Even if an employer felt an attraction for the hired help, most wouldnât let it show. Mac hadnât let it show all day. But, being half asleep, his guard had been down. Nine chances out of ten he wouldnât even acknowledge this in the morning.
But what if he did?
What if he liked her?
What if living with him for a month was enough that their barriers broke down?
He already had her stuttering and staring. If he made a pass at her, could she resist him?
And what if she didnât?
No one knew better than Ellie that there were consequences to relationships.
Especially relationships with bosses.
ELLIE Swanson had not signed up for this.
Yes, sheâd agreed to run Happy Maids while her boss, Liz Harper Nestor, took a well-deserved honeymoon after remarrying her gorgeous ex-husband, Cain. And, yes, she was perfectly capable of supervising the fourteen or so employees on Happy Maidsâs payroll for the four weeks Liz would be in Paris. But she wasnât authorized to make a change in the companyâs business plan, as the man across the desk wanted her to.
âIâm a friend of Cainâs.â
Of course he was. Tall and slender with perfect blue eyes and black hair cut short and businesslike, Mac Carmichael wore his tailored navy blue suit with the casual ease of a man accustomed to handmade suits, fine wines and people taking his orders. Just like Cain.
âAnd he told me his wifeâs company was the best in town.â
âBut weâre a weekly cleaning service. We donât place maids in clientsâ homes.â
âYou should.â
A bead of sweat rolled down Ellieâs back. The air-conditioning had broken the day Liz left. But Ellie could handle the heat and humidity of June in Miami. What she couldnât abide was failure. Her first day on the job and already she was turning away a client. An important client. A client who could not only tell Cain that Happy Maids hadnât come through for him; he could also tell all his wealthy friendsâthe very people Liz would be marketing to when she returned.
Ellie leaned back on the chair, tapping a pencil on the desk blotter. âExplain again what youâre looking for.â
âMy maid quit unexpectedly. I need to hire a temporary replacement while I interview for another one.â
âI can send someone to your house a few times a week to clean,â she said hopefully.
He shook his head. âI have a daughter and a son. They need breakfast every morning.â
âThen Iâll be happy to send someone every day at seven.â
âLacy gets up at five.â
âThen Iâll have someone at four.â
âI work some nights.â
Ellie gaped at him. âYou want the maid to be a nanny too?â
He caught her gaze. His sinfully blue eyes held hers and she fought the urge to swallow as pinpricks of attraction sparkled along her nerve endings.
âAnd live in.â
She gasped. âLive in?â
âI also pay very well.â
Ah, the magic words. A victim of domestic violence herself, Liz had gotten involved with A Friend Indeed, a charity that helped women transition out of their abusive homes and into new lives. It was a natural fit that Liz should begin employing the women from A Friend Indeed until they got on their feet. Ellie had actually been the first employee Liz had hired after they met at the charity. The company needed every jobâespecially the good paying onesâto provide work for all the women who wanted help.
Mac rose from his seat. âLook, if your firm canât handle it, Iâll be on my way.â
He turned to the door.
Stop him!
She bounced out of her chair. âWait.â
He faced her again. This time she did swallow. His eyes reminded her of the ocean in the dead of summer, calm and deep and perfect blue. His dark hair gleamed in the sunlight pouring in from the window to his right. High cheekbones angled to blissfully full lips, the kind that made most women take a second glance and wonder what it would be like to kiss him. It should have been pure pleasure to look at him. Instead, the scowl on his face caused Ellie to doubt the intuition that guided her life.
âYes?â
âIââ Why had her intuition told her to stop him? She didnât have anybody who could work as a maid/nanny. Most of Lizâs employees had kids of their own and homes to get back to every night. They couldnât live in. And thatâs what he needed.