Fearless In Love(3)

That was twenty-five minutes away. She thought about the morning commute traffic and how brutal it was as more companies moved into Silicon Valley.

As if he could see the thought bubble over her head, he said, “My driver Doreen would drive you when you take Noah out.” Matt Tremont and his son lived a life she’d seen only on TV, with private drivers and mansions. “You would also be responsible for his nutrition. I have a cook, but I’d want you to make sure he’s eating healthy.”

Nutrition had been part of her education. “No treats?”

He smiled for the first time. And she stopped breathing.

Literally stopped.

No one should be allowed that much gorgeousness. She would see that smile in her dreams.

“Treats were my favorite thing as a kid. Probably because I didn’t get many.” He said it with a laugh, but she wasn’t sure she bought the way he tried to play off his difficult childhood with a smile. Ari hadn’t grown up with much either—and she’d also learned how to smile through it. “In any case,” he continued, “treats are fine every now and then, but I don’t want him gorging on candy and soda.” With that, he went on with her duties. “He’s only in school in the morning, so I would want you to devise lesson plans for the afternoon. Trips to the zoo and other activities that teach him would be great. He’s learning to swim, and I’d want you to continue, as long as he’s got his water wings on.”

A commotion in the hall drowned out the rest of Matt’s list—a young voice, the stomp of running feet. For a little boy, Noah Tremont made big noise, which she loved.

He flew around the corner, sliding on the hardwood floor until his toes hit the rug. “Daddy, Daddy, you gotta see!” A moment later, he saw Ari. “I know you.”

“We met a month ago at the house your daddy was building with his friends.”

Noah had a mop of hair as dark as his father’s and cheeks that hadn’t lost their baby roundness yet. He ran around the coffee table and flung himself at her on the sofa, grabbing her hand. “You gotta see too.”

“Noah,” Matt interrupted. “We’re in a meeting.”

A harried older woman appeared in the doorway, wisps of hair flying out of a bun that had probably been neat that morning. This must be the temp Matt said he’d brought in while he was searching for a full-time nanny. “Mr. Tremont, I’m sorry. Noah, come here.” Her voice was more tired than annoyed.

But Noah was too excited to listen. Ari plucked him up and set him on her lap, a wriggling bundle of boundless energy. He was adorable. She wanted to spend her days with someone so happy and sweet, take him to the zoo, chase butterflies, teach him the names of birds.

“You know”—she gave Noah the biggest smile—“it’s nice to let people finish what they’re saying. So as soon as your dad’s done talking, then you can show us whatever you want.”

“It’s my new Lego set Jeremy gave me!” He couldn’t stop bouncing. Ari remembered Jeremy from the day at the youth home, a sweet young man—a brother of one of the other Mavericks, maybe?

“All righty then. We’ll finish up, then you can show us your Lego.” She gave Noah a solemn look. “I’m a Lego master, by the way.”

“Cool, me too!” He nodded vigorously, his curls bouncing. Then he stopped and bit his lip, and she was struck by how much of a mini-Matt he was. “I forgot your name.”

“It’s Ari.”

He beamed at her. Yup, the kid version of his dad’s smile. “I like your name.” With that, he hopped off her lap.

When Ari turned back to Matt, he was staring at her with his head cocked slightly. “A Lego master?” He shook his head. “Even I have a hard time putting some of them together.”

“I doubt that,” she said, which made him smile again. Oh, that smile. It got under her skin, made her hum inside. Everywhere inside. “You were saying? About my duties?”

“We’ve pretty much covered it.” He began to list the things she’d get out of the deal. “You’d have your own suite next to Noah’s. You could eat meals with us, but you’d be free to raid the kitchen. Sunday would be your day off. If you wanted to make prior arrangements to go out in the evening for a date or whatever, that would be fine. I try to be home in the evenings and on weekends for Noah.”

“Like I said, I don’t have a boyfriend, but I get together with my girlfriends sometimes in the evenings.”

He nodded, then said, “The salary is twelve hundred a week, plus medical insurance.”