Sunny's Love (2 page)

“Thanks, Dr.
, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Sunny drove home to change out of her scrubs, thinking about what Dr. Rose had told her.
Why in the world would a man like Chase Dupont, who could have any woman he wanted, ask me out to dinner?
But wouldn’t it be nice, just for once, to be wanted by a man like Chase?

When she arrived
at her apartment, she raced into her bedroom, stripping off her clothes as she went. She quickly showered and chose a summery, floral sundress for the evening and a pair of white, strappy sandals. Casual, yet feminine, she thought as she twirled in front of her mirror. She brushed her shoulder-length, blonde hair until it shone, deciding to wear it down for the evening. After dabbing a little light cologne on her wrists and neck, she grabbed her purse and keys. On the way to the Country Inn, she realized she should have known who he was when he told her his name. Somehow it just hadn’t clicked with seeing him playing the role of devoted father instead of restaurant entrepreneur. What business could he have in a small place like Clinton?

When she went to the desk
she told the girl behind the counter that Mr. Dupont was expecting her.

“Yes, ma’am, I’ll let him know
you’re here.” The girl picked up the receiver to make the call. She smiled at Sunny, gave her the room number, and told her to go on up.

Surprised, Sunny went in search of the room. She had expected they
’d come down to meet her. She timidly knocked on the door. A little girl, slightly older than Brice, answered the door and led Sunny into the suite.

“You must be the pretty lady from the doctor’s office my daddy and Brice told me about.” The girl was cute with blonde curls and the same remarkable green eyes as her father. She was looking at Sunny with a quizzical look on her face.

“Well, my name is Sunny, and yes, I do work for Dr. Rose. You must be Allison. Your daddy told me about you, too.”

“He did?”

“He sure did. How’s Brice doing?”

“
He’s watching television. Daddy and me have been trying to keep him quiet, but that’s hard to do.” The little girl rolled her eyes dramatically.

Sunny laughed and said, “I’ll bet
it is.”

“Jenny, s
he’s our nanny, had a big fight with Daddy and she quit. He was mad at her because she was talking to her boyfriend on the phone when Brice got hurt.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Sunny, you’re here,” Chase said, coming into the room, looking every bit as handsome as he had earlier, but was now in casual khakis and a sport shirt. “I hope you don’t mind that we’ll have our meal here. I’ve taken the liberty of ordering take-out for us. I hate to take Brice out after the ordeal this afternoon.”

“That’s quite
all right. Allison and I were just getting acquainted.”

“I’ll bet that was interesting. She’s quite the little chatterbox.” Chase laughed as he affectionately ruffled his daughter’s blonde hair.

“We’re getting along just fine,” Sunny answered, smiling at Allison.

“Would you like to come into the other room and say hello to Brice
? I’ve finally gotten him settled on the bed with the television to keep him company. He’s already eaten.”

“I’d love to see our brave boy again.”

Chase led her into the bedroom the children apparently shared. She saw that Brice was indeed comfortable. Settled against several pillows with a DS in one hand, television set blaring, he looked quite content.

“Hi, Brice, are you feeling better?”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m feeling lots better now. Daddy said I could play my Mario Brothers game if I stay in bed.”

“I’m glad to hear
you’re feeling better. I’ll be sure and tell Dr. Rose in the morning.”

“He’s a nice man.”

“Yes, he is. He’s been just like a father to me.”

“Don’t you have a real daddy?”

“Yes, I do, but my real daddy is in heaven with the angels.”

“That’s where my mommy is. Maybe they know each other.”

“I’ll just bet they do.” Sunny caught Chase’s eye.

He was smiling at her as he mouthed the words, “Thank you.”

“We’re going to eat our dinner now, big boy. If you need us, ring that little bell by your bed.”

“Okay. Ali, will you stay with me?”

“Sure, Brice,” the little girl said, as she sat on the bed next to her brother.

“Has she eaten?” Sunny asked as they walked back into the living room of the suite.

“Yes, both children ate earlier. I guess Allison told you about the run in with the nanny. I thought I heard her as I came into the room.”

“Yes, she did. I’m so sorry. What are you going to do?” Sunny asked, remembering he was in town on business with no one he could call on close by.

“My business will be finished here in a few days,” he answered wearily. “I can work it out with the hotel to have someone stay with the children when I can’t be here. After we go home, I’ll have to begin interviewing for a new nanny. I really hate to put the kids through that. They’ve been through so much the last two years.”

“It can’t be easy for you, raising two young children alone.”
Sunny gave him a sympathetic look.

“No,
it isn’t, but I cherish them. I’ll raise them the way their mother would have wanted them to be raised, knowing the love of a parent who cares about them.”

“No one could ask for more than that
,” Sunny replied quietly.

“I wonder where our dinner is. I’m starved. It’s been a very hectic day for me
, as I’m sure it has been for you. I hope you like Italian.”

“Yes, I love Italian, as a matter of fact,” she
said, accepting the glass of wine he offered.

After he had poured himself a glass, they sat down
on the sofa and began to get acquainted.

“Tell me about Sunny Drake, r
eceptionist, doctor’s assistant,” Chase began.

“There’s not much to tell, really.” She laughed
, as he looked at her questioningly.

“Well, what’s your life like? What do you do for fun?”

“Not a whole lot to do around here, as I’m sure you’ve seen. I work for Dr. Rose and go home each evening. On the weekends, I might take in a movie or go out with friends.”

“No special guy in your life? I find that hard to believe.”

“Not at the moment. My old flame got married recently.”

“Well, he’s a fool if he let you go.”

“Tell his new bride that. He left me for her,” Sunny said, remembering the day Scott told her he’d found someone else.

“Well, his loss will be some other man’s gain.” Chase smiled at her again
as he got up to answer the door.

After the delivery boy had gone they sat down to enjoy their dinner.

“This is delicious. Tell me about your restaurants. I’ve never eaten at one of them,” Sunny said as she took a bite of lasagna.

“Then you’re truly missing out. You’ll have to try one sometime. Just like the name, the food is a little taste of heaven.
We’re planning to open one here, which is why I’m in Clinton this week. I try to bring the kids with me whenever I can.”

“I’ll have to try
it out when it opens. That’s great you take such an active role in parenting with your busy schedule. That must be hectic at times.”

“
It is, but I brought them into the world, it’s my responsibility to see that they’re happy, healthy children. They’ve lost their mama, so I want the rest of their childhood to be as painless as possible. And I love both of them more than life itself, so it’s not hard for me to juggle my schedule to accommodate them. Now, tell me more about you, Sunny. How long have you worked for Dr. Rose?”

“Three years, but that
’ll soon be coming to an end. Dr. Rose is retiring next month.”

“Oh? And what will you do then?”
he inquired, obviously interested in hearing her reply.

“I’m not sure. Dr. Rose has assured me
I’ll be receiving a nice severance package, so I’ve not been in a big hurry to look for something. I’ll have to start looking soon, though.”

“Have you ever thought about becoming a nanny?”

The question caught her off guard. She hesitated for just a moment. “No, I’ve never thought about it.”

“Why don’t you think about it, Sunny? I can make arrangements for the next month until Dr. Rose retires. The job is yours if you want it. We can discuss salary and benefits later. I can assure you, you won’t be disappointed. I take care of my employees. Your schedule will be flexible
, to a certain extent. I like to arrange my schedule so I can spend time with Ali and Brice. You’d be free during those times.”

Sunny was literally in shock. She didn’t know what to say.

“Think about it, that’s all I ask,” he urged.

“I don’t have to think about it. I accept.” She
wasn’t one to make spur of the moment decisions, but this had just fallen into her lap and was too tempting to resist.

“That’s wonderful, Sunny!
You’ve just helped me escape a gruesome task of interviewing potential nannies. Besides, the kids both like you already. I’ve seen firsthand how you were with Brice at Dr. Rose’s office and earlier I watched your interaction with Ali. And I have to say I was impressed both times.”

“And I like both of them, as well
. They seem to be very sweet, well-behaved children.”
Not to mention their daddy is hot
.

“I have to warn you
, even though they’re both very well-behaved kids, they’ve had a tough time getting over the sudden loss of their mother,” he said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

“That’s understandable.
I’m an adult and still have a hard time dealing with the loss of my father at times.”

“How long has he been gone?”

“A little over a year now,” she replied.

“I’m sorry, Sunny.”

“Thank you. Dr. Rose and his wife have been especially kind to both my mother and me through it all.”

“
We’ll be leaving for our summer home at the beach just about the time you finish your work with Dr. Rose,” Chase informed her. ”This could be the start of a beautiful relationship, Sunny.”

After they’d had dessert and coffee, he suggested they
tell the children the news. But when they entered the bedroom, both children were sound asleep.

“I’ll move
Ali to her bed.” Chase picked up his daughter. He tucked her into her bed, kissing her goodnight, before walking over to the other bed. He gently tucked his son in, giving him a kiss on the forehead. He took the DS from Brice’s hand and set it on the nightstand. Picking up the remote, he turned off the television, placing it on the nightstand as well. As they walked out of the room, he flipped the light switch, but not before placing a tiny nightlight into a wall socket leaving a soft glow of light in the room.

“The big news will have to wait till morning,” he said as they tiptoed out of the room.

“I’d better be going. I have to work in the morning.”

“Sunny
…thank you, I’ll be in touch.” He gently touched her cheek as if he wanted to say more, but stopped himself.

Her breath caught in her throat. It was almost as if he had wanted to kiss her goodnight.

She picked up her purse, quickly told him goodnight and quietly let herself out.

All the way home, she thought about the way he’d said goodnight
and went to bed that night full of anticipation of the summer that lay ahead for her with the Dupont family.

The next morning she filled Dr. Rose in on the details of the night before.

“Well, Sunny, I’m glad you’ve found another position, but are you sure this is what you want to do?” the kindly doctor asked her. His concern was evident.

“I can try it. If it doesn’t work out, I can look for something else.”

“I wish you the best of luck then and if you need to leave here early to go away for the summer, I’ll work it out on this end.”

“Thank you, Doc, but Mr. Dupont said that he could make other arrangements for the next month. I really would like to stay with you for your last
few weeks in practice.”

“Thank you, my dear. I appreciate that. And I truly hope this works out for you. I’ve heard good things about the man
. It’s just so odd the way it all came about.” The doctor shook his head.

Sunny’s mother drove her to the airport in Moline. After a quick goodbye hug, she wished her luck. “Call me when you’re settled and let me know how it’s going, sweetie.”

“I will, Mom. Thanks for taking care of everything here.
I’d better go. I wouldn’t want to miss my flight.”

Hugging her mother again, she gave her
a quick peck on the cheek before boarding. Waving, she ran to catch the flight that would begin her new life with the Dupont family.