ACCIDENTAL AUPAIR BY MAGAN VERNON
Lexi Brown’s in her dad’s small office in California. He’s lecturing her about giving her mother another one of her headaches that makes her need to head for the Caribbean.
She’s in her own head, thinking about leaving in the middle of the LSATs when she got the call from her best friend, Izzy, in the hospital. Her boyfriend beat her to a pulp and Lexi dropped everything to take care of her. But the day her friend went to trial to press charges, the case was dropped. Lexi couldn’t even imagine being a lawyer after that so she left school in Boston. Much to both her parents dismay. So, she was shipped to California and her dad got her a job. House and pet sitting while one of his influencer clients is otu of town with her family in Australia.
She pulls up to a gorgeous house, not expecting to meet the bombshell of a wife and husband or they’re adorable kids. But especially was not expecting to see the little black and white goat- Bello- or that what she was watching was in fact, a goat.
Unsure what to do with the little guy, she decides to take him to a dog park down the street where she is confronted by a furiously sexy guy with broad shoulders and the most adorable husky mix ever. Nathaniel, with his bedroom blue eyes that match his blue Two Brothers Dog Rescue shirt, tells her she can’t bring a goat to the dog park. They argue, through their conversation finds out exactly who this infamous goat is and her owners are big animal rights influencers. People he’s been trying to get a meeting with for months. But she’s already pissed so she goes home with the goat.
She plays outside playing with Bello, realizing he’s actually quite adorable and posts a photo to his Instagram page – something the influencer clients said she should keep up with to get paid extra – and tags herself. Soon she gets a private message from Nathaniel trying to apologize and said he wants to make it up to her for being rude at the park. After a back and forth of playful texting, they agree to meet at Food Truck Friday in town the next night. She’s not looking for anything serious, but figure its fodder for the goat’s social media and the guy’s cute enough so why not?
They meet some other people in town, get food, and talk a little bit more about each other. Like that he inherited the dog and his house when his parents died and started the rescue with his brother. Lexi realizes she’s starting to like the guy, but she knows she needs to go back to Boston and to help Izzy…and eventually get that degree.
A few days later she gets a message from Nathaniel that there’s an opening for a wine and painting fundraiser for the dogs and she can bring Bello. So, she agrees to go. Gets a little too tipsy so Nathaniel gives him a ride home and they kiss. She wants to see if it can be more than kissing, but the gentlemen refuses, saying he’s not going to do that when she’s tipsy or house sitting so he leaves.
The next day he calls her and invites her to his place. She tells him she’s not looking for a relationship and he says its fine, just dinner and bring Bello.
Ends up being more than just dinner and the two share not only a romantic picnic, but a roll in the sheets. Which is not at all what she wanted to happen, but now that it has…she can’t stop this thing with Nathaniel. Even if it is only for a few more weeks.
They spend a day at the beach and after loading the dogs and goat in the back of the truck, have a very steamy moment in the front seat, but then she misses a call from Izzy. Izzy who tells her that she’s had a hard night after seeing her ex but she’s fine.
Lexi is upset so Nathaniel drives them back to the Influencer’s house and winds up spending the night.
Big mistake when Lexi’s dad shows up the next morning, shaming her for having a man there when she’s supposed to be working. He has a loud discussion with her about going back to school and not screwing around.
When her dad leaves, Nathaniel is confronted with the idea that she’s not staying, like he thought she might. That she’s going back to Boston and while they’ve had fun, he should leave too.
But without Nathaniel she’s upset, moping around. She has to stop at the shelter to pick up some goat food and talks to the receptionist.
She then talks to her dad and tells him everything about what happened and they make up.
But she knows there’s one more person she has to make right with and luckily the influencers are home and able to help.
The influencers wait in the back of the shelter, hearing Nathaniel come in and say he has a meeting with them. He walks in to find not just the influencers, but Lexi. They’re standing next to a dog cage and she tells him the influencers said she can foster the dog but only if it’s with a rescue, so she’d like to volunteer. That she’s staying in California to finish school then law school so she can join the practice and help out Two Brothers dog rescue and make a difference.
The two share a very steamy kiss that has all of the dogs howling and the book ends with both of them filling out the paperwork, walking away with a new dog and a new hope for their lives together.
