You Can't Kiss the Nanny Brady Banks Read online

  She swats me on the arm and gives me a wink.

  Growing up with a mom like her required being confident I could kick every kid’s butt at my school. When your mother owns a sex toy company, has tatted up her arms, and gives zero fucks what anyone else thinks, it’s hard walking in on day one of school or having her as a trip chaperone. Although everyone got to know her and loved her because she was awesome, it was hard during those adolescent years when all I wanted to do was blend in with everyone.

  Then there’s the whole thing that no subject is taboo or off the table. Picture your mom giving you sex tips after she finds you having sex with a girl. And I’m not talking the usual “wear a condom” stuff either. More like an introduction to where to find the G-spot and how to ease a woman into anal sex so you make her quiver.

  We follow Theo to the front door where he’s once again messing with the lock. The exact reason I installed a latch on top that only I can reach. I lean in over him, unlock the door, and swing it open.

  “Mommy!” He jumps into Hannah.

  She fumbles with her bag but grabs him at the last minute, enveloping him in a hug. She smiles at me over his shoulder, then notices my parents standing behind me when she straightens and puts Theo on her hip. “Hi, Lennon, hi, Jasper.”

  “Hey, Hannah. We were just leaving.” My dad slides around the side of me.

  My parents give her a quick hug as they step onto the porch.

  Amazing how we can be so civil. We’re all on good terms. There was never any drama between Hannah and me when things didn’t work out. The two of us were meant to be a hookup, but when she got pregnant, we tried to make a relationship of it.

  Before my dad married Lennon, I lived in a one-parent-absent household and hated it. I wanted more than anything to be able to give Theo the traditional nuclear family. But it became obvious pretty quickly that Hannah and I were better as friends and co-parents than lovers. So we made the mutual decision to split before things took a turn and we ended up resenting or hating one another. Our relationship has been smooth as glass since.

  I say goodbye to my parents, as does Theo, and we turn to Hannah. “He’s pretty much ready. There’s just a couple of things he still has to pack.”

  Hannah runs her hands through Theo’s dark strands. “Hey, buddy, why don’t you go finish packing while I talk to your dad for a minute, okay?”

  I’m familiar with the look on her face and the tone of her voice, causing my stomach to tighten. She’s about to change the good thing we have going here. I knew it was too good to be true when she agreed to move to San Francisco when I took the trade last year.

  Or maybe she’s met someone. We have the condition that Theo doesn’t get introduced unless it’s serious. I have no idea how I’d handle a new man in her life. I mean, I know it’s inevitable. Truth be told, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet. Hannah is attractive with her long blonde hair, blue eyes, and fit body.

  Theo rushes off upstairs, and I gesture in the direction of the family room. “Come on in.” She sits on the couch and I sit in the chair, my forearms resting on my knees, my hands clasped together. “Everything okay?”

  She nods and presses her lips together, a sure sign that she’s nervous to talk to me about whatever this is. “I wanted to talk to you about something without Theo here because I didn’t know how you’d feel about it.”

  Definitely a new man. “Okay… what’s up?” I shift on the chair, cracking my neck side to side.

  She blows out a breath. I glance at her left hand. No ring.

  “I got a call about an opportunity to go overseas for work. My boss wants me to head up our team’s response to the crisis in eastern Europe.”

  Elation hits me, and I spring up from the chair. “That’s awesome, Han. Congrats!” I grab her and hug her.

  She sighs and nods, lightly patting my back before drawing back from the contact. “The thing is that this contract would likely be for a few months, not a few days or weeks. Months.”

  “Oh.” I lean back and bite my inner cheek. “When would you be leaving?”

  She clasps her hands in her lap. “Within the next couple of weeks.”

  “Is it safe where you’re going?” That’s of paramount importance to me. I’ve seen what’s going on over there in the news and I don’t want my child’s mother in the middle of it. I don’t want my child without a mother.

  She nods. “I wouldn’t go otherwise, but yes. I’ll be far from the conflict.”

  My brain quickly runs through the timing. If she’s gone for months, her absence will run into training camp and football season, a time when she would normally stay close to home because of how long my days are.

  “Shit, Han, training camp is coming up.” I run a hand down my face.

  Hannah cringes. “I know. I thought maybe… you could use a live-in nanny while I’m gone.” Something must cross my face because she quickly backtracks. “If you don’t like the idea, I can just decline the opportunity. It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure others will come up.”

  Guilt tugs in my gut. She’s spent the last six years at the mercy of my career and never once complained. She moved here to allow me to be close to my parents and play for the Kingsmen. It’s not fair for her to always sacrifice for me if I’m not willing to do the same.

  “Don’t say no. I think you’re right. A live-in nanny is the best option. It’ll be weird… I’ve never had anyone help me with Theo before, but I can’t rely on my parents to always pick up the slack. And Bianca and Evan are headed back east for grad school in the fall. A nanny is our best solution.”

  Having my twenty-two-year-old twin half-sibs help me out with Theo would have been ideal, but they have their own lives.

  “Are you sure? God, I’ve felt so guilty about this.”

  I squeeze her shoulders. “Han, don’t feel guilty. You’ve given up a lot of opportunities over the years because of my career. It’s just a few months.”

  Tears pool in the corners of her eyes. “Do you think Theo will be okay with someone else watching him?”

  “He’s gonna miss you, for sure. But he misses you when you’re ten minutes away. We’ll video chat with you and school will be starting soon, so he’ll be busy all day anyway.”

  “I guess.” She looks down at her hands.

  I cover her hands with mine. “Does he resent me when I’m away working?” I arch an eyebrow.

  “No… I guess not. But you’re a football player. It’s different. He’s proud of you. He can usually watch you on the television at night and see you at work.”

  “And you’re a nurse who helps people in the worst moments of their lives. I’ll make sure he knows who the real hero is out of his mom and dad.”

  A small smile creases her lips. “Okay, I’ll talk to him about it tonight.”

  I nod. “He’s going to be fine. I promise.” I squeeze her hands.

  “I hope so.”

  I retract my hand. “So for this nanny thing… what do I have to do?”

  “Well… I had heard they can be hard to come by these days. So just in case you were okay with it, I already got in touch with a local agency that handles clients like yourself.” There’s that look again, the same one from when she asked me to talk.

  My forehead wrinkles. “Hot, single, professional athletes with an abundance of charm and charisma?”

  “No.” She gives me a stern look. “I was talking about celebrity clients. When they interview the candidates, they don’t tell them the client’s name until they’re hired. Then they have to sign an ironclad NDA. Keeps the celebrity hunters away.”

  I nod. “Makes sense. So you want me to do this?” I try to hide the slight whine in my voice. I hate hiring people. I pawned off finding a gardener and house cleaner for this place on my mom.

  Hannah tilts her head and presses her lips together. “I can do it if you want, but it’s not going to be me who has to live with them.”

  “You just said they won’t know who they’re working for, so it’s not like I’d meet them anyway.”

  “No, but you could view the tapes, tell the agency your preference.”

  Just the thought of spending hours watching videos of boring British women telling me their beliefs in disciplining a child makes me want to vomit. They’ll go by my rules in the end.

  “I trust you to make the best decision for Theo.”

  We share a smile, and she says, “All right. I’ll take care of it. But don’t come bitching to me if Mrs. Doubtfire shows up on your doorstep.”

  I chuckle. “You have my word. But could we go a little easier on the eyes?”

  She lets her head flop back on the couch. “Do not sleep with the nanny, Brady.” One eye opens and glares at me.

  “Relax. Everything will be fine. You’ll see. You’ll come back and everything will be just like it was.”

  She exhales a huge breath. “I sure hope so.”

  I’ll live with a nanny as long as she understands it’s Theo she’s watching, not me.

  Three

  Violet

  “Cheers.” Amara clinks her wineglass to mine. “Spill it. Which high-profile client’s brat are you babysitting?”

  I chuckle and take a sip of wine just to torture her a little longer. “You know I can’t tell you much.”

  Amara and I met as freshmen at Stanford and continued on to law school with each other. Only she graduated and now works as a lawyer in a family law firm that represents high-end clients in the city. So she understands the confidentiality clauses in my job.

  She waves me off, leans back, and sips her wine. “I’ll take what you’ll give me. We could play a game of twenty questions and see if I guess right?” Her brilliant blue eyes light up with mischief.

  I shake my head.

  She dragged me out to celebrate that I got hired as a nanny for a very high profile and important family. I don’t even know who I’m working for yet and won’t until my NDA is signed right before my first day. But accepting the job puts me that much closer to having enough money for a decent down payment on a small condo—allowing me to escape the confines of my parents’ house in Santa Clara.

  No twenty-eight-year-old wants to live with her parents, especially parents who have no problem pointing out all the ways you’ve failed them as a daughter after they up and left everything to move from South Korea to the United States to give you and your brother a better life. Their daily guilt trip.

  “Did you get a signing bonus for this one?” She tucks a piece of her chin-length dark hair behind her ear.

  “You’re the only person who would ask me that.” I chuckle.

  Amara shrugs. “Gotta ask for what you want. Worst that happens, you’ll tell me no.”

  “Well…”

  Her eyes widen.

  “I did, but it’s going right into my down payment account.” I point at her in warning. Last time, she would not accept the word no when trying to convince me we both needed a long vacation with white sand and blue water that came with daiquiris and a lot of half-naked men.

  “How are Hae Won and Him Chan doing these days?” She hovers her wineglass in front of her bright-red-lipsticked lips.

  Amara always refers to my parents by their Korean names rather than the American ones they took when they moved to the US, Lilly and Grant.

  “Oh, you know, lamenting their daughter’s life choices while bestowing praise upon their son. One who can do no wrong.”

  I love my brother, but the way he’s regarded in our family just because he popped out with a dick is ridiculous. The fact that he of course became a doctor further makes my life a living hell. I don’t even think he likes being a doctor, but my parents do and brag about him to all their friends.

  “They’ll never forgive you for dropping out of law school.” She takes a grape from the charcuterie board we ordered and pops it in her mouth.

  “Not in this lifetime. My mom told me it was the biggest disappointment of her life.” I raise my wineglass. “Here’s to sucking as a daughter.” I down a big gulp.

  Amara frowns. “Don’t let her get to you. You’re doing something you love that brings you joy.”

  “According to my parents, they know best.” I spin my wineglass, watching the fluid swish. “Enough about me. How’s work going for you?”

  “Just the usual this week—cheating spouses, rich guys trying to hide money so they don’t have to pay as much spousal support, and heartbroken kids. If anyone was worrying, the American dream is in full effect in the Bay Area.”

  “Sounds grand.”

  She shrugs. “I’m not complaining. The pay is good.” She winks and downs the rest of her wine.

  Amara puts on a front, but there’s no way all the sadness and destroyed families she witnesses day in and day out wouldn’t get to someone.

  A few days later, I park my fifteen-year-old white Honda Civic along the curb, finding the address on the stone wall above the front door. Just to make sure I’m in the right place, I pick up the piece of paper from the passenger seat with the address on it.

  Yep. This is it.

  I shouldn’t be surprised. I knew the family I’d be working for had money, what with all the secrecy throughout the interview process and the NDA they kept incessantly bringing up.

  I’ve worked for rich people before—single working mothers rarely hire full-time nannies—but based on the looks of this house, this family is next level. Maybe one of them is some tech company owner. God knows there are enough of them around here.

  I love my job. The hardest part is always saying goodbye to the kids once my assignment is over. At first, I enjoyed the short-term contracts—it kept things interesting and they usually pay a little more—but I’ve been contemplating telling the agency I want a more permanent position.

  By the time I turned twenty-eight, I’d expected to have a husband and be starting my own family. But since my disaster of a relationship with my ex, Peter, I’ve sworn off men. Well, mostly. There is one guy I hooked up with as a rebound who hasn’t left my mind, but basically, I enjoy being single. So why not dedicate myself to helping raise someone else’s child and watch them grow up?

  I push aside all thoughts of the future and exit my car.

  The house isn’t new money. It’s got the architectural charm of a house built over a hundred years ago. All the bushes up the walkway are neatly trimmed and tidy, along with flowers tucked into the dirt. It’s beautiful.

  My stomach dances. I’m always a little nervous before I meet a family, and especially the child, since that’s who is really in charge. Let’s face it, if the kid doesn’t like you, you’re out of a job.

  All I’ve been told about this child is that he’s about to be six years old. Apparently the mom must travel for work for an extended period and with the father’s schedule, they need full-time live-in help until the mom returns.

  The first thing I spot on the way to the door is all the cameras on the roof staring down at me. I knock on the dark wooden door and hold my breath. I hear the pitter-patter of little feet on the other side of the door and someone fiddling with the lock. Another set of footsteps sound. A few seconds later, the door swings open to reveal an attractive blonde slightly older than myself.

  “Hi, I’m Violet from the Nanny Pros.”

  She smiles and opens the door wider to reveal a sandy-haired boy with hazel eyes staring at me. “Hi, Violet. I’m Hannah, Theo’s mom.” She presses her hand on the little boy’s head.

  I bend down so I’m at Theo’s level. “Hi, Theo, I’m excited to meet you. I’m Violet.”

  He takes one step forward, away from his mother. “Do you like Lego sets?” From the expression on his face, my answer is a make-or-break moment in our new relationship.

  “I love Legos.”

  “They’re the best! I’m working on a NASA rocket. Wanna see?” He holds his hand out and I glance at Hannah.

  “Theo’s dad will be home any minute. He got caught in traffic.”

  I nod and accept Theo’s hand. “I can’t wait to see.”

  He leads me past several big rooms. Though the house is older, you wouldn’t guess from the openness. The decor and furnishings are more modern than traditional. In the corner of the massive family room is a table strewn with bags of Lego bricks and a half-constructed space shuttle at one end.

  “Wow. Theo, this is awesome. Did you do this yourself?” I bend to inspect the inside of the shuttle.

  “My dad helps.” His pride-filled face suggests this is something he enjoys doing with his father.

  “You guys are doing great. Maybe I can help you with your Lego sets sometime?”

  His smile dims. Shit, wrong thing to say. “Okay, but not this one. This one is just for me and my dad.”

  “I’m sure we can get another one for just you and me to work on.”

  He smiles. “Okay!”

  A door opens from the back of the house and then voices, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. I assume it must be Theo’s dad and Hannah.

  “Dad’s home.” Theo looks at me.

  It’s obvious from his huge smile that he worships his dad like a hero. It warms my heart before it chills because I have no idea what that feels like. I’ve never had that kind of relationship with either of my parents and never will.

  I hear the low timbre of a male voice the closer they get to the family room. There’s something familiar about it that I can’t pinpoint. But when Hannah walks in the room, smiling with her arm outstretched to the man beside her, my stomach plummets and sweat beads along my hairline.

  My one-night stand from six months ago stands there. The same man I haven’t been able to get out of my head.

  At my insistence that night, we didn’t exchange names or numbers. I’d never had a one-night stand before and I wanted my one time of wild abandon to be completely anonymous. It made it easier to act out of character and was part of the thrill, if I’m being honest.

  But here he stands in front of me.

  My new boss.