Short Stories - Romance

#4 - Distracted

I had thought the girl was joking when she'd asked to let her have her sleep first, but Linda had fallen asleep. As in actually fell asleep! For a moment there when she'd shut her eyes after getting in the car, I'd thought it was a tactic to avoid me, but then she snored. Something cute that had drawn a smile out of me and something I knew she would cringe over if she knew I had witnessed it. Less than a minute in her apartment, I had realized that she was that type of person who cared about how others saw her and it had made me curse myself for what my accusations had done to her.

I stared at her sprawled out on the seat next to me, half envious that someone could fall asleep so easily. With her face void of any expression, she was the epitome of relaxation and I would have thought that was because, unlike me, she didn't have an empire to run, but she had her own fair share of problems. With fair share being a huge understatement that had left me puzzled as to the reason why she wasn't jumping at my offer.

Okay, so maybe I had an idea why she wasn't so thrilled, but for some one who was not exactly in a position to choose, taking the insane offer I had put on the table would have been a small price to pay.

I admired that. Between yesterday and today, I had come to admire a whole lot more about her actually. Professionally, I mean. And if this wasn't about Liam, I would have swallowed my pride and admitted to my mistake and hired her at Easton Corp. as something else apart from the job she'd applied for.

“I still think you are insane for making such an offer.” Owen, my legal counsel s***h best friend grouched, drawing my attention back to the call I was currently on. “I mean, how good can she be that you are willing to spend so much on a simple nanny– Wait do you like have a thing for her and–”

“Liam wants her.” I cut Owen off before his dirty mind drew pictures I wouldn’t be able to get out of my head. God knew I had barely been able to keep mine at bay for the first time ever. Thanks to a pair of boy shorts, a Tee and a great set of legs.

“I mean you are a hot blooded male and as much as I am proud that you are still staying on the path of remaining in the game, I– wait, what did you say?”

“For someone getting paid insane loads of money to keep me out of any legal battles, you sure are useless when it comes to paying attention to your most important client.”

“Forget about your egotistical self for a moment, will ya?” Owen dismissed me with his usual annoyance. “What is this about Liam? Did the boy actually say it with his own mouth that he wants her? To be his nanny?”

“He won’t leave his room until she promises and agrees to it." Me saying Liam refused to leave his room was a bit of an understatement. I’d had a thousands thoughts of what could go wrong while he was in there if I didn't do as he had asked. Having had experienced a similar scare before was the only reason breaking down his door had not been an option.

“Bloody hell, that little rascal– I always knew business was always in his blood and that one day he’d get away with pretty much anything, but still, I did not see this coming!" I appreciated that Owen always made light of the dark and grim. "God! What’s with this Linda Bryson? Why her? I mean its not like you never gave the kid a choice before.” While my best friend ranted on, my gaze stayed on the sleeping figure, wondering the same. There had been many candidates to take care of my son. Damn good professionals too who’d tried and failed to get on Liam’s good side and yet Linda had not even tried.

“Well for one, she doesn’t treat him like he’ll break the next second.” That had been very clear with how the two had hang out like two old pals. Even with the age difference she'd been able to get to him and really get him. Not even I had been able to accomplish that recently. “Credit goes to the fact that she is oblivious to his– our life’s story.” I was still amazed about that and wondered how she did not know when the whole world knew.

Her surprised look when I’d talked about Liam popped in my head, together with the undeniable worry that had laced her earlier sassy tone. The first honest concern I’d felt from someone who was not family or friend and something I had unexpectedly welcomed.

“I find that hard to believe.” Owen made his unbelief known with a sneer. Just like me, he wasn’t too trusting either.

“I am moving her to the house and I need you to make sure the move and the contract won’t bite me in the end.”

“Are you doing this without her permission or signature?!” Owen cursed on the other end of the line.

“It’s for Liam.” I defended and with more profanities uttered from Owen, the line went dead, but not before he promised to come over and to see what he could do.

Its for Liam. Staring at my newest employee, I tried to convince myself of that while I ignored the growing desire to caress her face. Her smile had lit up her face beautifully and her honest opinions had treated me to a fiesty side I had found annoyingly attractive, but there was something about seeing her so peaceful that made me look at her as I would a woman. Something I never thought I would ever be able to do again.

"Don't you think you need her permission before you have her things moved?" Craig suddenly asked, thankfully drawing my attention before my mind wondered in places I would regret later.

"No." I answered without a second thought. I could already picture Linda fuming once she found out, but one thing she did not know about me yet was that I could be very persuasive and despite her negotiating with me, something I thought was impressive by the way, she would still end up working for me longer than today. So what was the point of putting off to tomorrow what could be done today?

"Clear every one of her debts and bills too. I don't want anyone thinking she skipped town because she couldn't pay." While Owen dealt with all the legalities through the more formal channels, I would be doing everything else. I wouldn’t have needed to, but sleeping beauty here, I’d discovered, had got mixed up with some pretty bad people and whether she knew it or not I did not care. All that mattered was that if she was going to be around my son, she didn’t smell of any trouble.

"Are you sure?"

"Will that be a problem, Craig?"

"Of course not–"

"Then what is it?"

"It's just that she doesn't strike me as someone who would want someone else touching her stuff– you know what? Forget it. I'll get it done." Craig was right. The girl would rather die before asking for help either, but I wasn't waiting until she did because now that she worked for me her welfare was my business. Whether she liked it or not.

"Have Maddy cancel all my meetings today too."

"Yes sir." Craig answered, but I heard the curiosity in his voice again.

"What is it?"

“It’s…just so unlike you to take a day off.” Craig kept his eyes on the road, but I could clearly see the knowing expression on him that I refused to entertain. He was right about me and taking days off though. I hadn’t done that in so long. Because stopping for anything made me think of everything I wanted to forget.

“I can’t just leave my son in the hands of a stranger and be off.” Even if Linda had checked out and Liam had warmed up to her, I needed to make sure she fit.

“Yeah, right,” My mind retorted and I glared at it, but it was not enough to keep it from thinking about why I was really taking the day off. I had never been this distracted before after all.