Inherited:OneChild(5)

"That depends."

He regarded her warily. "On what?"

"Before I give you my answer, I'd like to get the opinion of one of the   top businessmen in the country." She slanted him a teasing glance.   "Would this be a good time to ask for a raise?"

Nothing about the events of today were funny, and yet he found himself   grinning, anyway. "I'm sorry to say that now would be an excellent   time." He waved her back toward the chair in front of his desk. "Why   don't you make yourself comfortable while we discuss an early-start   bonus."





Two




M ary opened the door to Jack's office and regarded him with sympathetic   eyes. "Ms. Stefano has asked to see you," his assistant informed him.   "Sorry, boss."

He checked his watch. His brand-new nanny-slash-prospective-wife-to-be   had lasted all of thirty minutes. He'd hoped for longer, but he was a   realistic man. Isabella had driven away the best of the best. What   chance did someone with Annalise's lack of experience stand?

"Does she have Isabella with her?"

"No. She requested that the babysitter stay. He's keeping an eye on your niece for the moment."

Jack sighed. "Send her in."

Annalise appeared a moment later, entering with that loose, hip-swing   stride he found so attractive. More curls had escaped the tidy knot,   bubbling down her back and around her face in gay abandon. Her startling   eyes, now a darker shade of honey-gold, were tarnished with concern.

"Mr. Mason-"

"Might as well make it Jack."

She nodded impatiently. "This isn't working, Jack."

"I have to admit. You disappoint me." He leaned back in his chair and   drummed his fingers against the leather armrest. "You also win the prize   for shortest nanny on record."

She froze, blinking her long sooty lashes at him. "Shortest-" Her breath   exploded in a short laugh. "No, you don't understand. I'm not  quitting.  I'd like to get Isabella out of here. We need to work  together  one-on-one away from your office. If we're going to establish a  routine,  we should do that right from the start." She lifted an  eyebrow. "Unless  you intend for us to come in and disrupt your work  every day?"

"Of course not." He checked his watch and frowned. "I was planning to take you home at lunchtime."

Annalise shook her head. "That won't work. There's too much going on   here, too much excitement. It's getting Isabella riled up. We should   leave now, and then I need you to sit quietly with her for a time and   explain who and what I am. It would help with the transition."

Jack frowned. "You haven't already done that?"

He caught her unexpected flash of temper before she reined it in.   "You're her uncle, which makes you the authority figure," she explained.   "Isabella needs you to organize her world and then set the boundaries   for that world. At school-even at day care-children learn very quickly   that the teacher is in charge of them and the classroom, but that the   principal oversees the entire school and is the ultimate authority   figure. If you're putting me in charge-as the teacher-you, as the   principal, have to be the one to explain the rules so she knows that you   back me up and that she'll be sent to the principal's office if she   doesn't behave appropriately toward the teacher."

"Fine. I can take care of that right now."

Annalise shook her head. "There are too many distractions here. It's   better to do it in the setting where we're going to spend most of our   time."

"I have a full schedule today."

Her mouth took on a stubborn slant. "No, right now you have a family obligation that takes precedence over your full schedule."

"Damn it." He allowed himself an entire ten seconds to stew. "You're   right, of course. I don't like that you're right. But, Isabella comes   first."

She didn't attempt to disguise her relief. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

"Go pack her up. Tell the sitter he can leave. I'm sure he'll be only   too happy to run for the nearest exit." He lifted an eyebrow. "You sure   you don't want to join him?"                       
       
           



       

Stark emotion shifted through her gaze, rousing his curiosity. For some   reason his niece had made quite an impact on Annalise. He'd seen that   look in others when they'd seized on a project or an idea that touched   them in some way. In just the short time since he'd hired his new nanny,   she'd bonded with Isabella and would do whatever necessary to make   certain the relationship worked.

"I'm staying," she said quietly, confirming his conjecture.

For the first time Jack felt a stab of genuine hope. So far, so good. "Thank you, Annalise."

Once his PI had gone over her background and given the all clear, Jack   would move his marriage project to the next stage. In the meantime, if   Annalise became emotionally connected to Isabella, so much the better.   It might make her more amenable to his proposal. All he had to do was   find the right buttons to push to convince her to cooperate, something   he hoped the investigation might assist in uncovering.

The ride to his home was accomplished in blissful silence. Isabella went   into her booster seat without a word-or rather, sound-of complaint. He   wished it signaled an improvement, but he suspected she was merely   resting up for the next round.

Heading into the South of Broad neighborhood of Charleston, Jack turned   onto Battery and hit the remote control for the electric gates. Beside   him, Annalise reacted to her first glimpse of Lover's Folly with a soft   gasp. "Home sweet home," he murmured. "Hope you like it."

Whatever facade she'd managed to don over the past few hours crumbled. "You live here? This is your home?"

Even he had to admit the four-story, nearly eleven-thousand-foot   residence created quite an impact. Meticulously renovated over the past   several decades, it boasted views of Charleston Harbor and James  Island,  and was listed as an exceptional example of historic  architecture.

"It's called Lover's Folly, and I inherited it from my paternal   grandmother, much to my father's annoyance. He assumed he was next in   line to own the place. It's been in the family since the mid-nineteenth   century, a decade or so before the War Between the States. My ancestors   bought it from the original owner."

"Why is it called Lover's Folly?"

He pulled his Jaguar into the two-story brick carriage house, the   structure large enough to house a half dozen vehicles, if he were given   to that sort of excess. His housekeeper, Sara, shared the two bedroom   apartment above the garage with her husband, Brett, who was employed as   the gardener and general handyman.

"It was constructed as an apology to the man's wife-" He spared a quick   glance toward the backseat. To his relief, Isabella was sound asleep,  no  doubt worn out from her morning exertions. He lowered his voice.  "When  his wife found out he'd been keeping a mistress in high style,  she  demanded recompense. He had this house built to make up for his  folly."

A smile trembled on Annalise's mouth. "For his folly for taking a mistress or for getting caught?"

Jack grinned. "No one's quite certain, though there's been endless   speculation about that." He exited the car and gently extracted Isabella   from the backseat. She murmured groggily before burrowing against him   and nodding off again. It was rare moments like this that convinced him   he'd done the right thing, that this poor little mite needed him.  "She's  exhausted, which means she'll nap for a while. Enjoy it while it   lasts."

"I gather it doesn't last long?"

"No."

That single, terse word said it all. He led the way into the kitchen and   introduced Annalise to Sara. The housekeeper offered a warm smile   before turning a wary eye on Isabella. "Little Madam is worn out, I see.   But it must have gone well, considering you managed to hire another   nanny."

Jack slanted Annalise a quick, encouraging look. "One who plans to stay,   I hope." He inclined his head toward the steps at the far end of the   kitchen. "I'll be up in the nursery if you need me."

He ascended the back staircase, climbing to the second floor. The   nursery wing occupied the right-hand side of the U-shaped mansion. It   had been designed in the days of large families and live-in servants,   and consisted of four bedrooms, plus the nanny's quarters, and a huge   playroom. He carried Isabella into the room she'd chosen for herself. It   overlooked a large patio and yard, and was enclosed by a towering  stone  wall. After settling his niece in her bed, he picked up the baby   monitor and hooked it to his belt. Then he motioned to Annalise and   escorted her to the playroom, where they could talk without disturbing   Isabella.