The Littlest Boss
Her daughter always comes firstSuccessful ER nurse Tiana Nelson has sacrificed a lot to provide for her daughter, Lily. She won't let anything, or anyone, jeopardize all she's accomplished. Not even handsome and charming engineer DeShawn Adams. But she's running into him everywhere, and when he connects with Lily, ignoring their attraction is impossible.After an unexpected visit from DeShawn's past, it's clear that his life isn't as settled as it seems. Tiana can't expose Lily to danger, but walking away from DeShawn isn't easy. Not when Tiana is beginning to suspect that the best thing she can give Lily—and herself—is a future with him.
Читать The Littlest Boss онлайн беплатно
Her daughter always comes first
Successful ER nurse Tiana Nelson has sacrificed a lot to provide for her daughter, Lily. She wonât let anything, or anyone, jeopardize all sheâs accomplished. Not even handsome and charming engineer DeShawn Adams. But sheâs running into him everywhere, and when he connects with Lily, ignoring their attraction is impossible.
After an unexpected visit from DeShawnâs past, itâs clear that his life isnât as settled as it seems. Tiana canât expose Lily to danger, but walking away from DeShawn isnât easy. Not when Tiana is beginning to suspect that the best thing she can give Lilyâand herselfâis a future with him.
âNice to meet you, Lily. Iâm DeShawn.â
âAre you friends with my momma?â
He looked at Tiana, who was trying to scowl, but the effort of keeping a six-year-old balanced on her hip in the jostling crowd required too much effort. âDeShawn and I are acquaintances, Lily. That means we know each other but arenât friends.â
âCan we still go watch the dogs with him?â
âItâs a great spot,â DeShawn said with a smile.
Tiana huffed out a breath. âFine. For Lily.â
âAbsolutely. Completely for Lilyâs sake,â he replied. He held his hands out and Tiana let him take Lily. Swinging her easily up to his shoulders, he laughed at Lilyâs excited squeal. âHold on tight,â he said. âAnd, Momma, follow close. Weâre going in.â
âDo not drop her,â she snapped.
Tiana grabbed a handful of his jacket and the feeling of her fingers brushing against the muscles of his back, even through the layers of fabric, sent a rush of heat down his spine.
This is a story I hadnât planned to tell. DeShawn was such a popular character from Spying on the Boss and Boss on Notice. Then Tiana showed up, as some characters do. I needed a friend for Mickie in Boss on Notice, and there she was. No planning. No notice. She was a character who pushed me aside and said, âIâve got something to say here.â
The chemistry between Tiana and DeShawn was unplanned, just one of those happy writer moments when your characters come alive and surprise you. So of course they needed a happily-ever-after.
Many, many thanks to my prereaders: Vera H., Gabriella Brown, RN, Yashica Green, RN, and Djuanna B. Thank you for your input! I appreciate your time and support!
As a white woman, I hope I have done justice to my characters and their experiences. Any errors are mine and mine alone.
I hope you enjoy this conclusion to The Cleaning Crew miniseries.
Janet Lee Nye
JANET LEE NYE is a writer by day and a neonatal nurse by night. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her fella and her felines. She spends too much time on Twitter and too little time on housework and has no plans to remedy this.
This is for all the nurses and caregivers out there. And to my WIC crew, who have cheered me on through every disappointment and every success. Thank you. Club 1035 rocks!
Contents
THE GUY IN the produce section of Publix was about to make an amateur mistake with the avocados. He had two of them in his hands, ripe and ready to eat by the look of them. The way to do it, Tiana Nelson knew, was to buy one for now and one for later. Swap one of those for one a bit more green, she thought. Youâll be glad you did a few days from now. What to do? Approach and tell him? She was tempted. That arm. He wasnât even flexing it, just had it angled enough so he could give the lush fruit a little squeeze, and Wow. Okay. Thatâs a well-built fella. The jacket he was wearing didnât conceal his muscles at all, did it? Hard curves moved beneath the fabric.
She maneuvered her shopping cart, trying to get closer without being conspicuous, dodging a flustered mom who was trying to snag a singing child in an Adventure Time sweatshirt pirouetting between the apples and the bananas. There was something about the guy with the avocadosâbesides the fact that he was exceptionally easy on the eyesâbut it wasnât until he glanced over at her and she caught a spark of recognition in his expression that she understood.
I know him. He knows me.
She was running all the possibilities through her mindâwork, school, gym, hereâwhen he grinned at her and it clicked. That grin. She knew that smug, snarky grin. Sugar sticks! That smart-alecky maid. What was his name?
âNurse Ratched!â he said, setting the avocados in his basket and looking entirely too pleased with himself. âIâd recognize that scowl anywhere.â
And then she did actually scowl, and frowned at the realization that sheâd done so, and immediately tried to cool her expression into a kind of bemused grin. Oh, that guy. One of Joshâs guys from the Cleaning Crew. She waved a hand toward the juice aisle and said, âDid they call for a cleanup in aisle two, Man Maid?â She felt a flush of heat in her neck and cheeks as she said it.
