Page 25 of The Widower's Nanny

There is a set of cupboards above the counter in the kitchen and three more below it. I search through the ones above first. There are several cans of food we can eat if we are still here for dinner. I also find a can of coffee and a plastic container with small packages of hot chocolate.

I turn toward the living area. “How about some hot chocolate, Lilly?”

She turns on the couch and gets onto her knees as she looks at me over the back of it.

“I love hot chocolate.” She exclaims.

“How about you, Preston? There’s coffee.”

“Coffee sounds great. I think I’ll start this fire, too. It’s starting to cool off a little.”

I smile at him. “You know, I’m an expert at lighting woodstoves. I can do it if you want.”

He chuckles. “I’ve got it, thanks.”

I laugh. “Alright. I’ll just heat some water for the hot chocolate and get this percolator going.”

There is a ten gallon container of water with a spigot. I fill a kettle with water then fill the percolating coffee pot. It will make four cups of coffee. I figure we might need it all and then some.

While the water heats, I look through the remaining cupboards. Most everything is in cans, but there are two different kinds of pasta in plastic containers. There are also crackers, cookies, and some cans of nuts. Everything had been packaged to keep the bugs and rodents out. I imagine in a house that sits empty most of the time, it’s a necessity.

Lilly is still watching me over the back of the couch, and I smile at her. “Almost ready.”

“Are there marshmallows?”

“No, but there are some chocolate chip cookies.”

She claps her hands in excitement then turns back around to watch Preston. He’d lit some paper under the kindling and is watching to make sure it ignited the wood. I watch him for a moment too. Out here, in this place, he isn’t the rich Preston Michaelson or even myboss. He is just a man making sure his daughter and I are warm and comfortable.

When he closes the door and stands, I look away. I don’t need him to know I am admiring him in a way that I shouldn’t. Regardless of how I am seeing him right now, he is still my boss.My extremely good looking boss who I’m very interested in getting to know better.

When the water is hot, I make Lilly’s hot chocolate then pour two cups of coffee. I bring Preston and Lilly their cups then retrieve my own. Preston is sitting in the chair, so I sit on the couch next to Lilly.

She looks at me. “Cookies?”

“Oh right.” I start to get up, but Preston stops me. “I’ll get them. Sit. You’ve been slaving away in the kitchen for…ten minutes or so.” He smirks at me.

I smile. “Thank you. I am pretty worn out from boiling the water.” I tease.

He gets the cookies and hands one to Lilly then offers me one. “Care for a cookie?”

“I think I will, thank you.”

He takes one for himself then sets the package on the table next to his chair. While he takes a bite, he goes to the front door and opens it. The rain is still angling onto the porch and he closes the door.

“No change.” He returns to his chair. “So, it’s not looking super great out there.”

“Do you still think it’s going to blow on through?”

He glances at Lilly, then shakes his head. “I think the rain is here to stay for a while.”

I finish my cookie. “So what does that mean, exactly?”

He leans forward. “Lilly, how’d you like to spend the night in the cabin tonight?”

I grab her cup of cocoa right before she jumps up to celebrate. “We’re going to have a sleepover?”

He looks at me. “Um…Sort of.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “What do you think?”

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