Christmas Bride For The Boss

He raised an eyebrow. ‘What if I can see where you can make improvements to the business?’

‘You can make suggestions, but you don’t interfere,’ she said. ‘Though that’s not the deal-breaker.’

He looked intrigued. ‘What is?’

‘Your daughter gets the final say.’

He frowned. ‘How do you mean?’

‘She meets me. We spend some time together. And then you ask her—and not in front of me—if she’d like me to look after her while her nanny gets better. If she says no, then it’s a no.’

He nodded. ‘That’s fair. And it also tells me you’re the right person for the job, because you’re putting her needs first.’

But why wasn’t he? Sophie wondered. Yes, he had a business to run—but it was much bigger than hers. He could delegate a lot of his work. Why didn’t he take the time off to look after his daughter?

Given that she’d already made a gaffe about his parents, this wasn’t something she could ask directly. She’d need to be tactful.

‘Okay. I’ll talk to Eva and your parents’ neighbour. Can you give me the numbers?’ he asked.

He didn’t know Eva’s number? Well, maybe Fran—as Eva’s cousin—would have been the one to stay in touch. ‘You’re probably best to call her at Plans & Planes.’ She gave him the office number. ‘Failing that, this is her mobile.’

He wrote the numbers down as she dictated them. ‘Thank you.’

* * *

Anna Harris confirmed everything Sophie had told him.

‘She worked for me during sixth form—two hours at the end of the school day, plus Wednesday afternoons. The kids loved her. I did try to persuade her to do her degree in early years education, but her heart was set on doing English.’ Anna paused. ‘I thought she was running her own business?’

‘She is. She’s, um, doing me a favour,’ Jamie admitted.

‘Ah. Typical Sophie. Of course you’re right to check her out, but I have no hesitation in recommending her.’

‘Thank you,’ Jamie said.

It almost felt superfluous to check her out with Eva as well, but he wanted to be sure. For Sienna’s sake. Because he did love his daughter, even if he kept himself at a distance. He wanted the best for her.

Only, the best meant not him.

He dialled Eva’s number.

‘Good morning. Plans & Planes, Mara speaking,’ the woman on the other end of the phone said, sounding cheerful and welcoming.

Mara was Eva’s second in command, according to Sophie. If her business acumen was as good as her phone manner, it boded well for the company, he thought. ‘Good morning. May I speak to Eva?’ Jamie asked.

‘May I ask who’s calling?’

‘Jamie Wallis.’

‘Oh!’ For a second, Mara sounded flustered. Clearly she not only knew who he was, she also knew how important he could be to the future of the firm—and that Sophie was meant to be schmoozing him right now. ‘I’ll just put you through, Mr Wallis,’ she said.

Eva answered, seconds later.

‘How are you, Eva?’ he asked.

‘Fine, thanks, Jamie. And you?’

‘Fine, fine.’

‘Um, aren’t you in a meeting with Sophie right now?’ She sounded worried.

‘Loo break,’ he fibbed. Because explaining their deal would take too much time.

‘Oh. Right.’

‘Eva. Look, I know I haven’t seen you for a while—’

‘That’s OK,’ she cut in. ‘Everyone understands.’

He mentally filled in the rest of it: how difficult things must have been since Fran died, and how it’s harder to stay in touch with people who aren’t in the immediate family circle. It was true, but he was guiltily aware that he often hid behind his circumstances.

‘Thank you. I just wanted to ask you a couple of things,’ he said. ‘Would you mind?’

‘Of course,’ she said.

‘You’ve known Sophie how long?’

‘Eleven years. Since we met on the first day at university.’

‘And you’ve been in business together for five years.’

‘We’d still be in business together for the next fifty years, if Aidan hadn’t been headhunted,’ Eva said. ‘But it’s just not doable to run my half of the business from a different continent and a very different time zone, and it’s not fair of me to dump all the work on Sophie and still expect to mop up half the profits.’

Good points, he thought. ‘So you’d say Sophie was reliable and trustworthy?’

‘Absolutely.’ Eva’s voice was firm with conviction.

And now the crunch question. ‘And she’s good with kids?’

‘Yes. She babysits her niece and nephew all the time. Why?’

‘Idle curiosity,’ he fibbed.

But there was one little thing that was bothering him. He knew he was being a bit underhand, but he consoled himself that this was the quickest way to get the last bit of information he wanted. And wasn’t all meant to be fair in love, war and business? ‘And I’ve worked out for myself that she’s kind-hearted. It was nice of her, wasn’t it, to help her family with the money?’ It was an educated guess; Sophie had only said she’d lent the money to someone she loved, but she’d also asked if he would help his siblings if they needed it. Which made him pretty sure she’d lent the money to one of her siblings.

‘Yes, but that’s Sophie all over—always thinking of others before herself,’ Eva said. ‘I really hope the IVF works for Matt and Angie this time.’

So he’d guessed right. She’d lent the money to one of her siblings and their partner. For a very personal reason: an expensive course of IVF treatment. And she’d refused to break their confidence by telling him what she’d done. Then again, if she had told him the truth, it would’ve looked as if she was trying to tug at his heartstrings and manipulate him. He liked the fact that she hadn’t done that.

‘Let’s hope so,’ he said. ‘Thanks, Eva. Good luck in New York.’

‘Thanks.’ She paused. ‘Jamie, I know I’m only an in-law, and not even a close one because I was Fran’s cousin, but you’re still family. Don’t be a stranger.’

‘Thanks.’ Guilt flooded through him. He had been a stranger. Especially to Fran’s family. Because how could he expect them to be rally round him, when he was the one responsible for all their pain—the one who was responsible for his wife’s death? It would be like sprinkling salt over a wound. He couldn’t do it. ‘I’ll talk to you soon,’ he said, knowing it was a polite fiction and also knowing that Eva was well aware of the fact, but what else could he do?

* * *

Jamie walked back into the room and returned Sophie’s phone. ‘Thank you for your patience, Miss Firth. We have a deal.’

Yes. The business was safe, Eva would get the money she needed, and her staff had job security again. Mentally, Sophie punched the air. ‘Thank you,’ she said, trying to keep her voice businesslike.

‘Though, actually, I probably didn’t need to make those calls. I’m a reasonable judge of character.’

That’s what she’d thought about herself. Dan and Joe had proved that to be a lie. She couldn’t have got it any more wrong if she’d tried. ‘I’m happier that you checked me out properly,’ she said.

‘Okay. Do you drive?’ he asked.

‘Yes.’

‘That makes life easier. I have a car that Cindy uses, so I’ll put you on the insurance. Perhaps you could let my PA have a copy of your driving licence and let her know all the information that the insurer would need.’

‘Sure. I have my licence with me.’

‘Good. So are you able to meet Sienna this afternoon?’

If Sophie wanted to save her business, she didn’t have much choice. She’d just have to move her meetings. ‘What time do you want me to meet you at the nursery school?’

‘It’s probably better if I pick you up from your office and take you with me,’ he said. ‘Perhaps I could pick you up at half-past three, to give me time to brief you?’

‘All right.’

‘Thank you, Miss Firth. Or may I call you Sophie?’

‘That rather depends on whether you expect me to curtsey and call you “sir”,’ she said dryly.

He smiled. ‘Jamie will do.’

‘Sophie.’ She held out her hand. ‘So, to recap, if Sienna likes me, then my side of the deal is that I’ll be your temporary nanny until Cindy can come back to work. Your side is that you’ll buy out Eva’s share of my business, and lend me two staff while I’m nannying for you, to help with the transition.’

‘Deal,’ he said, and shook her outstretched hand.

Her skin actually tingled where he touched her. Which was so inappropriate—if this worked out, technically he would be her part-time employer and her part-time business partner. She couldn’t afford to react to him like that. Worse still, he’d quickly masked an expression of surprise, so she had the feeling that he’d felt exactly the same.

This had the potential of being a complete and utter disaster. Especially with her track record in relationships, and in any case Jamie Wallis was a single father who really didn’t have time for a relationship.

Maybe she should call off the deal.

But she didn’t have a plan C and she needed him to buy out Eva’s share of the firm. So she’d just have to ignore every bit of attraction she felt towards him and keep this strictly professional.

‘One thing I should have asked you,’ he said. ‘Given that this means you’ll be juggling your workload and it’s going to take up more time in your day, will it be a problem with your partner?’

‘I don’t have a partner,’ she said. ‘And, just to make it clear, I’m not looking for one.’ She knew that not all men were the same—her stepfather and her brothers were all wonderful—but she always seemed to pick Mr Wrong. Three years of dating Dan, and thinking that he was going to ask her to marry him when instead he’d dropped a bombshell; and then Joe, who’d lied to her from the outset and she’d felt disgusting and grubby when she’d learned the truth.

She wasn’t going to put herself through all that again, falling in love with someone who would let her down and break her heart. After Joe, she’d promised herself that she’d keep all her relationships either business or strictly platonic. ‘So I’ll see you at half-past three,’ she said. ‘You have my mobile phone number in your file. If you could text me in the next couple of minutes, so I have your number, we can keep each other posted if anything crops up.’

‘All right,’ he said.

‘And I’ll see your PA with my driving licence on my way out.’

‘Thank you, Miss F—Sophie,’ he corrected himself. ‘See you at half-past three.’

* * *

It looked as if he had a new nanny and a new business partner, Jamie thought as Sophie left his office. A bossy one who liked to run things her own way; but he thought part of that might be bluster. The fact she’d said that Sienna should make the final decision told him that she’d be fair and listen.

Sophie Firth intrigued him. She was the first woman to intrigue him since Fran. If he was honest with himself, she was the first woman to attract him since Fran—with those sincere brown eyes and a warmth that drew him—but he pushed the thought away. It would be too complicated to have any kind of relationship with her outside a purely professional one.

Plus, after what he’d done, he didn’t deserve one.

This was going to be strictly business.

* * *

‘So Jamie actually said yes?’ Eva asked.

Sophie lifted both hands in a ‘whoa there’ sign. ‘It all hinges on whether Sienna likes me.’

‘Sienna?’

‘He’s got a nanny crisis. The deal is, if Sienna likes me, I’ll be her temporary nanny until her real nanny’s broken leg has healed. And in return he’ll buy you out.’

Eva frowned. ‘So what about Plans & Planes? Are you hiring a temp to replace you?’

‘No. I’m borrowing two members of his team to help with the workload,’ Sophie said. ‘I’ll be here when Sienna’s at nursery, and I can catch up with paperwork in the evening.’

‘Well, that explains why he asked me about you and kids when he called. I thought he just wanted to double-check that you were a safe bet in business,’ Eva said thoughtfully.

‘What did you tell him?’ Sophie asked.

‘That I’ve known you since our first day at uni, and if Aidan hadn’t been headhunted we’d still be business partners when we’re really old, and you have a niece and nephew that you see all the time,’ Eva said.

Sophie relaxed. ‘Okay. Well, you certainly helped. I just have to hope that Sienna likes me—or I’ll have to start dreaming up a plan C.’

‘But you’re going to be working stupid hours, if you’re being a nanny on top of what you do here,’ Eva said, looking worried.

Sophie shrugged. ‘It’s not for ever, just for a couple of months, maybe. I’ll manage.’

She hoped.

‘So, to save me putting my foot in it, what actually happened to your cousin?’ she asked.

‘They were on holiday, two years ago, and Fran fell ill,’ Eva said. ‘She died before they could fly her home. It was so sad. She was only thirty-three.’

‘And that means Sienna was only two when it happened, so she’ll only know her mum through photos and videos. Poor little mite,’ Sophie said.

‘Jamie was devastated. I’m not sure he’s really recovered. Today was the first time I’d really spoken to him since the funeral,’ Eva said.

‘Didn’t his family rally round?’

‘One of his sisters lives in Cornwall and I think the other lives in Cumbria,’ Eva said.

No wonder he’d said they were too far away.

‘And he said his parents can’t help, either,’ Sophie said. ‘So I’m guessing they’re either too frail or they’ve passed away.’

‘Oh, they could help, all right,’ Eva said, ‘but his mum would take over. Fran said Gwen was really overbearing and forever trying to organise their lives for them. The epitome of a difficult mother-in-law.’

‘Ouch.’ That might explain why Jamie’s sisters had moved so far away from London, Sophie thought. And why Jamie seemed to keep himself at an emotional distance.

‘Fran’s mum is lovely, but Fran looked so much like her, I think it just brings back what he’s lost every time Jamie sees her,’ Eva said. ‘Plus they live in Norfolk, so they’re a bit too far away for him to be able to ask them for help.’

‘Poor man,’ Sophie said. Now she was beginning to see what made Jamie Wallis tick. And he had an even better excuse than she did for avoiding relationships: he was still a grieving widower, whereas she’d simply lost trust in her own judgement of people.

* * *

When Jamie left his office at half-past two, his PA raised an eyebrow as he passed her desk. ‘Is everything all right?’

‘Nanny crisis. I’m getting the potential temp to meet me at the nursery school,’ he explained.

Her face softened. ‘And how is Sienna?’

‘Fine. And hopefully she’ll get on with the temp.’ If he kept referring to Sophie as ‘the temp’, hopefully that was how he’d come to see her. And he was absolutely not going to think about her caramel hair and how it would be lit with gold in the sunshine. For pity’s sake. He didn’t have time to think like that about anyone.

He called in at his house to pick up the file Cindy had left for the temporary nanny while she was on holiday, showing Sienna’s routine, then drove to Plans & Planes. Sophie’s office was very different from his own; the downstairs acted as the shop front for the travel agency, but when Mara showed him upstairs, where the event management side was based, he could see that the office was completely open plan, with two small rooms that he assumed were for client meetings.

Eva, who was sitting at one of the desks, came over and greeted him with a hug. ‘You’re a lifesaver, Jamie. Thanks.’

‘Hopefully, Sophie’s going to be a lifesaver for me, too,’ he said.

‘That all depends on whether Sienna likes me. It’s the deal breaker,’ Sophie reminded him as she joined them.

‘Ready to go?’ he asked.

‘Ready.’

He handed her the file when she got into the car. ‘Cindy put this together for when she was away. It’s Sienna’s routine plus a list of answers to the kind of questions she’d expect someone to ask.’

‘That’s useful. Thank you. I’ll read it on the way to nursery school, if that’s all right with you,’ she said. ‘And maybe you can answer any further questions I might have?’

‘Sure.’ He liked the fact that she was so businesslike.

* * *

Sophie’s misgivings increased as she skim-read the file. ‘Let me get this clear. You expect the nanny to get Sienna up in the mornings, then help her get her bathed and dressed and breakfasted?’

‘And help her clean her teeth, then drop her at nursery school,’ he finished.

‘Why don’t you take your daughter to nursery school yourself?’

‘Because I have a business to run. I need to be in the office quite a while before she needs to be at nursery school.’

Sophie knew Jamie was a single father, but from what she could see the work-life balance just wasn’t there. When did he get to spend quality time with his daughter? According to this file, he didn’t even eat with her in the evenings. There was a menu of what looked like typical nursery food, which clearly she would be expected to cook. Did Sophie eat on her own, or with the nanny? Sophie’s heart sank.

Fran had died two years ago, so surely Jamie should be smothering his daughter in cotton wool rather than using his work to avoid the little girl? It sounded more and more as if he was a cold workaholic who put his business first, second and third.

Sophie could remember what it felt like to be the daughter of a workaholic, one who’d missed every school performance and every parents’ evening because he was always too busy. Her father had never had the chance to put things right because he’d died of a heart attack when she was ten. She was so aware of all the things they’d missed out on; even though her mother had remarried six years later and Sophie loved her stepfather dearly, she still missed her father and wished they’d had the chance to share things.

Maybe, she thought, she could change things for Sienna so the little girl didn’t grow up with that same hole in her life, that same sense of loneliness and wondering secretly if something was wrong with her because her dad didn’t spend time with her the way her friends’ dads did. And, even if seeing Sienna reminded him of what he’d lost, at least Jamie still had his daughter.

Jamie Wallis didn’t just need a nanny, he needed someone who could help him fix his relationship with his little girl.

And Sophie thought she might just be the one to do that.

CHAPTER TWO

WHEN JAMIE PULLED UP in the nursery school car park, Sophie asked, ‘Should I stay here in the car? Because then it won’t confuse anyone.’

‘In case Sienna decides she doesn’t want you to look after her? Good point.’ He nodded. ‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’

He climbed out of the car, went over to the gate and spoke into the intercom, and then disappeared through the gate, shutting it behind him.

Sophie read through Cindy’s file again while she was waiting for him to return with Sienna. The more she read, the more sure she was that things needed to change. Jamie was a workaholic, the way her own father had been, and he wasn’t seeing anywhere near enough of his daughter—which wasn’t good for either of them.

A movement caught her eye and she looked up. She saw a little girl walking nicely down the path next to Jamie; obviously this must be Sienna. She was a pretty child, with a mop of curly blonde hair and her father’s dark eyes.

She climbed out of the car and waited until Jamie and Sienna had reached her before crouching down so she was on the little girl’s level. ‘Hello. I’m Sophie,’ she said. ‘And you’re Sienna, yes?’

The little girl nodded shyly.

‘Sophie’s going to spend the rest of the afternoon with us,’ Jamie said, ‘so you can get to know her a bit better and decide if you want her to look after you until Cindy’s leg is mended.’

Again, there was a shy nod.

Better start as I mean to go on, Sophie thought. ‘Would you like me to help you into the car seat?’ she asked Sienna.

The little girl gave another nod, and Sophie’s heart squeezed. Maybe Sienna was just a bit shy, particularly as Sophie was a stranger. She really hoped that Sienna wouldn’t be this quiet once she’d got to know her; one of the joys of being an aunt was having a niece and nephew who chattered nineteen to the dozen to her and burst into song at the least provocation.

She opened the rear door, helped Sienna get into the car, buckled her into the car seat and double checked it before climbing in next to her and buckling up her own seat belt.

‘So what did you do today at nursery school?’ Sophie asked.

‘Painting,’ Sienna said, her voice little more than a whisper.

‘That’s nice.’ Sophie had always enjoyed the painting activities when she’d worked at Anna’s nursery school. ‘Did you bring any of your paintings home with you?’

Sienna shook her head.

Maybe the nursery school staff had kept the paintings for assessment purposes. Sophie tried another tack. ‘Did the teachers read you any stories today?’

‘Ye—es.’ But Sienna wasn’t forthcoming about what the story was, or what her favourite book was, the way Sophie’s niece Hattie would be.

Then again, a car wasn’t the easiest place to have a conversation with a small child. Sophie let the conversation lapse until they were back at Jamie’s house. Then she helped Sienna out of the car, and waited for Jamie to unlock the front door.

‘I’ll give you a quick guided tour,’ Jamie said. ‘Obviously this is the hallway.’ He took her through the downstairs, room by room. ‘Living room, dining room, playroom, my office, downstairs cloakroom, kitchen.’

The house was beautiful, a large Edwardian villa with polished wooden floors, pale walls and windows that let in plenty of light; but it felt more like a show-house than a home. There were no pieces of artwork from nursery school held to the fridge by magnets or pinned to a cork board in the kitchen; there were no family photographs anywhere, either. And Sophie had never seen such a tidy playroom in her life. It made her wonder if Sienna was even allowed to touch her toys, or maybe there was a strict rule about only playing with one thing at a time.

This definitely wasn’t a normal home. Even though her own father had put his job first, last and in between, her mother had made sure to give all three children her time and affection.

Then again, Sienna didn’t have a mother to balance out her father’s drive for work.

‘I’ll make us a drink,’ Jamie said when they reached the kitchen. ‘Coffee or tea?’

‘Coffee would be lovely, thanks. Just milk, no sugar.’

‘Would you prefer a cappuccino or a latte?’

‘As long as it’s coffee, I really don’t mind. Whatever’s easy,’ she said.

‘Fair enough.’ He made two mugs of coffee via a very posh coffee machine and poured milk into a plastic beaker of milk for Sienna. ‘I’ll be in my office if you need me,’ he said.

Obviously she and Sienna needed to spend time together so they could get to know each other, but this felt almost like an excuse for him to avoid the little girl. Or maybe she was being unfair to Jamie.

‘Shall we go into the playroom?’ she asked Sienna.

The little girl nodded.

In the playroom, Sienna agreed to do some drawing and colouring together. Sophie couldn’t help noticing how the little girl coloured very carefully, making sure she stayed within the lines, and used pastel colours. So different from her exuberant niece Hattie, who always picked the brightest colours and wasn’t in the slightest bit concerned if she coloured over the lines. The little girl reminded Sophie of herself as a child, desperate for her father’s approval and never quite getting it.

‘How about a story?’ she asked.

Again, Sienna was quietly acquiescent.

‘What’s your favourite story that Daddy reads to you?’ Sophie asked.

‘Cindy always reads my bedtime story,’ Sienna said.

‘Okay.’ Sophie’s sister-in-law Mandy had been very eloquent about the benefits of having a male role model reading to children, so her brother Will always read to Hattie and Sam at night. Maybe if she told Jamie, he might consider reading to Sienna. But, as her sole parent, why wasn’t he doing that already?