Two p.m. Oh joy! Another three hours to go. Sitting behind a shop counter in the lazy summer heat just meters away from the glorious ocean was not exactly how Liya Ahuja liked spending her afternoon. Most of Downtown Charleston had closed for the afternoon. She glanced at the colorful umbrellas popping up on the white sand shores. Now that was how you spent a summer afternoon. Who could resist the sound of the waves crashing against the shore? The cool sea-breeze carried the scent of the ocean to her. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, savoring the scent.

If only she were in a position to close business for the day and relax in the summer sun. She sighed. Exclusive Kids, her aunt’s brainchild, offered a baby sitting and crèche service, and educational activities to the rich and famous. Working for her aunt had been her last option after her job hunt failed to result in any successful interviews. She’d applied for over a dozen counseling posts and had been turned down for all of them. Rent was due, her groceries were almost out, and she was far too scared to ask her aunt Jasmine for any financial assistance. This job had come up at the last minute and she’d accepted it. That didn’t mean Jasmine cared about her well-being at all.

Jasmine had given her a home and shelter after her parents had died but it had come at a cost. Jasmine never ceased to remind Liya that she’d been born as a result of an affair her mother had with a French playboy. The affair and resulting pregnancy had brought the Ahuja family tremendous shame. She’d run away as a teenager, but she’d had no choice but to return to Jasmine’s house after she filed a missing person’s report. Liya wished her mother were still alive. Life hadn’t been easy for her at all. She sometimes wished for a fairytale romance where Prince Charming would sweep her off feet, propose marriage, and they’d live happily ever after.

But this was the real world, and she needed money so she had to work. She stared at the ocean glistening like a gigantic uncut diamond in the bright sunlight. Filling in while waiting for Jasmine to employ a new manager meant no lunch breaks. She forced herself to turn away from the hypnotic view and searched for her phone in her purse. She pulled out a lottery ticket instead.

“Well, what do you know?” Her bangles jingled when she pulled the keyboard closer to her and searched online for the previous night’s winning numbers on the desktop computer. She slid off her seat behind the counter and danced around the empty play area when five of her numbers matched the numbers on the screen. Ten thousand bucks would help her pay a few bills and stock up some groceries especially if Jasmine fired her for closing up early. She shoved the ticket into her purse making a mental note to cash it at the soonest. Now she needed to celebrate! She grabbed her bag and towel before she turned on the burglar alarm and locked the door.

Not even a flicker of guilt peeked at her conscience when she locked the door once more to make sure that it was secure. She pretended to check for customers just in case one appeared out of nowhere. Across the road, beach-goers soaked up the sun. Liya removed the keys from the door. It fell out of her hand before she had a chance to shove it into her bag. She bent to retrieve it and when she looked up a luxury sedan had come to a quiet and smooth stop outside Exclusive Kids. A pair of feet encased in shiny, black shoes hit the pavement. Her gaze traveled upwards, as she rose from the ground, taking in the perfectly ironed, black silk pants, and pale blue shirt worn underneath his black, silk jacket. He fixed her with his stone-grey eyes as if she were disrupting him speaking. He’d gelled back his thick shock of dark hair. She judged him to be around six foot five and built like a Roman god. But god or not, he’d just ruined her afternoon.

Her joy melted away in the sun as she waited for him to speak.

***

It became increasingly difficult with each passing second to not stare at the beautiful, golden-skinned, raven-haired woman rising like liquid gold from the ground. Her legs went on forever. She reminded him of Jenna Vincent, a Californian beauty queen who’d shattered his trust and faith in women. Billionaire tycoon Blake Stone tore his gaze off her and reminded himself why he’d driven halfway across town to come here. He needed a babysitter or he’d miss his meeting with his major investor. He wasn’t here to be reminded of his past. Or to ogle this woman’s stunning body. He cursed his weakness for beautiful, curvaceous women. Her grey-green eyes added a touch of mysteriousness to her looks.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted him with a small smile. Her bangles jangled when she lifted her hand to push stray strands of her hair off her face.

He forced a smile to his face despite his impatience. What if he’d interrupted her lunch hour? Or what if she was off on a date?

“Hello. Jasmine Ahuja said you would still be open.” He didn’t have time to exchange pleasantries. “You’re Liya Ahuja?”

She nodded. “How can I be of assistance to you?”

“My name is Blake Stone.” He pulled his hands out of his pockets. A brief flicker of recognition flashed in her eyes. He’d rather she didn’t ask him if he was the Blake Stone. “I’m late for an important meeting and I’d appreciate it if you could babysit my daughter.”

“Sure. Where is she?” She didn’t sound as enthusiastic as her big, bright smile.

“In the van,” he replied, turning away from her to open the passenger side door.

He sucked in a deep breath and gestured for his daughter to step out. His heart pounded, the sound filling his ears. Could he go ahead and leave his precious child in the care of a stranger? He’d never left her alone since he’d found out Jenna Vincent has concealed his daughter’s existence from him for five years. She hopped out, her ponytails bobbing as she joined her father. His hand trembled as his fingers closed over her tiny hand.

“Thank you for agreeing to do this at such short notice. I’m willing to pay anything above your regular fees to compensate for the inconvenience.” He ran his free hand through his hair, wondering if he could trust her. Sophia could get quite exuberant once she grew comfortable with someone and what if this annoyed Liya? He’d phoned Jasmine Ahuja prior to coming here, and she’d assured him that all her babysitters were friendly and loved children. Despite the reassurance fear filled his stomach.

“I’d like to introduce you to my daughter, Sophia.”

Sophia held onto her father’s hand. “Hi,” she whispered. A shy smile spread across her face. He almost gasped when Sophia let go off his hand seconds later. She didn’t warm to strangers this fast. What was so special about Liya? He’d grown used to her clinging to him and refusing to let go. What was so special about Liya that she wasn’t scared of her at all? It wasn’t like she’d met her before.

Liya’s expression softened. The ice in her grey-green eyes melted as she sank to her knees holding her arms open. Blake shook his head. How had she done it? Sophia hadn’t spoken to him, let alone hugged him for the first month when she’d first moved in with him. It hadn’t even been five minutes and here she was hugging her new babysitter. He stared at her as if trying to figure out her secret.

“Have you worked here long?” he asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

She nodded. “Yeah, I have.”

His chest tightened when his daughter reached for Liya’s hand and held it tight. All women were not like Jenna Vincent, he assured himself as she watched Sophia relax her shoulders and study her surroundings, he needed to acknowledge that and not hold all women responsible for one woman’s betrayal.

“I love kids,” she told him. She’d probably noticed his hesitation at leaving Sophia behind with her.

“That’s very reassuring,” he replied more to himself. He lowered himself to look into Sophia’s face. “Daddy will be back as soon as the meeting’s over,” he promised.

“Okay,” Sophia said. She didn’t seem to bothered that he was leaving her behind.

He kissed both her cheeks noticing how she never let go of the babysitter’s hand. “See you in a bit, Princess.”

“Okay. ‘Bye, Daddy.”

He held out his business card. “It has my personal number on it,” he said. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Sure.” Even though she smiled at him, her eyes remained cold.

He felt her staring at him as he walked to his car and sat inside. He sped off before he changed his mind about her and took his daughter to the meeting with him.