Sun-kissed (The Au Pairs 3)

"Don't worry about it," Jacqui said, helping her wipe up the spill with a wad of paper napkins.

Eleven-year-old William didn't take his eyes off the adventure novel he was reading. The hyperactive little boy had calmed

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down, surprisingly without the help of any medications, and a miraculous transformation had taken place. Whereas it had been so hard to shut him up before, now you could hardly get him to talk. He had grown tall and lanky and was looking more like Ryan every day. The two older children tried not to show their anxiety, but the noise was clearly bothering Zoe and the baby, which was what they all still called Cody.

Zoe's lower lip trembled and it looked like she might cry, and Cody, the only one who was Anna's biologically, was pressing his hands against his ears and screaming.

Her fuse already dangerously short, Jacqui walked over and pulled the plug out of the white box, which immediately stopped squawking. They could still hear the rest of the house echo with the elder Perrys' quarrel, but now it was muffled and distant.

"C'mon, eat your fruit," she coaxed, handing around a bowl full of raisins and prunes.

"Anyone home?" a cheerful voice called from outside the screen door.

Jacqui looked up. Mara walked in, bearing a large basket filled with warm, fresh-baked muffins from Barefoot Contessa. Their cinnamon-and-nutmeg smell filled the kitchen. And for the first time since she'd gotten the bad NYU news, Jacqui actually felt like smiling.

"Hello, hello!" Mara said.

"Holla!"

Mara came over and hugged Jacqui. "You look so great!"

Jacqui twirled. She was wearing a blousy eyelet Derek Lam

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halter top and slim gray plaid Bermudas. "So do you. Is that a Tory tunic! J'adore!"

Mara nodded and pulled out a seat from the counter, while the kids immediately dropped their oatmeal spoons and raided the muffins.

"My God, William, you've grown like a weed!" Mara said. "And Madison, you look so pretty in that shirt."

"It's Bill now. He doesn't like to be called William anymore," Jacqui said fondly. "And we found that shirt on sale at Jeffrey last week, didn't we, Mad?"

William gave Mara a shy smile and went back to his seat. Mara raised her eyebrows at Jacqui, who merely shrugged. For two summers, the boy had terrorized them with his hyperactive tantrums--it was hard to reconcile the Super Soaker-wielding brat with the quiet boy reading a book.

Mara ruffled Cody's hair and kissed Zoe.

"So, how was your first night on the 'love boat'?" Jacqui teased, making air quotes with her fingers as she collected the untouched bowls around the table.

Mara blushed and looked meaningfully at Ryan's younger siblings.

Jacqui nodded and quietly explained that as soon as their grandparents arrived, she and Mara could have some privacy. Kevin's parents were taking the kids to their estate on the far end of the island, where they would spend the day fishing in the pond and riding horses. The no-nonsense Perry elders didn't approve of nannies, and so Jacqui basically had the day off.

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When the kids had left, Mara told Jacqui about the amazingly romantic dinner that Ryan had prepared, only to have it interrupted by a work assignment. "I had to leave him--I didn't really have a choice," Mara defended herself.

"Tough," Jacqui said.

"Yeah, but it's okay. We'll have three months together." Then she told Jacqui all about her new job and her crazy boss.

"That's fantastic, Mar. You're, like, a real reporter," Jacqui marveled. "I'm so proud of you, chica."

Mara beamed. Jacqui always knew the right thing to say.