Free Deception (Mafia Ties #1) by Fiona Davenport

Chapter 1
Anna
    “G ood morning, Anna,” the recruiter at the Manhattan nanny agency greeted me, waving towards the chair in front of her desk. “You look lovely this morning.”
    “Thank you.” My reply was faint. I might look nice on the outside, but I was a mess on the inside as I sat down across from her. I’d dressed with extra care this morning because I needed the boost in confidence. I’d hoped to have been placed with a family by now, but each of my interviews had been worse than the next.
    The first family’s home had been a disaster and they’d fully expected the nanny to be the one to clean it. The second family’s children were holy terrors who’d managed to scare off three nannies in two weeks. My third interview was a couple days ago and had been horrible. The mother hadn’t been able to make the appointment due to a work commitment and the father made it quite clear he expected to receive special attention if he hired me. It had been enough to make me seriously reconsider if I was cut out to be a nanny.
    “I’m sorry things haven’t gone smoothly for you so far. Matching a nanny with a family isn’t always an easy task, but I’m sure we’ll be able to find something suitable for you.”
    At least one of us was sure. “I hate to admit it, but I was thinking maybe this was a sign that I should try to do something else instead.”
    She cocked her head and studied me a moment, most likely trying to gauge how serious I was about giving up. “Are you willing to give me one more chance?”
    My hands twisted in my lap, toying with the edge of the cardigan sweater I’d paired with a sundress to make it more appropriate for a visit to her office. “Maybe.”
    With a nod, she lifted a manila folder off the top of a stack and flipped it open. She scanned it quickly before flashing me a smile. “I think this might be perfect for you. The girl is six years old and has had health issues, almost from birth. Because of her illness, it’s harder to find a nanny to accept the position. Your schooling could be put to good use.”
    My heart strings tugged, even though I knew my one year studying to become a physical therapy assistant wouldn’t be much help when it came to caring for a sick child.
    “Her grandmother has been caring for her, but she isn’t able to keep up with her any longer—not because of Sophia’s health issues, but because she’s had a health scare of her own. Her dad came to us several weeks ago, but so far we haven’t had any luck matching them with a nanny.”
    I noticed a glaring omission in her description of the family. “What about her mom?”
    She rifled through the papers in the folder before answering. “I can only assume she isn’t a part of her daughter’s life since there was no mention of her in the information provided.”
    “After what happened on the last interview, I’d really prefer a position with a family, with a wife who will be around a lot. Not a single dad.”
    She closed the folder and leaned towards me, lowering her voice. “I was lucky enough to meet with Mr. DeLuca in person. I don’t think I’ve ever met a more gorgeous man. Trust me when I tell you that he has no need to take advantage of an employee. Not only is he sexy, he has money too. You’re a pretty girl, but I’m sure he has women throwing themselves at him left and right.”
    “Okay,” I sighed, feeling like she’d put me in my place.
    I was a nanny who couldn’t find a charge, and this little girl sounded like she couldn’t find a nanny. Maybe it was meant to be. Besides, if the interview didn’t go well, I could just throw in the towel and think of something else to do. Really, what was the worst thing that could happen?
    An hour later, I was untying my cardigan from around my waist so I could put it back on before knocking on the door of the impressive brownstone, on the upper west side, in front of me. Although my cream and pink striped sundress was flattering, it was