Page 38 of Architect's Christmas Nanny

“Zeke will want to crack the eggs,” Josie decided out loud as she gathered the eggs to do it herself.

“What will you tell him?” Jillian asked. “How will you teach him, so he doesn’t get frustrated, and he learns how to do it well?”

“I’ll show him that I always crack eggs into a little bowl, not into the big one with the dough,” Josie said right away. “That way if a little shell gets in, it’s easier to get it out.”

“Perfect,” Jillian told her. “That’s the most important step. The rest he’ll figure out by feel, just like you did.”

“It broke,” Josie yelped, looking down into her little bowl at a yolk with bits of shell scattered in it.

“Wow,” Jillian replied, surprised. Josie had gotten pretty good at cracking eggs in all her time helping with baking projects.

“It’s harder with fresh eggs,” Brad chimed in.

“Fresh eggs,” Jillian echoed, amazed.

“Those are from Mom,” he said, nodding.

“Can we put on the radio?” Josie asked as she industriously used a big piece of shell to remove the smaller bits from the bowl, just like Jillian had taught her.

“Sure,” Jillian said, leaning across the counter to turn the dial.

Elvis began crooning that he would be home for Christmas, and Jillian felt a tug on her heart so powerful she thought it would knock her over.

“Zeke will want to keep tasting the dough,” Josie said suddenly. “But after we put in raw eggs, no more tasting.”

“Correct,” Jillian said, trying not to smile.

It was an excellent safety rule, and one that Josie almost always broke. The real rule was that once the eggs went in you had tosneaktastes of the dough, which Jillian was pretty sure just made the whole thing more fun.

“What about Moose?” Josie said suddenly, gazing sadly down at the big dog. “I’m sure he wants a Christmas treat too.”

Moose, who was now lying down, thumped his tail against the floor at the mention of his name.

“Well, I did have an idea for him,” Jillian told her. “Ithink we can put one of his special dog biscuits in the oven for a minute and then put a little peanut butter on top.”

“Like frosting,” Josie said, her eyebrows lifting in surprise.

“Exactly,” Jillian told her. “What do you think?”

“Yes, let’s do that,” Josie said with a brilliant smile. “Did you hear that, Moose? You are getting a treat.”

Jillian had moved to preheat the oven, so she couldn’t see the big dog, but she heard the thump of his tail again.

“You can only have one,” Josie told him sternly. “We have to make sure you stay healthy so you can run and jump and be happy.”

Jillian smiled to herself at how responsible the little girl really was.

Not as little anymore,she thought to herself.

But she could still feel that tiny bundle pressed to her chest, the little face rooting in the crook of her neck for comfort.

What will I ever do without you, Josie?

It seemed like for as long as she could remember, caring for Josie and Brad had been more than her duty, it had been her purpose.

The Butlers seemed lovely, but her place in their house would definitely be that of an employee. Here with Brad and Josie, the lines seemed to blur and fade sometimes, and it was easy to imagine that she was part of the family she had always longed for.

“Oven’s ready,” Josie squeaked.

---