Sunny's Love (5 page)

“I’d better go see if the munchkins are dressed yet. It’s hard to tell what they chose to wear.” Sunny got up and headed for the stairs.
“Ali wanted to help Brice and I bravely allowed it.”

“I’ll help you, Sunny.” Chase followed her
, as Alma watched, smiling.

They walked up the steps together
. As they reached the top, Allison came bouncing out of Brice’s room.

“You look very nice, Miss Allison
,” Sunny told the little girl.

“But you haven’t seen Brice. He wants to wear a red shirt with green shorts. I keep telling him it’s not Christmas.” The little girl gave an exasperated sigh and held her arms up in the air in disgust.

Sunny and Chase both laughed. Chase looked at her and said, “I’ll handle this one. You and Allison go on downstairs.”

“Okay, good luck, Daddy.” Sunny took Allison by the hand and they headed back downstairs
, where George was preparing to take the luggage to the car for them.

“Let me help you, George
,” Sunny said. “Chase is busy trying to convince Brice that he really doesn’t want to wear Christmas colors in June.”

“Oh, boy, this oughta be good.” George grinned as he started up the steps.

“Allison, why don’t you go see what Alma is up to and I’ll help George.”

“Okay, Sunny.” The little girl went skipping into the kitchen as Sunny headed back up the stairs. She went into Allison’s room and grabbed her luggage then walked back downstairs with it.

“Sunny, what in the world do you think you’re doing?” Chase called to her from the landing.

‘
You were occupied, so I thought I’d lend George a hand.” She turned around and looked up at him smiling.

“Brice is under control now, so let me do that. I don’t want you throwing your back out or
anything.” He joined her on the stairs and whispered so only she could hear, “We can’t have that now, can we? It might put a crimp in our summer plans with the kids.”

“Chase
, I think I can handle it.” She laughed as she handed the larger bag to him.

“
I’ll take care of it. I’d better get this luggage out there before George comes back in for the next load.” He picked up another smaller bag.

As if on cue, George
came back into the house and was heading up the stairs. Chase went on down the stairs and out to the car while Sunny went in search of Brice.

The little boy was walking out of his room
and thankfully Chase had convinced him to wear khaki shorts with his red shirt and he looked adorable.

“Who is this handsome
little man walking down the hallway?” Sunny asked as she took the little boy’s chubby hand and walked with him. She would have loved to have just hugged and squeezed him. He so needed a mother’s love. Even though he had the best daddy in the world, and plenty of people to love him, she knew he had to miss his mommy.

“It’s Brice!” He giggled as he looked up at Sunny
. The look he gave her melted her heart.

“I think I may just have to claim you as my new boyfriend, you’re so handsome
,” Sunny teased as he giggled again.

“You’re too old to be my girlfriend. You need to be my daddy’s girlfriend.”

At that exact moment, Chase came up the stairs. He looked from Sunny to Brice and said, “What did I just miss here?”

“Sunny wants to be my girlfriend, but she’s too old. I told her she could be your girlfriend, Daddy.”

Chase laughed as he scooped the little boy up in his arms. “Out of the mouths of babes,” he said.

She blushed as
Chase set Brice down and went to get another load of luggage. The little boy ran down the stairs, unaware of the impact of his statement. As Chase passed by her, he said softly, “I hope that remark didn’t make you uncomfortable, Sunny.”

Sunny smiled
. “No, it’s okay, Chase. He’s just a little boy. He can’t begin to understand how these things work.” She quickly turned to go downstairs to check on the children. After all, that was her job.

Both children were in the kitchen with Alma and the three of them were laughing together over a secret. They all got very quiet when Sunny walked in.

“What’s going on in here?”

“Not a thing, Sunny.” Alma looked
at the children and the three of them shared a secretive smile.

Sunny thought the whole household must be going mad. She poured herself another cup of coffee and sat down to wait for the luggage to be loaded.

A short time later, Chase came into the kitchen. “Are we all ready to go? The car’s loaded and George is waiting to drive us to the airport.”

Sunny grabbed her purse and hugged Alma goodbye after Chase and the children had gone ahead outside.

“I’ll see you in a few months, have a good vacation with George,” she said.

“And you work your magic on that man. From what I’ve seen
, it won’t take much, Sunny. I expect you two to come back here with some good news at the end of the summer.”

“Alma!” Sunny was shocked
by her words, at first. It dawned on her, suddenly, that Brice must have told Alma he wanted her to be his Daddy’s girlfriend.

“I call it like I see
it.”

Sunny
shook her head, hugged her again, and ran out the door to join the Dupont family.

The flight was uneventful. They arrived in Palm Beach where John was waiting for them
. After loading the luggage into the SUV, he drove straight to the summer house. Sunny was in awe when they pulled into the driveway. It looked just like they’d described it to her, the

perfect Florida beach house only it was about three times the size she’d expected it to be. The pink stucco structure with the tiled roof looked perfect for a summer in paradise.

Once inside, she was greeted warmly by Alice, who offered to give her a tour of the house. When she was shown to her room, it was like stepping into an island resort. She quickly learned that her room and Chase’s had an adjoining bathroom and they would be sharing. The children’s rooms were down the hall. Alma and Alice must have put their heads together on this plan, she thought with a smile, giving her and Chase discreet access to each other if they had wanted it. She’d never met so many matchmakers in her life, from the housekeepers to the children.
Too bad there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell it will work.

“We’re so glad to have you here, Sunny. I’ve heard good things about you from everyone. Mr. Dupont speaks very highly of you.”

“Thank you, Alice. Everyone has been very welcoming.”

“Here’s John now with your luggage. I’ll leave you alone to unpack
. We’ll see you downstairs.”

“Just
as she was about to head back downstairs, Chase walked through the open door from the adjoining bathroom and said, “I hope it doesn’t make you uncomfortable having to share a bathroom with me. It’s just the most logical way, with the way the house is set up.”

“I’m sure we can manage to stay out of each other’s way. It’s no problem at all, Chase.”

“You’re an amazing girl, you know that, don’t you? Not all women are so accommodating.” He turned to walk back into his own bedroom.

She had promised to call her mother and let her know
they’d arrived in Florida safely. She picked up her cell and dialed the number. Her mother answered on the third ring.

“Mom, it’s me. We just got to Florida a few hours ago. I’ve been unpacking.”

“I’m so glad you called. Is it beautiful there?”

“
It’s gorgeous and everyone has been so warm and welcoming.”

“You’re getting along with the kids?”

“Wonderfully, this is probably going to be the most fun job I’ve ever had.”

“And Mr. Dupont, what’s he like?”

“Mom, he’s so sweet. He helps with the kids when he can and has been very nice so far.”

“Sweetie, are you falling for him already?” her mother asked hesitantly.

“Why would you ask that, Mom?”

“Something in your voice when you talk about him, Sunny, just be careful. He’s your boss.”

“
I’ll be fine, Mom. I know how to handle myself.”

“You’re a smart girl. I’ll trust your judgment. You know him better than I do.”

“I’ll be careful, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you too, Sunny. Call me soon.”

“I will.
‘Bye.” She hung up the phone, realizing she needed to be more careful when speaking about Chase to others. If her mother had noticed something in her voice, others might as well. She went downstairs to join the others.

Chase and Alice
were at the bar talking over tall glasses of iced tea.

“And the children adore her,”
Chase said, smiling as Sunny walked into the room.

“Any more of that iced tea in the fridge?” she asked, ignoring the fact they
’d been talking about her when she came into the room.

“
Yes, there is. Have a nice nap?” Chase smiled at her and winked.

“I called my mom to let her know we arrived safely, I wasn’t
napping,” she replied. She laughed, remembering her first day when he’d caught her napping. She was sure that was the reason for the wicked wink.

“That’s a good idea. Mothers tend to worry, even about their grown children.” Alice approved of the call.

“And your mom is doing okay?” Chase asked.

“She’s fine. She keeps busy with her friends.”

“I was just telling Chase you two should go out tonight. I’d love to have my babies all to myself their first night here. What do you think, Sunny?”

“Well, that’s up to Chase. I’ll do whatever he thinks is best.”

“I say we take Alice up on her offer. You’ll be ready for a break after a few days with the Dupont kids, so take advantage of the time.”

“Okay, I’ll go change.”
She took a swallow of tea and carried her glass to the sink.

“Thank you, Alice. I’d better get changed too.” He leaned over and kissed
his long-time housekeeper on the cheek, before he went whistling up the stairs to get ready for his night out with Sunny.

”Well don’t you look spiffy, Chase Dupont,” Alice said, hanging up the phone as Chase came back into the kitchen.

“So I pass inspection then?”

“Definitely, definitely, I’d say Miss Sunny is going to be the envy of Palm Beach tonight. Where are you taking her?” she answered, straightening his collar.

“To my restaurant, since she admitted she
’s never eaten at one of them.”

“Good choice.”

Sunny came down the stairs a few minutes later, wearing a white sundress. Chase grinned appreciatively as he watched her enter the room. Anyone who didn’t know he was only her employer, would think he was a man in the beginning stages of falling in love with his date. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Sunny, you look wonderful. You
two will make a very handsome couple tonight. You’ll be the envy of everyone around you,” Alice said, bringing Chase back to reality.

“Thank you, Alice.”

Slightly embarrassed at having been caught staring by Alice, Chase said, “Let’s find the kiddos and tell them goodbye before we leave.” He went outside, with Sunny following him into the beautiful garden. John certainly did a good job maintaining it. The kids ran up to Chase and hugged him.

“Where are you going all dressed up, Daddy?” Allison asked.

“I’m going to take Sunny to our restaurant and show her around town. Is that all right with you, Princess Allison?”

“Yes, we
’re going to have a popcorn and movie party with Alice and John, so we won’t have time for you anyway.”

“Oh, I see. Okay, you have fun. Brice, got a hug for your old man?”

“I hug Sunny first. She’s very pretty.”

“Careful, son, don’t get her white dress dirty.”

“He’s okay. I’ve got a hold of his little hands.” Sunny smiled at Chase.

Brice then hugged his dad
, while Allison told Sunny to have fun. The couple peeked in the door and told Alice goodbye, waved to John, and were on their way.

“So I finally get to try a little taste of heaven,” she asked as they drove away.

“Yes, I thought I’d take you there first and
after dinner, we can do whatever you want. We can take in a club, walk along the beach, or go to a movie. Whatever you want to do tonight, the night belongs to you.”

Get a hotel room…try a real taste of heaven…oh, Sunny, you are so in over your head.

“I think I’d like to see the beach,” she replied, inwardly scolding herself for her prior thoughts.

“That can certainly be arranged. You’ll love the beach in the moonlight It’s gorgeous. By the way, you know you’ve made quite a hit with Alice now, as well as Alma.”