Nanny Read Free Page B

the knees. Not that he would get a chance to see her legs or any other interesting parts of her body up close.
    A damned shame.
    But Gabe didn’t have time to waste on irrelevant things like his emotions or the new hired help.
    It was time to get back to work, he thought grimly.

chapter 2
    T here she is.” Laughter rippled over the yard, and a small figure raced over the grass. “I told you she was here. She’s taking me to ballet class today.”
    Pull yourself together,
Summer told herself.
How bad can two kids, math classes, and an illegal ferret be?
    But had the little girl said something about a ballet class?
    Forcing a smile, Summer crossed the grassy slope, glad she had taken time to straighten her dark suit and smooth her hair, as two pairs of eyes devoured her. But where the younger girl stared with infectious enthusiasm, her older sister responded with defiance.
    â€œYou must be Sophy.” Summer held out one hand as the slender nine-year-old stopped in a restless tangle of arms and legs. “I’m Summer Mulvaney.” The false name was close to her own and sounded natural enough, reinforced by several weeks of careful rehearsing. “Your nanny told me all about you.”
    â€œWill she be in the hospital long?” Sophy O’Connor shifted from side to side, her pink sneakers covered with dust. “She’s not going to—to die, is she?”
    â€œPeople don’t
die
from appendicitis, Sophy. I told you that already.” Stiff and hostile, Sophy’s sister watched Summer, arms crossed over her stomach. “Stop acting so
completely
stupid.”
    â€œIt’s
not
stupid.” Sophy’s face clouded as she jammed her small fists into the pockets of her pink jumper. “You can die from a bee sting, and Mom said things can happen to people—things you never expect.” She stared at her dusty feet. “I just want to know, Audra. From an adult, not you.”
    Innocent as it was, this barb cut deep. “I
am
an adult. Almost. I’ll be fifteen next week.” Audra made a flat, angry sound. “Why do I even bother? You’re
such
a geek.”
    Summer decided the bickering had gone on long enough. She would have to interrogate them about their prank with her shower, but first, introductions were due.
    She held out one hand, mustering a smile. “You must be Audra. Your old nanny told me all about you, too.”
    Dark, wary eyes glared back at her. “So?”
    â€œShe said you like to ride.”
    A shrug. “I used to, but not anymore. Riding is kid stuff.”
    Summer kept her smile in place. “So you don’t ride now?”
    Another shrug. “I’ve got more important things to do.” Audra straightened the belt that hugged an impossibly small waist.
    â€œLike what?” her sister asked curiously.
    â€œGod, Sophy. Don’t be such a baby.”
    Sophy blew out an angry breath. To Summer’s surprise, she tucked an arm through Summer’s, dismissing her sister. “Are you ready? Ballet class starts in half an hour, and Patrick has a snack ready for us.”
    Patrick?
    Right. Cara O’Connor’s chef was thin, expressive, and a dead ringer for Colin Farrell, if she remembered correctly.
    Sophy was staring at her expectantly. “Imelda told you about ballet class, didn’t she?”
    Sophy’s ballet class at four.
    Summer-school homework at five-thirty.
    Dinner at six-fifteen.
    Cara O’Connor’s precise schedule was currently overseen by Imelda, the efficient housekeeper with clever eyes and a laugh that filled the whole house. “Imelda gave me directions for driving you to ballet class in town. On the way we’ll drop your sister off at the aquarium so she can volunteer.”
    â€œIt’s public service, not volunteering.” Audra stuck out her chin. “I need one hundred hours every year for my college résumé. Kaylin Howell had five