Falling for the Nanny by Jacqueline Diamond Read Free Book Online

get into a car with him, but you never could tell. Some people had a stunning lack of the self-preservation instinct. Also, Patty didn’t trust her ability to follow them in traffic. In real life, tailing a target was a lot harder than it looked in the movies.
    She dialed the Finnegans’ number. As prearranged, Judi’s parents had stationed themselves nearby and could arrive in a couple of minutes. Patty had already informed them and Mike of Glenn’s license number and real name. “If she starts to walk out with him, would you rather I confronted them?”
    â€œEither way, she’ll realize we’ve been spying,” the mother said.
    â€œTrue. Wait. She’s getting up…heading for the ladies’ room.” Must be all that coffee.
    â€œWhat’s he doing?”
    Patty kept watch with her peripheral vision. “Sneaking a glance around. Taking something out of his pocket.” A small vial. “He just dumped something in her cup!”
    â€œThat’s it! We’re on our way.”
    â€œAnd I’m calling the police.” She clicked off and dialed 911. As soon as Patty sketched the circumstances, she could hear the dispatcher radioing a black-and-white.
    A man didn’t drop something into a woman’s cup without gravely evil intentions. Patty had to make sure Judi didn’t drink it. She also had to handle the situation with care—Glenn might very well be armed, and even if he wasn’t, he could grab a knife off the table and take the girl or someone else hostage.
    Too bad Patty was going to be late to the wedding. But she had more important matters to deal with.
    Â 
    H ARD AS A LEC STRUGGLED not to make too much of his ex-wife’s threat, it preyed on his mind. Not that there weren’tdistractions. Running Fiona downstairs to his mother’s, he found Darlene furious that one of her housekeeper’s nieces, filling in for the ailing woman, had whacked a shelf of souvenir mugs with the vacuum and shattered a couple of mementos from Mom and Dad’s travels.
    â€œHow many nieces can one woman have?” Darlene fumed after informing him that she’d just fired the girl. “I wish Marla would either come back or quit so I could hire someone else.”
    â€œYou could put Marla on notice. Show up regularly or get fired,” Alec pointed out as he opened a chest of toys in his mother’s den and helped Fiona pick out a coloring book. The unit was a smaller version of his, stuffed with possibly even more toys.
    â€œI can’t do that! She’s been with me for years, and she does excellent work when she’s here,” Darlene said. “And she needs the job.”
    â€œWell, at some point we’ll have to hire a permanent replacement.” But Alec didn’t press the point. Although Marla and her substitutes technically worked for him, too, he respected his mother’s kind heart too much to insist.
    His gaze fell on the sliding door, which she’d left open to the patio. Only a low wall and a couple of hanging plants divided it from the parking lot. Someone could hop right over.
    â€œWhy are you staring out there?” demanded his mother. “Did one of the fuchsias die?”
    â€œI’m concerned about safety.” Catching her frown, he explained in a low voice, “Sabrina’s making noises about snatching Fiona.”
    â€œShe wouldn’t get far!” Darlene exclaimed. “You have custody.”
    â€œI’m not sure how much good that would do in Argentina,”Alec replied. “She’s moving there with her boyfriend. For a while, at least.”
    A ferocious glare transformed his birdlike mother into a hawk. “I’d tear her eyes out!”
    â€œMom!”
    â€œJust let her try.”
    Torn between amusement and concern, Alec said, “Maybe we should report this to the police.”
    â€œReport what? That your ex is acting crazy again? I wish