From Loss To Love Box Set Read online

  “No, no.” Maddy raised a hand to calm him. “She’s right! The person who was responsible for the inconvenience should take responsibility. Right, Geraldine?”

  Gerry stared at her with blank eyes, not fully understanding what she was getting at.

  “I’ll eat the soft cereal,” she got up and started pouring milk and cereal into another bowl. “And you’ll get a crispy batch.” She pulled the old bowl closer to her and placed the new one in front of Gerry.

  “See?” She smiled victoriously. “Grown-ups, too, should play by the rules.”

  Hank watched Gerry shrink into her seat, unable to argue with Maddy’s logic. As she ate the first spoon of her breakfast, his eyes moved to look at this new woman who was treating a five-year-old like an adult. She seemed to happily eat the soggy cereal, keeping to herself.

  Did she really just teach his bratty daughter a lesson about owning up to one’s actions and taking responsibility without punishing her? That was an approach none of the other nannies adopted.

  Impressive. Five points.

  He noticed how that little dimple made its appearance on her cheek as she chewed her food, something moved inside of him.

  How old was she again? He took a mental note to have another look at her resume when he got the chance.

  “Gerry has tennis practice at ten,” he addressed Maddy, who looked up at him, listening intently. “Lunch at one, and violin at three. I’ve instructed William to email you her full schedule.”

  “Great.”

  “At four, she eats a snack and starts on her homework. At eight, I have to go out. That’s when she watches a film of her choosing—you’ll find access to our film library in the email.”

  “Okay.”

  “She goes to bed at ten, no exceptions.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “I’m going to a birthday party tomorrow!” Geraldine announced, trying to be part of the conversation.

  “That’s right. Gerry’s friend, Emily Atkins, turns six tomorrow. The party is at the Atkins residence in Greensdale. Brad, the driver, will take you there at one. The party ends at five.”

  “Sounds exciting!” Maddy turned to Gerry. “I can’t wait to meet your friends!”

  Gerry gave her a forced, closed-lip smile before returning to silently eating her cereal.

  “Daddy, can I get a new laptop when it’s my birthday?”

  “Wha—” he scoffed, shaking his head “You got a new laptop for your last birthday.”

  “It will be a year old by then!” she objected.

  “Laptops live to be your age, Gerry. Cut it out.”

  Exhaling in frustration, Gerry stared at her bowl and resumed eating.

  “So, what do you do on your laptop?” Maddy tried to be friendly again.

  Persistent. Six points.

  “School stuff. Games. And I find ideas there.” Her monotonous speech conveyed how uninterested she was in the conversation.

  “Ideas!” Maddy tilted her head in amusement. “For what?”

  “I make things.” Short answer. Still uninterested.

  “Wow, that’s amazing!” Madeleine theatrically turned her head to look at Hank and said, “You have yourself a little maker!”

  “She’s a maker, alright.” The phone in his pocket vibrated, and he slowly pulled it out under the table to look at it. When he raised his eyes, he caught Maddy glaring at him.

  Is she scolding me with her stare?

  Quickly glancing to see that Gerry was still busy with her breakfast, he looked back at Maddy who was still staring at him and his phone.

  Who does she think she is?

  Sliding it back into his pocket, he made another mental note to speak to her about that later.

  When breakfast was over, Hank excused himself to get some work done. Leaving Madeleine with Geraldine, he went over to William who was in the kitchen.

  “Will, can you do me a favor? Would you keep an eye on them for me?”

  “Goes without saying, Mr. Hank. After all, she’s still a complete stranger.”

  “Oh,” he chortled, patting William on the back, “it’s the other way around, actually,” he shook his head, “I’d like to see how much of Gerry’s acting out she can take. For some reason, I feel like Geraldine wants her dead.”

  “Ah,” William let out a reserved laugh, “Well, she’s only a child. I’ll let you know if anything unusual happens.”

  “Thanks, Will.”

  Retiring to his study, he poured himself a glass of Scotch.

  Brand new nanny, brand new bratty attitude... I earned this.

  As he settled behind his desk, he opened his laptop and set his phone down beside it. Launching the email client and checking his chat application, a dozen thoughts started racing through his mind. While most of them revolved around work and his travels, a small mental image of Madeleine’s left dimple made him smile at the one-hundred-and-twenty-one unread emails in his inbox.

  Chapter 3

  Madeleine.

  Emily’s birthday party was held at the Atkins mansion. Everything was supersized—the garden decorations, the pool, the bouncy house, the cake... everything within sight. Each of the children was accompanied by either their mother or their nanny. As she expected, the mommies’ table and the nannies’ table were at polar ends of the enormous garden.

  After the kids played, ran, enjoyed the clown bit and ate the birthday cake, they started splitting into mini-groups. As Madeleine watched from the nannies table, she noticed that Geraldine and another boy her age were alone in the crafts corner.

  “Who’s that kid with Gerry?” she leaned to ask Nadia, one of the nannies.

  “Oh, that’s Jared Michaels. They’re so sweet, aren’t they?”

  “Yes,” she said, smiling. “They are.”

  She got up and walked over to where they were playing. As she approached, she glimpsed some details of what they were doing. She saw assorted boxes of beads and threads of every color, glue, paper, glitter, and every kind of ribbon under the sun.

  “Whatcha got there?” asked Madeleine.

  Sitting on the grass, Gerry rolled her eyes as she looked up. “Jared, this is Madeleine, my new nanny. Madeleine, this is my friend, Jared.”

  “Hi, Jared! Nice to meet you!” Bending her knees, she shook his hand.

  He was an enthusiastic little kid with adorable brown curls. “Same! Wanna make something?”

  “What are you making?” She gave up and sat beside them.

  “Gerry says she wants a bracelet, but I think I’m making a web!”

  “A web! What for?”

  “Like Spiderman’s web!” He clutched a bunch of white beads of different sizes.

  That’s actually impressive.

  “Wow, you think you can do that?”

  “Totally! Watch!”

  He started to craftily tie the threads together forming a center knot.

  As his hands worked, she turned to Geraldine. “How’s that bracelet coming along?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t decide on the colors.”

  “Would you like me to help?”

  Gerry looked at her outfit, slowly running her eyes over the top, jeans, socks and shoes.

  Although she was only a child, Maddy felt like she was being openly judged. She felt the hot blood rushing to her cheeks.

  “Yea, okay,” Gerry said with a shrug.

  I got a five-year-old’s fashion stamp of approval. Wonderful.

  The rest of the party went smoothly, and Maddy was relieved to have finally found something to bond over with Gerry.

  On the drive back home, she checked the schedule for the rest of the day on her phone. Pleasantly relieved that Gerry had no more activities scheduled for the day, she took a deep breath and turned to her.

  She was mindlessly staring out of the window, her eyes trying to follow the fast-moving trees and light posts.

  “So, are you tired?”

  “Not really.”

  “What woul
d you like to do next?”

  “I don’t know.” She looked at the bracelet she was now wearing. “Maybe draw a little then watch a movie.”

  “You like to draw?”

  She nodded, glancing at Madeleine briefly, before turning to look out of the window again.

  They spent the rest of the day trying to paint a picture of the view outside Gerry’s bedroom window. Not wanting to limit her creativity, Maddy watched in amusement as Gerry insisted on coloring the tree trunks in turquoise, the leaves in purple, and the pool in neon yellow.

  “You like your book imagination. I like my colors,” the little girl said.

  Impressive logic.

  After painting for a couple of hours, Gerry wanted to have her snack out on the balcony.

  Madeleine asked, “What’s your favorite movie?”

  “My favorite movie is a grown-up movie. But my favorite kids’ movie is Beauty and the Beast.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s realistic.”

  “How? Everything speaks in that house, even the tea kettle. And a monster turns into a man!”

  “I meant the idea. Sometimes we meet people we don’t like right away, but then, when we get to know them, we find out that they’re really good people.” She paused as she took a bite of her snack. “Dad says if I draw more, I can make a movie!”

  “Of course! You can do whatever you want!”

  “Mom didn’t make anything. She just... died.”

  “Oh, sweetie!” The statement took her by surprise. “But she made you! And gave you talents and brains...”

  She looked at her for a moment pensively, before looking down. “I didn’t think of it like that.”

  “Besides, I’m sure she made things before you were born, too!”

  “I don’t know. I never see her things.”

  “You’re still very young. Maybe your dad will show you some when the time is right.”

  “She died young, maybe I will, too.”

  “Did you ever tell you dad these things?”

  “Yes. He keeps telling me that nobody knows when they’re gonna die, and that I shouldn’t think about it too much.”

  “He’s right! You know, my grandma is eighty-three years old!”

  “I don’t think I can count that much.”

  “See? Life is filled with surprises.”

  “Do you wanna be my friend?”

  Her eyes widened. “Of course! I’d be honored!”

  “Okay, you can call me Gerry now.”

  “And you can call me Maddy!”

  The hours passed quickly after that. At ten o’clock, Gerry was in bed.

  Struggling with insomnia like she always did on the first few nights in a new bed, Madeleine decided to take her Kindle and read out in the garden.

  It was a warm evening and the clear sky was decorated with a thousand stars. As she curled up on a chair by the pool, she threw her head back and followed the patterns. Seeing the Milky Way in its entirety, she wondered what the sky looked like in the middle of her city.

  The loud revving of Hank’s Ferrari prompted her to adjust her head, squinting at his silhouette as he got out of the car. As he strutted slowly towards her, she could gradually see more details as he came more and more into the range of light. He was wearing a pair of slim tapered Guess jeans in dark wash, and a plain white tee.

  Dressing down without spontaneously combusting, I see!

  “Good evening.” He sounded sober as always.

  “Good evening, Mr. Lorum.” She smiled politely, hugging her Kindle.

  She could now fully see how he wore his blond hair in a wavy brushed up shag. The smell of black musk filled the air, and she automatically took a deep breath, inhaling his manly aroma.

  Damn, you’re hot.

  “Playing a game on your iPad?” he joked, sitting on the chair across from her.

  She giggled softly, turning the Kindle for him to see. “Reading, actually.”

  “Ah.” He blinked a couple of times, running his fingers through his hair, messing up its style. “Oscar Wilde?”

  “Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire.”

  “How are you liking it?”

  “It’s good. Have you read it?”

  “Didn’t get around to it.” He shook his head, looking sleepy. “How was your day with Gerry?”

  “Very good, actually. I didn’t know she was an artist!”

  “She takes after her mother. Lily was a painter,” he said, voice low and relaxed.

  “Oh, I see.”

  “Were the Atkins nice?”

  “Very! Yeah... their house is massive.” She chuckled.

  “Yeah.” He laughed. “I’m not too keen on big houses.”

  “Maintenance?”

  “Ghosts.”

  She laughed, this time letting it get a little loud.

  He’s funny, too. Have mercy!

  “I’m sorry,” she breathed out between her laughs. “You were joking, right?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” He shrugged playfully.

  What a tease.

  His phone started ringing in his pocket.

  “Ah, the Beijing call. Excuse me.” He jumped out of the chair and marched towards the villa, taking two steps at a time. It explained why he came home relatively early for a single man his age. Work.

  She wondered if he was seeing someone, or if he had the time to date at all.

  Would be a waste if he didn’t.

  She spent the next hour reading in silence, pausing every now and then, thinking about the reason why this stunning, wealthy, funny man was still single three years after his wife’s passing.

  Was he still mourning her death? Was grief too much to handle? Was that why he buried himself in work, obsessing over turning his father’s company into a giant empire? Was that why he never showed Gerry her mother’s creations?

  Too many questions were brewing inside her curious mind like a hurricane getting ready to hit. Before she knew it, it was already two in the morning.

  Shit!

  They had breakfast at eight in the morning every day, and she wanted to do her job right. Showing Geraldine what it meant to be a responsible human being meant that she couldn’t be late or miss any occasion. As she raced inside, she rushed getting ready for bed. After all, she knew that her mood became disastrous when she didn’t get eight hours of sleep.

  Damn you, Hank Lorum, and your untouchable face!

  In her dreams that night, he opened up to her, telling her everything there was to tell about his late wife and his life as a single father. It wasn’t cheerful but it felt better than sex.

  Chapter 4

  Hank.

  The days went by peacefully, and Hank was satisfied with the way Maddy was handling Gerry. He noticed that they were growing closer with each passing day, and that Gerry’s bratty behavior was starting to subside. Maddy treated her like an adult, and the results were magical.

  For the first time ever, Gerry put away her toys after playing with them. She finished her food without complaining. She even did her homework, the subjects she loved and hated alike, without giving anyone a hard time.

  Even William noticed. One night, he visited Hank in his study just to tell him that he thought that Madeleine was a good fit for Geraldine’s unique needs.

  It was a cool Friday night and his last meeting dragged on until ten-thirty. By the time he arrived at the house, Maddy had already put Gerry to sleep, and William had retired for the night.

  Opening the fridge, he grabbed a box of leftover pizza and took out a slice. He always enjoyed cold pizza, though Lily had thought he was just lazy. Pacing around with the box in one hand and a half-eaten slice in the other, he walked past the library to realize that there was light coming from under the door. He took a couple of steps backwards.

  He knocked on the door once before opening it, walking in to find Maddy curled up in his big reading armchair with his rare copy of Edgar Allen Poe’s Tamerlane and Other P
oems.

  His eyes widened in horror.

  She turned at the sound and saw his horrified look. She blurted out, “I—I’m being very careful with it, I promise!” She lowered her feet to the floor, cradling the book with both hands like she was holding a newborn baby.

  In his frozen pose, he realized how ridiculous he must have looked with the pizza, striped pajama pants, and the old tee with holes in it. He tried to act less alarmed.

  “No, it’s—” He struggled to find the words as he slowly walked towards her. “It’s really okay.”

  “No, I know how rare this is. It must’ve cost you a fortune. But to hold it and read it...” She sighed with excitement.

  “You—” He lowered his head and looked at her from under his eyebrows. “You know.”

  A hundred points!

  “I do. I just can’t afford to own it.”

  With an apologetic smile, she closed the book, gently placing it on the table next to the chair. He observed as her innocent smile revealed that damned dimple again.

  Why is it so delicious?

  “I’ve read everything he’d ever written, except for this one.” She shyly shrugged with one shoulder, tilting her head.

  “The Bostonian?” He smirked.

  “Yeah,” she chuckled, “The Bostonian.”

  “Don’t you find him depressing?” He sat down on the couch by the side wall, placing the pizza box next to him.

  “I was an English Lit major.” She started wringing her hands. “I like to think that I at least know the difference between depressing and beautiful.”

  His eyes fixated on her hands for a moment, noticing for the first time that she wasn’t wearing any rings.

  “Yet you chose to be a nanny.”

  “Well, I couldn’t become a book, so...” She tittered, “It was the next best thing.”

  “Oh, how rude of me.” He raised the half-slice he was still holding. “Cold pizza?” he said with a smile.

  “Is there any left?” she joked, eyeing the box.

  “Totally.” He opened the box, revealing an entire half. He was ready to get up, but she beat him to it, quickly picking up a slice and retreating to the chair.

  Likes cold pizza. One point.

  “Thanks.” She took a bite, looking back at her seat “Is this your spot? I’m sorry.”