Free Nanny Next Door by Michelle Celmer Page A

shouted, and he craned his neck to see Jon Montgomery, one of his fellow deputies, waving him over to the bar. He stood with a group of Daniel’s friends. Keeping a tight grip on Sydney’s hand he dragged her along with him, letting go only to shake hands with Jon.
    “Where the hell you been?” Jon asked, and when he saw Sydney standing there, it was as if Daniel ceased to exist. “And who is this lovely woman?”
    “This is a friend of mine, Sydney Harris,” Daniel said. “Sydney, this is Jon.”
    Jon took Sydney’s hand, but instead of shaking it, he kissed it instead. “A pleasure to meet you, Sydney Harris.”
    She flashed him a wobbly smile. “Hi.”
    Daniel heard someone call his name and turned to see his twin sister coming toward them.
    “Hey, Angie,” he said and reached out to give her a hug. But Angie ignored him and went straight for Sydney.
    “You must be Sydney,” she said, pumping Sydney’s hand. “It’s so good to finally meet you.”
    Sydney looked a little confused.
    “Sydney, this is my sister Angie,” Daniel said.
    Angie laughed. “I guess I could have introduced myself, huh? You’re probably thinking, who is this crazy woman accosting me?”
    “No, I figured it out,” Sydney told her. “You look a lot alike.”
    “We favor our father. He was born in Argentina. Our mother is pure Irish. And she’s dying to meet you, by the way. Maybe we could do lunch some day? Just the three of us? Of course, Beth and Dee will probably want to come, too. They’re our younger sisters.”
    “Um, sure,” Sydney said, seeming uncertain. Daniel didn’t blame her; Angie did have the tendency to come on a little strong.
    “Danny tells me you have a fifteen-year-old daughter. I have a seventeen-year-old son.” She turned to Daniel. “Speaking of kids, where’s April?”
    “Mom has her for the night.”
    “Oh! Well, maybe I’ll stop over there tomorrow morning so I can see her.”
    “I’m going to introduce Sydney around,” Daniel told his sister, before she really got going.
    “Of course,” Angie said, shooing them away. “We’ll talk later.”
    Daniel took Sydney by the shoulders and maneuvered her to the opposite end of the bar, saying under his breath, “So, is your head spinning?”
    “A little. But I liked her.”
    Daniel introduced Sydney to his friends and everyone seemed eager to meet the mayor’s ex. She was a little reserved at first, staying glued to his side, but after a while she started to relax. Eventually one of the women dragged her off to chat with a group of wives and girlfriends. And after a beer or two, she actually started to look as though she was having fun.
    “So, is she the Sydney Harris I think she is?” Daniel’s friend Russ, the only trustworthy mechanic in town, asked. “The mayor’s ex?”
    “Yep.” Daniel took a swallow of his beer, watching as one of the local firefighters asked Sydney to dance, and she reluctantly followed him out onto the dance floor.
    David Smith, a fellow deputy who was leaning on the bar to Daniel’s left, asked, “And she’s just a friend?”
    “Yep.”
    “ Why? She’s hot. ” That earned him a slug from his wife, Sammi.
    “Watch it, pal,” she warned, but she was grinning. She and David had started dating in high school, married a week after graduation and had been going strong ever since. Daniel wished all marriages could be so stable, but he knew they were the exception to the rule.
    “I’ll admit it was tempting,” Daniel said. “But she’s my next-door neighbor, she has a kid, and starting Monday she’s going to be April’s nanny.”
    “You know how pissed Harris would be if his ex was dating a cop,” Jon said. “Especially one who refuses to play by his rules.”
    “Speak of the devil,” Sammi said, nodding to the door. “Look who just walked in.”





CHAPTER SIX
    D ANIEL TURNED to see Jeff Harris come in, his girlfriend clinging to his arm, a member of his posse on either side. He watched