Semua Bab A CURVY NANNY FOR THE BILLIONAIRE: Bab 1 - Bab 10

SEVEN MONTHS EARLIER There had to be something she could do, but what? Nicola Rhymes looked at her surroundings and sighed. She jumped at the chance to leave her past behind, come to another city, and plan her future here, in Long Beach… And now…? Well, she was in over her head. She had always been the one who wanted out… Out of the family, out of the drama, out of an unhealthy relationship, out of everything. Well, no one told her ‘be careful what you wish for, sweetie!’ because now she was stuck in a tiny apartment in the worst neighborhood in Long Beach, with no clue what to do. With no light at the end of the fucking tunnel.“This situation is slowly killing my spirit,” Nicola murmured. “If only Daphne would send me a sign…” She put her head in her hands and sighed. On the computer screen in front of her, was her budget for the next three months. No matter which way she plotted and planned, she only had

The following morning, Nicola entered ‘Echols Enterprises’ and made her way across the marble-floored lobby to the bank of elevators. The sound of her pumps striking the floor was loud to her ears and she had to resist the urge to tiptoe. At the elevator, she pushed the button and tucked several strands of long blond hair behind her right ear. When the elevator arrived, Nicola stepped inside and pressed the button for the top floor. The doors slid open a minute later and Nicola walked out into a classy reception room. Daphne sat behind a desk talking on the telephone. She glanced toward Nicola and acknowledged her presence with a wave of her well-manicured hand. While she waited for Daphne to end her phone conversation, Nicola looked at the painting on the wall in front of her. It was of a catamaran sailing across the blue waters of a sea… or maybe an ocean. The sun was hanging high in the sky casting brilliant shades of white and yellow on the

“Daddy, wake up! Let’s have breakfast! Wake up! Wake up!” Blake felt Iris's small hand pat his left cheek, then the right one. He opened his eyes and stared at the little girl who was standing beside the bed. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt with a picture of Anna and Elsa from the Disney cartoon ‘Frozen’ on the front. Her brown hair was up in pigtails, the left side was slightly lopsided. Taking his eyes off her, Blake glanced at the clock on the bedside table and saw it was a few minutes after seven-thirty. He reached out, grasped Iris gently, and lifted her onto the bed. She curled up next to him and he kissed her forehead.“Good morning, my sweet ray of sunshine.”“Good morning, Daddy,” Iris answered.“Tell me, baby girl, does Alma know where you are?” Blake asked. Iris shook her head.“Yeah… I didn't think so,” Blake said dryly. He brushed Iris's bangs out of her eyes.“Sweetie, in order to have breakfast together, I need to get up and

Nicola glanced around the table at everyone. This was her first lunch in a new house, with people she didn’t know but, somehow, she was feeling… at home. Like Alma, Bruce and Albert were her family... like Iris was her own daughter. They were all so nice to her. Questions about Blake raced through her mind, but she dared not ask them. Nicola knew whatever she said or did would get back to Blake and the last thing she wanted was to give him a reason not to hire her. Shoving the questions to the back of her mind, Nicola inserted a forkful of peas into her mouth and chewed slowly. Swallowing, she reached for the glass of water in front of her and took a drink. Just then, a pea suddenly shot across her field of vision.“Iris Echols!” Alma gasped. “I can’t believe you just did this!” Nicola heard the little girl giggle. Her lips twitching, she set her glass down and looked at Iris who sat on her right.“Iris, sweetheart, the food Albert so

A month had come and gone since the day he hired Nicola and Blake realized this was one of the wisest decisions he ever made. He saw a change in his house now that she lived under his roof. Iris was laughing more. Alma, Bruce, and Albert were smiling more. It was as if everyone had been in a daze before she came along and somehow, she had brought them out of it. Nicola was the sun inside his house, always ready to take care of everything and everybody, always ready to help solve all the problems. Blake was sitting in his office thinking about how fortunate Iris was to have her as a nanny when the intercom on his desk suddenly came on and Daphne started to speak.“Sir, Miss Pendergast is here to see you.” He swore under his breath, then reached out and pressed the intercom button.“I have a meeting in ten minutes. Tell her to come back later,” Blake said. “Or never, for all I care.”“Yes, sir,” Daphne replied. Blake