Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56799 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56799 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
He and Charlie had always been oil and water; his feet on the ground, hers in the clouds on the intangible. They’d had sparks though and a night at an airport hotel during a weather delay, led to the twins. He’d never begrudge her, her career but the way the girls had focused in on Fallon told him how much Charlie’s presence was missed.
But that didn’t mean Fallon was the woman to fill it. For any of them.
Chapter Two
Noah had searched and made umpteen calls, and he couldn’t find a new nanny. The agency he’d been using had politely suggested he try a different company. Apparently, he was being booted. His girls had run through too many caregivers for him to count. It was Noah’s bad luck that it was summertime and they were off from school. He managed easier during the year with a neighbor he’d paid to pick the girls up from school and watch them until he came home around dinnertime.
But now that they were on break, he needed someone full time. Sleepaway camp like some of their friends was off the table. He wanted to make the most of his time with his daughters while he still could. Before they became teenagers and no longer wanted to be seen with him. Noah shuddered at the thought. Besides, he wanted them around in case Charlie came home to visit.
His mother, Nina, and sister, Shannon, took turns watching the girls this past week but they were busy today and he had a meeting with a new client this afternoon. His brothers, Liam and Simon, were working.
He just needed an hour, so he’d brought Dakota and Dylan to work with him and they’d settled into the chairs in his outer office near his admin’s desk.
“Janine,” he said to his administrative assistant. “I need you to please watch the girls while I meet with Mr. Canon.” A potential new client. “They brought their iPads and can read while I’m busy.”
“Umm… sure thing, Mr. Powers,” she said, treating the twins to a half smile filled with uncertainty.
In her mid-thirties, Janine was an excellent worker and though she might not love the idea of playing babysitter, he’d make it up to her in her yearly bonus.
“Girls, stay in your seats and I’ll be out as soon as I can.” He eyed them with his sternest face. “And I mean, do not leave these chairs.”
“What if we need the bathroom?” Dylan asked, her lashes fluttering over her green eyes too innocently.
He didn’t trust her. They’d asked about Fallon every day since he’d found them at the gallery and he’d insisted she was too busy for them to stop by and say hello. He’d also been forced to insist her painting wasn’t right for their apartment. But he was beginning to think the wall the girls wanted to hang the artwork on was perfect.
“Then tell Janine you need the restroom and she’ll take you.” He wanted them within her sight.
He glanced at his admin. “Eyes on them at all times,” he said, his voice gruff. She needed to understand the importance of his request.
“Of course,” she said, and her gaze went back to the screen on which she was typing.
“Is Mr. Canon in the conference room?”
She glanced up. “Yes. With his partner.”
He nodded, looked to the girls who were both reading, said a silent prayer, and strode out of the room and down the hall.
An hour later, and new client papers signed, Noah returned to his office to find the outer room empty. He assumed Janine had taken the girls to the bathroom or maybe the cafeteria.
Once in his office, he settled into his chair and began to give thought to the strategy for John Canon and his partner, who thought their in-house accountant was embezzling from the business.
“Mr. Powers, I’m so sorry!” Janine ran into the room, teetering on her heels. “One minute they were here, then Mr. Baker called,” she said of one of Noah’s partners. “And I took some notes and when I hung up, I looked up and they were gone! I searched everywhere in the office but—”
“They’re gone,” he said, cutting her off with his sharp tone. “Didn’t I say not to take your eyes off of them?”
She straightened her shoulders. “In all fairness, Mr. Powers, I’m your admin, not a babysitter. And they’re stealthy little things.”
He bit down on the inside of his cheek, knowing she was right and he had no intention of firing her. “They’re children, not things.” He ran a hand through his hair and groaned.
He’d be out of here, looking high and low for the girls once more, if he wasn’t certain of where he’d find them.
“But you’re right, Janine. They’re stealthy. I’m sorry I put you in that position. Can you hold down the fort for the rest of the day?” he asked.