Forgotten Stranger: A Billionaire Boss, Single Dad Mystery Romance Read online

  Just as Raine turned to go, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see a female doctor rushing toward her, a harried look on her face.

  “Were you the one looking for Dr. Monroe? Ms. Hart, was it?” the doctor asked.

  “Yes… that’s me.”

  “I’m Dr. Sally Gates,” the doctor said, sticking her hand out for Raine to shake. “I’m afraid Dr. Monroe is currently unavailable, but can I help you with something? Are you experiencing complications with your pregnancy?”

  She thought Raine was here because she was pregnant and had questions. Raine cleared her throat as nausea roiled in the pit of her stomach.

  “I… no,” she wavered, wondering if she should go. But she needed to know. “Can we talk somewhere quieter?”

  Looking curious, Dr. Gates led Raine to an empty room and shut the door behind her. To Raine’s relief, someone had drawn the curtains around the empty bed; it was hard enough just being in the room—in this building—without the visual reminder of the bed in which she had lain to mourn her son.

  Raine cleared her throat again; she needed to do this before she lost her nerve. “I… seven years ago, I was pregnant, and my doctor was Dr. Monroe. My son… he was stillborn.”

  Dr. Gates’ face fell. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you,” Raine said, managing a smile. “The thing is… I didn’t do so well following his death. And recently”—she rubbed a hand down her face—“I saw a boy, and… he could have been my son. He looked so much like me, and I…”

  She didn’t know how to explain without sounding crazy. But she didn’t need to; Dr. Gates had a sympathetic look on her face.

  “You want to get closure,” the doctor prompted.

  “Yes,” Raine said, relieved. “I need to get in my head that my son died and that he’s never coming back. I need to see the hard proof of that. Is there any way I can see the file?”

  Dr. Gates frowned. “I don’t usually have access to those files; they’re Dr. Monroe’s. Usually, he would have to grant access to them.” Raine slumped, and the doctor sighed. “But… I understand where you’re coming from. I lost my daughter in birth several years ago.” She smiled sadly at Raine’s surprise. “Sometimes, only facing the facts will help you recover. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  She disappeared into the hallway before Raine could say anything more. Shocked at how well this was going, Raine perched on the edge of a nearby chair. Her heart pounded in her ears. This was it: the final confirmation of her seven years of hell and, just maybe, the final push she needed to get back on her feet. After this, no matter how many times she saw things that couldn’t be true, she would remember this moment and convince herself of the truth.

  It took nearly half an hour for Dr. Gates to return, a crisp yellow folder in her hands. Raine shot to her feet as the doctor entered; her anxiety had built in the past twenty minutes until she had almost lost her nerve and fled.

  “Are you ready?” Dr. Gates said.

  Raine drew in a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

  Dr. Gates nodded. She opened the folder and scanned the first page. When she frowned in confusion, Raine realized something had gone wrong.

  “This can’t be right,” Dr. Gates murmured. “Someone must have filed it wrong.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ms. Hart; someone must have misplaced your son’s information and filed another child’s information here instead.”

  Raine felt dizzy. This couldn’t be real. “What child?” she rasped.

  “Um… Oliver Parker,” Dr. Gates read, oblivious to the way Raine paled. “Mother is Emily Parker, father is Mason Parker. Dr. Monroe delivered Oliver seven years ago on August second at eleven o’clock in the morning.”

  Raine fell back into the chair. “That’s when my son was born.”

  “Which might explain the mistake,” Dr. Gates said. She closed the file and patted Raine’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Ms. Hart. It might be difficult to track down misplaced records, but I can try. I can start by looking—”

  “No, that’s all right.” Raine heard herself say the words from very far away. “I’ll be fine. Thank you for trying, Doctor.”

  Dr. Gates squinted at Raine. “You don’t look well; maybe you should go home and rest.”

  Raine heard herself agree, and then she left with a vague farewell. She barely remembered leaving the hospital and flagging down a taxi. She barely remembered the trip home or paying the driver when they arrived. It wasn’t until she walked into the house that she remembered the groceries, but her mother just laughed it off before promising to go later.

  Then, she was in her room. She didn’t even remember going up the stairs. Raine felt like she was in a daze as she stood in the middle of the room, oddly removed from the world. Nothing made sense.

  She hadn’t told Dr. Gates that the boy she had seen was Oliver Parker. But her son’s medical records had gone missing and Oliver Parker’s birth certificate had turned up instead? And Dr. Monroe had delivered both boys on the same day, around the same time?

  It was too much of a coincidence.

  A tiny part of Raine’s mind screamed at her to stop this foolishness before she got in too deep. Nothing good lay down this path. Oliver Parker was not her son, no one had stolen him from her, and there was no point in believing otherwise. She needed to move on with her life, continue her degree, and get over it.

  But she couldn’t. She needed to know the truth. And there was only one way she could figure out the truth now.

  Slowly, she opened her laptop. The advertisement waited for her on the screen.

  Wanted

  A live-in nanny for one seven-year-old. Duties to be discussed at the interview. Applicants with prior experience preferred.

  Please contact Mason Parker at 709-7643

  Raine smiled grimly and picked up her phone. She had stopped working following her son’s death, but maybe it was time to look at getting a job.

  Chapter 3

  A week after he placed the advertisement, Mason sat alone at a table in a small café, ready to bang his head against the nearest wall in frustration. Over the past few days, he had interviewed three potential nannies, and not one of them had been right for the job.

  Mason had given the first one, a nineteen-year-old whose only claim to experience was looking after her three younger siblings, the benefit of the doubt when he had called her in for an interview, but the longer she had spoken of rough-housing with her three brothers and of locking them in the cupboard when they got too annoying, the more he had realized she wouldn’t be a good fit.

  He’d had high hopes for the second applicant, an older man who had taught at a boarding school for many years and had since retired. When he had used the term “military school,” however, Mason had crossed his name off the list.

  The less said about the third applicant—who had never worked with children and had seemed horrified that she might occasionally have to cook a meal—the better.

  Maybe he was just being picky, but this was his son, and, if he had to hire a nanny, he would hire only the best.

  Mason was starting to wonder if he would find even one decent applicant. He still had six more applicants to interview, and an entire inbox of potential interviewees at home; he should have known better than to attach his well-known name to the advertisement. Half these people probably only applied because he was famous.

  With a critical eye, he looked over the resume of the woman he was interviewing today. Her name was Raine Hart, and she lived on the other side of the city. When she had called him, she had seemed well spoken, and she had been more than happy to forward him her resume. She was studying childcare management and had worked as a babysitter in the past, both of which were points in her favor.

  However, Mason had noticed one odd thing about her resume. She had listed no work experience for the past several years. She had spent the past three years working toward her degree, but he couldn’t determine f
rom her resume any reason she hadn’t worked in the four years before that.

  The door of the café opened, and Mason looked up hopefully, just as he had done the last four times. Raine Hart still had another five minutes until their agreed time, but he wanted to get this over and done with.

  The woman who entered this time was small and thin, dressed in a crisp blouse and a business skirt. She wore her dark hair cropped close to her chin, perfectly straight other than a stubborn curl that stuck out at the side.

  Mason sat up straighter when her eyes fell on him; this must be Raine Hart. As she got closer, however, he realized that he recognized her. His eyes widened.

  “We met you in the park,” he blurted as she approached.

  She paused, surprised. Maybe she hadn’t expected him to remember. Then, she smiled, smoothed down a wrinkle in her blouse as she shifted her bag to her other arm, and held out her hand.

  “Oh, yes, I remember. I was in a bit of a hurry that day,” she said. “My name is Raine Hart. It’s good to meet you.”

  Mason coughed, embarrassed by his rudeness, and stood to shake her hand. “Mason Parker. Thank you for coming to meet with me.”

  He gestured for her to take the seat across from him. She smiled and sat. Her calm, professional demeanor was already winning her a lot of points in Mason’s book.

  He settled back into his seat. “May I ask why you were in the park?”

  “I used to live in the area. When I saw you and your son, you looked like people I used to know. I’m sorry to have rushed at the two of you like that.”

  “It was no problem,” he assured her. “We were just a little confused.”

  On the notepad in front of him, he wrote, Familiar with the area. That was a plus; she wouldn’t get lost if she ever left the house with Oliver.

  “I noticed that you’re studying childcare management,” he asked. “Will that interfere at all with your commitment to this position?”

  “Not at all; I’m studying online,” Raine replied. “Although I will need some flexibility when it’s time for my midterm and final exams, it won’t interfere in any other way. I’m also almost at the end of my degree program so that will only apply for another six months.”

  That she was thinking months in advance meant that she didn’t consider this job a casual, handful-of-weeks affair. Mason made another note. She was already a better candidate than any of the three he had previously interviewed.

  “You said you have babysitting experience?” he said, glancing once more at her resume.

  “It was some time ago,” she laughed. “I did a lot of babysitting for my mother’s friends when I was younger. Then, somehow, that turned into a small business.”

  “Why did you stop?” he asked before he could stop himself. He cleared his throat. “You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.”

  “It’s fine. I understand that you want to know more about the person potentially looking after your son,” Raine said, shaking her head. “I went through a tough period of my life around seven years ago, and it’s taken me a long time to sort through it all. Getting my degree is only the start, and I’ve spent most of the past few years thinking about where I want my life to go. Seven years looks like an awfully long time to be out of work, I know, but I needed to get my head in order before I could be around children again.”

  Mason nodded. Far from putting him off, her story impressed him. Not only had she not tried to hide that she had been out of work for so long or make excuses for it, but her explanation had also been clear and succinct without giving away too many personal details.

  “So, what drew you to this position?” he asked, straightening; this would be the real test.

  “I love working with children, Mr. Parker,” Raine said, looking him straight in the eye. “Working toward my childcare management degree has helped me rediscover my love of this field, and I’m ready to return to the workforce. I have a lot of experience with babysitting, and, while I understand that being a nanny will be different, I also know much of that experience looking after multiple children will help me in caring for a single child.”

  She had obviously thought through her answer beforehand, and he could hear the truth behind her words. Mason nodded and looked down at his notes. He liked Raine Hart; she was a better fit for what he wanted than anyone had been so far.

  Raine interrupted his train of thought. “May I ask something?”

  “Go ahead,” he said.

  “Why are you looking for a nanny? I know it isn’t my business, but I can do the math. You disappeared from the papers several years ago; that must have been because of your son. But why not hire a nanny before now?”

  Mason couldn’t help but laugh. None of the other applicants had dared ask.

  “I am concerned only with Oliver and his future,” he explained. “One day, he will inherit everything I own, which means I need to make sure that there is something there for him to inherit. Unfortunately, I can no longer neglect my companies if I want them to remain my companies. They want me back full-time now that Oliver’s in school.” He looked at Raine seriously. “My son is my entire world, and I only want the best for him.”

  Her eyes were wide as though she hadn’t expected that answer. Was there a part of her that had believed the papers that labeled him as vicious, ruthless, and unbending?

  Mason couldn’t blame her if she had. He had been like that; he would have seemed like a different person if she had met him several years ago.

  Speaking so bluntly, however, seemed to have cleared the awkwardness between them. Mason ordered two hot chocolates as he continued to question her about her degree and her understanding of working with children. Many of her answers came from experience, and it didn’t take him long to realize that she had a real passion for working with children, that she genuinely loved working with them.

  The more they spoke, the more Raine revealed her intelligence and friendliness. As she relaxed, she smiled more. Even if they were only small smiles, they cleared her entire face as though the sun was coming out from behind the clouds.

  Mason wanted to hire her on the spot if he was honest with himself. But he knew that wouldn’t be fair to the others who had replied to his advertisement. He had already offered six others interviews, and he had to follow through with those.

  Still, he liked Raine. She might not be the most qualified of all the people that had applied, but she had lots of experience, and she loved children. She was exactly what he was looking for.

  “Thank you for meeting with me,” he said nearly an hour later as he stood and extended his hand, wishing he could ask her to stay longer but knowing it was time to finish up. “I’ve gotten everything I need for now. I have a few more interviews, but I should be able to get back to you by the end of next week.”

  She stood and shook his hand. “I’ll look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for the interview.”

  Then she was gone, her back straight and her head held high. She knew the interview had gone well, and that it would take a near perfect applicant to win this job over her.

  Mason looked back over his notes. It was so tempting to just call her now. He wondered if Oliver would like her.

  He grimaced at the thought. Based on Oliver’s reaction when Mason had told him he’d be hiring a nanny, he wasn’t going to like anyone. Still, Mason had to try, and he hoped that someone like Raine could handle a precocious child intent on despising anyone that cut into his time with his father.

  One step at a time, Mason reminded himself. He needed to get through the rest of the interviews first.

  He tucked Raine’s resume and notes away in his folder. There was a part of him, the rational part, that thought it might not be such a good idea to even consider her. She was friendly and professional and qualified… but she was also very attractive, in both looks and personality. Hiring a nanny he might develop feelings for wasn’t going to work.

  Well, he’d deal with that if it came to it.
For now, he was just going to finish his hot chocolate and contemplate his next interview.

  * * *

  One week later, Mason picked up the phone and dialed Raine Hart’s number. He knew the risks, but he found he didn’t care; she was the only one he would consider hiring to look after his son after the parade of awful interviews that he had suffered through.

  “Hello?” came Raine’s voice on the other end of the line.

  “Raine Hart?” Mason said, clearing his throat. “It’s Mason Parker. I’m calling regarding our interview last week. I’d like to offer you the job.”

  This could go downhill very quickly, but he was out of options, and, for his son, Mason would risk anything.

  Chapter 4

  It’s all just a coincidence.

  The paperwork was just filed wrong.

  The whole idea is ridiculous.

  As Raine packed her bags, she repeated these thoughts to herself like a mantra.

  Somehow, despite the confused thoughts spinning in her mind when she had met the charming Mason Parker for the first time, she had come across as sane and professional enough for him to hire her as his son’s nanny.

  She repeated the thoughts to herself again; if she didn’t get a handle on this obsession, she half thought she’d kick down the front door of Mason Parker’s house and demand he give back her son. She couldn’t ruin her only chance to find the truth by acting stupidly.

  “Raine, are you packed?” her mother asked from the doorway.

  Her parents both hovered there, watching her uneasily, and Raine could almost read their disapproval of her new job on their faces. They had argued about it last night when she had informed them she was moving out to work as a nanny, and they had all gone to bed without resolving anything.