Misadventures with a Manny Read online

  “Why do you say that?”

  “She has always taken care of everyone else. Never took care of herself. Then while the twins were younger, she worked her ass off to get through school. She’s been grinding since she was sixteen, never taking a moment for herself.” He looks over at me, his voice low. “Only mistake she made was marrying some dude who couldn’t keep it in his pants.”

  “Really?” I ask in a low voice, hopeful the boys don’t hear us.

  “Yup. But he is the father of her children, so she never left,” he says with a shrug. “Either way, she puts on a hard face and acts tough, but she’s really great.”

  “I didn’t think otherwise.”

  He sends me a grin just as Riana yells, “Hey, Lincoln! Come in here, please.”

  I am up before she even finishes her sentence. I pause, though, when Phillip laughs.

  “Eager, huh?”

  “Shut up,” I throw back to him before heading toward the kitchen. The house is big, nicely done, and very homey. It has a farmhouse feel, and it isn’t what I would have expected from someone who looks like Vera. I figured she’d have some posh pad with boys who didn’t move, but I know darn well those boys move. They are lacrosse players. My kind of guys.

  Entering the kitchen, I find Riana snickering as Vera rolls her eyes, but when she sees me, she sits up straighter.

  And I direct my eyes straight to her chest.

  Again.

  First time wasn’t my fault—her shirt was unbuttoned—but this time, totally a pig move on my part.

  Inhaling hard, I smack my hands together, forcing myself to look at Riana. “So, am I hired?”

  Riana just grins. “Duh—”

  “I do have questions,” Vera says then, and I glance back to her, captured by her brown gaze. Her eyes are such a deep brown with flakes of gold in them. Her lips are plush and thick while her chin has a little dip in it. Looking away to the computer, she says, “Your last family moved?”

  “They did,” I say and then clear my throat. “I was supposed to go with them, but Sharron, the mom, decided to stay home with them.”

  She slowly nods. “And you would have moved to Germany with them? Don’t you have family here?”

  “I would have. I love those kids, and I wanted to be there for them. My family does live here, along with Phillip, but I wouldn’t have been gone forever.”

  She looks up at me. “That’s very loyal.”

  I shrug. “Guess I’m a loyal guy.”

  “You were full-time for them?”

  I nod.

  She continues. “Did Riana tell you that it wouldn’t be full-time here?”

  “Well, no, but I figured it could be,” Riana adds.

  Vera makes a face. “How?”

  “The boys hate school. Let them be homeschooled—”

  Vera shakes her head. “I can’t commit to that yet. I have to talk to Simon, and the therapist still isn’t sure that is the way to go yet.”

  I’m not sure if I should say anything, but then I’m talking. “With divorce, sometimes it isn’t good to change so much. Maybe just give it a little more time.”

  Vera looks at me, her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed hard together. I can see the annoyance burning in her eyes, and I’m confused by it. Does she not like me? Yet, she holds her hand out to me and says, “Exactly.”

  Riana doesn’t agree with us, her face giving her away as she shakes her head. “Fine. I just think they need out of that school.”

  “I feel the same, but I can’t do that yet,” Vera says, and I can see the struggle swirling in her eyes. Her shoulders are taut, and she looks defeated. I want to wrap my arms around her, hold her, and tell her that things will be okay. Though I can’t guarantee it, I want to tell her anyway. It’s obvious things haven’t been easy for her; nonetheless, she looks like she could take on the world. I respect what she is saying, though Riana doesn’t seem to. It’s hard with kids, especially when they don’t know how to handle what is happening, which I suspect is what is going on with Vera’s boys.

  When she looks at me once more, her dark eyes hold mine as she says, “So it wouldn’t be full-time.”

  The way she says it, along with her eyes, I feel like she is hoping I’ll turn her down, but I can’t.

  “That’s okay.” I’m not sure why I say that because it isn’t okay. I need a full-time position.

  But I want to help her.

  Her eyes don’t leave mine, and when her tongue moves across her lips, I swallow hard.

  “Okay,” she says almost in a whisper. “I leave in the morning at seven for work, but the boys don’t need to be at school until eight. They are driven to school and picked up at three. The last nanny would bring them home so they could get their stuff together for club. They play lacrosse for the Knights over—”

  “The boys I cared for played for the Knights. I know where they are.”

  “Oh,” she says, her lashes kissing her cheeks before she inhales deeply, her chest moving with the motion. She looks away, but I can’t bring myself to do the same. I am captivated by her. It’s been a while since I’ve wanted a woman so completely, and man, I want Vera.

  Which is wrong. So damn wrong.

  She is about to be my boss.

  Swallowing hard, I look away, but not far enough away because Riana’s gaze catches mine, a little grin on her face as her eyes start to widen. My brows pull together as I mouth, what, and she just grins.

  You like her, she mouths back. She’s so hot, right?

  I can’t help it. I laugh a bit, which brings Vera’s attention to mine, so of course, I start coughing. “Sorry. Something in my throat.”

  She doesn’t seem impressed. “I’ll get home around seven on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I get home at four. So on my late days, they’ll need to be fed. But on my short days, I’ll meet you at practice. Things change a lot since I don’t ever want to miss anything, and we’re still trying to figure out things with my ex. He wants the kids from Thursday to Sunday every weekend, and that isn’t okay with me, not that you need to know that.”

  Actually, I want to know it all.

  Clearing her throat, she stands. “So if you are okay with those hours, and you still want to work for me, I’d really like to hire you right now. You can start tomorrow.”

  My lips curve as I lean on the island. “Can I ask a question?”

  Her eyes widen a bit as she sits back down. “Of course.”

  “You know my rate?”

  “I do. Riana and I have discussed it.”

  “Okay. So what else do you want me to do for you?”

  Her breath catches, and I am not sure why. But when Riana tries to cover her laughter, I figure I may have come off suggestive. She clears her throat and then swallows hard before she says, “Besides getting the boys to point A and B? Being there when I’m not. I work in the city, so it will be hard for me to get here quickly.”

  “That’s not a problem. You’ll have my number. I can be here anytime you need me.”

  She inhales once more, her eyes burning into mine.

  “Do you want me to clean? Cook?”

  Her voice breaks as she asks, “You do that?”

  “Yes, I can have dinner ready every night, and the house will be clean, with the boys’ help.”

  She just blinks. “Oh.”

  “I usually teach the kids to cook too, if that’s okay.”

  “That would be great.”

  “And I can do homework. I know you said on your short days you’ll meet me, so I’ll just come back here and get everything done so that it takes some of the stress off you.”

  She swallows hard. “I can handle my household.”

  Oh, the pride runs deep in her. I could see the fire in her eyes. “No doubt, but if you’re paying me, might as well do it all.”

  Vera slowly nods before looking past me toward the living room. “Boys, do you want Lincoln to be your nanny?”

  Whe