Fearless In Love(2)

As a kid, she’d lived in an apartment—lots of different apartments—and the only insects she could have played with were cockroaches. The only frogs she’d seen were in stagnant pools of water left behind in abandoned lots. When she wasn’t in school, she’d spent her time buried in the pages of books.

“I like the zoo,” she continued, hoping she was saying the right things. The problem was that he smelled so good, like clean, hot male. It was messing big-time with her concentration. “And you’ve got Henry Coe State Park almost in your backyard.” His huge home was nestled in the trees overlooking Anderson Lake. Footpaths probably led up into the hills right from the back door. “Is that why you chose to live in Morgan Hill—because it’s so much prettier than San Jose?”

“After I had my new factory located here, I figured it was easier to build our home nearby.”

He was so matter-of-fact. Did he ever chase butterflies with his son? She hoped he did.

To prep her for this interview, Daniel had told her that Matt was a brilliant high-tech robotics manufacturer—and a bookworm. Crossing the mile-long foyer, she’d caught a brief glimpse of a library jammed with books. If she got the job, she’d love to spend as much of her free time there as possible. Evidently, Matt had put himself through college with scholarships and hard work, blowing through in three years instead of four. His ideas and inventions were so groundbreaking that his professors had told him to forget earning a PhD and move right into industry instead, so he’d started his company, Trebotics International, when he was about her age.

Though she admired him for his smarts and his success, she didn’t know anything about him as a father. Or as a man. But Daniel had said he was the best dad any kid could ever have. He’d also mentioned that Noah’s mom had dropped out of the picture early and rarely saw her son.

How had that affected Matt and Noah?

“One of Noah’s previous nannies had a boyfriend she constantly talked with on the phone when she should have been paying attention to my son. Will that be a problem for you?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, or unlimited texting and minutes on my cell phone.” She couldn’t afford a smartphone, and she’d signed up for the cheapest service plan she could get. “So you definitely won’t find me distracted by my phone.”

“I’m glad to hear that. How many children do you currently babysit?”

Interesting that he wanted to know more about her actual experience with children rather than what she’d taken in school, but she knew that book smarts weren’t always the same as hands-on learning. “Six, but only part time for each. One is my best friend’s little boy. She’s a single mom, and I help out with Jorge.” Ari gave it the Spanish pronunciation: Hor-hay. She loved Jorge and didn’t charge Rosie. “I also work for four women in the South Bay who aren’t working moms, taking care of their kids when they’ve got errands or appointments. I wouldn’t be leaving them in the lurch if I came to work for you.” She didn’t want him to think she’d dump him if a better opportunity came along. “I’ve got friends who would love to work for them. I’d just have to make arrangements.” It would be difficult leaving the kids, but she needed the full-time job. Both Daniel and the moms understood that, though it was harder for the kids to accept. “They all said they’d give you references.”

“I’d like to speak with them.”

She fished in her bag for the list. “Here you go.” Their hands brushed, and she went warm all over.

As he looked over the names, numbers, and addresses, she noted that he had sun lines at his eyes, and she wondered if he swam with Noah in the huge kidney-shaped pool she’d seen through the French doors. Or maybe they spent time in the playground out back, with its swings, slides, monkey bars, and huge sandbox.

He was rich. He could give his son anything that was for sale. But she hoped he gave his son time too.

Looking back up at her, he asked, “How long have you been babysitting?”

“Since I was sixteen.” Not counting the foster homes where she’d taken care of the younger kids.

“And you’re twenty-four now?” He frowned slightly as he said her age, but before she became worried, he said, “Eight years is good experience.”

She smiled, then dove in with her own question. “What would my duties be?”

“You would get Noah up in the morning, take him to school. He started kindergarten this year, and he’s attending a private school in Almaden Valley.”