LITMIR.BIZ

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listening to any other voices first while you formed your own opinion. I think that’s a good philosophy, especially in this case. She’ll be standing in front of the Chelsea Star Hotel on West 30th.”

      Ms. Chamberlain really was in financial difficulty if she’d had to stay there.

      “Tell Paul to look for the woman in yellow,” Leah added.

      “You’re being very mysterious, if not cryptic. Give me something to go on.”

      “I’ll wager she’s not like anyone you ever met.”

      “That sounds promising.”

      “I hoped it would.”

      He made a sound in his throat. “Are you still accusing me of being a cynic?”

      “I wouldn’t do that. If I’ve made a mistake, call me later and let me know so I can keep looking for the right person.”

      “Do me a favor and phone Ms. Chamberlain. If she can be ready in forty-five minutes, we’ll pick her up on the way to the apartment.”

      “She might not be available before time, but I’ll see what I can do and get back to you.” She clicked off.

      Nick pocketed his phone, wanting to approve of Leah’s assessment of the woman because there was no time to lose. Establishing a routine for the baby with the new nanny ASAP meant he’d sleep better nights. Any more weeks spent with his grandparents and Jamie would think the nurse in the starched uniform was his mother. Heaven forbid.

      CHAPTER TWO

      REESE had barely reached the hotel when her phone rang. She checked the caller ID and her stomach clenched. She might have known this job was too good to be true. Better to brave the bad news now and get it over with before she left for the airport. She couldn’t afford to pay for another night here.

      “Mrs. Tribe?”

      “Ms. Chamberlain? I’m glad you answered. I’ve spoken with Mr. Wainwright. He’s on a tight schedule and would like you to be out in front of the hotel in approximately forty minutes. Is that possible?”

      She breathed a huge sigh of relief. “No problem at all.”

      “That’s fine then. I’ll let him know. Good luck to you.”

      “Thank you again.”

      After hanging up, she hurried to the dorm she’d shared with three other women. The one with Gothic piercings and purple streaks in her hair was still there stuffing everything on the bed into her backpack. She flicked Reese a glance. “How’d that interview go, honey?” Her Southern drawl was unmistakable.

      “I think I got the job, but there’s one more test to pass.”

      “I’d rather blow my brains out than be a nanny. They couldn’t pay me enough.”

      Reese decided a response wasn’t necessary. She only had a few items to pack in her suitcase and got busy.

      The woman finished packing her things and turned to Reese. “It’s been nice meeting you, honey. Y’all be careful now.”

      “You, too. Good luck finding your boyfriend.”

      “I’m going to need it.” The door closed. Peace at last.

      Reese went to the restroom to freshen up. One look in the mirror and she decided to put her hair back in a ponytail. Babies loved to tug on loose strands. Hers would be better confined. With the heat already building outside, messy limp hair and a flushed face wouldn’t make the best impression. She had the kind of skin that splotched when the temperature soared.

      After applying a fresh coat of lipstick, she left the bathroom, anxious to get this final interview over. With her purse and briefcase in one hand, and her suitcase in the other, she went downstairs to the lobby to check out. Unfortunately other guests anxious to get out sightseeing had the same idea. She had to wait in line.

      There was a small crisis behind the desk. The computers were down. If the problem didn’t get resolved fast, Reese was going to be late. Five minutes went by. She made the decision to go outside. Of course it meant losing her place in line. If her ride had come, she would ask the driver to wait while she settled her account.

      Sure enough a black limo with smoked glass had pulled up in front. As she hurried toward it, a uniformed chauffeur of middle age got out. “Ms. Chamberlain?”

      “Yes. I’m sorry if you’ve been waiting. I’m still in line to pay my bill. Could I leave my suitcase with you? I’ll run back inside. I shouldn’t be much longer.”

      “Take your time.”

      “Thank you.”

      Ten minutes later she rushed back outside. The driver opened the rear door of the limo for her so she could get in.

      “Oh—”

      “Oh” was right, Nick thought to himself as the long-legged, ash-blonde female took the seat opposite him and Jamie. She brought a flowery fragrance into the limo with her. What was she? Twenty-five, twenty-six?

      Her modest blouse and skirt couldn’t hide the curves of a body well put together. She had to be five-eight in her bone-colored sandals and was so different from the image he had in mind of a plump, fortyish maternal type, he couldn’t imagine what Leah had been thinking.

      Maybe the wrong person had gotten in the limo, but she was wearing yellow.

      “You’re Reese Chamberlain?”

      “Yes.”

      “I’m Nicholas Wainwright.”

      Her light blue eyes flared as if in surprise. “How do you do,” she said in a slightly husky voice that for no particular reason appealed to him. When she saw the baby who’d fallen asleep, her eyes sparkled with life. She leaned toward Jamie, seemingly oblivious to Nick. “Oh—look how darling! All that black hair and those long, silky lashes against his cheeks.”

      Her gaze finally darted to Nick’s. “I’m sorry to have kept you. Mrs. Tribe warned me you were a punctual man, and now I’ve already committed my first sin. But the computers were down at the hotel and I had to wait in line until they could check me out.”

      No New Yorker here or anything close. Midwest maybe? “So my driver explained. We’re not in a hurry. Jamie’s being very cooperative.”

      “He’s a wonderful boy.” When her eyes lifted, he could see they’d darkened with emotion. “I’m so sorry about your loss. If you decide to hire me, I promise to do everything I can to make your son as secure and happy as possible until your permanent nanny comes to live with you.”

      Either she was the greatest actress alive, or this was her true self. Leah was a shrewd judge of character. Something had to have appealed to his secretary for her to pick a woman whose age and looks were totally wrong for the position. She appeared too healthy to be a model, yet had the right bones and height. All Walter and Anne had to do—or anyone else for that matter—was get a glimpse of her and…

      The limo was already working its way through traffic. Paul would have them deposited at the front of the apartment before long. Nick needed more information so he could decide if he would send her back to the hotel before they ever got out of the car.

      “Room and board aside, what kind of salary were you expecting, Ms. Chamberlain?”

      She named a figure below what he’d anticipated she would ask for. “Does that sound all right to you?”

      “It’s fine,” he muttered, bemused by everything that came out of her mouth. “Tell me what happens when you leave me in September?”

      “I’ll move back to Philadelphia.”

      His dark brows lifted. “Another nanny position?”

      She studied him with a puzzled expression.

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