Falling for Mr. Wrong Read Online Free Page A

while she struggled.
    “Hello! A little help here, Marie?” A wave of fear washed over her. What if the creature was injured? Or sick? What if her inadequate baby-holding skills had hurt it somehow?
    Marie looked up. “You’re fine. You can do a handstand on a tightrope. I think you can put a baby on your shoulder.” Her phone rang and she shook her head helplessly. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to take this.” She stepped out of the front door and closed it behind her, presumably to escape the noise of the wailing infant.
    Kelsey stared down at the baby. “All right, Oscar,” she muttered. “Let’s do this.” Carefully, she hoisted the burrito-shaped package, turning her hand to keep support under the baby’s head while she shifted it into position. Then, with a quick prayer, she flipped him up onto her shoulder.
    Success!
    Feeling a surge of pride not unlike that of managing a steep overhang on a rock face, she began to pat him through the thick blanket.
    Marie came back in a moment later. “That was Eve. She’s at home. She thinks it will be another day, maybe two. But she’s on the mend.”
    “Well, that’s a relief.” Kelsey tried to mimic the bouncing move Marie always seemed to make when she was holding a baby. “Did you want to take Oscar now?”
    Marie held out her hands. “Sure.”
    Kelsey made the transfer with only a fraction more confidence than she had the over-the-shoulder move and then sighed with relief at the feeling of empty arms. “So anyway, if you don’t want me to watch Oscar, why in the world did you call me over? I was right in the middle of a workout.”
    “I figured. That’s why I called.”
    “Because you’re bitter that I’m working out?” She grinned. “You can always come with me the next time I go for a run.”
    Marie snorted. “Right. And then you’ll know it’s time to prepare for the apocalypse.”
    Marie was of a similar height to Kelsey, but she was considerably more rounded. Not that anyone complained. Everyone, especially men, loved Marie’s hourglass shape. Everyone except Marie, who periodically started on the latest diet fad, juice cleanse, or exercise regimen, only to give it up a week later. Marie had a strong aversion to dieting. Or, heaven forbid— sweating .
    “Because I need a nanny. For three kids. Eleven, eight, and six.”
    Her? Take care of children? Three of them?
    Kelsey’s mouth fell open. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I do your website, Marie, not take care of kids. You’ve clearly mistaken me for someone without baby-induced nausea.”
    “They aren’t babies,” Marie pointed out. “These kids are old enough to be pretty self-sufficient. You just need to pack some lunches, take them to the park, and call the ambulance if anyone breaks an arm.”
    Kelsey snorted, while her brain spun in a desperate attempt to think up a reasonable excuse. “Is that what you put on the brochure? At Gentle Hands, our nannies can call the ambulance if your child breaks something?”
    Marie hoisted the baby on her shoulder and began to move around the kitchen, cleaning up bottles and wiping down counters. “Don’t sell yourself short—you’re not completely inexperienced. You were a camp counselor, remember?”
    “That was sixteen years ago, and they fired me because I took the kids up a trail that was closed to hikers. In my defense, I will say that the sign was very small, and really, they hadn’t seen any bears for a couple of weeks.”
    Marie’s face lost a hint of color and Kelsey gave a silent victory cheer. Still, it was a measure of how anxious her friend must have been that Marie cleared her throat and continued, “You were young. I’d never put a thirteen-year-old in charge of a cabin full of kids. Besides, you’re practically a doctor, and—other than your pathological need to climb excessively large mountains—one of the most responsible people I know. My clients would love that.”
    Kelsey perched on a stool beside the