Free Prince Daddy & the Nanny by Brenda Harlen Page B

barbecue, Hannah found the necessary ingredients in the refrigerator for a salad. When Riley came downstairs, she gave her the napkins and cutlery and asked her to set them on the table.
    The princess did so, though not happily. Obviously she wasn’t accustomed to performing any kind of menial chores. And when her father came in with the steaks and potatoes, she looked at the food with obvious distaste.
    â€œCan I have nuggets?”
    â€œNot tonight.” The prince had earlier uncorked a bottle of merlot and now poured the wine into two glasses.
    â€œBut I want nuggets,” Riley said.
    â€œYou had nuggets for lunch,” Hannah reminded her, and gave herself credit for not adding “almost every day this week.”
    The little girl folded her arms across her chest. “I want nuggets again.”
    â€œIf she’d rather have nuggets, I can throw some in the oven,” the prince relented.
    â€œYes, please, Daddy.” Riley beamed at him.
    Hannah opened her mouth, then closed it again without saying a word.
    â€œExcuse us,” he said to his daughter, then caught Hannah’s arm and steered her into the kitchen.
    â€œWhat’s the problem with Riley having chicken nuggets?” he demanded.
    â€œI didn’t say anything, Your Highness.”
    â€œNo, you stopped yourself from saying whatever was on your mind,” he noted. “And since you didn’t seem to have any qualms about speaking up earlier, why are you censoring your comments now?”
    â€œBecause I don’t want to get fired after less than a week on the job.”
    â€œI won’t fire you,” he promised.
    â€œThen I’ll admit that I’m concerned about your willingness to give in to your daughter’s demands,” she told him. “She’s not even four years old, and if you let her dictate what she’s going to eat, she might never eat anything but chicken nuggets.”
    â€œIt’s just nuggets.”
    â€œNo, it’s not just nuggets. It’s that you always give in to her demands.”
    â€œI don’t always,” he denied.
    â€œAnd if you give in on all of the little things,” she continued, “she’ll expect you to give in on the not-so-little things and then, suddenly, you have no authority anymore.”
    She picked up the salad to carry it to the table, giving the prince a moment to think about what she’d said.
    â€œWhere are my nuggets?” Riley demanded when he followed Hannah into the dining room.
    â€œIt will take too long to make nuggets now,” he said gently. “Why don’t you just have what we’re having tonight?”
    Hannah cut a few pieces of meat from one of the steaks and slid them onto a plate along with half of a baked potato and a scoopful of salad. Although the prince didn’t sound as firm as she hoped he would, she gave him credit for at least taking a stand.
    The princess scowled at the food when it was set in front of her, then looked straight at Hannah as she picked the plate up and dropped it on the floor.
    â€œRiley!” The prince was obviously shocked by his daughter’s behavior.
    The little girl, equally shocked by her father’s harsh reprimand, burst into tears.
    Hannah simply retrieved the broken plate from the floor and scooped up the discarded food to dump it into the garbage. Then she got another plate and prepared it the same way again.
    â€œI want nuggets,” Riley said, but her tone was more pleading than demanding now, and tears swam in her big brown eyes.
    â€œYour daddy cooked steak and potatoes. You should at least try that before asking for something else.”
    Two fat tears tracked slowly down the child’s cheeks. “You’re mean.”
    â€œBecause I won’t let you have your own way?” Hannah asked.
    â€œBecause you told Daddy not to let me have nuggets.”
    She caught the prince’s eye across the table. He looked