Undercover Princess. Suzanne Brockmann

his hair, feeling absurdly pleased at her compliment. “I’ve got meetings all day.”

      She efficiently zipped Doug’s purple lunch box shut. “What time should we expect you home tonight?”

      “I’ll be back by nine,” he said. “In time for our meeting.”

      “Oh.” Kathy’s smile faded. “Not for dinner?”

      “I have a meeting that’s going to run late.”

      He’d disappointed her. She was trying hard not to show it, but he had. Clearly she’d had expectations—probably based on the fact that most families shared at least one meal together during the day.

      But the Sutherlands weren’t most families. Not by a long shot.

      “We need to go,” Stacy implored. “Doug, go brush your teeth. Quickly. You’ve got dog breath.” She gave Kathy another of her rare smiles as Doug vanished down the hallway. “He thinks that’s a compliment.” She rolled toward the door. “I’ll be out in the car.”

      “Take your lunch,” Kathy said. “And don’t forget to say goodbye to your father.”

      “Goodbye, Trey,” Stacy intoned. “Be sure to make lots and lots of money today because God knows the four billion we already have isn’t enough.”

      “In my country,” Kathy said, “we generally save our insults for the middle of the conversation. Greetings and farewells tend to be insult-free. A simple ‘enjoy your day’ will do quite nicely, please. And—call me old-fashioned—but everyone needs a hug in the morning.”

      Stacy’s smiles were long gone. She turned the hostility she usually reserved for Trey onto Kathy, full power. “I don’t.” The conviction in her words was countered by the way she hesitantly glanced at Trey.

      “That’s ridiculous.” Kathy softened her words with a smile that included Stacy in the joke. “I’ve never met anyone who couldn’t benefit from a hug.”

      Stacy narrowed her eyes, and Trey felt himself tense. That was never a good sign. Stacy had a temper that was too much like his own. She had moods like his, too. In fact, she was just too damn much like him across the board, poor kid.

      But to his surprise, she looked from Kathy to Trey and back again, and then smiled. But it wasn’t a nice smile. It was a calculating smile. Trey braced himself.

      “So, okay,” his daughter said. “If everyone really does need a hug in the morning, then you guys go first.”

      Trey looked at Kathy, who met his gaze with what he was sure was an equal look of shock.

      Um…

      Kathy blushed—what a surprise. And she laughed. “But I’m not family.”

      “Oh,” Stacy said. “I see. So you didn’t really mean that everyone needs a hug. You meant, only some people need hugs. And I’m telling you that I’m not one of—”

      “No,” Kathy said in her, I may sound friendly but I’m not taking any lip voice. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m actually in dire need of one, this being my first full day at a new job, not to mention the fact that I’m thousands of miles from my home and my family. I was simply expecting to get my share of hugs from you and Douglas, that’s all.”

      “We’re hug-challenged,” Stacy told her. “Sutherlands are pros at the air kiss—we embrace with as little body contact as possible. And when we want to get turned on, we shake hands, mostly because it reminds us of making a business deal.”

      Stacy crossed the kitchen and gave Trey an exaggerated air kiss about three feet from his cheek. “Enjoy your day,” she said tightly. “Try to limit yourself to only three hostile takeovers today, okay, Dad?” She grabbed her skateboard and went out the door. The screen door banged shut behind her.

      “Oh, dear,” Kathy said. “I’m sorry, I—”

      “She’s right.” It wasn’t even seven-thirty, and Trey already had a pounding headache. “As a family, we’re…not very affectionate.”

      “Well,” Kathy said, “if that’s something—as a family—that you’re not particularly happy with, then it might serve you well to figure out a way to change. Air kisses certainly serve their purpose, but they shouldn’t be for family.” She pushed open the kitchen door and leaned out into the hallway. “Doug! Even if you’ve cleaned them one at a time, you’ve got to be done with your teeth by now. Hurry, or we’ll be late.”

      Trey finished his coffee as he watched Kathy hustle his son out the door.

      “See you tonight,” she called to him, polite to the bitter end.

      Maybe Kathy could teach them all how to hug. The thought was remarkably appealing but completely absurd. It was more than likely they were all beyond hope.

      But then Trey remembered. This very morning, after Kathy had been here less than one day, Stacy had smiled and Doug had spoken.

      His new nanny was a miracle worker. If anyone could achieve the impossible, it would be Kathy Wind.

      The light was on in Trey’s tower office.

      Katherine could see it from the arched windows that looked out onto the center courtyard as she gently closed the door to Dougie’s bedroom.

      Doug was, without a doubt, the least talkative child she’d ever met. Besides his two words at breakfast, she’d gotten one “yes” and two “no, thank yous” out of him all day. But he’d handed her a pile of books to read as bedtime stories—all about dogs, of course.