of being an aunt was having a niece and nephew who chattered nineteen to the dozen to her and burst into song at the least provocation.

She opened the rear door, helped Sienna get into the car, buckled her into the car seat and double checked it before climbing in next to her and buckling up her own seat belt.

‘So what did you do today at nursery school?’ Sophie asked.

‘Painting,’ Sienna said, her voice little more than a whisper.

‘That’s nice.’ Sophie had always enjoyed the painting activities when she’d worked at Anna’s nursery school. ‘Did you bring any of your paintings home with you?’

Sienna shook her head.

Maybe the nursery school staff had kept the paintings for assessment purposes. Sophie tried another tack. ‘Did the teachers read you any stories today?’

‘Ye—es.’ But Sienna wasn’t forthcoming about what the story was, or what her favourite book was, the way Sophie’s niece Hattie would be.

Then again, a car wasn’t the easiest place to have a conversation with a small child. Sophie let the conversation lapse until they were back at Jamie’s house. Then she helped Sienna out of the car, and waited for Jamie to unlock the front door.

‘I’ll give you a quick guided tour,’ Jamie said. ‘Obviously this is the hallway.’ He took her through the downstairs, room by room. ‘Living room, dining room, playroom, my office, downstairs cloakroom, kitchen.’

The house was beautiful, a large Edwardian villa with polished wooden floors, pale walls and windows that let in plenty of light; but it felt more like a show-house than a home. There were no pieces of artwork from nursery school held to the fridge by magnets or pinned to a cork board in the kitchen; there were no family photographs anywhere, either. And Sophie had never seen such a tidy playroom in her life. It made her wonder if Sienna was even allowed to touch her toys, or maybe there was a strict rule about only playing with one thing at a time.

This definitely wasn’t a normal home. Even though her own father had put his job first, last and in between, her mother had made sure to give all three children her time and affection.

Then again, Sienna didn’t have a mother to balance out her father’s drive for work.

‘I’ll make us a drink,’ Jamie said when they reached the kitchen. ‘Coffee or tea?’

‘Coffee would be lovely, thanks. Just milk, no sugar.’

‘Would you prefer a cappuccino or a latte?’

‘As long as it’s coffee, I really don’t mind. Whatever’s easy,’ she said.

‘Fair enough.’ He made two mugs of coffee via a very posh coffee machine and poured milk into a plastic beaker of milk for Sienna. ‘I’ll be in my office if you need me,’ he said.

Obviously she and Sienna needed to spend time together so they could get to know each other, but this felt almost like an excuse for him to avoid the little girl. Or maybe she was being unfair to Jamie.

‘Shall we go into the playroom?’ she asked Sienna.

The little girl nodded.

In the playroom, Sienna agreed to do some drawing and colouring together. Sophie couldn’t help noticing how the little girl coloured very carefully, making sure she stayed within the lines, and used pastel colours. So different from her exuberant niece Hattie, who always picked the brightest colours and wasn’t in the slightest bit concerned if she coloured over the lines. The little girl reminded Sophie of herself as a child, desperate for her father’s approval and never quite getting it.

‘How about a story?’ she asked.

Again, Sienna was quietly acquiescent.

‘What’s your favourite story that Daddy reads to you?’ Sophie asked.

‘Cindy always reads my bedtime story,’ Sienna said.

‘Okay.’ Sophie’s sister-in-law Mandy had been very eloquent about the benefits of having a male role model reading to children, so her brother Will always read to Hattie and Sam at night. Maybe if she told Jamie, he might consider reading to Sienna. But, as her sole parent, why wasn’t he doing that already?

Sophie read a couple of stories to Sienna, scooping the little girl onto her lap and persuading her to join in with some of the words. And when she made a tremendous pause before the last repetition of a refrain in one particular book, she was finally rewarded with a giggle from Sienna.

‘What would you like for dinner tonight?’ she asked when they’d finished the story.

‘We always have chicken nuggets on Monday,’ Sienna said.

Sophie remembered seeing the menu plan in Cindy’s file. Just to check that her suspicions were correct, she asked, ‘Does Daddy have chicken nuggets, too?’

‘Daddy doesn’t have dinner with me. He’s usually still at work.’

‘So Cindy has dinner with you?’

She nodded. ‘In the kitchen.’

‘Well, Daddy’s home today, so he can eat with you and me. And we don’t have to stick to eating chicken nuggets just because it’s Monday. Let’s go and see what’s in the fridge, shall we?’

Just as Sophie had hoped, Jamie clearly had either asked the temporary nanny to do a grocery shop the previous week or he had his groceries delivered. The fridge was half-full of fruit and vegetables; there were a couple of chicken breasts and a packet of minced beef. There were also a couple of supermarket ready-prepared meals, which told her that Jamie didn’t bother cooking for himself in the evening and just shoved something into the microwave to heat through.

‘Do you like spaghetti Bolognese?’ she asked.

Sienna nodded.

‘Good. That’s what we’ll have for dinner tonight. Daddy, too. Cindy’s file says you have dinner at six?’

‘Yes.’

‘Great. You can help me cook dinner.’

Little girl’s eyes were round. ‘Can I? Really?’

Sophie’s suspicions deepened. ‘Do you cook with Cindy?’

‘No.’

‘Not even cupcakes or cookies?’

Sienna grimaced. ‘They’re messy.’

So who was the neat freak? Cindy the nanny? Or was this an extreme reaction by Sienna, wanting to be super-neat and tidy so her father would approve of her? ‘Mess is exactly what aprons are for. And vacuum cleaners,’ Sophie said firmly. ‘I make cupcakes with my niece Hattie all the time. She’s the same age as you.’

Sienna looked shocked.

Oh, honestly. Sophie had to bite her tongue. Right at that moment she wanted to shake Jamie Wallis until his teeth rattled. The whole point about childhood was to have fun while you were growing up and learning about the world. And, yes, she could understand that not everyone was comfortable living in total chaos, but if Sienna made a mess she could also learn how to clear up again.

‘We’ll make cupcakes tomorrow afternoon,’ she promised. ‘With sprinkles.’

‘Chocolate sprinkles?’ Sophie asked hopefully.

‘Absolutely yes.’ She’d pick them up tomorrow, together with a few other things she enjoyed doing with Hattie and Sam. She smiled at Sienna. ‘Right, I need you to do a very important job for me—can you show me where the pots and pans are?’

While she was directing Sienna to help her get the ingredients, she texted Jamie.

Dinner at six. You are eating with us in the kitchen. No arguments.

He ignored her text.

Well, fine. She wasn’t daunted.

Just before she was going to serve up, she rang him. ‘You have three minutes.’

‘I’m in the middle of something.’

She didn’t care. She’d already given him prior warning about when dinner would be ready. If he hadn’t paid attention, that was his problem. ‘I’m serving up now. Come and wash your hands for dinner.’

He hung up on her, and she wondered if she was going to have to go and drag him out of his study. But then she heard the door open and he strode into the kitchen.

Sienna beamed. ‘Daddy, you’re sitting here between me and Sophie. I laid the table. And I helped cook the bisgetti.’

‘Spaghetti,’ he corrected. ‘Did you?’ He gave Sophie a speaking look.

‘She was a brilliant sous-chef, just like my niece Hattie,’ she said.

Conversation during dinner was like pulling teeth. Jamie seemed to have no idea whatsoever how to talk to his daughter. Was he just hopeless with children in general, or was there something else going on here?

Sophie did the best she could to include both of them. Once they’d eaten, she said, ‘It’s bathtime, now, Sienna. Perhaps Daddy can do your bath and read you a bedtime story while I do the washing up.’

* * *

Bathtime.

Water.

Jamie had to dig his nails into his palms as a picture flashed into his head. Fran, her golden curls wet and plastered to her head. Her face so swollen and puffy, just like her throat had been inside, so no air could get through.

Fran, dead.

He’d avoided bathing his daughter ever since, leaving the job to Cindy. Sienna looked so much like Fran that he just couldn’t handle seeing her with wet hair and getting those flashbacks, the dreams that had had him waking in tears for weeks after it had happened.

Okay, so it had been two years and anyone would think he’d come to terms with it by now—he was overreacting. But he couldn’t bear it. He just couldn’t.

And Sophie really expected him to do bathtime?

Jamie looked horrified. ‘Cindy—’ he began.

‘—isn’t here. And you have a special question to ask Sienna which needs to be with just the two of you together,’ she reminded him.

Oh, God. There was no way round this. He was just going to have to face his demons.

‘Let’s choose a story,’ he said, desperately hoping that maybe if he dragged his feet a bit, he’d either be able to think of an excuse or Sienna might decide she didn’t want a bath after all.

But it didn’t work out that way.

He had to go through with it.

He made the bath as shallow as he possibly could.

‘Cindy puts more water in—and more bubbles,’ Sienna said.

‘Well, we haven’t got time tonight,’ he said, hating himself for lying to his little girl but not wanting her to know about the nightmares in his head.

‘And she washes my hair.’

No. Just no. ‘Not tonight,’ he said. ‘And we need to talk about Sophie. Would you like her to be your nanny until Cindy’s leg is mended?’

To his relief, it headed his daughter off the subject of her bath and hairwash.

‘I like Sophie. She’s funny. And she does all the special voices in a story,’ Sienna said. ‘And she let me help her cook bisgetti. I was her sushi.’

He couldn’t help smiling at that. ‘Sous-chef.’

‘Can she stay? Please?’

‘Yes,’ he said. Even though Sophie Firth was pushing him into doing things he normally avoided. Because the alternative meant taking time off and doing everything for Sienna himself until the agency sent a replacement—which could take a couple of weeks.

He hauled his daughter out of the bath and dried her swiftly, before helping her into her pyjamas. ‘Story,’ he said. ‘And then I need to talk to Sophie.’

* * *

Jamie had gone absolutely white when Sophie had suggested that he did Sienna’s bedtime routine. What was the problem? she wondered. She was starting to think that there was more to it than Jamie being a cold workaholic. But what? She could ask him straight out, but she had the feeling he’d avoid the question. If Sienna agreed to let her stay, then maybe she’d have enough time to find out exactly what was going on—and help.

She’d just finished the washing up when he came downstairs.

‘Well, you were a hit,’ he said. ‘I asked her, and she says she’d like you to stay until Cindy comes back.’

Though she noticed he didn’t look too pleased about it.

‘So I’m looking at my new sleeping partner, then?’ she asked.

His pupils dilated slightly and she realised how her words could’ve been interpreted; she felt a tide of colour surge into her face. ‘I mean my business partner who invests but lets me get on with running things and doesn’t interfere,’ she clarified.

‘Business partner. And you’re my new temporary nanny.’

‘Right. I’m glad. Sienna’s a lovely little girl. I’m going to enjoy looking after her. So I guess your solicitors need to talk to mine about the buyout, assuming you agreed with the figures in my proposal.’

‘Uh-huh.’ He paused. ‘Plus I need to give you the car keys. Hang on a sec.’ He fished a set of keys out of a drawer and handed them to her. ‘And the spare key for the front door. I was thinking you might find it more convenient to stay here overnight in future. Cindy’s staying at her boyfriend’s flat until her leg mends, so you can use her suite—or the guest suite, if you’d prefer.’

Staying overnight? That hadn’t been mentioned before. It wasn’t part of their agreement. And she wasn’t giving him another excuse to avoid his daughter. ‘Ah, no,’ she said. ‘You’ll be getting Sienna up in the mornings. Though I’ll be here before you have to leave for work.’

He blinked. ‘But Cindy—’

‘—does things slightly differently than I would.’

‘She’s a trained nanny.’

Meaning that she was supposed to follow Cindy’s instructions? Sophie wanted to rip that ridiculous file into little pieces and jump up and down on it. ‘Well, I’m not,’ she reminded him. ‘As I said, I’ll be here before you have to leave for work.’

‘Right. And once you’ve dropped Sienna off, your day is your own until nursery school pick-up. I’ll give you the code word, and I’ll give the nursery school manager your details so she knows who you are,’ he said. ‘Would you mind if I took a photo of you for their records?’

‘Sure.’ She had something similar in place with Hattie’s nursery school.

He took a photograph of her on his phone. ‘Thank you.’

‘And you make sure you’re home in time to eat with us in the evenings.’

‘I have to w—’ he began.

‘Of course you have to work—I realise you have an empire to run.’ She tried to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. ‘But you’re the boss, so you can choose where you work. It doesn’t have to be in the office all the time. You have an Internet connection here.’ She folded her arms and gave him a challenging look. ‘So I want you here in time for dinner with us at six, and if you’re late I’ll make you eat cold, soggy, overcooked Brussels sprouts. And you won’t be able to refuse because it’ll be in front of Sienna.’

He looked utterly shocked. ‘Oh, my God. Eva didn’t tell me—’

‘—that I was even bossier than your mother?’ she finished.

His eyes widened. ‘How do you know my mother’s bossy?’

‘What’s sauce for the goose is most definitely sauce for the gander,’ she said. ‘You asked Eva about me—which meant I could ask Eva about you.’

‘I think,’ he said, ‘maybe I should have tried a different agency for Cindy’s temporary replacement.’

‘Tough. You’ve already asked Sienna and she’s made her decision.’

‘I want you to go by Cindy’s rules. Sienna needs structure and continuity.’

She needed love and laughter, too, Sophie thought, but didn’t say it. ‘Let’s try just a couple of tiny, tiny changes,’ she said. ‘Humour me. Spaghetti was all right tonight, wasn’t it?’

‘Well, yes,’ he admitted.

‘Good. Is there anything you really don’t like to eat?’

He said nothing, but she could guess what he was thinking and grinned. ‘Don’t worry. I won’t make you eat chicken nuggets or fish fingers with shaped potato products, peas and tomato ketchup. Hattie and Sam eat what Will and Mandy eat, so Sienna can eat what we eat. Plus, if she’s involved in making dinner, she’s more likely to eat it without a fuss.’

He frowned. ‘How do you know?’

‘My sister-in-law Mandy is a health visitor. I guess chatting to her, plus working at Anna’s nursery school, means I’ve picked up a few things along the way.’

‘I see. And I’m guessing you’ll be the first to see the new baby, too.’

She looked at him, eyes narrowed. ‘What new baby?’

‘I know about the IVF,’ he said.

She blew out a breath. ‘Eva blabbed.’

‘I made an educated guess and she filled in the gaps. Which I admit was probably underhand of me—I kind of let her think that you’d told me everything. But I like the fact you didn’t try to manipulate me with a sob story.’

Sophie wasn’t sure whether to be cross or relieved. ‘So now you know the circumstances, do you agree you would’ve done the same for your siblings?’

‘Of course I would.’ He paused. ‘Do they live near?’

‘We all live in London. Not in each other’s pockets, but no more than half an hour’s Tube journey away from each other—and that includes Mum and Dad.’

He looked slightly wistful, and she guessed that maybe he missed his sisters. But asking him might be a question too far.

‘Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,’ he said.

‘Sure. Though I have a couple of questions first.’

He looked wary. ‘Which are?’

‘Do you have a housekeeper?’ she asked.

‘A cleaner who comes in twice a week,’ he confirmed. ‘She does the ironing but not the laundry.’

‘So laundry’s part of my duties?’ she checked.

‘I guess I can handle that until Cindy’s back,’ he said.

‘Fine. What about your grocery shopping?’

‘I order online, and Cindy picks up any top-up things during the week.’

‘I’ll do the same. Obviously I’ll make sure I have receipts for everything,’ she said. ‘And I’ll give you a list of what I need you to order.’

He frowned. ‘Aren’t you using Cindy’s menu?’

‘Not unless you want to eat chicken nuggets,’ she said sweetly. ‘I thought we could have sticky salmon tomorrow. My sister-in-law Mandy has a gorgeous recipe, and Hattie and Sam absolutely love it. I can pick up the ingredients on the way to nursery school tomorrow afternoon.’

‘Okay. Anything else?’

‘That’s it for now.’ She smiled. ‘Goodnight, new business partner.’

‘Goodnight, new business partner and temporary nanny.’

Sophie closed the front door behind her and headed for the small car parked on the gravel outside the house. There was a child’s safety seat in the back, as she’d expected, so she’d be ready to take Sienna to nursery school tomorrow. She sat behind the steering wheel and closed her eyes for a moment. If anyone had told her first thing this morning that her life was going to be turned upside down for the next couple of months, she would never have believed it.

Right at that moment, she felt slightly daunted.

Sienna was so like the little girl that she herself had once been, desperate to please her dad and trying to be the perfect daughter. And it was heartbreaking, seeing the distance between Sienna and Jamie. They were all each other had. Okay, so maybe this was none of her business; but on the other hand how could she just stand by and let the situation get worse, when she knew first-hand the sort of damage it could do?

Why did Jamie avoid his daughter? Did he doubt his ability as a father? Or was Eva right and he was so wrapped up in his grief that he couldn’t think of anything else?

She had two months with them, maybe.

Would that be enough time to fix things?

* * *

This morning, Jamie had expected to have a short business meeting with Sophie Firth and politely turn down the opportunity of investing in her company.

And then he’d met her.

She was bright and she thought on her feet. She stood by her convictions and she wasn’t afraid to say no. She’d practically glowed when she’d spoken about the new direction for her business. He’d liked her energy and warmth.

Maybe his nanny crisis was the answer for both of them.

Except now he was in a really weird situation: she was his business partner and sort of his employee at the same time.

He remembered the way she’d blushed when she’d called him her sleeping partner and then obviously realised how the phrase could be taken. And it felt as if his temperature had just spiked along with his pulse rate.

Oh, for pity’s sake. He couldn’t be attracted to her. It would be way too complicated. Okay. This was simply a physical response due to abstinence, he reminded himself. He was not interested in what might make Sophie Firth blush all over.

And he wasn’t going to let himself think about the fact that she was single. Available. Because he didn’t have time for a relationship. He didn’t want a relationship. He didn’t deserve a relationship, not after what had happened to Fran. And no way was he letting himself lose control and fall for someone.

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