Serenity Harbor

Milo nodded and pantomimed putting something in his mouth.

“You want me to put it in my mouth? I don’t think it would taste very good.”

That was one particular entry in the Dictionary of Milo that Bowie had figured out. “You hungry, buddy?” he asked.

Milo nodded and Bo felt a rather ridiculous sense of accomplishment.

“Want me to make you a sandwich?” he asked.

This time Milo shook his head vigorously and pointed to Katrina.

“Want me to make Katrina a sandwich?” Bowie tried.

Again Milo shook his head. Okay, so he wasn’t completely fluent in Milo-ese yet. He was working on it.

Katrina watched this encounter with an expression he couldn’t read on her lovely features. “I think he wants me to make him a sandwich.”

At this, Milo nodded his head vigorously. The little manipulator.

“Too bad. Guess he’ll have to make do with his boring brother. I’m sure you’ve got other things to do.”

“I don’t mind. I can make him a sandwich. In fact, if you have more work to do, I’m happy to stick around a little longer.”

He blinked in surprise. Now he was quite certain he hadn’t mistaken the color on her cheeks. She was blushing. He just couldn’t quite figure out why. What was he missing here?

“That’s very kind of you,” he said. “But you made it quite clear yesterday that you weren’t looking for a nanny job.”

“Um. About that.” She fidgeted. “I was actually glad Milo and Lizzie stopped by while I was at McKenzie’s house. I wanted to come over later, anyway, to talk to you.”

Bowie felt a tiny flicker of hope. Was it possible? Had she changed her mind? “Oh? Talk to me about what?”

She cleared her throat and looked out at the lake for a second before shifting her gaze back to his. “Um, I was wondering if you were still looking for someone to help you out with Milo for a few weeks.”

That flicker grew into a steady flame. He was almost afraid to let himself hope. He had three major projects at critical points in development at Caine Tech, each important to the viability of the new facility in Haven Point. He couldn’t continue to split his attention between work and his brother, since he wasn’t doing a good job of meeting his responsibilities at either end.

If she could help him over this rough patch until Debra Peters could arrive and start working with Milo, he might have half a chance of making this work.

“Yeah. Desperately. Lizzie is great to help me out in a pinch, but she appears to have a busier social schedule than a Kardashian. Are you really reconsidering?”

She shifted. “Maybe.”

Relief flowed through him. “What happened? The last time we spoke, you made it clear you weren’t interested in helping me out with Milo.”

“Circumstances can change, and so can minds.” She shrugged, still looking uncomfortable. “I can’t help you longer than a few weeks. You’re clear on that, right?”

“Yes. No problem. It will be perfect. The autism specialist I’ve hired will be here to start around then. If you can fill in the gap until she arrives, you’ll be saving my neck.”

“I mean it. My time in Haven Point is limited, and then I have...obligations in Colombia.”

What sort of obligations? She said she was teaching English down there, but he had somehow gained the impression it was a temporary gig. Maybe she had something more permanent lined up. Or maybe she had a man waiting for her there.

That particular idea didn’t sit well with him, for reasons he didn’t want to examine too closely. “Not a problem,” he answered.

“Good,” she said briskly. “Also, I might have errands to run while I help take care of the final touches on the wedding. As long as you don’t mind, I probably can take Milo with me on most of them.”

Based on his own experience shopping with Milo, he would rather have every single eyebrow hair plucked out one by one than take his brother into a store for any length of time if he didn’t have to. The grocery store meltdown the day before had been on the mild end of the scale.

But he would leave her to figure that out for herself. “That should be fine. Do you need a vehicle to drive? I’ve got several in the garage. You’re welcome to use any of them.”

“No. I left my car here when I went to South America last year, but it sat over the winter and needs some work. My uncle, er, stepfather has some loaners at his lot and says I can use one of those if I need it.”

“Take what you need from the garage. Milo likes the SUV, for what it’s worth, since it has a TV in the back. Now, about the salary...”

She blushed again, which he found utterly fascinating. “I’m fine with the amount you mentioned yesterday. More than fine. It’s completely ridiculous and entirely too much money for a few weeks’ work. But you’re desperate and I need the money, so I guess it’s a win-win all the way around.”

“Absolutely. I can even pay you in advance, if you want.”

Surprise flickered in blue eyes he suddenly noticed were the same shade of blue as Lake Haven in afternoon sunlight. “I don’t need the money right now, but I will before I go back to Colombia.”

Again that curiosity raced through him, along with a little uneasiness. She needed cash and she was going to Colombia. It wasn’t hard for his mind to jump to some obvious conclusions. Call him suspicious, but that didn’t sound like a great combination.

He had made a few assumptions about the woman, considering she’d taught at the local elementary school. Now he wondered if he should have run some sort of background check on her before he offered her a job caring for a vulnerable child.

After the chaos of his childhood, he had absolutely no tolerance for anyone involved in narcotics in any iteration.

No. He wouldn’t believe it. He was going to go with his gut on this one. Her father had been the much-beloved chief of police, and she had a brother who was an FBI agent. He had pieced that together after she told him who she was.

Whatever she was involved with in Colombia, he couldn’t imagine it had anything to do with drugs.

She obviously needed the money for something, but it wasn’t his business. He didn’t probe into any of his other employees’ personal lives.

“Half now, half when you’re done, then. That seems fair. Come inside and I’ll write you a check.”

Her eyes lit up with a raw sort of relief that she quickly concealed. “That’s fine,” she said. “Thanks. I appreciate it. And while you do that, I’ll make lunch for the hungry kiddo here.”

“Sounds good,” he said as he led the way into the house. “You should find plenty of options. I have a housekeeper who comes in three times a week to stock the fridge and prep some easy meals I can throw together.”

“That’s convenient.”

“Usually. Until I forget to add things to the list and end up having to go to the grocery store myself for a couple of items when they run out.”

He wouldn’t be sorry, even though he had been frustrated with himself the day before. If he hadn’t gone to the store with Milo, he wouldn’t have met Katrina and might be stuck for the next few weeks trying to juggle everything himself.

CHAPTER FIVE (#u8447eef0-0e4a-5b31-be04-0115090733b8)

KATRINA OPENED THE subzero refrigerator and took in the bounty of food that was entirely too much for one man and one small boy. “What kind of sandwich do you like?” she asked Milo.

The boy looked at the offerings inside the refrigerator for a long moment, brow furrowed, and finally disregarded the ham and turkey slices, instead pointing to a plain purple jar.