The SEAL’s Beautiful Nanny: The Admiral’s SEALs, #2

By Leslie North

Sometimes opposites attract. And sometimes dreams come true…

 

Former Navy SEAL Colin Vale is looking for a good woman, someone responsible enough to be a mother to his adopted daughter, Sofia. And there's one thing he's sure of… That woman is not Lily Rhodes. Lily, Sofia's new nanny, is a free spirit, whose only priority seems to be chasing her dreams. But despite Lily's flighty nature, Colin can't can't seem to get her out of his mind.

 

The last thing Lily wants is to settle down before she has a chance to explore, to live. But that doesn't mean she isn't wildly attracted to Colin. He's the hottest guy she's ever met, but this nanny gig is only temporary. The problem is, the longer she stays, the less she wants to leave. And that scares the daylights out of her.

 

When Lily is offered an opportunity that would bring her time with Colin and Sofia to an end, she's forced to make decision that could change all their lives. How can she choose between love and dreams, when now they're one and the same…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Relay Publishing
• Release date: Jun 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201534103

Book preview

1

Lily yanked on her favorite khaki pencil skirt and slipped her feet into sensible beige flats. She was reaching for a white sweater set when her hand stilled. This outfit was all the things she’d promised herself she would no longer be: boring, predictable, conventional.

Kicking off the flats, she dug in the bottom of her closet for a pair of red wedge heels and grabbed a flowy silk top with a red and orange swirl pattern. Maybe a bit bold for a job interview, but if nothing else, she’d make an impression.

Not bad. Lily studied her reflection in the mirror after getting dressed. She liked the way the heels highlighted the definition in her calf muscles and how the blouse brought out the color of her lips. She’d bought both pieces on impulse the summer before, all the while knowing they were too bright for her drab teacher’s wardrobe.

For her new life, one of adventure and free choice, the outfit was perfect.

Too bad freedom didn’t come with a salary, she thought with a grimace. She wanted time to explore who she was and figure out what she wanted in life. But her apartment wasn’t rent-free, and her savings from her job at the Hartford Academy were rapidly disappearing.

And she’d be damned if she’d accept one penny from her father, not after the way he’d scoffed at her artistic aspirations for years and not-so-good-naturedly teased that he’d have to support her because she was too much of a dreamer.

Nope. No way. She’d try for this job as a nanny. The toddler’s father had seemed okay with Lily’s insistence that the job would be temporary. She might need some cash, but she had no desire to get locked into a long-term commitment. And after a few years of teaching and a lifetime of helping to raise her seven younger siblings, she knew plenty about caring for kids.

Temporary, she said to herself as she swiped on mascara and added lip gloss. With a last nod at her reflection, she hitched her sensible purse over her shoulder and snatched up the folder with her résumé and notes about the job.

With her hand on the doorknob, she checked out the peephole, carefully searching for creepy John Stout. His apartment door across the hall was shut, but she knew if he heard her leaving, he’d intercept her as he’d done so many times in the past months. His car was in the parking lot; she’d spied it from her bedroom window. Her put-on confidence waned. She’d have to be cautious to avoid him.

Carefully, she opened the door and closed it quietly behind her. As fast as she could, she got to the end of the hall, then went down the stairs instead of taking the elevator where she might get trapped. She made it out the building door and to her car without being stopped. She was probably being paranoid, since she had no reason to think he was stalking her, but John seemed to be everywhere she was, and it had only gotten worse after he asked her out and she turned him down.

With an inward shiver, she started her car and pulled out of the lot, grateful that the nanny job, if she got it, was a live-in position. She could leave her apartment and creepy John behind for good, plus save money for whatever endeavor was in her future.

The address Colin Vale had given her wasn’t far. As she drove, she reviewed what she knew about him and his daughter. He had made no mention of Sofia’s mother, other than to suggest he had complete custody of the child. He was looking for full-time help because of his job responsibilities that required him to work evenings and be on call. He hadn’t elaborated on what that job was.

He had, however, sounded younger than she expected a man with a child to raise to be. She admitted that increased her curiosity about him, but so long as he was a decent man and offered her the job, she’d take it.

Lily turned onto Silvan Street and sucked in a breath. Oh, wow, she whispered, her eyes sweeping over the neat houses lined up on either side of the road like soldiers in formation in the watery January sunshine. They were all identical in design, and the only color choices appeared to be white, beige, and gray.

Who would want to live here? But it wasn’t unlike where she’d grown up. The houses in her parents’ neighborhood were larger, statelier, wealthier… but equally regimented.

She pulled to the curb in front of number seventy-four, a white house with nothing to distinguish it from the homes on either side. If she lived on this street, she’d have to paint her front door neon pink just to find her way home.

As a temporary address for a few months, she could manage it. She squared her shoulders, brushed her dark hair behind her ears, and made her way up the straight sidewalk to the door. The bell had barely stopped ringing when the door was opened by a tall, imposing man.

In a second, she took in his appearance. Dark hair cut close, gorgeous blue eyes like the ocean on a sunny day, a physique that suggested power and strength. All that and one of the most handsome faces she’d ever seen. And he was young—not quite thirty, she decided.

Job interview. She gave herself a mental slap and stuck out her hand. This wasn’t a date. But, geez, if it were…

Hi, I’m Lily Rhodes. Her voice sounded surprisingly level, but she was glad she got the words out before her hand was encased in his large, warm one. A frisson of interest shot through her at his touch, knocking her almost speechless.

Colin Vale, he replied. Come in. He stepped back, letting her past him into his home.

His very white home. Her eyes swept the living room, checking off the details. White walls, white carpet, white sofa and chair. Yikes. The man had a toddler in this? There was no sign of it. No toys, no food stains, no signs of… living.

Her father would love this place, she thought. The math professor would see the blankness as pure and limitless, like an equation waiting to be solved. To Lily it looked like a canvas yearning for color to transform it, give it warmth and vitality. Green, she decided, soft shades of green were what the room called for.

A glimmer of color showed in a glass display case against the far wall. Playing cards. She made out deck after deck, many of them old, worn, maybe even antique. Interesting. Was he a gambler? Was that his thing? She was curious, but it wasn’t her place to ask about his personal habits.

She did worry about the whiteness of his house, though. Should he hire her, how would she supervise a two-year-old well enough to keep the pristine order all around her?

Won’t you sit down? He gestured to the white sofa, and she gingerly sat on the edge. You mentioned on the phone that you had experience with kids.

That’s right. Did she ever. I’m the oldest of eight.

His eyes grew wider, a reaction that was more controlled at her announcement than she usually received. Large families generally surprised and fascinated people.

That must have been interesting, he said as he sat across from her. His long limbs stretched out before him, but he wasn’t relaxed.

It was. And limiting, since everything she did had to be for the good of the family. She’d shouldered responsibility and obligation from a young age almost unconsciously—until recently, when she’d decided to shake that loose and live for herself. But this wasn’t the time to acknowledge the downside of family life. I’ve helped care for babies and toddlers for many years. And, as a teacher, I’ve been responsible for the welfare of older students.

You taught at the Hartford Academy. He named the private school fifteen miles outside of town where she’d been employed until a few months before.

That’s right, she confirmed, knowing that he was going to ask why she was no longer teaching at the school. I was there for three years as a sixth-grade math teacher.

You left midyear. He was watching her in a way that made his statement feel like a polite interrogation. That’s unusual.

Practically unheard of. Teachers tended to work out their contracts, but the circumstances hadn’t allowed for that. She’d promised herself she would be completely honest about her forced resignation, especially since she’d done nothing wrong. If Colin Vale was a decent man, he’d recognize that.

I suppose you’d like to know what happened, since you would be entrusting your daughter to me, she offered.

Tell me. His words were more a command than an invitation. He was accustomed to giving orders and having them followed. Military? Definitely, she concluded, based on his appearance and demeanor.

Hartford awards a few scholarships a year to high-achieving students from low-income families, she began. It’s not easy for those kids. They wear hand-me-down uniforms and are often unable to participate in extracurricular programs because they can’t afford the additional fees.

So it’s obvious who they are, he said, his keen eyes sharp on her.

Very, which can open them up to ridicule from other children. One of my students, a very bright and promising girl, was bullied repeatedly by the son of a wealthy family. He mocked and taunted her, and finally he turned to physical abuse. He shoved her so hard she fell and broke her glasses. Prior to that, I’d reported his behavior to the headmaster, who did nothing about it. I tried to give her advice on how to handle the situation, but she was only eleven. No child should be expected to fight that battle on her own. She had been outraged at the school’s lack of response and empathy. "After the last incident, I insisted to the headmaster and board of trustees that something be done. Their response was to protect the boy, because his parents are important people and donors to the school’s annual fund."

During her time at Hartford, she’d seen similar situations, but this was the most blatant. Due to my interference on the girl’s behalf, I was given the choice to resign or be terminated. She could have disputed the termination, of course, but with no guarantee of a positive outcome. Besides, after the school’s leaders had made it so clear where their priorities lay, she didn’t have much interest in staying on there, even though leaving had put her finances in jeopardy.

There it was in a nutshell. She sat back, waiting for him to judge her actions.

What happened to the girl? he asked.

She liked that that was his first question. It said something about where his priorities were. Her father had declared that she’d stuck her nose where it didn’t belong and blamed her for causing a ruckus, but this man saw the situation differently.

I contacted a friend of mine who teaches at a magnet school nearby, and after testing the girl, they enrolled her in the gifted program there. It had been as close to a happy ending as Lily could have expected.

It turned out well for your student, he concluded, but not for you?

She shrugged. In the three years at Hartford, she had learned that teaching was not her passion. As much as she respected her fellow teachers, Lily couldn’t imagine dedicating her life to the profession. I’m seeing my resignation as an opportunity to explore other options, which is why I said I could be your nanny on a temporary basis. I’m not sure what I want in life, but I know I want the freedom to find it.

Find yourself? He looked doubtful, and she imagined that he had always known exactly who he was and what he wanted, which meant he thought her wish was silly. Whatever. His opinion wasn’t her concern.

Yes, she said, unwilling to explain herself any more than that.

He leaned back in his seat, regarding her. Had she blown the interview by being too honest? Maybe, but she refused to play it any other way.

Well, Ms. Rhodes, he said, I like your character, and the references you gave me checked out. If you want the nanny position, it’s yours—assuming you and Sofia get along. I just ask that when you decide to leave, you give me enough notice to find a replacement.

I can assure you of that. And please call me Lily. She was relieved to get the job, even if it wasn’t ultimately what she wanted to do with her life. When would you like me to meet Sofia, Mr. Vale?

Colin, he reciprocated. "Would tomorrow be too soon? If the two of you click, you can move