Page 18 of One Sweet Lie

“I’ll be on the roof.” She disappeared.

Not wanting to give the agency a chance to ask for my thoughts on Harlow, I called them first.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Dawson!” the advisor answered. “Excited to tell me you’ve found your match?”

“No. I don’t want Miss Hawthorne anywhere near my house again.”

“Was she that terrible?”

“She’s the worst one you’ve sent so far.”

“I am beyond sorry, Mr. Dawson,” she said. “If it’s any consolation, the next potential nanny is the complete opposite.”

“How so?”

“Well, she’s seventy-nine years old and she’s a former kindergarten teacher. There’s only one thing that may give you a slight pause in hiring her, though.”

“What is it?”

“She can only see out of one eye.”

“She sounds absolutely perfect,” I said. “Send her over.”

FIVE

PIERCE

You left out the part where she insisted on letting all 14 of her cats “live in,” too. That’s not happening. Ever.

Sorry. Sending over the next applicant ASAP.

The woman sitting across from me was CPR certified, fluent in French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Best part, she reminded me of Mama Raya—down to her soft grey eyes and purple tinged hair, so there was absolutely zero attraction.

She’d passed the diaper challenge with flying colors, and unlike Miss Hawthorne, I felt comfortable giving her a tour of my entire home.

“Why should I hire you for this job, Miss Hanson?” I asked.

“Because I absolutely love kids,” she said. “They’re who I was born to work with, and I believe that they’ll love me after a single playdate.”

“How do you feel about extensive travel?”

“As long as it’s covered and not taken out of my paycheck, that’s fine.”

Decent enough answer.“Before I move to the next part, do you have any questions?”

“More like some requirements I needyouto meet for me.”

“I’m sorry, what?” I was convinced I’d misheard her.

“Being a full-time nanny comes with a lot of work,” she said, “and I believe that the parent should have to work with me as well.”

“Go on…”

“First, I need you to give me the okay for my discipline methods.” She wagged a finger. “I believe in letting babies cry for a full five minutes before attending to them. It teaches them that the world is cold, and they can’t always get what they want. It’s better that they learn that now, better than later, you know?”

“I thought you said, youlovedchildren.”

“Second, I’ll need a designated five hour window to unwind with a glass of wine and a book, undisturbed.” She looked dead-ass serious. “This window will provide you with some bonding time, and allows me to recharge my energy.”

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