CHAPTER 3

          The following morning, Nicola entered ‘Echols Enterprises’ and made her way across the marble-floored lobby to the bank of elevators. The sound of her pumps striking the floor was loud to her ears and she had to resist the urge to tiptoe.

          At the elevator, she pushed the button and tucked several strands of long blond hair behind her right ear. When the elevator arrived, Nicola stepped inside and pressed the button for the top floor.

          The doors slid open a minute later and Nicola walked out into a classy reception room. Daphne sat behind a desk talking on the telephone. She glanced toward Nicola and acknowledged her presence with a wave of her well-manicured hand.

          While she waited for Daphne to end her phone conversation, Nicola looked at the painting on the wall in front of her. It was of a catamaran sailing across the blue waters of a sea… or maybe an ocean. The sun was hanging high in the sky casting brilliant shades of white and yellow on the blue and green water.

“Nik, you're early,” Daphne said, hanging up the phone.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Nicola replied getting near the reception desk. “But I was way too nervous to stay at home and wait… And as you know, I’ve got that problem with the phone… Better early than late…”

“Oh, right. We need to solve that as soon as possible. Well, let me see if Mr. Echols is ready for you.”

“No, don’t do that… I don't want to rush him,” Nicola said. “I can…”

          The intercom on the desk came on suddenly and Blake's voice was heard through the speaker.

“‘Daphne?’”

          Daphne leaned over and pressed the intercom button.

“Yes, Mr. Echols?”

“‘Has Miss Rhymes arrived yet?’”

“Yes, sir,” she answered.

“‘Very well. Please send her in and hold all my calls during the interview.’”

“Yes, sir,” Daphne replied and smiled up at Nicola. “Go on in, Nik. Good luck and don’t...”

“Yeah, yeah… Don’t fuck it up!” Nicola continued and smiled nervously. “No matter the result of this interview, thank you, Daph.”

          Nicola adjusted her purse strap, took a deep breath, and moved toward Blake's office. Grasping the doorknob, she opened the door and entered the room.

“Good morning,” she said in the calmest voice possible.

“Good morning, Miss Rhymes. Please, have a seat,” Blake replied but his eyes stood on the paper before him. “I'll be with you in a minute.”

          Nicola approached him slowly, then took a seat in one of the leather chairs near the desk and placed her purse on the floor. She folded her hands in her lap and gazed out the large window behind Blake.

“Wow… The view is magnificent,” she murmured, unaware she spoke out loud.

          Blake raised his head and looked at Nicola.

“Yes, Miss Rhymes, it is.”

          His deep voice hit her right in the stomach. Nicola stared into his eyes and her heart skipped a beat. Blake Echols was a handsome man with dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, and broad shoulders. The only fault she could find was his expression… He looked way too sad, too severe…

          Like he had no joy in his life.

          Realizing she was staring, Nicola swallowed hard and lowered her eyes.

“I… I'm sorry for interrupting you. Please, don’t mind me and continue with what you were doing.”

“That’s alright, I can finish this later.”

          Blake pushed back his chair and stood. He moved around the desk like a tiger and held out his hand.

“Thank you for coming, Miss Rhymes.”

“Oh… You're welcome,” Nicola replied, shaking his hand.

          Her skin tingled at the contact and she could only hope she wasn't blushing. Blake settled in the chair next to Nicola and unbuttoned his suit coat.

“Before we get started, Miss Rhymes, I would appreciate it very much if you would turn your cell phone off. I don't want any interruptions. I hate them, in fact.”

“I do too… But I don't have a cell phone,” Nicola said.

          Blake arched a brow.

“Excuse me? No cell phone? That’s a first. We live in the age of super technology and you don't have a cell phone.”

“I mean, not anymore… I had one, but I lost it three weeks ago, during the move.”

“Where did you live before moving to Long Beach?”

“King County, Washington State,” Nicola said. “Seattle, to be precise.”

“And what brought you here?”

          Nicola thought of her ex-husband, his new girlfriend, and their twins, the result of Randy cheating on her during the last year of their marriage. An ache pooled in her chest and she quickly averted her gaze. There was no way she was going to tell him that she left Seattle because she couldn't stand to see her ex move on with his life when she felt like she was standing still.

“There was nothing keeping me in Seattle. Daphne, who’s been my best friend since forever, suggested I move to Long Beach. I thought a new place would be a breath of fresh air.”

“Daphne told me you have been a nanny for five years now.”

          Blake studied Nicola for a moment.

“What made you decide to make a career out of taking care of children?”

          Nicola tried not to squirm under Blake's penetrating gaze. She wished he would not ask such questions. She couldn't bring herself to tell him the reason she decided to take care of other people's children was that she couldn't have any of her own.

“Well… let’s just say I had a sort of epiphany… After my divorce, I understood I had to make some changes in my life. One of those changes was finding a job suited for me. I was looking through the classifieds and came across an ad. A couple was looking for a nanny for their three-year-old son. I used to babysit when I was a teenager... so, let’s just say that I knew how to take care of children. I applied for the position and the couple hired me.”

“Miss Rhymes, I’m going to be very blunt with you. I'm going to perform a screening and a police record check as well as a reference check.”

“And you should, Mr. Echols. I would do the same if I were you. I don't have a problem with that, really.”

          Nicola bent forward and pulled a folder out of her large purse. She held it out to Blake.

“This is my resume.”

          Blake took the folder and opened it, scanning the paper quite thoroughly.

“I see you have training in first aid, CPR, and the Heimlich maneuver,” he said. “That's good because I expect the best care for my daughter.”

“Do you have a picture of Iris?” Nicola asked.

          He leaned toward his desk and grabbed the silver-framed photograph. Blake handed it to Nicola.

“It was taken last year.”

          Nicola took one look at the picture and her heart melted.

“Dear God… She's so beautiful. A little angel,” she said, smiling. “You're a very lucky man, Mr. Echols.”

“I know I am, Miss Rhymes,” Blake replied proudly.

          She handed the photograph back to Blake.

“Mr. Echols, may I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” he said.

“What happened to the last nanny?”