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Temptress : a Single Dad Small Town Romance (Whiskey Dolls Book 5) Jessica Prince
1) MMC–Vincent Miller: 49-year-oldVincentis justtryingto returnnormalcybackinto his life. Whenhis wife Gretchen passed away five years ago, it left not only a void in his heart, but it completely destroyed Astrid, his now 10-year-old daughter.Withthenewschoolyearabouttobegin,heneedstohireanannysinceAstridgetsoutofschoolearlierthanhe'dget offofwork.AndbecauseAstridwouldrather behomeafter school andnotinafter-school activities,Vincenthonors thatby decidingtohireananny.
Istress out loud to myselfwhile clickingthroughmyemails. Ihave about three more days before school resumes intown. Beingthetownprincipalforalltheschools,whicharen’tmanyduetolivinginasmalltown,meansImustbepresentonthe firstday.TheproblemisthatmydaughterAstridisinelementaryschoolandthatschoolletsouttheearliest.
“IfJimmywashere ”Istarttosaywhilerubbingmytemplesinfrustration Ofcourse,thethoughtofmyestrangedsongives me more ofa headache. Itwould be nice to imagine he’d step inand lookafter his sister for me.. butIknew thatwouldn’t happen. WhenGretchenpassed awayfive years ago, JimmyleftAshland rightafter her funeral and hasn’tbeenheard from since
“Hey,Mr. Miller. Ihope I’mnotinterrupting. Ijustmoved backintotown, and while browsingjob openings,Icame across yournannypostingforAstrid.Pleasetellmethatitstillhasn’tbeenfilled?”
It’s incredible how muchlife and time canchange someone. Faithgrew up here, so Iknew her and her whole family. As a youngadultinherearlytwenties,shebabysatAstridwhenGretchenandIfinallyhadhertowardsourlatethirties
“Yes,itis.ButIneedyourwholedaytobeavailableforemergenciesatherschoolifshehastostayhomesickfromschool and whenshe gets out Ihave no problempayingyoueighthours or more dailyduringthe week, evenwhenyoudon’thave her.”
Her eyes lightup atthat, and Isee we have a deal before she opens her mouth. “Wow. Ihave no problemkeepingmydays open. I’m still settling down from the move and still have many boxes to unpack. And I’m still buying furniture for my apartment,whichworksperfectlyforme”
“Well,letmeknowifyouneedanyhelpwiththat,”Iofferbecausethat’sjustthekindofpersonIam.Ialwaystrytobehelpful, even when my demeanor doesn’t match that Being a principal means you have to have an authoritative side to you Commandingrespectandbeingthepersontohelpstaffandstudentsfallinline.
Growingup,ithadbeenmydreamtobecomeaprincipal,andIusedtogetmadefunofbymypeersforsuchacareerdream I admitthatIcansometimescomeoffascoldafterlosingGretchen.MydaughterandIhadbeensubmergedindarknessforso longthatIwasstillclawingtothesurfacetowardthelight.
Herfaceisblank,anexpressionI’veunfortunatelygottenusedtoovertheyears,withnoexcitementinhereyeswhilewatching cartoons. After her mother’s passing, mydaughter shrunkinto her shell and became withdrawn. Itdidn’thelp thatmyidiot, heartlesssonalsotookoffrightafterhismother’sfuneral,nevertobeheardfromagain
“It’sokayifIstillwalkhomebymyself.Ilikewalkingalone.”Hearingthatcausessadnesstofillupinmyheart.Mydaughter has alreadybeenalone enoughsince pushingher friends away She has a best friend, Molly, withwhomshe has beenbest friendssincepreschool.
Her enthusiasmsurprises me. Ihaven’tseenher face lightup like this for years, notevenduringher lastfew birthdays and Christmases Agrinspreadsacrossmyfacetoseemylittlegirlshowingthislevelofhappiness
Ithinkto myselfindelightwhile lyingacross myqueen-sized bed inmyone-bedroomapartment. Ihad gone to the Miller’s withhighhopesthatI’dbegiventhejob.Ididn’tevenmindifIhadtointerviewforitifitmeantbeinghiredforit.
I’ve never worked a job that didn’t involve children I started babysittingat thirteenwhenI wanted to earnextra money I babysatforallmyteenageyearsandearlytwentiesuntilImovedtoReinford,abigcitythatdrewmyattention.
OnceImovedtothecity,Igotajobasadaycareteacher,discoveringhowdifferenthiringisinthecitycomparedtothetown Youhadtobuildresumes.Some jobs evenprefer references before hiringyou.Andthe backgroundcheckinvolvingrunning yourfingerprintsinthesystem?
Ihavenevermissedabirthdayorholidaytosendhercards,evengifts,toshow herthatIstill thinkofher ThebondIshare withherhasbeenoneofthebestbondsinmylife.Asadaycareteacher,Ihavemetplentyofchildrenandenjoyedlookingafter them ButtheyhavenevergivenmethekindofconnectionIhavewithAstrid
Amazingly,sheturnedouttobesuchagreatkiddespitethekindofbrothershehas.Myeyesrollslightlyatthethoughtofmy ex-boyfriend How out ofplace it always seemed withhimand his familybecause his parents had always beensuchgreat people.I’dseenpeoplegodownthewrongpathinlifeintown,anditwouldn’tbeasurprise,giventhekindofparentsthey had
Jimmyshould have never turned out like he had inthe loving, caringhome he had grownup in. I remember how muchhe resented me whenIstarted babysittingAstrid We had beenbrokenup for a few years bythen, and he figured thatsince we wereover,sowasmyrelationshipwithhisfamily.
Mr Miller looked so handsome today Has he always been like that?
Igasp outloud inpure shockover sucha bold thought Ihave never looked atMr Miller thatwayinmylife Beinginmy thirties and growing up had changed a lot for me. Before I left Ashland, I had nothing but care and respect for the man. SomethingIstillhaveforhimtothisday,butIalsofindhimattractive.
The bigcityhad crimes rangingfrompickpockets to actual assault I realized how dangerous it was to be a single woman walkingsomewhereatnightandsetacurfewtoalwaysbehomebeforethestreetlightsturnedon.
Hearingthatmakes takingthe job less frighteningfor me. All the guiltIhave feltup to this pointtransforms into reliefas I smile inappreciation. Iknow there are some things thatchildrencan’tunderstand, and maybe she still doesn’tknow whyI moved,butI’mgladshedoesn’tresentmeforit.
Ilowermyheadinsadnessathearingthat Iknowthatpeoplegrievedifferentlyandthatsomereturntothemselvesfaster To hearthatAstrid,beingasyoungassheis,continuestosufferoverthelossofhermotherweighsonmyheart.
Istill have bothofmyparents,soI’dnever understoodthe loss ofa parent Thinkingoflosingeither ofmyparents fills my heartwithsomuchhurt.Iknowtheirdaywillcomesinceweallhavetogooneday.I’mjusthopefulitwon’tbeanytimesoon.
“YouknowI’lldoanythingIcantohelp MaybeIcanweanherbackintoherfavoriteactivities I’veseenpeoplegetbackinto doingthe things they’ve lovedafter takinga stepintotryingitoutagain.Maybe all we needtodois puta paintbrushinher handandseewhathappens?”
“Thankyou,Faith.Youhavenoideahow gladIamthatyoumovedbacktotown.Ihaveafeelingthatthis will begoodfor Astrid.”
We finallysayour goodbyes and end the call withme smilingso widelyand lookingforward more thanever to seeingthat sweetgirlandspendingtimewithher,justlikeoldtimes
Istareintospace,thinkingofwhatIcandoforAstrid.Ihaveastrongsenseofdutymixedwithasparkofexcitement.Astrid, the lovely and lively girl I knew, seemed so far away now It hurt to think about how much pain she was in, but I was determinedtohelpherfeelbetter.
After that, there were books. Astrid loved stories so muchshe could eatthemup. We could bringthis passionbackto life. ThereareafewbooksthatmightinterestherthatIcouldbringover Readingmighthelpherescapehersadnessbytakingherto otherplaces.
There was also the idea ofhavingher friends over for a movie nightor a sleepover. Gettingbackintouchwithpeople she knewcouldhelphermoveforwardafterbeingalone.
Eventhoughthere were problems ahead, Ismiled. Itwould take a longtime to getbetter, butwithlove and patience, Iwas hopeful.BeforeIfellasleepthatnight,IthoughtaboutAstridandhowexcitedIwastoseeheragainsoon.
She had her first dayat school todayand is currentlyathome withFaith. All morningand earlyafternoon, myeyes would glanceatmyofficephonewheneveritrang.Pickingitup,I’dthinkitwastheelementaryschoolguidancecounselorcallingme aboutmydaughter.
I'm going through the papers on my desk without paying attention because I'm thinking about Astrid Mrs Mitchell, my secretary,walksinwithherusualbigsmile,whichfadesabitwhensheseeshowworriedIappear.
Hereyeslightupwithunderstanding,leavingmetothinkwithoutaskinganythingelse.Iwanttothankherforthat.Everybody inthis small townknows everythingabout everyone else. It's nice to have people who respect your space everyonce ina while
The call ends, and Ifeel muchlighter and calmer. Itgives me hope and determinationthatAstrid will finallybe all right. I returntoworkimmediately,butmymindisstillonAstrid Ilookatthepictureofheronmydeskeveryonceinawhile Itwas takenwhenshewashappierwhenhereyeswerebrightwithjoyandcuriosityinsteadofcloudywithdepression.
Whenshewouldtalkmyheadoffexcitedlyabouteverythingthathappenedatschool,withherfriends,oratMolly’shouse,I rememberwhensheandMollyhadsomanysleepoversandplaydatesuntilGretchenpassedaway.Afterthat,Astridrefusedto sleep outside the home and declined all invitations for Mollyto visitor for her to go to Molly’s. Ihope the two girls will reconcileandstarthavingfuntogetheragain.
Because Iwanted to gethome to Astrid, Iturned offmyoffice computer, putmythings inmybriefcase, and leftearly. The school'slonghallwaysseemtogoonforeverbeforeme,butI'mmovingforwardbecauseIcan'twaittoseemydaughter.
Icould have stayed at the office longer goingover documents, but I decided theycould wait until tomorrow Astrid is my priority,andI’mtooanxioustotalktoher.Iwanttohearinherownwordshowherfirstdayatschoolwent.
AsIwalkaroundtheschoolgrounds,IthinkabouthowFaith,beingbackintownandbeingAstrid’snanny,isalreadyturning things around.IhadtriedtogetAstridinterestedinpaintingfor years buttonoavail.After spendingacoupleofhours with Faith,Astridtellsheraboutapaintingatschool,inspiringhertopaintagain.
Sunlight inthe late afternoongives the rooma warmglow that makes the sight lookmore impressive I stop to admire my daughter.Thewayshefocusesonherworkwithdeterminationonherface.
Faithsits atthe table withher, patientlywaitingfor anyquestions mydaughter mayaskher Clearingmythroatto make my presencenoticed,Astridlooksupfromherpapertoglanceatme.
“Hi,Daddy,” she smiles atme withwarmthinher eyes before returningtoher work Idon’twanttodisturbher since she’s workingsodiligently,soIwalkovertoleandown.IkissherontheforeheadandgestureforFaithtoquietlyfollowme,soas tonotdisturbAstrid
“To be fair, she’s just doing an introductory assignment, answering questions and writing about herself. She’s supposed to present it inclass tomorrow But I’ll watchher whenshe finallyreceives homeworkfor the school subjects What do you normallydowhenshegetsfrustrated?”
I raise an eyebrow in confusion because when I stepped into the hallway with her father, she had been finishing up her introductionassignment.Wheredidmathhomeworkcomefrom?IthenrememberhowmuchthingshavechangedsinceIwasa kid Itusuallytookthefourthdayorsecondweekofschoolforustobeginreceivinghomework
Wanting to help her, I move closer and suggest, "Should we work on it together? I'll show you the step-by-step way and carefullyexplaineverything."Mywordsaremeanttoreassureherandclearupherdoubts.Astridagreesandnodsherhead. Thereisasparkofhopeinhereyesagain
WhenIfollowAstridintoherroom,I'mimmediatelystruckbyhowgirlyitlooks.Therearemanydrawingsonthewalls,soft toys everywhere, and a pastel color scheme The roomdesignspeaks to the bright kid she used to be before her mother’s passing.
Ilookupandseeaflashofsomethingshiny.Ilookoveratasmallnightstandbesideherbedandseeanoldphotoinasimple woodenframe thathas lostits color over time. It's a picture ofJimmyand me. Mychestaches, and I'mfilled witha lotof differentfeelings:anger,regret,andconfusion.
Myface falls at hearingthat. I forgot that the innocence of a child will make themquestionthings to the point where they automaticallybelievetheyareatfault.
“That’s why I ended up babysitting you because he refused to He felt that it wasn’t his job to But it is normal for older siblingstowatchovertheyoungerones.Hedidn’tcare.”
"I know, sweetheart," I saywithkindness. "But remember that someone else's approval doesn't change your worthor what you've done.This personyou've become is strongandsmart.Youshouldbe proudofyourself.EvenifJimmywere here,he probablywouldn’tappreciatehowmuchyou’vegrown Butyouhavetorememberthat’shisproblem,notyours"
Astridgives me a small smile,andfor a moment,itseems she’s finallyunderstandingthings concerningher brother."I’mso happythatyou’reback,Faith."
Fromwhere Iam, Icansee Faithat the gardentable helpingAstrid withher stuff. Ican't help but lookat her. Whenshe's focused, her forehead furrows, and whensomethingmakes her laugh, it sounds like the most beautiful melody These little thingsmakemerealizehowbeautifulsheis.
"Vincent," Iimmediatelyscold myself "She used to date Jimmy She's also 18 years younger thanyou I'mafraid that's not right."Butheartsareindependent,andminebeatsfastwheneverIseeher.It’ssuchaweirdandunexpectedexperienceforme.
Itonlygets more apparentover the nextfew days how muchIwantFaith. Isee her inthe earlymorninglight, withher hair fallingover her shouldersandher eyessparklingwithamixofsleepinessandexcitement Mychesthurts Iadmireher alot whenshelaughsatsomethingAstridsays,withherheadthrownbackandhereyeswrinkled.
Now Icangotoworkwithoutanyworriesaboutmydaughter?Astridseemstobedoingbetterinschool She’sstillsocially withdrawnfromher friends,buther teachers have saidshe participates more inclass whenshe isn’tvolunteeringtoanswer questions
Whenshegetshome,IknowshewillfinishherhomeworkwithFaith’shelp,andthentheywillhavefuntogetheruntilImakeit home
Aftertwodays,IinviteFaithtomyhouseforacasualdinnertodiscussAstrid'sprogress Astrid'sfeelingshavebeenallover the place, butshe's beenmore openand havingfunagainlately. I'mthankful thatFaithhas beenthere for me throughoutthis journey
“No need to thank me. Astrid has always been a smart kid. I understand how loss can have a heavy effect on someone, especiallyachild.Ithinkyouweretryingtobecareful,andit’swhathadyourefrainingfromgettinghertoopenup.ButonceI begantodoso,Irealizedthatshestartedcomingoutofhershell.”
"I Ifeel somethingfor you, Faith," Ifinallytell her, liftingthe weightoffmychest As Ihold mybreathand waitfor her answer, the room goes silent. I then realize I can’t just stop there and need to add more. Otherwise, I may make her uncomfortableifshe’snotalreadyfeelinglikethat
“I’msorryifitsoundsstrangeorawkwardforyoutohear.ButIrealizedIcouldn’tcontinuewithouttellingyouhowIfelt.I’m very attracted to you Not just because you’re beautiful I’m attracted to your strength Your relentless desire to help my daughter.Howkindheartedofapersonyouare.”
Now, Igo silentto see whather response will be She stares atme withher widened eyes, and Iimmediatelypanic Did I cross the line? I should have kept this to myself after all.
Wefinallybreakthekissandbashfullystareatoneanother Afterward,webegintocleanupdinner together withoutanother wordaboutthekiss.Eachleavestheothertothinkaboutwhathappened.
Beingattracted to himis one thing, buthe completelysurprised me bytellingme he’s also attracted to me. Inmyeyes, his initiatingthekissmeantthathewasinterestedinme Itsendsshiversofbothexcitementandnervousnessthroughoutmybody I wouldhavebeenfinebeingattractedtohimandnevertellinghimaboutit.
Astrid is my priority, and being her nanny is vital to me I now become worried that this will taint our professional relationship,oranyrelationshipVincentandIshare.I’dhateifthingsbecomeawkwardwithustothepointthatheeitherasks metoleavethenannyjoborIdecidetoquit.
Iwalkintothelivingroomwithheavystepsandsitonthegrayplushcouch Thefabricgiveswaytomyweightlikeit'stired Mymind is a crazywhirlwind ofthoughts, all wantingto be heard, and battlingwitheachother ina complicated dance of contradictions
The voice of reason, that annoyingpart of me, tells me I'mwrongfor havingthese thoughts about Vincent. He is, after all, Jimmy'sfather,andit’snotidealtogoforthefatherafteralreadydatingtheson
IlaughasIpushthethoughtofJimmyoutofmymind.Hehaslongsincefadedintothebackgroundofmylife,leavingonlybad memories and a faded picture of a destroyed relationship. Why should he be considered a factor in my attraction to his
father? What's the point of letting his shadow control my decisions and stop me from being happy?
I'mlostinmythoughts andkeeppacingbackandforthacross the livingroom The worncarpetsoaks upthe restless energy frommyeverystep.Stoppingsuddenlyinfrontofthefull-lengthmirror,IlookatmyselfandseethatInolongerlooklikethe womanIusedtobe.
Should I not feel this way about Vincent? Idon'tknow,andhonestly,Idon'tcare.IonlyknowthatI'mfollowingmyheart,and thisisthefirsttimeinalongtimethatmyheartistakingmesomewherefabulous
MyheartbeatsquicklywiththoughtsofVincentasIfinishgettingreadyforbed ItmakesmethinkofhowexcitedandnervousI waswhenIhadmyfirstcrushinschool.Thisseemsmoreintensethanthefirstcrushfeeling. Do I feel this way? Acrush on an older man who is also my ex ’ s father? Ithinktomyself,laughingwithshockanddisbelief
For some reason, Ianticipate his response and whatever he will sayto me. Will he give me a mild replybackor send me somethingsweet?ThenextthingIknow,halfanhourhaspassedby.There'snothing,however.Noanswer.Icheckmyphone everyfewminutes,becauseIneedhismessage.Thescreenstaysblank,andmyheartissinking.
Now Ifeel thatI’ve wasted mytime. Anhour has finallypassed, and youwould have thoughtIdaydreamed aboutthatkiss happeninganditnotbeinghonest.Isighindisappointmentandfeelsillyatthismoment.
Myphonegetsthrownbackonthenightstandtoohard. Why did I bother to text him? Maybe I jumped the gun? But he told me he was interested in me and kissed me
Ilightlyknockonthe door and waitfor the voice tellingme to come in Iturnthe knob and enter the office to Mrs Harper sittingbehind her desk. She has a bowl of beef stew inher office that she’s enjoying. I immediatelyfeel bad and beginto apologize.
“Ijustneed some advice…” myvoice trails offas she nods her head, invitingme to take a seatacross the deskfromher. I closethedoorbehindmeandtakeaseat.Ifiddlewithmyfingersinsilencebeforefinallyfindingmyvoice.
MyheartachesatthesadnessIfeelformydaughterandhow herhappinessseemstohavebecomeadistantmemory.Iadmit thatshe’s gottenbetter since Faithbecame her nanny. ButI’mworried abouthow longthis will last. Idon’twantthis to be temporary,andthen,oneday,Astridwakesupfeelingdepressedagain.
Itake a momentto lether words sinkinbefore she continues, "Take a lookatitthis way. It's notyour job to fixAstrid or determine whatshe's goingthrough Youare givingher strengthandstabilityduringa roughtime Youare the lighthouse that helpshergetthroughthestorm."
Throughherwords,shepaintsapictureofhopeandstrength,ofAstridstandingtalldespitethehardthingsthathavehappened toher."Remember how muchAstridlovedpaintingandfeltproudandhappywhenshefinishedapiece?ThatAstridis still inside,readytocomeoutagain ThisAstridcanreturntolifewithyourhelpandbeliefinher"
