LITMIR.BIZ

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ask Greg.”

      “He doesn’t know all the ins and outs. It’s too tricky for him.”

      “Nevertheless I can’t come in the office until Monday.”

      “That might be too late, Nicky.” His father’s younger brother had always been an alarmist.

      “Sorry, but it can’t be helped.”

      “Since when? I don’t understand.”

      No. He wouldn’t. His uncle and aunt had been childless. “Today I brought Jamie home for good.”

      There was a deafening silence. “I thought he—”

      “He’s been with his grandparents too long as it is,” he broke in.

      “But how will you manage?”

      So far … better than Nick had thought possible. “I’ve hired a nanny.” A totally feminine, beautiful, unexpected young woman. The image of her clutching Jamie to her while they were still in the limo—as if she was the mother—refused to leave his mind.

      “I had no idea you’d even been looking for one. Your father never said a word.”

      “He and Mother were already in Cannes when I made the decision.”

      “I hear a decent one is almost impossible to come by. Is she over forty? ”

      His patience was running out. “Why do you ask?”

      “Because anyone younger who still has their eyesight will do whatever it takes to get set up with you.”

      If Nick had inherited a cynical gene, it had to have come from his uncle. But in this case he wasn’t worried. Leah would have done a thorough check of Ms. Chamberlain’s background. He paid his secretary a salary that ensured mistakes like the one his uncle was talking about didn’t happen.

      “See you on Monday, Uncle Stan,” Nick muttered before clicking off. Now to get busy dismantling his office. But before he did that, he changed out of his suit into something more comfortable.

      To his relief, Jamie slept through the next two hours. By the time the concierge rang him at five and told him he was on his way up with Ms. Chamberlain, Nick had just wheeled the baby crib into the empty room.

      He walked through the apartment to the entry and opened the door. Soon his nanny emerged from the elevator carrying bags in both hands. As she passed by him she said, “Merry Christmas.” She was intriguing and amusing at the same time.

      Behind her came the concierge pushing a dolly loaded with cartons. Paul brought up the rear with more bags. He winked at Nick, who was still reacting to her comment. “This bag goes in the kitchen. Then we have one more load,” he whispered before heading for the other room.

      “You’ve done the work of a thousand—” she exclaimed to Nick after the men had filed back out of the new nursery. “Jamie’s going to love this room once we’ve whipped it into shape. How’s he doing so far?”

      She had such a vivacious personality, Nick was mesmerized. No wonder Leah had picked her. Ms. Chamberlain had to have stood out a hundred miles from any of the other nanny candidates.

      “He’s still asleep on my bed.”

      “I’ll just wash my hands and peek in on him.”

      “While you do that I’ll ask the kitchen to send up our dinner.” He made the call, then started looking through the bags, curious to see what she’d purchased for one tiny baby. In a minute the concierge came through with even more cartons.

      “Have fun putting all this together, Mr. Wainwright. Leave the empty boxes outside in the hall and I’ll pick them up.”

      Nick thanked him and walked him out in time to ask the waiter to set up their dinner in the dining room. Halfway back to his bedroom he met her in the hall carrying Jamie in her arms. “This little guy was awake. I guess he could hear the noise and started to fuss. He needed a diaper change and let me handle it, but I think he wanted you to do the honors.”

      “Well, now that the deed is done, our food is ready in the dining room.”

      “That sounds good. If you’ll open the carton that says baby swing, we can set it up in there and he can watch you while we eat. It will be perfect for him when we go out on the terrace during the day.”

      He hadn’t seen one of those at the Hirsts’. “You want to swing?” Nick gave him a kiss on the cheek before heading into the nursery. Reese followed him and waited while he opened the carton.

      “There should be some batteries taped to the inside of the lid.”

      “Batteries?”

      “They make it swing and play music at the same time.”

      Though he moved millions of dollars around on paper every day, the world of a baby and all its attendant necessities had passed him by completely. Whether his boy needed a swing or not, he had one now. Thankfully it wasn’t as difficult to put together as installing the base of the infant car seat in the limo. It had taken him several attempts before he’d managed to do it right.

      “Let’s go try this out.”

      “Your daddy’s a genius to assemble it so fast, Jamie.”

      “Don’t speak too soon in case it goes crashing down, taking my son with it.”

      “We’re not worried.”

      He stared into her shimmering blue eyes, dumbfounded over Leah’s find. “Then you should be.”

      CHAPTER THREE

      WHEN Nick looked at her like that, Reese’s heart began thudding for reasons she didn’t dare explore right now.

      She followed him back to the living room. The floor-to-ceiling French doors at the end had been opened to reveal a dining room that took her breath. First came the chandelier of Czechoslovakian glass. One of this kind and size was a museum piece. She thought the same thing of the massive Italian provincial hutch that lined the far wall.

      Its shelving held handblown Venetian glass and stunning pieces of china no longer made. On the opposite wall was a long European hunt board with its distinctive stylized pheasants and peacocks. A still-life oil painting of fruits hung above it.

      The window featured tapestries with tassels pulled halfway down depicting various pastoral scenes. When she could tear her gaze away, it fell on the rectangular table of dark oak dominating the room. She counted sixteen chairs around. The exquisite woodwork was complemented by the upholstery fabric, a blend of rich green and cream striping on velvet.

      Two candelabras with lighted tapers flanked a breathtaking centerpiece of fresh flowers including creamy lilies and roses interspersed with greenery. The top of the beautifully carved table had such a highly polished surface, everything gleamed. Two places nearest the doors had been set where their dinner awaited them.

      She finally looked at her employer. “I’m afraid whoever dreamed up this masterpiece of a room didn’t have that swing in mind.” He’d set it on a gorgeous Persian rug at the corner of the table.

      “I have to give my wife credit for much of the apartment’s decor.”

      So they had lived here together. How painful this must be for him. “She had incomparable taste.”

      He took the baby from her and fastened him in the seat. “Let’s see if he likes this.” When he pressed the button, it started to swing and played “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.” Jamie looked at his father. The baby acted happy and it brought a ghost of a smile to his father’s lips.

      Mr. Wainwright’s eyes unexpectedly narrowed on her features. “Your contribution to the room keeps it from feeling like a museum. Shall we eat?”

      Reese could imagine the apartment

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