5. Casey

Chapter 5

Casey

The evening of the Westbrook Family Carnival was upon us, and I was completely out of my element.

I’d never been to a party thrown by a bonafide rich person before. Sure, as a nanny to some well-to-do families, I’d attended a few galas and soirees, but nothing of this magnitude.

Westbrook Meadows had been transformed into a glamorous, over-the-top carnival, hosted by Hunter per Betsy’s command as part of the Legacy Challenges.

I wandered the grounds and stared in awe at society’s most pristine and polished people. There were high-ranking politicians, local industry titans, and a few reporters from local media outlets.

To my surprise, I even saw a few local celebrities and influencers around.

Betsy had intended for Hunter to make a splash, and in that he’d succeeded.

Strolling down the private paths, I took in the sites with wonder. There were vibrant colors, string lights, and carnival booths with games and food stalls.

The air was alive with laughter and chatter.

A mix of traditional and quirky attractions grabbed the attention of passersby.

There were ring tosses, a dunk tank, and a caricature artist drawing exaggerated illustrations of partygoers.

At the heart of the carnival was a small Ferris wheel, its shiny lights reflecting on the nearby pond.

Hunter had arranged for local food vendors to serve an elegant twist on classic carnival food; there was truffle popcorn, candied pecans, and even freshly spun cotton candy.

The massive oak trees around the property were lit with lanterns, and guests sipped craft cocktails from a makeshift bar fashioned to look like an old saloon.

Hunter had gone all out.

My gaze finally landed on Logan, standing near the house, looking almost laid-back for once, but still carrying his trademark stiffness.

Even at a carnival, the man couldn’t relax.

Probably the curse of being an on-call cardiac surgeon.

Still, he looked incredible in his suit. Polished and handsome.

Living in such close proximity to Logan had proved challenging. I tried to avoid using the main hallways late at night so that he could have privacy but considering that our rooms were located down the hall from one another, it was hard to be discreet.

For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why Betsy had placed me in a guest suite so close to Logan’s bedroom. I gazed up at Logan’s bedroom window, then my own window down the hall.

As if on cue, Betsy appeared out of nowhere, dressed in a beautiful ensemble that made her impossible to miss: a flowing, blue silk blouse with dramatic ruffles, and white linen trousers that were elegantly flared at the ankles.

“Casey, darling! Why are you staring up at the bedrooms? Is the carnival really that boring?”

I shook my head, chuckling. “Not at all, just wondering if my close proximity to Logan might create discomfort for him. Is the separate guest house in use?”

“Oh, dear!” she exclaimed, sipping her cocktail. “The guest house is currently being used as Betsy’s Bunker.”

“Betsy’s—”

“That’s right,” she said, cutting me off. “It’s reserved for emergencies. Like if I need to fake my death for a week to see who cries the hardest.”

For a moment, I thought I saw a twinkle in her eyes as she spoke, but it was probably just the flashing carnival lights behind us.

“Besides,” she said, turning away from me to return to her guests, “you’re much more useful here, near the action. And Logan.”

Before I could respond, she was gone.

The woman had the ability to appear and disappear at a moment’s notice. Like an angel.

Or a ghost.

Suddenly, Logan was standing next to me.

“Strange night,” he said, catching my attention.

I looked up at him. He practically towered over me.

“Not your usual evening?” I asked, knowing that it probably wasn’t.

Logan was the type of reserved that I couldn’t picture at a bougie carnival. The atmosphere simply didn’t suit him.

Glancing around, I noticed brightly colored banners crisscrossing paths. There was lively energy with a nostalgic charm. Looking back at Logan, I saw that he was anxiously glancing at his phone.

Probably worried about being called in to work.

Lately Logan had consumed more of my thoughts than I liked to admit.

He’d made quite the impression, and my daydreams often wandered to him.

He was like a mysterious enigma, popping in and out of Westbrook Meadows whenever he wasn’t working. With a hospital schedule that sometimes consumed up to eighty hours of work each week, I wasn’t sure how he was able to remain sane. Especially in such a high-pressure, high-stress environment.

Life or death.

Daily.

“Not my typical night at all,” he answered. “But that means I’m not working or at the hospital, so I’ll call it a win.”

He winked at me, and I felt a hint of tension relax from my shoulders.

I reminded myself to keep my daydreams—or fantasies—in check.

Yes, he’s handsome.

Yes, he’s hard working.

But no, he isn’t available.

At least not to me. One, because I’m his employee. And two, because he’s straight.

Watch it, I told myself. Keep it to yourself.

“Hunter has definitely outdone himself,” Logan said, scanning the grounds and taking in the eccentricities. “I’ll admit, it’s a bit livelier than I’d expected. Care to take a walk?”

I nodded and followed his lead, a hint of nervousness tugging at me.

As we wandered through the carnival, we sampled food from various booths, and I could sense Logan starting to enjoy himself. When we arrived at a ring toss game, I jokingly encouraged him to try and to my surprise he agreed. After a few failed attempts, and a few laughs, we called it quits.

“Stick to surgery,” I said. “I’m sure Henry would be proud.”

Logan chuckled. “Glad to know where my strengths are.”

Our laughter created an easy, playful tension that I noticed. But I knew I’d need to keep it to myself. Despite the spark I felt, I needed to remain professional.

There was an undeniable attraction growing, but it needed to remain completely hidden at all times.

The stakes couldn’t be any higher.

I’d never found myself in this situation before, being attracted to my employer.

Then again, it shouldn’t come as any surprise. Logan was a single, thirty-six-year-old man, compared to my previous employers who were usually married men in their fifties.

Betsy had previously explained to me that Logan and Gloria never planned on having a kid at such a young age, but they were happy to have Henry, nonetheless.

“Care for a drink?” he asked, shaking me from my thoughts. “I’ll go grab two.”

I nodded politely as he walked away. As soon as he was out of my sight, I let out a sigh. My face had turned red, I just knew it.

Always happened when I was nervous.

Logan must have been able to see. Maybe that’s why he’d excused himself.

Maybe he’d been uncomfortable.

Before I could think about it further, I noticed a man approaching.

Well-dressed, in his fifties, expensive clothing. Obviously someone connected to the Westbrooks and not an employee like me.

“Good evening,” he said, extending his arm and shaking my hand. “I’m Dr. Jeffrey Evans. I’m a physician at Pinehurst Medical Center.”

A colleague of Logans. Better make a good first impression.

“Good evening,” I said.

It seemed as if Dr. Evans had approached me for a reason.

“I won’t take much of your time,” he continued. “But I wanted to ask: how happy are you working here?”

What?

His question completely caught me off guard.

Was this some type of loyalty test orchestrated by Logan?

Why on earth would his colleague want to know if I was happy?

Of course I was happy. More and more so, the more time I spent around Logan.

Dr. Evans laughed, throwing his head back. “Let me rephrase! Would you consider working for me and my family? I’ve heard that you have a calm way with teenagers, and that’s exactly what my wife and I need. I’d offer a guaranteed pay increase from what Logan is paying you.”

I was speechless.

When Betsy originally hired me after a grueling interview process, I’d been shocked. Now here I was being offered jobs by prominent families.

Maybe there was something in the water around here.

Dr. Evans leaned in and lowered his voice. “I heard about your handling of the speeding situation involving Henry.”

Oh no, I thought. Word got around town and now I looked like a failure as a nanny.

Then again, maybe it hadn’t made me look bad. After all, Dr. Evans had just asked me to come onboard with his family.

He looked at me with anticipation in his eyes. “We need someone like you on our staff, Casey.”

As if he could sense my hesitation, he gave me his card and said, “Give it some thought.”

Well, that was odd.

I looked around, trying to see if I could find Logan. He’d been gone for several minutes, and I was starting to wonder if he’d forgotten about our drinks.

I suddenly realized he was standing just a few feet away from me, holding two drinks with a puzzled expression on his face.

I wondered if he’d overheard my conversation with Dr. Evans.

Before I could ask, he handed me my drink and gestured for me to follow him toward the cotton candy booth.

As we waited our turn, an awkward tension lingered.

Logan cleared his throat. “Interesting conversation with Dr. Evans. I hadn’t realized he was looking to hire a nanny.”

Damn. Logan had heard everything.

“He just mentioned an opportunity,” I said with the most casual tone I could muster. “Nothing serious.”

I had absolutely no interest in working for Dr. Evans—or anyone else, for that matter. The Westbrooks had made me feel like family in the short time I’d lived there, and I was grateful. Someone in my line of work couldn’t ask for a better placement.

Logan’s jaw tightened and I noticed a new intensity in his gaze.

I felt a small thrill at Logan’s possessiveness.

I did my best to keep my cool, but I enjoyed his apparent jealousy.

Logan finally spoke. “Henry’s gotten used to having you around. It’d be disruptive if you decided to leave.”

I could sense the unspoken feeling behind Logan’s words. I didn’t want to mention the feeling of jealousy, so I decided to reassure him outright.

“I’m not going anywhere, Logan,” I said with a bright smile. “Henry—and you—don’t need to worry about that.”

Logan’s shoulders relaxed and his expression softened just a bit.

We shared a brief look that was quick but meaningful. It was as if there was an unspoken connection that we both felt but couldn’t voice aloud. For numerous reasons.

For me, it was a moment that deepened my care and respect for Logan.

But the bottom line was that I needed to remain professional.

As we shared our private moment, Veronica suddenly interrupted.

She eyed me up and down, obviously disapproving.

“Well, Logan, isn’t this cozy,” she said sarcastically. “It’s impressive how much faith you have in a babysitter. I imagine Henry must miss having a real father figure around.”

Logan was immediately stiff again, clearly irritated by Veronica’s comment.

I wasn’t going to let her anger me, but it was going to be tough to keep my mouth shut if she said something negative about Henry again. I’d started to feel protective over him, and I got the impression that Veronica was bad news.

And something told me that she’d been watching us during our private conversation. The tension between me and Logan was obvious to me—so maybe it was obvious to Veronica too.

I didn’t need rumors floating around, especially by the black sheep of the family.

Veronica laughed, her voice dripping with more sarcasm. “Oh, don’t be so upset, Logan. It’s just that Henry deserves stability. Not this experiment of yours.”

That was it. I’d had enough.

I smiled politely through clenched teeth. “I think what Henry actually needs is someone who’s around, rather than someone who just shows up to criticize.”

Veronica’s eyes widened, caught off guard. It was as if she wasn’t accustomed to people dishing it back to her.

Before she could retort, Betsy stepped in, having overheard the exchange.

Betsy’s face lit up with delight. “Oh, I like this one! Finally, someone who can put a Westbrook in their place. Casey, you’re delightful.”

Veronica’s face turned completely red, and she stormed off, mumbling about outsiders meddling in family affairs.

Logan looked at me with an expression of quiet appreciation. “Thanks for that. Veronica is… persistent.”

I grinned and shrugged my shoulders. “Couldn’t resist. Besides, Betsy seemed to have my back.”

As Logan laughed, the tension from earlier eased. He gave me an appreciative look, and I could sense that his gratitude ran deeper than he let on. Betsy’s approving laughter solidified the bond I’d started to form with the family.

They’d welcomed me with open arms, and I was grateful.