Page 52 of Marrying the Nanny

“Thanks.” Reid allowed her to scoop Storm and walked away with Cameron.

Emma moved through the lounge where a huge stone fireplace separated the sitting area from the dining room, then stepped outside where the patio ran the length of the building overlooking the water.

Melancholy struck as she realized any happiness she found here was temporary. This moment’s buoyancy would dwindle and disappear into the past.

To combat her sudden blues, she anchored herself in the moment, enjoying the snuggle of Storm against her side and the warmth in the steady breeze that swept off the water, bobbing the boats moored against the dock.

“See the bird?” Emma pointed to the gull. “And the boats?”

One of them was a big, fancy sailboat that was maybe too snobbish to join the collection of smaller boats at the wharf. It had moored at the breakwater. Tiffany had told Emma all sorts of la-dee-da types had come through here over the years. Politicians and rock stars and dot-com millionaires.

The territory belonged to the Heiltsuk First Nation and the resort leased the land from them. The government had appropriated the land for an air force base during the Second World War, but the marina continued to thrive because it was needed here. Raven’s Cove was opportunely situated one day’s travel from Port Hardy, on the tip of Vancouver Island to the south, and one day from Prince Rupert, the port city serving the north.

In the late eighties, when the previous owner had passed, Wilf had used money that Reid’s mom had inherited to buy the business sight unseen. Wilf had worked on commercial fishing boats before his marriage, but he hadn’t known the area. All he really knew was boats and anglers. He moved his new wife here, built her a house, and got the word out that king salmon and halibut were an easy day on the water. Soon he’d had loggers, roughnecks, and trophy hunters coming from all over.

The rest was the Fraser family’s bumpy history.

A story in which Emma was only a footnote. Asterisk au pair equals “nanny.”

A ripple on the water had her looking down to catch a round head and big, dark eyes staring at them. She smiled, thinking this wasn’t so different from home after all.

“Look, Storm. A seal.”

It ducked under and Emma moved closer to the rail, hoping to catch another glimpse of it. Something caught her eye in the rocks below the jut of the patio. An abutment of rubble protected the shoreline from eroding beneath the new building. The boulders were pocked by bits of seaweed and barnacles so the small, gray, speckled pup nestled on one of them was easy to miss.

Reid came out. “Things are coming together. Let’s leave before something goes wrong.”

Emma waved him over and pointed. “A pup.”

He peered over to where she pointed. “Yeah, seals are like deer. Mom tucks her baby somewhere safe and goes off to feed. She’ll come back for it.” He took Storm and held her up in front of him. “Can’t leave you on a rock all day, can we?”

Storm grabbed his lip and tried to pull herself in to eat his nose.

“She’s probably getting hungry.” Emma took a last look at the baby seal, figuring the mama hadn’t wanted to get it while Emma was watching. She followed Reid out.

“I can’t believe you were so anxious to leave here. This is an amazing place to grow up.” As she spoke, she had to fight to push the pram across the rocky ground.

“The grass is always greener. I’ve only been to Auckland once. It was your winter, but I found the climate very attractive.”

“It gets cold farther south, but you’re right. We barely get frost in Nelson. Maybe it’s more that I didn’t make time to go outside and explore my own country. I thought about moving south or up to Auckland or even Wellington. I was tired of the rat race, though. The selling and networking, keeping up appearances. Doing my hair and makeup every day. Worrying about numbers and trends and so much pure nonsense. The city sucks, mate. I urge you to reconsider its attraction.”

“Your idealist is showing. What are you going to do when your time is up here?” He sounded genuinely interested. Maybe even concerned.

“I have no idea,” she said morosely, then forced a brave smile. “Fortunately, I have time to think about it.”

But did she? The Ocean View was coming along. The house was being transformed. Logan wasn’t swearing as much about the marina, and Trystan had disappeared on his days off to learn more about the ecotours. He had come back thoughtful, but not discouraged.

She and Reid quit talking as they climbed the steep shortcut to the house. Emma carried Storm and Reid dragged the pram up backward. They caught their breath as they came out below the house.

Reid swore as they reached it, gaze on the trees blocking the view. He looked at the patches of grass struggling for life beneath the thick layer of needles under them. Along the drop-off to the water, the soil had been windswept to expose the trees’ gnarled roots.

“We gotta take these down. One hard blow off the water and these will be on the house. You want to talk about nonstop work? This place,” he muttered. “It’s too much for one man. That’s why it’s such a mess. Dad ran out of gas and no wonder.”

Reid couldn’t wait to unload it. That’s what she heard. The minute these men had the house in order, figuratively and literally, Raven’s Cove would be sold.

She had to step out of denial and self-pity and make a plan for her future.

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