She pushed those thoughts away when Chi said, “Thanks for recommending me to your ladies.” She nannied part time while she was working on her degree.
“Only for my bestie.” Ari tapped her fist to Chi’s upper arm. “You’ll be great for the kids.”
“So how’s the billionaire working out?”
“It’s amazing. I get to eat anything I want. I live in a suite that’s three times the size of my studio. Noah is a doll. And I’m getting paid a ridiculous amount of money. What more could a girl ask for?” Okay, so Ari could ask for more—another night in Matt’s bed followed by a morning where he didn’t kick her out of it.
“Doesn’t hurt that the billionaire is awesomely hot,” Rosie said to Chi in an aside behind her hand.
“Ooh.” Chi’s eyes grew big. “Has he hit on you yet?”
Ari’s blush was enough to give her away.
“Oh my God.” Chi gasped. “He did hit on you.”
“He did not.” Smack between the two of them, Ari was in the hot seat.
“Look at that.” Rosie pointed. “Her cheeks are totally red.”
“Come on. We know there’s something. Dish,” Chi demanded.
Ari glanced at the boys, who were happily engaged. “It was only once.” Twice, if she counted the kiss in the pantry. “And he didn’t hit on me.” She squeezed her eyes shut before admitting, “I hit on him.” She licked her lips and admitted in a low voice, “I didn’t just hit on him. I went to bed with him.”
Both of her friends were silent a long time. A very long time that spoke volumes about how crazy they thought she was.
Finally, Rosie said, “You actually slept with him? With your billionaire boss?”
“It was an accident,” she tried to protest.
“An accident?” Chi scrunched her forehead. “Like you were both naked and just happened to trip into each other’s arms?”
“No.” Ari would have laughed, but her stomach was twisted up. “Noah had an accident by the pool.”
When both women looked over at Noah, who was playing cheerfully, she said, “He’s okay, thank God. But after we took him to the emergency room, Matt was really upset. I just wanted to comfort him.”
“So you’re saying it was a simple hug for comfort that went off course?” Rosie looked at her over the rims of her sunglasses.
“Yes. No.” She buried her face in her hands. “Stop giving me a bad time,” she begged.
Chi put her hand on Ari’s arm. “We don’t want to give you a bad time. But we’re worried about you. You know what happens to girls who sleep with the boss.”
Ari dropped her hands. “I know.” She breathed deeply and let it out in a long sigh. “But I honestly don’t think he’s going to fire me. Even though…”
“Even though?” Rosie prompted.
“I kissed him again the other night,” Ari whispered. “In the pantry.”
Chi shook her head. “Girl, I’m not being mean. But that’s two strikes already. Not only is he your boss, he’s a totally over-the-top rich guy who probably goes through women like tissue paper.”
Chi was just trying to help, but Ari had to argue, “He’s not like that. He doesn’t take his money for granted. And I haven’t seen any other women coming around. In fact, I don’t think he’s gone on a date since I’ve been there.”
Before Chi could do more than roll her eyes at Ari’s protests, Rosie asked, “How do you feel about everything that’s happened?”
“I don’t know.” Liar. She didn’t wait for one of the girls to say that. “All right, I admit I’ve got hopes.”
“Oh. My. God.” Chi was always the more dramatic of her two BFFs.
“Not just because of how amazing it was to be with him,” Ari protested. “But because he’s offered to find my brother. Why would he do that if he didn’t have feelings for me?”
“Maybe because he feels guilty for taking advantage of his nanny and wants to make it up to her?” Chi suggested.
Rosie sent Chi a dirty look before folding her hand over Ari’s. “I’m sure his motives for finding your brother are nothing but kind. Who wouldn’t want to help you? But be careful. We don’t want you to get hurt.”
Rosie had met Jorge’s daddy when she was nineteen. She’d fallen hopelessly. When the bastard found out she was pregnant, he ran. Rosie had just finished her AA degree in bookkeeping when Jorge was born, and with Chi’s and Ari’s help, she’d eked out enough time to find a really great accounting job she’d held for the last five years. It made sense that she’d worry about Ari getting hurt after she’d been hurt so badly herself.