Never Say Never E-Book

Rachael Sommers

• Herausgeber: Ylva Publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 376

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

An age-gap, opposites-attract lesbian romance between a nanny and her career-climbing boss that ends in a puddle of melted ice queen. Ambitious corporate shark Camila Evans might have just lost her marriage, but she decides she doesn't need love to build a television empire and raise her young son alone. What she does need is a nanny, but the incompetent idiots sent her way make her lose faith in ever finding anyone useful. Enter Emily Walker—fresh out of college, bright, a little naive, and new to New York City. Emily is everything Camila is not, and frankly it's a little unsettling how innocent and gentle the young woman is. That's not all that's unsettling. Camila's growing feelings for Emily are making it hard to maintain a professional distance. Surely she can't possibly be falling for the nanny? God, it's such a mid-life crisis cliché. But would it be too impossible? As time goes on, Camila starts to wonder if maybe even she can get her happy ending after all.

Leseprobe

Table Of Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Epilogue

Other Books from Ylva Publishing

About Rachael Sommers

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Acknowledgements

First of all, thank you to Astrid and the Ylva team for giving me a chance and making this possible. I appreciate it more than I can possibly say.

Thanks to my editors, Michelle and Julie, for teaching me so much and for whipping this manuscript into shape.

Amanda: this book literally wouldn’t exist if not for you. Thanks for being my sounding board and giving me the encouragement I needed to write it.

Finally, to Laura, my love. Thank you for putting up with me, and for your endless support and patience. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.

El mayarah

Chapter 1

Camila Evans pressed her forehead to the cool glass of her town car’s window while the skyscrapers of New York rolled by unseen, her mind occupied with pilot pitches.

She had spent another late night at her television studio. The clock struck nine as she finally stepped out of the car into the warm summer air and entered the lobby of her apartment building. Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she made her way over to the elevators and pressed the button for the penthouse.

As always, she was impatient to be home, to get back to the son she knew would already be tucked in bed, fast asleep.

She hated missing Jaime’s bedtime and tried to limit her late nights at work—which wasn’t always easy to do, being at the helm of a television network.

She had been told more times than she could count that it wasn’t possible to be a good mother while having a successful career.

Jaime hadn’t been planned, but he was a beautiful, perfect being in a world filled with bitterness and hate, and Camila loved him with all her heart and soul. Every time she looked at him, every time she heard him laugh, she just became more determined that she could have it all, would have it all, and not a damn thing was going to stand in her way.

She couldn’t do it alone, though, and Camila was glad she had a nanny who kept an eye on Jaime for her so he wasn’t forced to spend long days in her office.

Camila tried not to worry, but it was difficult. Amelia was no Eleanor, though she was the best so far of the nannies Camila had hired and fired since Eleanor had left to care for her sick mother. Still, Amelia was a pretty recent hire, and Camila was eager to get home and see how well she had had gotten on.

Inside her apartment, the lights were dim and the television echoed from the living room. Camila kicked off her heels in the foyer, but her greeting to Amelia quickly morphed into a squeal when a glance over the back of the couch revealed a bare ass bobbing up and down in the air.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Camila’s voice cracked with anger. It was loud enough to startle the pair on the couch into action. The owner of the ass scrambled off the woman that Camila had entrusted to look after her son.

“You didn’t put the chain on the door?” Amelia’s boyfriend asked, ignoring Camila entirely as he yanked up his jeans.

“I didn’t think I needed to!” Amelia’s voice was high, her cheeks pink as she pulled her dress down into place. “And anyway, you could have done it when you—”

Camila’s mouth dropped open at what she was hearing. She saw red, snapping her fingers to draw their attention. “Are you two quite finished?”

“I…I’m sorry, Ms. Evans.” Amelia at least had the grace to look apologetic, but it did nothing to ease the fury pulsing through Camila’s veins. “I didn’t think you’d be back yet.”

“Clearly.” Camila injected her voice with as much disgust as she could manage. “Get out of my sight, both of you.”

The boyfriend, only too happy to obey, scurried for the front door.

“Ms. Evans—” Amelia started, but Camila held up a hand.

“Oh, save it,” Camila snapped, and Amelia quailed under her glare. “Is this the first time you’ve invited him over here? Actually,”—Camila decided she didn’t want to know—“don’t answer that.”

“I waited until Jaime was in bed—”

“Because that makes it better?” Camila asked, exasperated. “For God’s sake, what if he woke up and wandered out here?” She’d never been more relieved that her son was a heavy sleeper. “Just get the hell out of my apartment, Amelia. And needless to say, you’re fired.”

Amelia dropped her head as she skirted around Camila and headed for the front door.

“And I’ll be docking the cost of the dry cleaning bill from your pay!” Camila called after her, eyeing the white leather with distaste—she certainly wasn’t planning to sit on it for a long time, that was for sure.

She wished that had been the first time she’d walked in to find someone with their pants down in her apartment.

She made her way down the hall with a sigh and cracked open the door of Jaime’s bedroom. He was sleeping peacefully, blond curls spread out across his pillow, completely oblivious to the drama that had just taken place.

She tiptoed over to the side of his bed and leaned down to kiss his forehead, inhaling the scent of his shampoo. He never failed to calm her down even after the most trying of days. She watched him sleep awhile before she continued down the hall to her study because, even now, her work for the day was no longer complete.

She needed to hire a new nanny.

* * *

Emily’s phone rang just as she was about to shove the last bite of her breakfast croissant into her mouth.

She scrambled for the buzzing device, cursing when she got pastry crumbs all over the screen. When she saw the unknown number she frowned but pressed the green button anyway. “Hello?”

“Emily Walker?”

The voice was unfamiliar, and Emily wondered if the caller was just another person trying to sell car insurance. She hovered her thumb over End Call. “Yep, speaking.”

“I’m calling about a nanny job.”

Emily gasped—she’d only been in New York City for two weeks and hadn’t expected any calls about a job so soon.

“You sent in your résumé. My boss would like to talk to you about filling a position.”

“Seriously?” It sounded too good to be true—she was living in her dream city just two streets over from her sister and she was already being considered for a job she was reasonably sure she wouldn’t hate.

Maybe she would have graduated from college earlier if she’d known this was waiting for her on the other side.

“Seriously.”

Emily heard the smile in the other woman’s voice.

“Would you be willing to meet for an interview the day after tomorrow? Say, eleven o’clock?”

“Absolutely,” Emily agreed. “What’s the address?”

“The CEBC building, floor thirty.”

Emily’s stomach flipped. “CEBC as in the CEBC building? As in Camila—”

“Evans?”The woman filled in. “That’s correct. The interview will be with her.”

“The job ad never mentioned that…” She definitely would have noticed—Camila Evans had been Emily’s celebrity crush since she was a teenager.

“As a precaution,”the woman explained. “Is that a problem?”

“N-no, not at all.”

“Excellent. When you arrive, let them know at the front desk what you’re there for, and if there are any problems, call me back on this number.”

“O-okay.”

“See you then!”

The line clicked. Emily pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it, wondering if it was all a dream. Because surely, surely there was no way that Camila Evans would have read her résumé out of the countless others she must have gone through, and decided that she was the one for the job.

Her.

Emily Walker.

Camila Evans could probably hire the most expensive, experienced nanny in the city, so why was she interested in her? And tomorrow she was going to meet the woman herself—to potentially work for the woman herself, the woman who had been her idol when she was growing up, the woman who had almost singlehandedly helped Emily realize she was gay when she was fourteen when Camila herself came out as bisexual in a time when few in the public eye would have dared and—oh God, she was going to throw up.

Camila’s talk show had been the highlight of Emily’s weekdays when she was younger, and it was no surprise to anyone when the woman went on to found and run her own television network. She should probably do some research before the interview tomorrow. Her laptop sat on the breakfast bar. Emily opened it with trembling fingers and typed Camila’s name into the search bar. Almost every article that popped up was about her messy divorce from her third husband in twenty years. Emily sighed. Camila ran a television empire, but the only thing the news focused on was her relationship with a man.

She clicked on an article about Camila accepting an award, taking in the sight of her wearing a black dress that clung to every curve. Her blonde hair curled around her shoulders and her green eyes sparkled under the bright lights. She was gorgeous, and Emily was pretty sure she was going to make a fool out of herself tomorrow morning.

Her front door opened, interrupting her reverie. Emily turned and grinned at her sister Cassie and her girlfriend Maia striding into the apartment wearing matching smiles, their hands clasped.

“You eat pastries for breakfast?” Maia asked as she looked down at the croissant Emily had abandoned on the dining table. “And still manage to be that skinny? That is so not fair.”

“I’m waiting for it to catch up with her in a few years,” Cassie said, bumping her hip against Emily’s. “One day she’ll wake up huge.”

“I will not.” Emily rolled her eyes, but she smiled. Seeing the two of them together always made her day. Cassie had spent so many years guarded and alone before Maia lit up her life, and Emily couldn’t be happier for them.

“Will so,” Cassie argued, then glanced at Emily’s computer screen. “Why are you stalking Camila Evans?” she asked, and Emily’s cheeks warmed at being caught with Camila’s photo on-screen. “Is it still 2010?”

“Oh, shut up,” Emily muttered, quickly closing the cover.

“You think you might have a shot with her now that she’s divorced?”

“No!” Emily’s cheeks burned, and when she glanced up, Maia was watching the two of them bicker with an amused smile. “If you must know—remember those résumés I sent out about nanny jobs last week? Well, I just got a call from a woman who’s presumably Camila’s assistant. I have an interview with her tomorrow.”

“No way. You have a job interview with the woman you’ve had a crush on since you were fourteen?” Cassie grinned. “You couldn’t even write this. Oh, my God. You’re going, right?”

“Duh.”

“There is no way you can keep your cool in an interview with her.” Cassie’s grin changed to a wicked smirk. “Not without stammering and blushing every five seconds.”

“Can so.”

Cassie raised an eyebrow, and Emily huffed before reaching for the coffee she had forgotten about. It was lukewarm, and she set the mug down.

“That’s crazy, though. You used to watch her show every day.” Cassie turned to face Maia. “And I do mean every day. It was all she talked about. ‘Did you hear what Camila said yesterday?’ ‘Camila is so clever’ ‘Camila looked so good to—’”

“Cassie!” Emily slapped a hand over her sister’s mouth. “Stop embarrassing me in front of your girlfriend.”

“But that’s no fun.” Cassie said when Emily let her go. “Half the fun of having a girlfriend is that now I have someone to tease you with.”

“I don’t know, Cass.” Maia looked at the sister with affection. “I’m with Emily on this one. Camila Evans is hot.”

Cassie covered her mouth in mock horror, and Emily snorted before sliding off of the stool to brew a fresh pot of coffee. She had inherited a fancy Black & Decker coffee maker from Cassie—along with the entire apartment—when her sister and Maia made the decision to move in together.

She had always loved this apartment. It was small for a one-bedroom, but the open-plan layout and minimalist furniture made the space seem larger, and the wooden floors lit up in the soft glow of the morning sun trickling through the large windows that offered a view of the Hudson River. She was incredibly lucky to call this place home.

“You think Camila’s hot?” Cassie asked.

“Well, not as hot as you, obviously,” Maia draped her arms around Cassie’s shoulders, kissing her cheek. “But I do have eyes. And she was my crush growing up too, Emily.” Maia turned her head. “I get it.”

“I can’t believe you’re siding with Emily instead of teasing her mercilessly about this.”

“Hey, I’m new to the family. I gotta keep your little sister on my side.”

“Wanna know who Cassie’s crush was when we were growing up?” It was only fair for Emily to get her own back. She grinned as Cassie’s eyes widened in horror. “’Cause that’s a real doozy.”

“Emily, don’t you dare—”

“I also have six years’ worth of embarrassing childhood stories saved up, Maia, if you’d like to hear those. Oh!” She glanced at the stack of boxes she had yet to unpack. “And I have an album full of photos right over there.” Emily grinned as she grabbed three coffee mugs.

“Now that I would like to see,” Maia said, and they both laughed as Cassie groaned and thumped her forehead onto the bar.

* * *

“Ms. Evans?” Jessica knocked lightly on Camila’s open office door and hovered, waiting to be acknowledged.

Camila wasn’t an easy boss, firing assistants quicker than she fired nannies of late, but Jessica was up to the challenge and eager to please.

“Yes?”

“Two things. First of all, I reviewed the résumés you gave me and set up four interviews for tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, Jessica.” Camila waited. Whatever was coming next, she probably wasn’t going to like it.

“And second of all”—Jessica looked down to avoid Camila’s eyes—“Sophie is on the phone, and she needs to speak to you immediately.”

Camila groaned. A call from the head of human resources could only mean bad news. “The internal investigation?”

She had suspended production of one of her newest shows after allegations of misconduct had surfaced against the leading actor. She had been waiting for the results of the investigation ever since.

“I think so.”

“Wonderful.” Camila pressed her palms to her temples. A PR disaster was the last thing she needed right now.

Jessica’s eyes fell on Jaime. “Do you want me to keep an eye on the little one?” Jaime had entertained himself for most of the morning watching cartoons. He was old enough not to need constant supervision, but it couldn’t be fun for him, cooped up in her office all day while she worked. Jessica would be able to keep him entertained.

“Would you mind?”

“Not at all.”

Jaime followed Jessica out of the office, and Camila watched them go before lifting the phone to her ear.

“Sophie. You have the results?”

Camila listened. The allegations were true, which meant that she had yet another employee to fire, not to mention a major recast, possible reshoots, and a statement for the media to draft. She was going to have a much busier day than usual, and as she watched Jaime giggling at something Jessica was doing, she knew she couldn’t ask her assistant to babysit for the rest of the afternoon.

Reluctantly, she dialed her ex-husband, tapping her foot as she waited impatiently for him to pick up the phone.

“Camila. What an unpleasant surprise.”

Camila was used to his acid tone—their relationship hadn’t exactly ended amicably after Camila had walked in on him screwing his secretary.

“What do you want?”

“Can you watch our son this afternoon?”

Jaime had not been planned. Camila was fairly certain one of the reasons Chris had married her was because she didn’t want kids, and when she found out she was pregnant, he wasn’t exactly thrilled by the news. Which wasn’t to say that he didn’t make an effort to be a father to Jaime. He might be an asshole, but at least he tried. Still, Camila was amazed that he hadn’t bolted as soon as Jaime was born.

“That’s short notice even for you, Camila. And this is the second time this week.”

“Oh, because God forbid you spend time with your son when it’s not on your terms,” Camila snapped. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with him today. “Can you do it or not?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, after hesitating a moment. “I’ll take him. But I can’t keep doing this, Camila.”

“I’m interviewing for the nanny position tomorrow, so you won’t have to.”

“You know, if you’d let me help you look—”

Camila scoffed, cutting him off. She knew that if she let him within an inch of those résumés, he’d choose the first girl under twenty-five. “What, so you can start screwing the nanny now that your secretary resigned?”

“She didn’t resign.” Chris’s voice turned cold. “You forced her out.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have bent her over the kitchen table,” Camila hissed.

“I’m not doing this again.” Chris sounded weary. “I’ll have my assistant swing by and pick him up within the hour. I can work from your apartment, if you’d like.”

Their custody arrangement had been the easiest part of the divorce: Jaime was to live with her and have the occasional weekend with his father. So far he hadn’t spent any time with Chris outside of the penthouse apartment they used to share, and that suited Camila.

“Fine. I don’t know what time I’ll be home.”

“I can hang around until you get there.”

“Thank you,” she said begrudgingly.

“I mean it though, Camila. This is the last time.” He hung up without giving her the chance for a comeback. Camila dropped the receiver back on the phone.

The tasks of the day loomed endlessly in front of her. Camila retrieved her son, knowing that a quick cuddle with him would soothe her.

* * *

Camila finished work well after seven, her mood sour. She stepped out of her town car onto the sidewalk outside her apartment and glanced up. The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight as the sun began its descent on the horizon. Soon the stars would twinkle brightly.

It was the perfect night for stargazing, one of Jaime’s favorite activities. Camila decided to take him out onto the balcony before putting him to bed. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face whenever he looked up at the sky, wide-eyed and amazed, like he was seeing it for the very first time. It was the kind of childish innocence that made Camila fall in love with him all over again. Jaime made her want to be something more, something better than the cynical and jaded person she had become.

She tapped her foot impatiently as she rode the elevator up to the penthouse, ready to be home so she could wrap Jaime in her arms once more. The elevator doors opened, and she walked the few steps down the hall to her front door.

Before she slipped her key into the lock, though, Camila paused and took a deep breath.

It was a routine for her, a way to let go of the cool, calm—and some would say cold-hearted—woman who had built up a television empire and allow herself to become the mother that Jaime needed.

This time she was also preparing herself for the sight of the man she’d once agreed to spend a lifetime with, the man she could now only look at with contempt. They had been happy once, but Camila’s devotion to her work had pushed him way. Chris was unable to deal with competing for her time—an issue that was exacerbated once Jaime had been born, dividing her attention even more—and she knew he blamed her for driving him into the arms of another woman.

Sometimes Camila even agreed with him.

As she unlocked the door and pushed it open, Camila reminded herself that she didn’t need Chris or any other spouse. She had her network, she had her son, and that was enough for her.

She had barely slipped out of her coat before her beautiful boy ambushed her, bounding toward her with a grin on his face and his favorite action figure clutched in one hand.

“Mama!”

“Hi, sweetheart,” she said as she bent down to sweep him into a hug and kiss the top of his head. “Were you a good boy for your father?”

“He was perfect,” Chris called from the living room. Camila kicked off her shoes and stepped inside to find him on the couch, watching a football game on TV. He stood up and stepped toward her to ruffle Jaime’s hair. “Weren’t you, big guy?”

He looked at their son with affection. He might not have wanted Jaime but he did try with him, one of the things about him that Camila was grateful for. It was moments like this when Camila saw the man she had fallen in love with seven years ago. But then he locked eyes with her and his expression changed, hardening to become the man that Camila now knew.

The one who couldn’t stand her.

“Thank you for today,” she told him, hoping he could see that she meant it.

“No problem,” he replied, already reaching for his coat. “But—”

“—this is the last time,” Camila finished. “I know.” She vowed that it would be, that she would find a solution sooner rather than later—one that worked for them both. “You can stay for dinner, if you want.” It was a half-hearted offer because she knew he wouldn’t accept, but she asked anyway for the sake of her son, a little worried what effect their fractured relationship might have on him.

“I already ate,” he said, and Camila was relieved. “And I should really get going.”

She didn’t ask why. She didn’t want to know if he was running off to meet a woman—she might not love him anymore but she still didn’t want to think about him with anyone else.

He kissed Jaime before he left, leaving her in an apartment that felt too quiet, too empty.

Camila played with her son until it was dark enough to take him outside to look at the stars, completely in love with the pure joy on his face. Afterwards, she put him to bed, and then she sat at the breakfast bar, picking at her warmed-up food, the TV on too loud, trying to feel less alone.

Chapter 2

Emily paused on the sidewalk to glance up at the impressively tall CEBC building, the logo visible on the side of one of the upper floors. Her stomach fluttered. She swallowed hard, wracked with nerves, wondering whether she was cut out for this job after all.

How could she possibly impress a woman like Camila Evans? A woman who worked in a building like this probably lived in a penthouse where a single day’s rent was more than Emily paid in an entire year for her apartment.

She already felt like a fish out of water, and she hadn’t even set foot inside.

“Wow.” Cassie, who had agreed to walk with her so she wouldn’t get lost, stopped beside her and let out a low whistle. “I know you can see this building from nearly anywhere in the city, but it’s even more impressive up close. Are you sure you wanna work for someone in there?”

“Pretty sure.” Emily nodded, trying to convince herself. “I can do this, right?”

“Yeah, you can.” Cassie bumped her shoulder into Emily’s. “You’ve got this.”

“You think?”

“For sure. Just, you know, don’t think about how hot she is.”

“So not helping my nerves.” Emily groaned.

“Right. Sorry.” Cassie wrapped an arm around Emily’s shoulders and hugged her. “But seriously, you’ll be fine. She’d be crazy not to hire you; you’re great with kids.”

That was true. She had earned the money for a car from babysitting jobs in high school, and it had been her main source of income in college too.

“I don’t know how you do it.” Cassie scrunched up her nose, and Emily grinned—she and Cassie had very different opinions about spending time around children.

“Kids are great.”

“Kids are messy. They’re messy and they scream and I just—” Cassie shuddered. “I don’t know how you do it.”

“You work as a CSI,” Emily reminded her. “Your job literally involves dead people and analyzing bodily fluids.”

“While wearing protective clothing. And speaking of work”—Cassie glanced at her watch—“I should be heading back to the lab. You gonna be okay here?”

“I’ll be fine,” Emily assured her, though her stomach flipped whenever she remembered she was about to meet Camila Evans.

“You wanna meet for lunch? You can tell me how the interview went.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Emily agreed, because at least then she had something to look forward to if the interview was a disaster.

“Place down the street from the station?” It was Cassie’s regular haunt, being so close to where she worked. She and Emily had met for lunch there a number of times.

“Sure. One thirty, right?”

“Right.” Cassie pulled Emily into a tight hug and kissed her cheek. “Good luck.”

“Thank you.” Emily squeezed back just as hard. “I’ll see you later.” She watched Cassie make her way back to the moped she had parked down the street earlier, waving one last time as Cassie slipped onto the seat.

That was her cue to move. She turned back to face the imposing building and, taking a deep breath, forced herself to push through the revolving doors and step inside.

The cavernous lobby was bustling with activity. Emily felt like she was out of her element, but she gathered her courage and weaved her way through the harried workers to approach the front desk. She almost expected the receptionist to look at her in her bright blue dress and tell her she must be in the wrong place, but instead he smiled pleasantly. Emily rested her hands on top of the counter, barely refraining from bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“May I help you?”

“I have a job interview with Camila Evans.”

Was that a look of pity that flashed across his face?

“The nanny job? Well, I hope you do better than the girl who went before you because she came back crying.”

Well, that didn’t settle her nerves.

“Elevators are there.” He indicated the left side of the lobby with a grand sweep of his arm. “Thirtieth floor. The receptionist there will show you to Ms. Evans’s office.”

He smiled. Emily almost wanted to ask for more details about the crying woman but decided it was better if she didn’t know.

She squeezed onto an already full elevator, clasped her hands in front of her, and tried not to tap her foot nervously as the floors slowly ticked by, people trickling out at each stop. She was the last person on the elevator when it got to the thirtieth floor.

She stepped out and faced another long counter. The bored-looking receptionist waved Emily down the hall when she explained why she was there. The wall along the outer hallway was glass, offering her a glimpse inside executive offices, and Emily looked around wide-eyed, taking it all in.

It was a world away from the labs of her college days. She dodged people rushing up and down the hall as she approached the door at the end. A plaque on the wall beside it bore Camila Evans’s name.

Camila’s office walls were glass too, although they were frosted to give the illusion of privacy. But the door was open, revealing a pair of black leather couches on either side of a glass coffee table and a plush white rug stretched out across the center of the room.

The huge wooden desk was dominated by a row of four monitors. Emily glimpsed Camila between two of them. Her dress was a mix of different shades of red, a statement necklace hung around her neck, her hair was perfect, as it always was, and oh, she was even more gorgeous in person than anyone had a right to be.

Emily’s knees wobbled, butterflies erupting in her stomach.

“Where is my eleven o’clock?” Camila called, voice carrying clearly through the open door. Emily’s mouth was dry because Camila looked and sounded annoyed as if being ten minutes early was late in her book.

Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

She almost turned around and bolted, but at the last minute, she straightened her spine and stepped into Camila’s office.

* * *

“Where is my eleven o’clock?” Camila asked again, well aware that it wasn’t yet eleven, yet entirely convinced that when her next appointment showed up, she could pierce them with a withering glare and berate them because, as the saying went, early was on time, and on time was late.

Her first three interviews had all been disasters, and Camila was in a sour mood. She almost felt sorry for the last unlucky soul who had interviewed. She was starting to wonder if she was going to have to give up her search and keep bringing Jaime to work with her. At least it was only another year before he started school, and she could probably make it work, if she had to.

She just didn’t want to.

She didn’t want to spend another second interviewing a terrible candidate either. She was about to ask Jessica what the hell she’d been thinking selecting these goons when a young blonde woman stepped through the door.

“Ms. Evans?” She sounded so chipper, a bright smile and a goddamn spring in her step. And she looked barely old enough to be out of school herself.

Camila stared at her and almost dismissed her out of hand. It was childish, she knew, but she was just so tired, and there was no way in hell this woman was the right nanny for Jaime.

“Auditions for the next season of Love Island are two floors down.” Camila waved the woman away and reached for her tablet to check her emails.

“I…I’m not here for that.” Camila glanced up again. The girl looked a little uncertain, her smile slipping from her face, and Camila wondered if this would be the second candidate to burst into tears and flee the room in the space of ten minutes.

She wouldn’t be surprised. The girl was so bright and sunny that it would take no effort at all to dash her hopes and dreams, and then Camila could go about the rest of her day.

“I’m here for the interview. For the nanny position.”

Camila studied the girl for another moment. She may as well give her a chance, seeing as she was there.

And she was early.

“Okay, then,” she drawled, leaning back in her chair and adopting a bored-looking expression. “Tell me why you want this job. What can you offer me?”

“Well, I’m a hard worker, and I’m reliable, and—”

“That’s all very well.” Camila cut her off, folding her arms across her chest, her eyes never leaving the girl’s face, impressed when she didn’t look away. “But I didn’t ask for your résumé. I already have that. Why are you here?”

“I just… I want to be useful, Ms. Evans.”

The girl fiddled with her hands, as if to stop her fingers from trembling. She looked terrified, which was a trait she normally relished in a potential employee but not in someone who was going to spend a lot of time with her son. She needed someone confident enough to communicate with her, not someone who might sidestep.

“And I think I could be useful to you. I would like to be useful to you. I’m new to town, and I saw the job advertised, and I thought a nanny position would be a worthwhile way to spend time while I save up for my master’s degree. I think I can do this job and do it well, if you’ll take a chance on me.”

The girl’s sincerity piqued Camila’s interest, but she didn’t want to make it too easy for her.

“Look”—she squinted at the name on the résumé—“Emma, I—”

“It’s Emily, actually, Ms. Evans.”

The correction was timid, but it was there, and Camila reappraised her original assessment—maybe she had a backbone after all. For the first time, she studied Emily fully, tried to look past the hideous sweater, glancing up into brilliant blue eyes, and tried not to think that the woman was beautiful because that would be dangerous.

“Oh, my gosh!” Emily cowered under Camila’s scrutiny. “That was so rude. I’m so sorry—”

Camila raised her hand to silence her rambling and studied her with renewed interest.

“Perhaps I underestimated you, Emily.” No one interrupted her or stood up to her, ever, and it was—well, it was kind of exhilarating. “Look, I’m not going to lie to you. I expect complete and utter devotion to this job, to my son. I’m a busy woman. I work long, sometimes unpredictable hours, and I expect you to do the same. As you can tell, I am also not an easy woman to work for. You need to think carefully about the kind of commitment I’m expecting before we go any further.”

“I have thought about it,” Emily said firmly. “I knew who you were before I came here, Ms. Evans. I know what you do and I know you’re busy. I can’t imagine how hard you must work, but I’m willing to put in the time, if you’ll give me a chance.”

“Even if it means having no life of your own?” Camila asked. “You’re young—how old are you, exactly?” She didn’t look old enough to have graduated from college.

“Twenty-three. I graduated a few months ago, but I took a year off to do some charity work in Africa before my senior year.”

Of course she did—the girl was practically a Girl Scout.

“And like I said, I’m new to town. I don’t have much of a life to speak of at the moment. I want this job, Ms. Evans.”

“What do you have in the way of experience?”

“I’ve never been a full-time nanny,” Emily said. “But I…I spent some time in the foster system”—Emily looked away briefly—“and I spent a lot of time looking after younger children, keeping them safe and out of trouble. I also did a lot of babysitting in high school and college.”

“Mm.” Camila stroked her chin thoughtfully, but she had already made her decision. “Very well. I’m going to give you a chance, Emily. And you only get one”—her warning cut Emily off in mid-squeal—“so use it wisely.”

“I won’t let you down, Ms. Evans,” Emily gushed.

Camila held up a hand. “Don’t get carried away,” she said, and reaching for a piece of paper, scrawled her address on it. “You need to meet my son first. He’s with my assistant right now, but I’d prefer you meet him in an environment that’s familiar to him. I need to get to know you a little better too, make sure you’re the right person. Can you come over for dinner tonight?”

“I…I’d love to.”

“This is my address,” Camila waved the paper at Emily. “I’ll notify the front desk that you’re coming, and they’ll let you up. Be there at seven sharp.”

“Yes, Ms. Evans,” Emily said, turning to leave.

“And Emily?”

Emily turned around.

“Let me be clear—if my son dislikes you, you’re out. Understood?”

“Yes, Ms. Evans.” Emily nodded meekly before sprinting from the room.

Camila pursed her lips, watching her go, unsure what to make of her.

Emily was eager to please, a quality that Camila appreciated in new hires, and she’d shown that she was not afraid to stand up for herself when push came to shove.

But she was also bubbly and so very, very young. Camila wouldn’t be surprised if she buckled under the pressure a few days in.

She hoped that wouldn’t be the case. There was something about the way she had surprised Camila that made her want Emily to succeed.

It didn’t hurt that she was nice to look at too. She could be a swimsuit model if she stopped hiding behind those god-awful sweaters.

Camila shook her head—it wasn’t appropriate for her to think of Emily like that, not when she was potentially about to hire her, not to mention the fact that she was half her age.

Satisfied with her decision, Camila went in search of her son, hoping that her days of bringing him to work with her would soon be over.

* * *

“So,” Cassie asked the second she dropped into the booth opposite Emily, “how’d the interview go?”

“No Maia today?”

Cassie was a crime scene investigator for NYPD and Maia was a detective. The two of them usually had lunch together, and Emily didn’t want to start telling Cassie about her interview if she was just going to start over when her sister’s girlfriend arrived.

“Nope. She’s out investigating a lead for one of her cases. Come on, Em, I’m dying here. How was it?”

“Um… Okay,”— Emily’s voice wavered a little because she really had no idea how she had done. —“I think.”

“You think?” Cassie’s lips twitched with amusement. “How can you only think it was okay?”

“Because Camila Evans is hard to read and more than a little scary.”

Cassie chuckled. “Not got a crush on her anymore, then?”

Emily vehemently shook her head. “Oh no, I definitely still do.” Emily thought again about Camila in that dress and sighed. “She can be scary and hot. Scary hot. Anyway. We got off on the wrong foot. I’m pretty sure she’d already written me off before I even opened my mouth.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah.” Emily took a sip of her iced tea. “So then she called me the wrong name, and I corrected her—”

“You corrected Camila Evans”—Cassie looked at her wide-eyed—“and lived to tell the tale? Damn.”

“I think it impressed her.” Emily had seen the flicker of interest in Camila’s eyes when she had stood up for herself. “Or something did because she said she’d give me a chance.”

Cassie raised an eyebrow.

“I’m having dinner with her tonight so I can meet her kid. If he likes me, then I’m hired.” She paused. “I think.”

“What?! Congratulations!” Cassie grinned. “Why aren’t you happier about this? You’re having dinner with your long-time crush.”

“I know. But it’s still—I have to impress her. Camila Evans. How the hell am I going to do that?”

“Just be yourself,” Cassie told her, reaching across the table to squeeze Emily’s hand. “That’s all. You go in there, and you charm the hell out of her, and you make that little boy fall in love with you. She won’t be able to turn you down.”

If only she had Cassie’s confidence. But she hadn’t made a fool out of herself earlier, and now she just had to get through dinner with Camila.

Alone. In her apartment.

She felt like she was going to be sick.

Chapter 3

If standing in front of the CEBC building had been intimidating, it was nothing compared to standing on the sidewalk outside of Camila’s apartment block.

Emily squinted up at the top floor, the penthouse where she would be spending her evening, and let her breath out slowly, wondering when going from one skyscraper to another had become her life.

This lobby wasn’t quite as busy as the CEBC building, but it was still intimidating, and Emily approached the security desk hesitantly.

“Emily Walker?” Emily looked at the guard suspiciously at the familiar greeting. “Ms. Evans gave me your description,” he explained. Emily wondered what that description was—probably nothing complimentary. “You need a key card to get to the penthouse floor. I’ll swipe you in for now, and we’ll get you a card if things go well. Follow me.”

She stepped into the elevator when it arrived and watched him press PH. “Good luck,” he said as the doors closed.

The elevator whizzed to the top of the building, and the doors slid open to reveal two doors, one on each side of the hallway. Emily checked the time. She was ten minutes early, but she didn’t think Camila would have a problem with that, so she rapped on the door.

When it opened, Camila stood in the doorway wearing black jeans and a fitted red sweater. Emily held her breath, thinking the sight of a dressed-down Camila might be the death of her.

“Emily. Come in.” Camila stepped aside to let Emily pass. She wandered uncertainly into the apartment, trying to act cool as she took it all in.

Camila’s apartment was an open-plan living room slash dining room slash kitchen with floor-length windows that looked out onto the concrete jungle beyond. The sun had just started to descend on the horizon, lighting the whole city with an orange glow.

It was beautiful, just like the woman who came to stand beside her.

Emily felt like she should say something. “This place is really nice.” She thought she heard Camila hum, maybe in agreement, but she couldn’t really read her. Maybe she’d get better at it the more time they spent together.

As Emily turned to take in more of the apartment, her eyes fell on Camila’s son sitting cross-legged in the corner wearing pajamas covered in tiny spaceships. He stared up at Emily.

“I thought I’d get dinner ready while you spend some time with Jaime. Do you like carbonara?”

“Sounds great.”

“Jaime.” Camila addressed her son. He shifted his gaze from Emily to his mother. “This is Emily. She’s going to visit with you while I make dinner.”

He looked back at Emily shyly. She was going to have her work cut out for her to coax him out of his shell.

“New nanny?” he asked, looking back at Camila. His voice was soft but his words were clear.

“Yes, sweetheart.”

Emily approached Jaime, sitting on the floor opposite him. The corner of the room was set up as a play area with a tiny table and chair, paper and crayons on top, a stack of books and a dozen toys scattered around it.

“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.” Camila glanced at Emily, leaving the unspoken “I’ll be watching your every move” hanging in the air.

Jaime eyed Emily warily without returning her smile. He wouldn’t be the first kid she’d had to win over.

“Hey, buddy. I’m Emily. And you’re Jaime, right?”

He blinked.

“Okay.” Her first task was to get him to speak. “I’m really excited to meet you, Jaime. I like your pajamas.”

Still nothing, just a withering stare that reminded Emily of his mother.

“Can I see some of your drawings?” she asked, nodding toward the stack of paper on the table behind him. “No? Okay, then.”

He was proving to be a tough nut to crack, but she would have expected nothing less from Camila Evans’s son.

Jaime turned around and crawled over to the chest of toys in the corner. Emily glanced inside and spotted some familiar shapes. The kid had just handed her a lifeline.

“You like dinosaurs, huh?”

Jaime’s hand closed around a T. rex. He turned his head to look at her, letting on that he was interested.

“I like them too. What’s your favorite?”

Silence.

“Mine is the stegosaurus. Do you have one of those?”

Again no answer, so Emily glanced over his shoulder and reached past him into the toy chest. Jaime watched her the whole time.

“This is a stegosaurus,” she told him.

“I know.” The words were so unexpected and came out so haughtily, so undeniably reminiscent of his mother, that Emily broke into a wide smile.

“You know, huh?”

He nodded.