Page 16 of Dr. Single Dad

Felicity shrieks down the phone. “Think about what? This is a dream job. Have you got something else lined up? What’s the problem?”

“Nothing, it’s just a surprise, and I obviously wasn’t his first choice because he turned me down after the interview. I?—”

“He’s a new father. Never hired a nanny before. He’s going to make mistakes. He realizes Doreen wasn’t the right person for the job. He knows you are.”

“Just give me an hour to think about it.”

“You’d be a fool to pass this up.” Felicity is a salesperson who works on commission. The only problem is, the product she’s sellingtome is me. She won’t give up without a fight.

“An hour,” I say. “If you make me give you an answer now, it will be no.” I’m bluffing, but we’re playing a game of chicken and I bet she gives in first.

“An hour. No more. I have to move on to other candidates if you don’t want it.”

I pull in a breath, pleased I have a bit of space to think. “Speak then.”

“Who was that?” Callie asks as she comes in.

“Felicity. She’s got a job for me. Permanent. Pay’s good. In Marylebone.”

“What’s not to like?” she asks as she slumps on the sofa, a glass of Diet Coke in her hand. She’s never going to sleep tonight.

“Right.”

“So what’s the problem? You don’t sound like you want it.”

“It’s just a weird setup. It’s a single father. And…he’s…” How do I describe Dax Cove other than gorgeous? “A little taciturn. And…well, he’s attractive. I don’t really want to see my boss that way.”

Callie laughs like I’m a stand-up comedian who’s just delivered a punch line.

“I’m serious.” Nannying is the most rewarding job in many ways, but every now and then it can be a struggle. It’s impossible not to form real attachments to the children in my care. I grow to love them. Every now and then I get reminded that the attachment I have to them is…limited. The children in my care are only mine to love until the end of my shift. They’re borrowed, even if the love stays behind forever.

Having a crush on the father of the child would only underline that feeling of looking through a window at other people’s lives. It would emphasize the fact that I’m helping people live their lives and not living my own.

“Oh, gosh, I’ve had a crush on most of my charges’ fathers.”

I sit down next to her. “You have not.”

She nods. “I absolutely have. I haven’t tried to pounce on them or anything, but I’m a sucker for a good suit and handmade shoes. Together with a little salt-and-pepper hair, I’m one hundred percent heart eyes.”

I smile like I can’t quite believe what she’s telling me. “Are you serious? It doesn’t make you feel a bit De Mornay-esque?”

Rebecca De Mornay starred inThe Hand That Rocks the Cradle, a film from the last century that every nanny at Portland watches at least once during their training. It’s about a nanny who covets the life of the family she’s working for and ends up impaled on a picket fence. It’s shown to new nannies by graduating nannies as a warning about what you could become if you don’t keep a boundary between your professional and personal life.

“Nah,” Callie says. “I don’t have the same deep-seated psychological issues. And it’s not like I declare my undying love for these men. Or even flirt with them. I find them attractive. That’s all.”

“So you don’t think I should be worried?” I ask. I need reassurance because I know I should take this job. There’s so much good about it.

“You should keep a diary. A salaciously erotic diary about all the things you want to do to him. Maybe you’ll get a book deal, become the next EL James.” She sweeps her hand across the air, like she’s reading a headline. “The Diaries of an Insatiable Nanny.”

I pull out my phone and dial Felicity. “You’ve got a screw loose,” I tell Callie.

“Several. Just don’t tell my boss because I’m in charge of her children.”

“I hope you’re calling with good news,” Felicity bellows through the phone.

“Let’s do this,” I say. “When do I start?”

“Not sure how you’ll like this, but he’d quite like you to start tomorrow.”

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