As Veronica was thinking of these things, Maria came back into the room, and she turned to look over at her.
“Mr. Davenport says not to worry,” Maria said with a calm smile. “He is going to take care of absolutely everything.”
Veronica frowned a little, and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but Maria held her hand up to stop her.
“Miss Lawrence,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “I have worked for Mr. Davenport for a few years now. When he says he’ll take care of something, he means it.”
Veronica blinked in a bit of surprise. She was used to fending for herself and being the stereotypical strong, independent black woman. Now, it seemed like someone was intent on making sure she was absolutely taken care of.
“Thank you for calling him,” Veronica said, at a loss for what else to say. “I really appreciate it.”
“You’re really going to like it here Veronica,” Maria said softly and genuinely. “Mr. Davenport makes sure that everyone on his staff wants for nothing. We’re like a family here.”
Veronica smiled. She wondered vaguely if it was because he hadn’t had a family of his own growing up that he spread his wealth to so many people.
“Well I’ll leave you to yourself,” Maria said. “If you need anything I’m sure you can find me. I’ll meet you in the foyer a little before noon so I can introduce you to the girls.”
“Sounds great,” Veronica gave her a smile. Maria nodded, and turned, walking quickly to some other part of the house.
Alone again, Veronica stood and took her glass over to the sink, washed it and put it back in the cabinet. Maybe it would be easier than she thought to adjust to life here.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur for Veronica. The girls, Ashley and Kaitlyn, arrived home promptly at noon, and had immediately attached themselves to Veronica’s legs.
Veronica had been shocked, but managed to laugh, naturally putting her hand on the back of their heads. The interim nanny, a woman who looked slightly younger than Veronica in spite of the bulge that revealed her pregnancy and the wedding band that adorned her left ring finger, laughed, and said her farewells to the girls.
From that moment on, it seemed almost as though the girls had known Veronica their entire lives. They got along immediately, and Veronica seamlessly integrated herself into their play and activities. She was so engrossed with them, in fact, that she hardly noticed when Mr. Davenport made it home for the afternoon.
When she finally noticed, him standing in the doorframe of Kaitlyn’s room, she felt her stomach do a flip. He was still dressed in a dark blue suit and a white shirt. His tie, a paisley affair, had been loosened, and it hung around his neck. He had a familiar twinkle in his eyes and a small smile as he watched them play. Veronica could have sworn, though, that they flashed with something darker as he looked at her.
“Don’t mind me,” he said in his smooth, deep voice, a smile warming his features. “I’m glad to see the three of you getting along.”
“Daddy!” the two girls cried excitedly, and rushed toward the man.
Veronica watched as he dropped down and scooped the girls up in his arms and gathered them to his chest, kissing them both on the top of their heads. Her heart melted a little to see how well he interacted with the girls.
She tried not to eavesdrop as they spilled the entire contents of their day to him as he patiently held them. When they had settled a little bit, he put them back down on the ground.
“Well I don’t know about you guys,” Davenport said to his daughters. “But I’m getting hungry. How does spaghetti sound?”
The girls made their delight known by squeals of excitement.
“Alright, well let’s all go downstairs then and I’ll get it started,” he chuckled and stood back up to his full height.
The girls took off down the stairs and Davenport looked over at Veronica with a smile, and that ever-present twinkle in his eye. Veronica suddenly felt that the air had gotten very thick, and it was significantly harder to breather.
“You accepted my offer,” he said, his tone obviously pleased.
“It was an offer I couldn’t refuse,” Veronica said, wishing her tone was a little stronger. She couldn’t help but feel at a disadvantage, being in his home and a new member of his staff.
“I’m glad it pleased you,” he said, and she heard his tone soften and darken.
Veronica shifted a little, feeling a spark light up deep in her core. Her mind scolded her body, but there was little she could do to fight the fire when she knew very well that she desired him more than any man she had ever met in her life.
“Oh, by the way,” Davenport raised an eyebrow. “I settled all that business about your belongings with your boyfriend. Calvin, is it?”
“Oh, yes,” Veronica nodded, suppressing the way her body was itching to move closer to him, remembering that she was not at all single. Especially at the mention of Calvin. Somehow, though, that made her body even hotter.
“Yes, well,” Davenport went on. “I spoke with him, and he said he would be glad to separate your things and label them so my movers can proceed with their jobs tomorrow, and I assured him that I would be most glad to offer him an apartment at my building, and waive the deposit. I’ll also adjust the rate to be a bit lower than whatever he is currently paying on the apartment you shared with him.”