Millionaire Dad, Nanny Needed!

Julie faced Audra, a shadow passing over her face, but before Audra really had a chance to analyze it, Julie grinned. “People are easy. Taxes are hard.”

Audra laughed. “To a CPA taxes are easy and people are hard!”

“Nah, you just have to figure out what makes a person tick and then work with that.”

Audra tilted her head to one side. “What makes a person tick?”

“For instance, you like logic. So if I need you to do something for me, I appeal to your sense of logic. Callie likes adventure, so when I need something from her I try to make it sound exciting.”

Audra laughed. “And with Belle you appeal to her sense of family.”

“Exactly.”

Tapping her pencil on her desk blotter, Audra thought about Dominic. “What would you do with a guy who is raising his brother’s son and afraid the little boy will never know his dad?”

At Julie’s confused frown, Audra added, “My mom works for Dominic Manelli.”

“The guy you used to chase around at Christmas parties when you were a little girl?” Julie said, smiling at Audra. “You spilled those beans after your third margarita the one and only time you got truly drunk with us.”

“I told you about Dominic?”

“Just some basics about what a hottie he is.”

“Well, now he’s a hottie with a baby to raise.”

“And you care because?”

“Because getting control of his family’s business was hard enough for him. When he also got custody of his brother’s son, he began to feel he was living his brother’s life.”

“He doesn’t want the little boy?”

“He does want the little boy. Every time they’re together I see that. But he’s grieving for his brother. He’s overwhelmed with the family business. And on top of that, he feels guilty for taking over his brother’s life. He knows that Joshua’s never going to remember his dad. And believes Peter deserves to have his son know him.”

Julie’s face softened. “Wow.”

“I don’t know how to get him around this or over it or through it.” And though it wasn’t part of her job as nanny, something inside her couldn’t stand to see Dominic so unhappy. Couldn’t stand that he didn’t see his own goodness because it was blocked by guilt.

Julie shrugged. “Sometimes time is the only thing that gets a person through. Look at you. This is the first man I’ve heard you talk about since David. And that was almost a year ago.”

Audra again felt her face redden. Dominic was the first guy she’d even talked about in a year? “It’s not like that.”

Julie laughed. “Of course it is. You might not like that you’re interested in him, but you are.”

Well, sure, she was “interested.” He was hot. Deep down inside, he was good. But he didn’t want anything permanent. He only wanted to have some fun with her.

She frowned. Was that her only reason for not getting involved with him? Because it suddenly seemed odd that she was refusing to have fun. It was almost as if she was demanding a commitment before she even had a date.

Wow. Was that what she’d done with David? From the first date pressured him into getting serious?

“Don’t forget my mother works for him,” Audra said, keeping her questions to herself and turning her attention back to the work on her desk, hoping the subject would drop.

“So?”

“What do you mean, ‘so?” ’

“Audra, I’m not telling you to marry the guy. Lighten up. Have some fun.”

Audra swallowed. Apparently she had a reputation for not having fun and demanding commitments.

Julie typed a few things into the computer, then turned to Audra with another sunny smile. “You know, you could talk to Regina about doing some kind of pictorial thing.”

“A what?”

“Like a video scrapbook for this Dominic guy. You say he feels guilty because of taking over his brother’s life.” She caught Audra’s gaze. “Solving his business troubles is out of my league, but if you want to ease his guilt a bit about taking over as the baby’s new dad, have your mother gather some pictures, and let Regina put a video together. Then give the CD to Dominic.”

Audra’s mouth dropped open slightly. “If the video was done properly, Joshua would always have his parents with him. Not his real flesh-and-blood parents, but enough of them through pictures and videos that he’d know them.”

“Exactly.”

“And though Dominic would function as Joshua’s real dad, he wouldn’t ‘replace’Peter.”

“Nope.”

“And he could stop feeling guilty.”