The Billionaire's Housekeeper (Betsy Jones Book 1) - Unedited

The Billionaire's Housekeeper - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Weeks passed in a blur for Betsy. Halloween had come and gone and Christmas was only a few days away. Dragging a hand across her heated brow, the blonde allowed herself a moment to relax. The children were busy at a little table in the corner of the lounge, their heads down as they painted and stuck glitter to cardboard stars. It kept them quiet and distracted for a few moments. It certainly didn't keep them clean though. Both would need a bath before dinner - Tommy had glitter and stickers over his face and in his hair while his sister had a streak of pink and silver paint upon her cheek. The two of them had an uncanny knack for getting so messy that there was no other option but to bath them and start all over again.

Smiling to herself, Betsy turned away just as Nick entered the room. As ever he was impeccably dressed and his face was set in his professional mask as he paused on the threshold of the lounge. He met her gaze for a moment and nodded his head in cold polite greeting before turning his attention towards the children. Ever since the talk with her employer in the depths of the cupboard, the eldest member of the Davenport home had been around a lot more. She couldn't go a day or even a few hours without tripping over him. And he was always watching. Not that she had ever caught him, every time she would turn her head, his gaze would be firmly trained on the newspaper he was reading or would be transfixed by whatever was showing on his laptop screen. But she knew he had been watching her; there was no one else whose gaze could brand itself into the side of her face.

Taking a sip of sip of water, Betsy turned back to her masterpiece and tried to ignore the magnetic presence of her boss. It took all of her self-control not to raise her hands and press her fingers to her lips. She had kissed him on the cheek – a completely platonic peck on the cheek – and yet she couldn't forget how his skin had felt or how his aftershave has encompassed her completely in those two seconds leaving a sensory brand within her mind. Even when he wasn't around, the scent lingered and she was taken back to that moment.

The Christmas tree stood several feet tall and the very top was only a few scant inches from the high ceiling. Lights had been strung over the branches just waiting to glow, baubles glinted in the lights and tinsel finished the tree off.

"Nick. Delilah. Can you come here a moment?" She asked, bending over to pull the last piece from the box at her feet.

Cradling the delicate crystal angel within the palms of her hands, Betsy stood. Delilah's eyes lit up as she spotted the treasure within Betsy's grasp.

"Wow, it's so pretty." She murmured, her paint covered hands reaching out to touch the delicate blue crystal wings.

"Whoa! Careful there, Lila." Betsy said while raising her hands out of the little girls reach. "We need to get your hands cleaned up first. Here, I'm going to say this only once in my life, but quickly wipe them on my jeans so you can hold the angel."

Delilah grinned mischievously. Although she had never seen Nick wear that same expression, Betsy couldn't deny the uncanny resemblance between father and daughter. The little girl darted forwards and before the blonde knew what was happening, Delilah was wiping her hands down the back of Betsy's jeans. A giggle of glee escaped her lips as she transferred the pink paint on to the worn fabric.

After inspecting her hands, Betsy handed the Christmas angel across into Delilah's waiting hands.

"You have a very important job, Delilah. You get to put the angel on top of the tree." Betsy whispered to the excitable little girl who was now bouncing on the ball of her feet.

"But it's too high." Delilah replied, a sadness quickly stealing across her expression.

Betsy grinned widely. "That's what your daddy is for!"