Page 17 of Chase Our Forever

10

DEAN

Liv shifts in her chair,clearly waiting for me to say something. Many different things run through my head. I still need to call her references and make sure her background check comes back clear. There are numerous reasons why I shouldn’t offer her the job right here and now, yet I want to.

We’ve gone through our fair share of nannies recently, but part of the problem is none of them seemed to connect with Clara. Liv bonded with her effortlessly in one afternoon. I’m hard to impress, but Clara is even harder to impress.

And Liv’s impressed us both.

There are so many reasons why I should wait, but I did all the right things with our previous nannies, and none of them lasted. Maybe it’s time for me to go with my gut instead of with my head.

I sigh, sitting up in the chair. My fingers anxiously tap against the table as I give myself a few more moments to change my mind.

I don’t.

“I’d like to offer you the job,” I begin, my fingers still tapping against the table. “As long as your background check comes back clear and nothing comes up with your references, I think Clarawould love spending her days with you. We can talk more about what your starting rate will be and time off, and if it’s something you’re really interested in, my assistant, Tonya, can draw up a contract and terms of employment.Ifyou’re wanting to accept, of course.”

She tries to bite back her smile but fails miserably at it. “I’d love to talk more details. I understand since you’d also be giving me a place to live that it won’t pay much additionally.”

I frown at her comment. Just because she’ll have a place to sleep doesn’t mean I won’t be also paying for the time she works. The days can be long, and she deserves to get paid accordingly. “You’ll get paid just like any other job. You staying at the house is more for my own convenience than yours. I’ll get Tonya to put everything together for you today. You should hear from her by tonight. If everything looks good to you, or if you want to negotiate anything, you can give me a call.”

Liv nods. She fidgets with her hands in her lap. “I don’t think I’ll have many questions. I’m just grateful things have worked out the way they have.”

“Make sure to read over everything carefully. And then read it over again. I want to make sure we’re in a mutual understanding before you agree. Like I’ve mentioned, I really want this to work out for Clara’s sake.” And maybe for mine, too, but I keep that thought to myself.

This makes her smile, and it’s a genuine one, lighting up her entire face. It thaws my cold demeanor slightly. I think she’ll be good for Clara, and that allows me to take a breath of relief. Finding good childcare for Clara has been a struggle. My daughter deserves the world, and I’m feeling pretty confident about the woman sitting across from me.

“I’ll read it over. Multiple times,” Liv agrees. She pulls the coffee mug to her lips and takes a drink, her eyes watching me carefully the entire time.

“Perfect,” I respond, leaning forward in my chair. “Then it seems like this interview is done. Unless you have any more questions,” I add, wondering if I’m cutting the interview too short. It doesn’t seem like we have much more to talk about until she reads over her contract.

Liv shakes her head. “I don’t think I have any more. Well, I guess maybe one. If everything looks good to me after reading over the terms, when do you think the start date would be?”

“I’ll give you a couple of days to look it over and think about it. If everything looks good to you, maybe we could meet up Saturday morning? Tonya can send you my address if you sign. I’m off all weekend and can help you get settled before the week starts.”

She appears to bite the inside of her cheek as she thinks about my words. Her hesitance takes me a little by surprise. Maybe she wasn’t wanting to start so soon. Or maybe she’s just having second thoughts.

“Something wrong with that?” I ask, watching her through narrowed lids to see her reaction.

She shakes her head, having to tuck her hair back behind her ear because of the movement. “No,” she rushes to say, her eyes wide. “There’s nothing wrong with that at all. I’m ready to start as soon as possible. I just went quiet for a moment, hoping the inn still had rooms available until Saturday. But she made it seem like they weren’t very busy, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

I make a mental note to give Carmen a call over at Sutten Mountain Inn to make sure Liv is all good to stay there for a few more nights. “Yeah, we still have some time before it gets busy here. I’ll make sure it isn’t a problem for you to stay there until Saturday.”

Her eyes go a little wide as she shakes her head. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. I can handle it myself.”

I watch her for a moment, wondering what’s happened in her life. It’s clear she’s fiercely independent. She’s panicking at the thought of me helping her by just making a simple phone call, which is incredibly telling.

Before I can ask the personal questions running through my head, I take a final drink of my coffee before standing up. “I’ll make sure Tonya gets you everything you need by the end of the day. Remember to really look it over before reaching out.”

Liv stands up, her lips spreading into a hesitant smile. She anxiously runs her palms down the front of her pants. “Thank you again for taking a chance on me. I promise you won’t regret it.”

I tuck my hands into my pockets, wondering if I’m supposed to shake her hand or not. “You have a great work history and an already established rapport with Clara. It doesn’t feel like too much of a chance.”

She holds her hand out as she smiles even wider. “Well, thank you anyway. I’m excited about the opportunity. I already adore Clara so much.”

My hand engulfs hers as I shake it once. It feels weird to shake her hand, but I’m trying not to be rude. Pippa lectured me before Liv ever showed up this morning to be a little less grumpy—her words and not mine. I’m just trying to make sure I don’t ruin this for Clara before it’s even started.

“The contract will be fine, I’m sure. See you Saturday, Mr. Livingston.” She doesn’t pull her hand from mine, so I don’t pull away either. Instead, I look into her warm, blue eyes and hope she’s the perfect fit.

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