She gripped the back of the chair in front of his desk until her knuckles turned white. “When I turned eighteen, I had to leave Good Shepherd because I aged out of the system.”
“Aged out?”
“Too old for state funding.”
“That stinks.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Fortunately I’d graduated from high school and I was determined to go to college. I had some scholarship money but still needed to work. My experience helping at the home came in handy. I got my first nanny job, which included room and board. I lived with a family and took care of the three minor children.”
“Minors? That implies there was an adult child as well.”
“The oldest son—Jeff Warren—This is the family I told you about.” A vision of brown hair and blue eyes flashed through her mind. He was handsome, smart and sweet. And he broke her heart. “He had a bachelor’s degree and was working on his master’s.”
“And he hit on you?”
“It wasn’t like that. We dated.”
“And then he hit on you?”
“You have to let that go.”
She almost smiled at his tenacity. If she had any stars left in her eyes, she might believe Jason was jealous. But Jeff had taken all the twinkle out of her and left the hard reality in its place.
“What then?”
“We dated. The family liked me and approved of the relationship. We were engaged to be engaged.”
“So it was all good?”
“Until Jeff’s father got a promotion and was offered the opportunity to build a mega resort in Macau.”
He frowned. “I guess he didn’t want to commute?”
“No.” She laughed and tried to keep the bitterness out of it, although without complete success. “Jeff’s parents decided to move the family and gave him the option of finishing school here. He agonized over what to do, but eventually came to the conclusion that a classroom was no substitute for life experience. He moved with the family and we agreed that calls and e-mails would keep us connected. His parents said I was like a daughter to them and promised to keep in touch, too. It wasn’t ideal, but we’d formed a bond and I finally had a family.”
“But no happy ending?” He removed his glasses from the top of his head and tossed them on the desk. “Otherwise this wouldn’t feel like a cautionary tale.”
She didn’t bother with a short affirmative answer. “He communicated at first, but it lessened over time and finally just stopped. When I called, he admitted that he’d met someone and was engaged.”
“Son of a…”
Sadness welled up in her. It wasn’t as acute, but still had the power to wound. “His parents eventually stopped communication, which was only natural under the circumstances. But natural didn’t make it any easier to come to terms with. I gave them my loyalty, my heart, and I lost everything.”
“That’s a tough break, Maggie, but—”
“Don’t tell me it will be different here. You have to do what’s best for your family, and I’m not part of it.”
“You’re what’s best for this family,” he said.
“For now. But what if that changes? And don’t tell me it won’t. I know better.” She rounded the chair and sat, gazing intently at him. “After I left the convent, Ginger placed me with a couple who’d just had a baby. Mom was on maternity leave and I helped out, staying on when she returned to work. That baby had me from day one and I gave everything I had because they said the situation was permanent. With my help she could have it all—a career and a baby.”
“Don’t tell me,” he said. “No happy ending here, either.”
“After six months she said it was too hard to be away from her child. She was missing too much and wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. So I lost everything again.” It shamed her that the memory still brought tears to her eyes. “How could I even be mad? Having a mom is the ideal situation.”
A hard look darkened his eyes. “Not if Mom didn’t want you in the first place. Not if your own mother doesn’t care enough to stick around.”
“Is that personal experience talking?”
He shrugged, which neither confirmed nor denied, yet the expression on his face was anything but neutral. It made her curious about him and that was dangerous, another in a long list of reasons why she was right to stick to her time limit.
“It may not seem like a big deal to you, but I never want to go through that again. I’ve found that my time limit works for me. And Ginger has structured a marketing campaign around my skills and restrictions. I’m an expert at assisting inexperienced parents through the transition and adjustment of a new baby.”
“What about my situation?” he asked angrily.
“Ginger has an impressive employee list. Many of them prefer long-term assignments—”
“That’s not good enough.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry you got hurt in the past. That happens when you wear your heart on your sleeve.”
“Not anymore,” she protested.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You still care. Maybe too much, but you can’t help that. It’s one of your most impressive qualifications. But now your caring has a short shelf life to keep you from getting hurt.”
“I’m glad you understand.” She stood. “I have a week left on my contract and then I’m leaving.”
He stood, too, and towered over her. “Fair warning, Maggie. I’ll find a way. Everyone has their price. If you put enough zeros on a check, it takes the sting out of life. However you want to say it, anyone can be convinced.”
At the door, she chanced a look at him and felt a pull on her heart. “Not me.”
Not with money. However, if he showed the slightest interest in her she wasn’t sure the bravado would hold up. She’d walked into his office looking for a fight. Now she realized the reaction was out of proportion to his generous gesture. It was earrings. Big, expensive diamond earrings, but impersonal jewelry nonetheless.
The only reason she could come up with for her meltdown was that she’d half expected to see a ring in the black velvet box. It was stupid and naive, both of which she’d denied being, but that didn’t change the truth.
She’d felt the sting of rejection once before, when she learned of Jeff’s engagement. When she’d seen the earrings, it was even worse. She’d felt a lot like a mistress who was being appeased. And she’d been disappointed.
This was a sign as big as any on the Las Vegas Strip that she would be lucky if another week here with Jason Garrett didn’t cost her as much, or more, than she’d lost in the past.
Maggie had finished packing her clean clothes and had the dirty ones in a laundry bag stashed by the half-opened door. On the tufted-silk bench at the foot of the bed she’d put out a pair of jeans and sweater for when she left in the morning. Ginger had a replacement coming. Jason had met and approved her, however ill-tempered and reluctant his attitude.
Now all she had to do was say goodbye to father and son.
Tears burned the backs of her eyes and her heart squeezed painfully at the thought of leaving. She caught her blurred reflection in the mirror over the dresser. It was going to hurt terribly when she walked out the door for the last time. A sob caught in her throat just before she heard a soft knock on her door.
Jason