My Lucky Groom

that was made for just the two of them. Four of them, counting the kids.
    “What is it?” he asked, his voice husky.
    Ventura felt herself losing her nerve.
    “Maybe we should talk about it tomorrow.”
    “If that’s what you want.”
    Ventura’s cell buzzed, and she checked it, seeing it was Charles. He was letting her know he’d arrived to pick her up and was parked by the curb outside.
    “I’ve got to go.” She broke away from Richard’s gaze, hoping she was doing the right thing. Leaving the life she’d built here and embarking on another one. But inwardly, Ventura knew she couldn’t stay at the Blakes’ forever. The more she was around Richard, the harder it was to resist him. Instinct told her that he was growing attracted to her too. But what did that mean in their current state, especially when she was still seeing Charles?
    Ventura hurried toward Charles’s car, her head swirling and her heart pounding. She’d once believed twenty-five was the age at which one knew everything. Now she saw it was a time when she knew nothing at all. Except for how to make a great big mess of everything. She had a chance for happiness with Charles, and he clearly wanted to spend time with her. She didn’t need to go chasing some silly dream about the one man who’d already told her he couldn’t become involved.
    “Are you all right?” Charles asked as she fastened her seat belt.
    Ventura glanced back toward the house, her eyes moist. “Yeah, thanks,” she said, stealthily wiping back a tear. “I’m fine.”

Chapter Ten

    “Ventura,” Richard told her the next morning in his home office. “I’ve been thinking about last night.”
    “You have?”
    “About your stories.”
    “Oh.”
    “I was serious when I urged you to write them down. I have a nose for these things. I think you have potential.”
    “But I was trained in news writing. I wouldn’t have a clue how to go about—”
    “Come on, if you can speak it, you can write it. You’re a good writer to boot. Professionally trained. All you’ll be doing here is employing a little creative license.”
    “And then what?” she asked him. “I don’t even know what the next step would be. Submitting to publishers? From what I hear, the hurdles are enormous.”
    “I have some agent friends in New York.” He sincerely met her gaze. “If you’d be willing to write a few of your stories down and polish them, I might see if I can open some doors.”
    Her face warmed with gratitude. “That’s so nice. But why would you do that for me?”
    “Because I can.” He shuffled through some papers on his desk, then set them aside. “Now, wasn’t there something you wanted to tell me?”
    She felt awful dropping the bomb on him at this moment, particularly with him being so kind about her children’s stories. But she needed to go through with it. She’d had a message on her voice mail this morning saying she was wanted for an interview. Things had started moving and might move along even more quickly from here on out.
    “I feel terrible about telling you this after you’ve been so nice.”
    His face fell. “What is it? What’s happened?”
    She gathered her courage and pressed ahead. “I applied for a job at the Daily Globe .”
    “And?”
    “I’ve been called in for an interview.”
    To her surprise, his expression brightened. “That’s fantastic. What great news!”
    “Huh?”
    “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? The whole reason you came to Washington?”
    “Um, yeah. But I thought… Wait a minute. You’re not upset that I’m leaving?”
    He sat back with a sigh. “You’re not leaving yet, are you? You said you’d just been called for an interview.”
    “Yeah, but I kind of have some contacts on the inside.”
    He laid his palms on his desk. “Even better.”
    Ventura flinched, feeling oddly stung by his enthusiasm. “Is it…? I mean , do you want me to go?”
    He met her gaze and held it. “Honey, I’ve never wanted a nanny to stay so much in my life.”
    Ventura’s cheeks flamed.
    “But I’ve also never wanted any of them to succeed more than I do you. Ventura, this is your life. You have to go for it. I want what you want. Can’t you see?”
    She looked deep in his eyes and wished he knew that part of what she wanted was him . And it was too. Her heart skipped a beat as she acknowledged the truth. She couldn’t keep seeing Charles when she was desperately in love with someone else.
    Jason bustled into the