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She blinked. She was over this man!
“Tell me about the trip,” she said, stalling before making up her mind. One part wanted to learn more about what he was like now. Another wanted to run as fast as she could.
“A couple of days in San Francisco, then we’ll head for the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. We’ll hike part of the Pacific Crest Trail for a few days to test a new tent and camping gear. Also I want to get Jacey away from New York. Her mother’s made other plans this summer and she’s sulking about it. The sweet little girl I knew is long gone. Now it’s a phone glued to her ear, clothing that’s totally inappropriate for her age and makeup that could clog a sewer pipe. All part of growing up, so Margo says, but I don’t like it.”
Savannah said nothing, but to her Jacey sounded like a normal teenager, maybe carrying things a bit to the extreme, but that was teenagers. And ones with divorced parents often went to the edge for attention, reassurance, love.
“Then we’ll spend a few days at a resort in the mountains. It’s an exclusive destination resort with hiking trails, some white-water rafting nearby and all the amenities you’d expect to find at a five-star resort.” He shrugged. “I think the trip will be good for Jacey.”
“Sounds like you would be with her most of the time. Why a nanny?”
“There will be times when I won’t be with her. She’s too young to leave on her own in San Francisco or the resort. While we’re on the trail, it’ll be just the three of us.”
She slammed the door shut on the image that immediately sprang to mind—starlit nights, quiet conversation, kisses in the dark.
“San Francisco’s a favorite city of mine,” she murmured. She loved the crisp breeze from the Pacific, the dazzling white buildings against the deep blue sky. The excitement unlike New York’s but special in its own way. “Has Jacey been before?”
“No. And I’m not getting an enthusiastic response when I bring it up. I’m hoping she’ll come around.”
He hesitated a moment, then said slowly, “There’s one small thing, though.” He narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched her.
Savannah’s instincts clamored for caution. Something about his change in tone suggested this could be a deal breaker. Was his daughter more of a problem than a typical teenager?
“I, ah, need you to keep the past in the past. She need not know we once—” He floundered for the word, his expression one of regret.
Savannah stared at him. That was the absolutely last thing she expected. And the last thing she’d ever do—tell anyone how he’d chosen someone else over her.
“I assure you, I keep my private life my own with all my clients. I would never tell your daughter—” Never tell her of her heartbreak. Never tell her how she had so loved her father and been devastated when he’d chosen Jacey and Margo over her.
The feelings of the past threatened to swamp her. She drew a deep breath. Things changed in seven years. She was a bit disconcerted to discover she was still very aware of him as a man. But she had a life she loved, friends and a work ethic she’d spent years developing. And a definite hands-off attitude for any of her employers. She would never risk her heart a second time with a man who threw her love back in her face.
“Say something,” he urged softly. “Will you take this job?”
“Why me? Surely there are others in the field you could find to accompany you two.” There were other nannies in her own firm who could have gone.
“Stephanie said you had the most experience with teenagers. That you have a way with them. I need someone who will help Jacey. I think she’s long overdue for some good moral values and—”
“I still have to meet her before making a decision,” Savannah said. Sure, she was good enough to hire to watch his daughter for three weeks, but not good enough to marry and present as a stepmother back in the day?
“Give her a fair shot, Savannah. It wasn’t her fault what happened.”
She looked up and was met with steady brown eyes. What if she fell for him again?
Never! The trust they’d shared had been shattered. She would not make that mistake a second time.
For three weeks she’d have be around Declan—some of that time 24/7. She’d have to keep all thoughts of the past from mingling with the present. And she’d have to look after his daughter by another woman. She didn’t know if she wanted that. It was like lemon juice hitting a cut. Sharp and painful.
Carefully putting down her cup, she prepared to leave. “I have your address from the application. We’ll meet at your flat tomorrow at ten.” She had to think this through. Maybe talk to Stacey or Stephanie to get an impartial view. Maybe have her head examined that she was even considering it.
“You’d need to understand about Margo, as well.”
“What about her?” Savannah didn’t want to even think about his wife. Ex-wife.
“We divorced before I started Murdock Sports. She left New York, but when she came back, she had Jacey. I really wanted to do the right thing by my daughter. It was a mistake from the beginning—except for Jacey. She’s been the light of my world for years. However, ever since the second divorce, this company’s really grown. Margo’s been haranguing me for more money. She wants a share. That’s the last thing I’ll agree to.” The hard edge of his tone reminded Savannah that as fascinating as she’d found him, he was still a hard-driven businessman.
“And she’s using your daughter as a weapon,” Savannah guessed. She’d dealt with other divorced parents in her job. Some could be so thoughtless around their children.
“Exactly. At least I have her for three months this summer. My hope is that we build some kind of relationship like we had a few years ago. That’s the reason I wanted to start with a couple of weeks in the wilderness. Cut off from outside influences, just focusing on rebuilding our relationship, maybe she’ll realize what’s important in life.”
There was definitely the chance to build something when it was only Jacey and her father, away from her mother, friends and cell phones.
Declan continued, “She used to love going on hikes, camping. We did a lot of it when she was younger. I’m hoping that enjoyment will surge forth again. The Sierras are the prettiest mountains in the west, I think. Clean, fresh air, beautiful country, wildlife. Perfection.”
If Savannah had a lick of sense, as her grandmother used to say, she’d turn down the job so fast it’d make Declan’s head swim. But she liked the outdoors. She liked to hike and camp and see nature’s beauty. And she’d never seen the Pacific Crest Trail.
She was intrigued and tempted.
Yet could she set aside her resentment of his daughter? Despite his cutting her out of his life when Margo had returned, he’d helped both her and her sister and the others who now worked for Vacation Nannies by fine-tuning her business plan with her. No one else might think so, but she owed him. She had a dream job, plenty of money for her chosen lifestyle, went on assignments to some of the world’s most beautiful and sought-after locations—all because Declan Murdock had taken time to teach a class.
She could handle anything for three weeks. As long as she remembered every day it was only temporary! She would be the most professional nanny in the world. And at the end of three weeks, she’d walk away without a backward look.
CHAPTER TWO
DECLAN stared at the doorway after Savannah left. He was surprised she’d agreed to proceed. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d refused outright.
Rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, he looked at the stack of reports in front of him. Not that he saw them. Instead, images of Savannah danced in front of his eyes. Her laughter that time they’d taken the paddle boat around the lake at St. Anne’s. The way her eyes grew a deeper blue when he kissed her. The evenings they’d made dinner together, stopping between tasks to kiss, touch, promise silently that even more would come later.
The worst mistake of his life had been turning his back on Savannah, thinking he and Margo could make a marriage just for Jacey’s sake.
He wasn’t sure what he’d expected when he saw Savannah again, but it hadn’t been that mature sophisticated businesswoman instead of the fun-loving student on the brink of life.
It looked as if she’d succeeded. He’d learned a lot about her business, but nothing about the woman. What had she been doing these past seven years beyond Vacation Nannies?
Did she have a boyfriend?
The thought twisted his gut.
He had no rights. Any he’d had years ago he’d forfeited when he’d told her goodbye.
“You need to do what you need to do and have no regrets,” she’d said at that coffee shop when he’d told her he was breaking it off with her to remarry Margo.
He wished he could have lived with no regrets.
The past was past. Now he needed her in a different way—to help with his daughter.
He remembered Vacation Nannies’ office manager telling him the nanny had to approve the children or they would not take the job.
He hoped Jacey would behave. He needed someone to be there for his daughter when he had to work. He’d know by tomorrow shortly after ten.
The next morning Declan was up early and back at work to finish up loose ends before the trip. His housekeeper was with Jacey. She herself would be taking a vacation while he was gone. Had she been a younger woman, he would have prevailed on her to go with them to California. But, in her late fifties, she was not interested in backpacking in the mountains.
His vice president would be in charge of the business for the next few weeks. Declan knew he’d do a good job. It was hard to leave with so many different irons in the fire, but he was determined that while Jacey was with him, he’d do what he could to get his daughter comfortable around him. He wanted his sweet little girl back.
The trip was not all about bonding with Jacey. He was interested in adding an entirely new direction to the company. The fact he was combining business with their time away was prudent. He’d show his daughter some of what he did for a living, thus correlating work with earning money. Her mother was filling her head with an entitlement attitude that drove him crazy. Nothing in life came free.
Some things came with a steep price. He thought about Savannah and couldn’t help but feel a stirring of anticipation. He’d see her soon. He had told Jacey about hiring a nanny and hoped she’d behave.
He’d forgotten over the past seven years how pretty Savannah was. Or had he deliberately suppressed the memory? He’d genuinely tried to make the marriage work. It took two, however, and Margo’s agenda had been different from his.
Marrying Margo a second time had been a huge mistake almost from the beginning. Granted, she was stunning. Long dark hair, mysterious eyes, a sly, catlike smile. He’d been captivated the first time around. If she’d told him she was pregnant before they’d divorced, he might have stayed in the marriage. She was high maintenance from the get-go, always wanting to party, to be seen in all the trendy places, to acquire clothes and jewelry and anything else that could be construed as a status symbol. Nothing had changed the second time they married. She’d hired a housekeeper and fobbed Jacey’s care off on her.
But she hadn’t told him. They’d divorced and he’d met Savannah.
She’d been a small-town girl, new to New York and focused on the business idea she and her sister had of nannies for vacations only. He’d never felt so young and carefree as he had in the months they were together. That time still remained a special memory.
She’d been the first person he’d thought about when he decided to take Jacey backpacking in the wilderness. Savannah was no longer a shy country mouse. From her hair to her attire to her attitude, she was just what he wanted Jacey to be like when she grew up. Trendy without being over the top. Confident, assured, pleasant.
And she probably hated his guts.
He stared at the numbers in the reports he was skimming. None of them made any sense. All he could see was the cool manner in which Savannah had deliberated before giving him an answer. Her final agreement was predicated on her meeting with Jacey going well.
He checked his watch. Time to head for home. What wasn’t done wouldn’t get done. The world wouldn’t end.
Jacey was watching television when he entered his flat a short time later. Mrs. Harris, his housekeeper, was sitting with his daughter, crocheting. Jacey looked up and then deliberately looked back at the television without any greeting.
He had to admit the all-black attire, the dark circles around her eyes and the straight, flat black hair had taken him aback when Margo had brought her by unexpectedly a week ago. Where was the sunny smile Jacey had had when she was younger? The enthusiasm she’d evidenced when she saw him? She used to run to hug him.
“Hi, Jacey,” he greeted her, going across the room to give her a kiss on her cheek.
She pulled back and glared at him. “When’s the babysitter coming? I called Mom. She’ll want to know you plan to pawn me off on some stranger.”
“Since your mother didn’t consult me at all about this summer, I suspect she’ll be happy enough to go along with what I have planned. I thought she was in the Hamptons.”
Mrs. Harris, his housekeeper, rose and smiled at her employer. “I’ll just finish up in the kitchen,” she said and took off without even a glance at Jacey. She did not like confrontations and there’d already been a couple of major storms since the evening Margo had arrived unexpectedly with Jacey, announcing she had plans for the summer and Declan could take a turn with his daughter.
Declan rarely saw Jacey. While he had visitation rights, Margo had demanded full custody. And many of the times he’d planned to see his daughter, Margo had had other plans and couldn’t have Jacey spend time with him.
“She has a life, too, you know,” Jacey said. “She has a hard time making ends meet. She’s going to petition for more child support. And I think you could help out your only child. It’s tough living in New York on a small salary.”
He looked at her, hearing Margo’s voice in his child’s words.
“I send more than adequate child support. If she wishes to challenge it in court, maybe we should consider you coming to live with me. That way all her money could go straight to her own needs.”
“I don’t want to live with you. I’m stuck here this summer when I could be going to the Hamptons with Mom’s friends.”
He smiled without humor. “Yet your mother brought you here.”
Jacey frowned. The fact was she was as angry with her mother as much as with Declan. He was angry with Margo for putting such ideas in his daughter’s head. If he could audit his ex-wife’s finances, he knew he’d find more of the support money was spent on Margo than on his daughter. He knew how much he sent each month. He doubted Jacey saw much of it, however. Margo had always been high maintenance.
Jacey pouted and looked away, studying the toes of her black shoes. “I wish I was at home.”
“What do you normally do at home?” he asked easily.
“Hang out with my friends, for one thing.”
“Maybe when we get back from California we can see about having some come over here. Or you can visit.”
“It’s not like I can walk there.”
“I’ll provide transportation.”
“Whatever.”
“Until then you have San Francisco, then backpacking in the High Sierras to look forward to. Remember how we used to go camping?”
“Oh, pul-ease, not camping. I was a kid then. What did I know? When I hear California I think beaches in LA, maybe go to Hollywood, see something worth seeing.”
“I understand the views from the Pacific Crest Trail in Yosemite are amazing.”
The doorbell sounded. Declan took a breath. Make-or-break time.
Jacey looked at the door but didn’t move.
He rose and went to open it. Savannah stood there. Today she wore a light blue silk blouse that made her eyes shimmer. Her slim white pants showed her shapely figure. He wished she’d at least smile at him instead of looking like someone going to a funeral.
Jacey came to Declan’s side and looked at Savannah.
“Are you the babysitter?” she asked rudely.
“I’m a certified nanny, but you can call me a babysitter if you think that fits better,” Savannah said calmly.
Jacey looked at Savannah and then at her dad. “Did you hire her for me or you?” she asked.
“That’s enough,” Declan snapped out. “Come in, please, Savannah. As you probably guessed, this is my daughter, Jacey.” He turned to Jacey and introduced Savannah.
“If she’s going, I’m not. I’m calling Mom.” Jacey turned and went back to the sofa, pulling her cell phone from her pocket. She glowered at both her father and Savannah.
Savannah sighed softly. She really didn’t need another assignment that didn’t go well. Her last one had been enough to drive a saint crazy. And she wasn’t anywhere near being a saint. While her gaze was focused on Jacey, she was very aware of the girl’s father standing near enough that she caught a whiff of his aftershave, which spiraled her right back to when she’d been close enough to nuzzle his neck and be flooded with sensations of scent and touch.
Still, having come this far she felt obligated at least to give this interview a fair shake. Trying to ignore Declan, she put herself in Jacey’s shoes. She found a bit of empathy. Teen years were hard. Being shunted back and forth between parents was hard. And if Jacey’s mother was allowing her to dress like this, she wasn’t getting a lot of parental guidance at home.
She sat on one of the chairs, looking at Jacey as the girl stared back at her.
Declan stood nearby. “Does anyone want something to drink?”
“Like what?” Jacey asked.
“Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, a soft drink?”
“I’ll have coffee,” Savannah said.
“I don’t want anything,” Jacey growled.
“I’ll be right back,” Declan said and disappeared into the kitchen area. Suddenly she felt sorry for Declan. He appeared to be trying so hard. Faced with the rebellious teen before her, Savannah knew he’d be in for a bumpy road.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Jacey said defiantly.
Savannah took the time to study the girl while she tried to come up with an answer. Jacey could be really pretty if she’d wash her face and wash out whatever dye she’d used on her hair. And put on a colorful shirt. Black leached the color from her skin.
“I’m sure your father knows best,” she ended up saying.
“I’m not going.”
“Oh? Have the plans changed?”
Jacey frowned. “I don’t think my mom’s going to let me go to California.”
Declan returned, carrying a tray with two mugs of coffee. He glanced between the two and then placed the tray on a table. “You like it black,” he said to Savannah, handing her the cup.
Jacey looked at her father with suspicion.
“Jacey says she isn’t going on the trip,” Savannah said, taking the cup and meeting Jacey’s gaze over the rim.
“Well, Jacey’s wrong. She’s not only going, she’s going to have a great time,” he said, sitting on another chair facing the sofa.
“When Mom calls back and I tell her what you want to do, she’ll come get me.”
Savannah watched as she sipped her coffee. Here was a very frustrated, unhappy young person anxious to make things go her way, and they weren’t going to. What could she do to distract her? Get her off that line of thinking and on to exploring the possibilities the summer offered?
Jacey faced her father defiantly. “She’ll be calling soon.”
“Honey, your mother said when she brought you here that she wants you to spend the summer with me. I want you to have a good time. But if you decide to make it painful, so be it. We’re still going to California, all three of us.”
“Did you tell her we’ll be shopping in San Francisco?” Savannah asked. She looked at Jacey. “I’ve been to the City by the Bay before. It’s a fabulous place. They have the crookedest street in the world there. Yummy seafood at the wharf. And the stores are to die for.”
“Manhattan has the coolest stores,” Jacey said, not at all interested.
“Other places can be cool, too, if you give them a chance,” Declan said.
“I hate you!” Jacey jumped up. “Mom said you were always difficult. She was right!”
She ran from the room. A moment later a door slammed.
Savannah looked at Declan. “That went well,” she said. “Not. Is she always like that?”
“Before Margo brought her over the other day, I hadn’t seen her since April. The hair and makeup is new since then. I think today was a new high in rudeness. Or maybe I mean a new low. With that attitude, we’re all going to be miserable.”
He looked at her. “You’re still going, right? I know you have the right to refuse, but see her for what she could be, not how she’s acting today.”
Savannah hesitated. She was a professional and knew she was good at her job. But this assignment would be more difficult than any other she’d had. Not only was the child rebellious and going through a definite Goth stage, Savannah was having trouble not focusing on the man sitting across from her.
“I could try it. If nothing else, I’ll stick through the San Francisco portion. If it is untenable you’ll be on your own for the hiking part. But you’d be with her there and really not need a nanny.”
He nodded. “I can handle that. It’s not what I want, but if it’s the best you’ll offer, I’ll take it. And hope you change your mind by the time we leave San Francisco.”
“We don’t always get what we want,” Savannah said, rising. “I’ll meet you at the airport on Monday. What airline and flight? I imagine the next few days will prove challenging.” In more ways than dealing with his daughter.
“I think getting her away from her mother will be the best thing for her. I haven’t told her yet there’s no cell service in the mountains,” Declan said, his expression one of bewilderment and frustration.
“Won’t that be fun when she finds out,” Savannah said. She studied Declan, seeing his frustration beneath everything. It would prove interesting to see how he handled his daughter.
Savannah hadn’t known her own father; he’d died when she was very little. But she’d have loved to have had a father like Declan, good-looking, successful and obviously concerned about his daughter.
Suddenly she hoped the trip would go as planned for his sake.
She walked to the door as he rose and followed her. She could almost feel the vibrations between them. Time and distance—that’s what she needed.
He looked at her and caught her gaze, lifting an eyebrow in silent question.
She looked away, too many memories.
“We leave from JFK at ten, arrive in San Francisco shortly after noon.” He gave her the airline and said he could have a car pick her up.
“Not necessary, I’ll be there.”
She reached the door and ventured one more look at him. “Strictly business, right, Declan?”
“Absolutely. Do you want to go over the itinerary before you go?” he asked.
Savannah hesitated again, then shrugged. “I guess.” Every instinct clamored for her to leave, but curiosity got the better of her.
“I have brochures and maps on the dining-room table,” he said. “Jacey, come in here, please. I want to show you something.”
Jacey came out of her room by the time Savannah was seated. A couple of maps were spread out on the table, a scattering of brochures nearby. Jacey sat opposite Savannah while Declan took the head seat.
“We’ll fly to San Francisco Monday. We’re staying right in the heart of the city. I’ll take you both with me to check in with the store and get our hiking gear. Want to do anything special after that?” he asked Jacey.
When she merely shrugged, he turned to Savannah.
“There’s so much to San Francisco. I think Jacey would enjoy the wharf, especially Pier 39. Then there’s the crookedest street in the world, everyone should see that. We can walk down or drive, it’s like a corkscrew. Chinatown’s fun. And we have to ride the cable cars.”