Maggie looked up at him, then back at the clutter and chaos. “So, how did it go?”
“Good.” The casual tone was forced. After glancing at the disorder he met her gaze and smiled. “Everything went fine.”
“I can’t believe you’d stand there and lie to my face when it looks like a gigantic baby store exploded in here.”
“It’s the truth,” he protested. “By my definition of the word fine, that’s how it went.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. There are no casualties to report. Therefore things went fine.”
“Has the cleaning staff seen this place yet?”
He shook his head. “They have the weekend off.”
“Well, it won’t be fine when they do damage assessment.” The corners of her mouth turned up. The spunky comebacks she was firing off were more like the Maggie he knew.
As he watched her easily put the baby in the swing that he’d needed blueprints and specifications to operate, he breathed a sigh of relief. Now that she was back, all was right with his world.
“Maggie?”
She stood and put a finger to her lips as she walked over to him and drew him far enough away to not disturb the baby. “What?”
“Brady missed you.”
“He told you that?” she asked, her mouth curving up in a smile.
“Pretty much.”
Now that he was this close, he couldn’t seem to stop staring at her mouth. “And I’m so glad you’re back I could kiss you.”
“Always nice to be appreciated.”
It was more than that. But he ignored the pull of attraction and concentrated on what was best for Brady and, by extension, himself. After twenty-four hours without her, he never wanted the penthouse to be a Maggie-free zone.
The time had come to step up his campaign to change the terms of her employment.
Chapter Four
Maggie’s large, comfortable room in the Garrett penthouse was more like what she imagined a luxury hotel suite would look like, including its own bath. The walk-in closet was big enough to live in and the oak dresser, armoire, headboard and nightstands all matched. No garage sale or flea market stuff here. Brass lamps stood on either side of the king-size bed, which was covered in a beautiful Laura Ashley floral-print comforter. Accent pillows in shades of light pink and rose were piled high. A flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall in the sitting area complete with sofa, recliner and reading lamps.
Hands down, it was the most beautiful space she’d ever had in her life. But all of it paled in comparison to what she’d found on the dresser after settling Brady for the night.
She stared at the black-velvet jewelry box. It was not a very large box and she’d heard that good things come in small packages. Another in a list of gifts from Jason.
For the last four weeks he’d been doing thoughtful things like this. Flowers. Candy. A generous bonus in her paycheck. All of that was wonderful, but didn’t make her heart pound like it was now. She’d have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to know he was wooing her. Not in a romantic way. More of a loyalty retention, boss-employee appreciation sort of way.
But romantic things came in small packages, too. Hand shaking, she reached out and picked it up. In her whole life no one had ever offered her a small black-velvet jewelry box. She’d dreamed and fantasized about Jeff giving her an engagement ring—something that would fit in an elegant container like this. She hadn’t thought it could, but her heart pounded even harder.
Even as she ran her index finger over the soft, curved lid, she had an uneasy feeling. Flowers were a sweet gesture. Candy was candy. And a bonus for exemplary work was not out of the ordinary. But this was…She wasn’t sure what it was.
“Open it, you nit,” she chided herself. Lifting the lid, she gasped when two large diamond-stud earrings winked and sparkled. “Oh, my—”
They were quite possibly the most beautiful things she’d ever seen. And she had to give them back. Right away. Before the idea of trying them on took hold.
If Jason’s routine held true to form, this time of night with his son settled in sleep, he could be found working in his study. The door was ajar, with light trickling onto the plush hall carpet. She raised her hand to knock and took a deep breath before tapping lightly.
“Come in.”
She pushed the door wide and met his gaze. “May I speak with you?”
“Of course,” he said, pushing his glasses to the top of his head.
He’d changed out of his suit into jeans and a white cotton shirt, with sleeves rolled to just above his wrists. The missing power tie did nothing to diminish his power and one look tied her insides up in knots. That was so not how she wanted to feel for this conversation.
She walked in and set the jeweler’s box on his desk. “I spent time in the convent, but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid and naive.”
He glanced down, then met her gaze. “I’m not sure what I did to make you believe I think that, but nothing could be further from the truth.”
“You’re trying to bribe me into changing my mind about staying as Brady’s nanny.”
“Bribe isn’t an especially flattering word.” He closed his laptop. “I prefer the word incentive.”
She put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin toward the velvet box. “So you don’t deny that’s a shameless attempt to convince me to extend my contract?”
“No.”
That took the wind out of her sails. “Oh.”
“It was the latest in a string of attempts—flowers, candy and a very generous bonus.” One dark eyebrow lifted. “All of which you accepted graciously.”
“This is different.”
“How so?”
Good question. It was personal? Not personal enough? “It just is,” she said stubbornly. “I can’t accept diamonds. It feels wrong.”
“What if I told you they’re cheap imitations?”
“Are they?”
“No.”
“Then it’s too expensive, extravagant and any other ex word you can think of,” she said.
“Not for me.” He smiled, but there was no warmth in it.
“Look, Jason, don’t think I’m not grateful that you appreciate my work with Brady—”
“It doesn’t look like work when you’re with him.”
Doesn’t feel like it, either, she thought. No way would she tell him that and have him use it against her. “He’s a sweet-heart. But I can’t stay any longer.”
“Why?” There was an angry edge to his voice. “Look, Maggie, I’m not hitting on you.”
“I didn’t think that.” Not really, even though a tiny part of her had hoped.
“Are you afraid I will if you stay? Did someone do that to you?”
“No.” If only it had been that ugly. Self-righteous anger would have helped her get over her hurt.
“Then tell me why I can’t alter the terms of this agreement and hire you permanently at an incredibly generous salary.”
“Because money isn’t everything. It doesn’t buy happiness.”
“It