There was no official agreement yet. Bianca was in her brother's city to get a real feel for it, see the guest house, and meet a potential boss. Nothing more.

Her brother hadn't been lying about the guest house. She'd expected a miniaturized version of a one-bedroom house, barely big enough for a single person to live in for more than a weekend. But the place had two beautiful bedrooms, a large kitchen, and a comfortable sized living room. The bathroom looked like it was cut out from a sophisticated magazine.

Bianca hadn't visited her brother since he moved here just after the wedding. She'd seen a couple of photos, but none that did the house justice. What blew her mind was this property was a wedding gift from Kara's father. She'd heard the family had money, but didn't think it was this much money.

The main house had five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a family room, rec room, living room. Hell, it had rooms she never knew were even a thing. And between her brother's giant house and the lovely guest house was a full sized pool.

As Bianca stepped out of the guest house, she couldn't help but glance over her shoulder for one final look.

"So, what do you think?" Her brother yelled from the other side of the pool.

Bianca didn't want to appear too eager, seeing as her heart was still pulling her in two different directions. Starting her life over was a monumental step, but she supposed it was starting over either way. It was just the 'where' that was in question. "I think my brother forgot to mention a few things."

Matt worked on meeting her halfway along the edge of the pool. "Honestly, I was weirded out when he offered to buy us a house. When I found out he bought us this house, I nearly passed out. I'd be fine living in a shack in the middle of nowhere, so long as I could share it with Kara, but her dad wanted to do something nice, and she is his only child, so..."

"So, you just accepted a mansion with grace."

"I'm just happy he gave me his blessing to marry her," Matt answered honestly. "Luckily, I didn't know she came from this kind of money until I already planned on proposing. She's always lived frugally, and he knew she'd never mention it until she had to. And speaking of the nicest devil you'll ever meet, he's inside waiting for you."

Bianca could only shake her head as she looked down at her ripped jeans and Counting Crows t-shirt. "I thought I wasn't meeting him until tomorrow."

Matt placed his hand on her upper back and pushed her forward toward the main house. "He just stopped by to see the baby, and when he found out you were already in town, he figured why not kill two birds with one stone."

"But I'm one of the birds that has to die," Bianca wailed dramatically before cutting her performance short. "So, what does this guy do for a living, where he can hand out mansions like Halloween candy?"

Her brother laughed. "He was a surgeon up until recently. Just retired last year. But he's also designed a few medical devices that are used all over the world, which allowed him his early retirement."

When Matt opened the door, Bianca gave him one last glare for throwing her into this situation, before stepping into the main house.

And there stood the man in question. Brown boots, slightly stained dark jeans, blue and white plaid shirt. His beard was gray and peppered with dark brown, while his hair was the opposite. The soft smile on his face twitched a bit when her eyes met his, showing the slightest dimples on his cheeks and a sparkle in his brown eyes. 

"You don't look like a doctor," was all her stupid brain would allow her to say. Even if she couldn't smack herself on her forehead physically, she was certainly doing it mentally right now.

A low chuckle escaped, the sound more like rumbling thunder in the far distance. "I'm retired, but if you want me to run home and go put on some scrubs, I can be back in fifteen minutes."

Whereas his laugh had been deep and almost relaxing, a snort came out of her own mouth. This time, Bianca didn't stop her hand from flying up to cover her mouth, which only seemed to increase his amusement.

"Kara's upstairs putting Brandon down for a nap," he told no one in particular before he sat down on the leather sofa. "I know you were expecting a professional interview, but I prefer a more easygoing approach, if you don't mind. Seeing as we're technically family, we should be getting to know each other either way."

Bianca fully agreed. She only wished that she'd shown up to one of the parties leading up to her brother's wedding so she could have been better prepared for this man. But hers was a high-risk pregnancy, so none of the parties were really an option. Still, even a photo would have sufficed.

One of the few things she did know about this man was that he absolutely loathed social media, so if he had been in any of the photos Matt or Kara posted, he would have been in the background. From what she understood, Kara's mother became very difficult after the divorce several years ago, so her father made sure to keep his life as private as possible. Her mother wasn't even invited to their wedding.

Now that she thought about it, that's the only thing she knew about the man.

Bianca sat down directly across from him, and her brother took a seat in a chair to the side. "We should probably start off with your name. I think I've only heard you be called 'dad' or 'Doctor Calloway'." And yet Bianca still forgot he was a doctor, ensuring this 'interview' would lead to a series of mental facepalms.

This time his laugh was lighter, mimicking his casual lean against the couch. "Kade."

Kade Calloway seemed like it would roll off the tongue like a song lyric, not that she dared test that theory aloud. "So, I hear you're looking for a housekeeper, Kade."

"I am," he confirmed. "The last one worked for my father before he moved south, then came to work for me when Kara was born to sort of lend a hand. She's still a spitfire, but she's old now, and it was time for her to move in with her daughter. Still calls me every week, though."

Why that made her smile, Bianca wasn't sure. But perhaps it was his own smile as he spoke of the old woman that seemed to tug at her heart. "Are you looking for just basic housekeeping, or a house bitch?"

And there came her next facepalm moment. She could have phrased it any other possible way than that.

"Bianca," Matt warned.

Kade's brown eyes narrowed, completely ignoring her brother. "House bitch?"

"Errands, cooking, event planning, whatever," Bianca tried to explain better, though it was probably too late with her foot now permanently lodged in her mouth.

His smile returned. "Something tells me that you, Bianca, are no one's bitch. But to answer your question, just basic home upkeep is all that's required. I was meticulous in the operating room, but that never transferred well into my personal life.

"And seeing as you can't seem to help but be blunt, I'll assure you right now that I'm not a prick to work for. Truth is that Harriet bossed me around a hell of a lot more than I did her. By the end, she was telling me what I could clean, and conned me into paying her for it. You absolutely have permission to call me out if you find me difficult to work for. Not that you wouldn't do it without my permission."

Something about the way he spoke to her caused a rosy flush on her cheeks, and Bianca looked down, trying to hide it. "Is there anything you want to know about me?"

"If you decide to move here, we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other. I like you, Bianca, and I'd like you to work for me. You're honest and strange, and that so happens to be my favorite combination."

When Bianca dared to look up, there was no teasing in his eyes. "I'll give it some serious consideration," she promised.

Bianca wasn't sure how in the hell she was going to clean the man's house with him walking around looking like that, but she'd do her best.

What blew her mind is she never really had a thing for older men. The only serious adult relationship she'd been in was with Jackson, but older, attractive men never really caused her head to turn. And this particular older man was nearly her father's age. And he wore that age damn well.

"I hope so. Either way, I'd like to take everyone out to dinner tomorrow night, if you're interested."

It was the first time she managed to avoid a facepalm moment when she bit back the 'I'm interested' that was on the tip of her tongue. "I'd love to."