Page 22 of Sven

“Hey, sweet girl,” he said over the monitor. “Let’s get you changed.”

She took note of how the baby instantly cooed. “We have a new friend downstairs. I think you’ll like her.”

While the red flags of this situation were everywhere, there was something about Sven that called to her. This was messy. She might not have all the details, but she didn’t care. Not to mention the fake red flag on her past.

“You, sweet girl, stink.”

Natalie laughed.

“Wow. That is a big stink for such a little girl,” he said. The little tinkle of laughter warmed her heart. “You think it’s funny, don’t you?”

Okay, they were precious. While she might not have known everything she needed to, she knew that much. And she did need a job... and he needed a nanny.

In a few moments, Sven came back into the room, carrying in a beautiful, dark-haired little girl with big sparkling blue eyes.

“This is Winnie. Winnie, say hi to Natalie,” he said, admiring at the baby.

Natalie smiled at her and waved. The little girl smiled back at her and wrapped her tiny fist around Sven’s finger. He walked over and pulled the little bin of toys over and spread out a little blanket before putting her down. She expected him to come back over to the chair so they could continue the interview, but instead, he sat on the floor next to Winnie.

Now that was a green flag.

She got up from the couch and joined them on the floor. Sven peered at her with a genuine smile, and she felt something she should not have been feeling for a potential boss.

“Hi, Winnie,” Natalie said to the little girl.

“She’s beautiful. She looks a lot like you,” she said before realizing what she had said, but it was true.

“She is. She has a pretty even temper as well, which is good. She’s been through a lot.”

His eyes flew to Natalie like he hadn’t intended to say that—another red flag, but as Natalie observed him with her, that was the biggest green flag. He was calm and attentive to Winnie. He asked Natalie a couple more questions about her experience while they sat on the floor. Winnie gravitated towards him. He seemed like a natural father.

“So, what do you think? Do you have any questions?”

“I don’t think so.”

She had so many questions... but none seemed appropriate to ask.

Winnie reached for a toy Natalie was holding.

Natalie smiled and handed it to her. “Is she crawling yet?”

They both watched as Winnie rolled over and reached for a toy.

“Kind of... She does a little scoot thing,” Sven said as he pushed a toy just out of her reach, encouraging her to move for it.

Using her feet, she pushed her body forward towards the toy.

“Such a big girl you are,” Natalie praised.

Sven was watching her with an expression Natalie didn’t quite know how to read.

They hung out for a while, playing with Winnie. She could feel his eyes on her, making sure she’d be a good nanny. That was why he kept watching her. She found herself needing reminders of that.

“What do you say? Are you interested? I promise to pay well.”

“Okay, well, I’m interested. When would you need me to start?”

“The boys will be back from the road trip Monday, so I’ll need someone then.”

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