Nanny for the Rich White Boy (A Contemporary Interracial Romance)

By Tasha Hart

Elise just wanted a job… She got so much more.

 

Clayton Rose–who has more money than God and just hired Elise to be his daughter's nanny–is super freakin' fine. So so fine, like a smooth and tasty wine. And tasty is just the right word for him, because if it involves Elise's mouth and Clayton, she's all over it! And the fact that Clayton is a good man makes it really easy for Elise to fall for this white boy.

 

But love is never really easy, right?

 

Clayton's ex-nanny walked off the job, but when she sees Elise and Clayton getting close, she's not liking what she observes and is determined to break these two up.

 

Except Elise has some baggage, too. Namely in the form of an ex-husband who refuses to let Elise be happy if he has anything to say about the situation.

It's up to Clayton and Elise to navigate the toxic minefield of exes and hoes to get to a happily ever after. Luckily they have Clayton's cute daughter, and their love to guide them along the way.

 

Will it be enough?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Summerhouse Publishing
• Release date: Mar 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215769065

Book preview

Chapter One

Elise

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I wish I were still buried deep in the blankets on my bed, I think as I go from office to office, emptying the trash and dusting surfaces.

I work for an investment company called EZTRADE as what basically amounts to a janitor. I got the job about a year and a half ago. It’s not a bad job, really—they give me free lunch every day and it’s close to where I live. Plus, once I leave for the day, I don’t have any work to bring home. That’s a huge plus—I need my me-time.

The only problem is the pay. I’ve gotten one raise since I started here, and it’s still not enough. I’m still living paycheck to paycheck and honestly, I’m just sick of that life.

I need something that will pay all of my bills while still having some money left over to have a little savings account. I can barely put five dollars aside each week. Something definitely needs to change, and soon.

As soon as it’s time for lunch, I place my food delivery with the lunch credits they give me and put my things away. My food arrives quick, so I meet the delivery man in the lobby and then head to the custodial break room.

A chicken and avocado salad with hard-boiled eggs on the side, aka—my usual. I plop down next to my coworkers Rachel and Bryan, and dig in. My coworkers make small talk with me, but I’m barely paying attention—focusing instead on what kind of jobs I could apply for that might pay more than this one.

Hey girl, where’s your head at today? Rachel asks.

"Yeah, you’re never this quiet," Bryan remarks.

Sorry, I’m just really tired today. What were you saying?

We were talking about how Heather on floor three and Brandon on floor six got caught having an affair and now Brandon is getting a divorce.

Yeah, but Heather’s husband wants to work it out with her despite being the one that caught them, so she isn’t getting a divorce. Brandon’s super upset about it.

I heard that Heather is looking for another job, per request from her husband—as a way for him to start trusting her again.

I can understand that—how can he trust her if she’s still running into Brandon every day in the elevator?

Wow—where do you guys even get all of this information? I ask.

Oh, come on—you don’t eavesdrop when you’re cleaning up everyone’s offices?

Maybe sometimes—but I never hear anything as juicy as that, my god.

"Well, I don’t blame her for cheating—have you seen Brandon? I’d probably cheat with him too if the opportunity presented itself," Rachel says.

Don’t you have to be in a relationship to cheat on someone? I speculate.

Oh, shut up—like you can talk, Rachel laughs.

Touché. Well, nice talk guys, but I’m gonna get a head start on floor eight, so I can get out a little earlier. See you for lunch tomorrow?

See ya!

With that, I take the last bite of my salad and chuck the bowl in the trash. I grab my water and head up to floor eight, my last floor of the day. It doesn’t take long before I have just one more office to clean before I can leave.

My last office happens to belong to the head of the company, Mr. Rose. I walk right in, expecting him to be out to lunch—he’s never in his office at this time. To my surprise, he’s standing next to his desk, by the window—in what appears to be a very heated phone call.

"I don’t understand how you could do this to me—to Madeline! What am I supposed to do now? You’ve given me absolutely no notice, Bree—do you realize how unprofessional that is?!"

It seems like someone at the firm has quit on the spot—I can see why he’s so mad. I’m about to turn to leave to give him some privacy, but he motions me to come on inside. I wheel in my cleaning cart and begin to change the trash and recycling bins.

I just don’t understand how you could do this to me, after everything I’ve done for you. This is absolutely ridiculous. Yes, I understand that. Of course, I understand that—I just wish you would have given me some kind of notice. How is it that you can’t stay even for just a week while I find your replacement??

I begin straightening up his desk, doing a little light dusting while trying not to listen to his conversation. Unlike Rachel and Bryan—I’m no eavesdropper. I hate listening to other people’s conversations when I know I shouldn’t be, I always feel like I’m doing something wrong. I just hate invading people’s privacy.

Crossing the room, I straighten up the pillows on the sofa, and then start dusting off the end tables. Trying to distract myself from his phone call, I begin thinking of solutions to my financial problems.

Okay. I’m done with this conversation. Get your things out before I get off of work. Goodbye, Bree.

Mr. Rose appears to hang up the phone and plop down in the seat behind his desk.

I’m so sorry you had to hear that, Elise, he says.

I startle, turning around and facing him. Did he just call me by name? I didn’t even know he knew who I was, let alone my name.

Oh, that’s okay sir. I’m sorry to have interrupted.

Please, call me Clayton. And you didn’t interrupt, you were just doing the job you were hired to do.

I shoot him a smile, before turning back to wiping down his office windows.

"Listen, Elise—I know how much the custodial staff makes here and it’s not that much. I know this is going to sound odd, but would you perhaps be interested in making a lot more money?"

Chapter Two

Clayton

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As head of an investment firm, I deal with a lot of crap on the daily. Like, a lot. Running your own company is no joke. But I manage to do it all while keeping a level head. But when it comes to my personal life—there are some things that I just can’t keep a level head through. Especially when it comes to my daughter, Madeline.

Today, while I was trying to enjoy my lunch—I received a text—yes, a text from my nanny, Bree, informing me that today would be her last day. She gave me no explanation in her text, so naturally, I call her right away.

When I call, she tells me that she is getting married, and that the job will no longer work out for her personal life. I still don’t understand why she needs to quit effective immediately—it’s not like she’s getting married tomorrow.

It’s not that I’m specifically desperate to keep her—I’m just desperate for any nanny right now—it’s incredibly hard to find one on such short notice. As a single dad, I can’t have this right now.

If I’m being completely honest—Bree was certainly not a very good nanny. She was always very flighty—always needing to leave early, canceling shifts, changing her schedule around every month. It was more of a nuisance to have her around than not. So, the more I think about it, the more I think that maybe this is actually a good thing.

Still, my biggest worry is how I’m going to take care of my child now while running a large company and trying to find a replacement nanny. As I said—it’s not easy to get someone last minute.

Suddenly, I think about how upset Madeline is going to be. Bree may not have been the greatest employee—but Mads loved her. On the weekends when I’m home, she constantly talks about her and what they did and what they’re going to do come Monday. I don’t look forward to telling her that she’ll never see her again. She’s no doubt going to throw a fit.

As if answering my prayers, one of the members of the maintenance staff, Elise, walks in to clean up my office. I’m still on the phone with Bree, trying to understand why she has to leave today and not oh, say a week from now? Elise starts to back out, not wanting to interrupt, but I wave her in.

That’s when a thought strikes me—Elise is a great worker. I always make sure that I know each and every person employed at my firm, even the cleaning crews, and she has always been the best one.

I’ve never really spoken with her personally, but she has never taken a sick day or even been late. She always finishes her work early and does a better job than any of the other people in her department. Not only that, but she seems to be on very friendly terms with everyone that works here. That usually isn’t the case for most employees.

Unfortunately, though, she has zero background in finance—so it’s not like there’s anything for me to promote her to. But… she would make a perfect nanny for Mads, at least temporarily. She’s reliable, friendly, hard-working. I don’t see why she wouldn’t be the perfect fit.

I hang up with Bree, sit down at my desk, and apologize that she had to hear all of that, before pitching my idea to her. She stares at me, dumbfounded.

Um—are you offering me a promotion? she asks.

Well, not exactly.

Her face falls.

Look, my nanny quit on the spot today. She has some personal things going on and I guess the job just wasn’t a fit for her anymore. But the thing is, I’m a single dad. My daughter is six years old. I can’t run this company without a nanny to take care of her while I’m here. So, I’m proposing to you that you come work for me as Madeline’s nanny—at least until I can find a proper replacement.

She continues to stare at me, completely in shock. I begin to wonder if maybe I made a mistake by asking her—we don’t even know each other—she must think I’m insane to offer her this. But… I’m desperate.

I’ll triple what you make here. Free rein of any food in the house, so your meals will be covered. You’d have a driver so you wouldn’t have to waste your own gas taking her places. And if there’s anything else you’d need; I can provide that as well.

Mr. Ro—Clayton. I’m sorry but I don’t have any experience as a nanny whatsoever. I mean, I babysit my nephew occasionally but that’s about it. I’m not sure how much help I’d actually be.

Well, being a nanny is basically exactly like babysitting—I trust that you could do it. Look, if you hate it, you can absolutely return to your job here. It doesn’t have to be long-term whatsoever. You’ve worked her for over a year now and I’ve seen your work ethic. Trust me, good work ethic can be really hard to come by when it comes to childcare. I need someone that will really put their all into it—like you put your all into your job here.

Are you sure my experience level isn’t an issue?

It’s good enough for me. What do you say?

"Well—I have been thinking about getting a new job that pays more—and triple what I make here is a lot of money… so I say I’d be a fool to turn this down."

Thank you so much, Elise. You’re a lifesaver, seriously. I can’t thank you enough. How about you accompany me home right now and you can meet Madeline? I can get someone else to finish up any other work you were going to do here.

Oh, actually your office was the last one of the day for me—I’m all finished.

As usual—you do always seem to get done with plenty time to spare. How about we both gather up our things and then meet in the front lobby?

Sounds good! she says, wheeling her cart back out of my office and down the hall.

‘Phew—crisis averted.’

Chapter Three

Elise

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As I follow Clayton to his apartment, I think about how surreal this all feels. I just agreed to quit my job and take another one where I’ll be making triple what I make now. This is nuts.

Even if I do decide that I don’t want to do this job long-term, I’ll be in a much better financial situation than I