“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Cynthia said. “Mr. Steele doesn’t want an invasion of my relatives disturbing his evening.”
All three kids sent up a chorus of protests. Lucinda joined in, loudest of all.
“I don’t think he’d mind,” he said, speaking for the first time since arriving on the scene.
Five pairs of eyes focused on him. Cynthia blushed. “Oh. I thought you were still in your study. Sorry about this,” she said, motioning to the crowd around her. “They came by to see me for a few minutes, but they were just leaving.”
“There’s no need for them to go if they don’t want to,” he told her. He turned his attention to the children. “Lucinda is a great cook, but I don’t keep her busy enough. Why don’t you three go on into the kitchen and see what she has in the cupboards and freezer, then you can pick something good for dinner.”
Jenny and the boys didn’t need to be asked twice. Jenny handed Colton to her sister, then sped after the other three as they walked across the foyer and through the far door.
Cynthia looked at him. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I think you miss your family and they miss you. Oh, why don’t you give your mom a call and invite her over as well. Unless she has plans.”
An emotion flickered in her eyes. One that told him she thought he was a good man-despite all he’d told her about himself. He opened his mouth to protest her feelings, then closed it. For reasons he wasn’t about to examine he found he liked that Cynthia thought the best of him. Even if it was just for the night.
Chapter 8
Cynthia was still laughing as she walked from the dining room into the kitchen. She set the dirty dishes she’d been carrying on the counter, then paused as her mother followed her into the room.
“Your two boys are impossible,” she said cheerfully.
“Hey, I don’t deserve all the blame,” Betsy said with a grin. “They’re your brothers.”
“It’s not the same thing at all.”
Betsy put her dishes next to Cynthia’s, then turned in a slow circle as she took in the big kitchen. “Nice.”
Cynthia followed her gaze, also admiring the granite countertops, the professional size stove and built-in refrigerator.
“The rich really are different,” she told her mother. “Fortunately Jonathan isn’t one to flaunt his wealth. I don’t worry about feeling out of place here. Lucinda does her best to make me feel at home as well, and as you can tell, she’s a great cook.”
“No kidding. I thought I was good at whipping things up at the last minute, but she’s a real pro.”
Cynthia had to agree. In the time it had taken for Betsy to be invited over for dinner, then to arrive, Lucinda had thrown together an enchilada casserole and salad, frosted a two layer cake she’d baked the previous day and set the table.
Betsy began to load the dishwasher. “I’m glad you’re adjusting to being here,” she said. “You haven’t taken an in-home assignment in a few months.”
“I know.” Cynthia collected dessert plates and forks. “I’d forgotten how much fun I have with the babies. Colton is a sweetie and I’m really enjoying my time with him. Lately I’ve been so caught up in the details of running my business that I’ve missed out on the hands-on part of what I do.”
“That’s what happens when you become a tycoon,” her mother teased.
“I wish. Jonathan’s the tycoon. I’m barely starting out.”
Betsy straightened. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. In her jeans and sweatshirt she didn’t look much older than Cynthia. “You seem to be getting along with Jonathan as well.”
“He’s been great.”
Her mother sighed, then leaned against the countertop. “I know that you’re a mature adult and you have to make your own decisions, but I can’t help worrying about you where he’s concerned. He seems like a nice man. He was so good to us while you were in the hospital, but…” Her voice trailed off.
Cynthia busied herself with finding more paper napkins. She had a feeling she knew what her mother was going to say and she didn’t want to hear it.
“You have to remember who he is,” Betsy finished at last.
Cynthia set down the package of napkins and faced her mother. “What happened to me believing in myself and doing my best? Didn’t you always tell me I was just as good as anyone else?”
“Of course, and I still believe that, but that was a general comment and we’re dealing with specifics where Jonathan is concerned.” Betsy raised her hands, palms up, in a gesture that was both conciliatory and pleading. “I don’t want you to get hurt. Jonathan is a fantasy man in your life. You’ve been so busy with helping me and starting your business that you haven’t had much time to date. Looking back I see that I deserve a lot of the blame. I’ve leaned on you too much. But now I’m afraid you’re going to look at Jonathan with all your pent-up longing and see him as what you want him to be, rather than what he is.”
Cynthia forced a smile even though she wasn’t sure how successful she was in the execution. “Jonathan keeps telling me the same thing. That I see him as a nice guy, but he’s really a bastard.”
Betsy looked startled at the comment. “I wouldn’t go that far. I’m just pointing out that while to you he’s a knight in shining armor, to him, you’re his nephew’s nanny. You are my daughter and I think you’re amazingly special, but I’m not sure you’re someone he would fall in love with. I’m only concerned about protecting you.” She paused. “Does that make sense?”
Cynthia nodded slowly. “More than I want it to.”
She hated thinking about her mother’s words, but she knew they were wise and she would be a fool to ignore them. Whatever attraction might exist between her and Jonathan, it had no basis in reality.
But even as she thought that, a voice in her head whispered that the passion had been extraordinary, and she hadn’t been the only one to think so. Jonathan had been aroused when they’d kissed. Of course men got aroused all the time and did it necessarily mean anything?
“Jonathan is going through a difficult time right now,” her mother said. “He’s just lost his brother and sister-in-law and has a new baby in his life. You are the one person rescuing him. But when things settle down, he’s not going to need you so much.”
“I know, Mom,” she said. “Everything is really confusing right now, but I’ll remember what you said. I know you want to keep me safe from harm.” She hesitated. “I don’t blame you for my lack of social life. I’m the one who chose to stay home.”
Betsy regarded her thoughtfully. “I think it’s time that changed. We have to learn to live without you and you have to get back to your own life.”
“I agree.”
But the thought of moving out made her sad. She’d enjoyed being with her family on a daily basis. Still, the natural order of things said that the young grew up and left. Circumstances had changed the course of her life-possibly for the better. Now it was time to tackle her own destiny.
Did that mean Jonathan? Or should she listen to her mother and assume that nothing between them was going to work? As much as she believed Betsy’s words and knew that if she continued to think about him and long for him, she was bound to get hurt, she wasn’t convinced she could simply turn her back on the man. Certainly not while she was living in his house. And she had no intention of leaving anytime soon. They hadn’t begun to make plans for him to hire a permanent nanny.
But Jonathan kept telling her that he wasn’t a prize-that if she wasn’t careful, she
