Page 1 of The Manny

Chapter One

Jack

My life was about to get really complicated.

My sister Jules had died suddenly and, by default, I’d become the sole guardian of her five-year-old daughter, Mia. I still couldn’t wrap my head around that fact, even though it had been a full two weeks since I’d received the news. But ready or not, Mia was arriving on my doorstep soon.

Tomorrow, in fact.

I leaned back in my chair, fingering a crinkled photo of my older sister. The last decade-plus, I hadn’t been very close to Jules. Even so, she’d still been my sister and losing her left a hole in my heart. I had fond memories of her as a kid. When she’d been young and still living at home, we’d made forts out of blankets and spent summers down at the lake. However, when she’d hit puberty she hadn’t had time for her younger brother anymore. At the age of seventeen, she’d run away with some boy, and I’d never seen her in person again.

There was a knock on the door of my office, and one of my auto technicians, Brody, poked his head in the door. “We’re all going to Brannigan’s. Wanna come with?”

I sighed. “Not sure I should. I’ve got a lot to take care of before tomorrow.”

He frowned. “You already hired the nanny and got Mia’s room ready. What’s left to do?”

I grimaced. “Get mentally and emotionally ready?”

He laughed. “You’ll be fine. You’re a kind human being.”

“Kind,” I repeated the word softly. Was I kind? I wasn’t sure about that. I wasn’t mean, but I felt too prickly to be accurately described askind.

“Come on. You know you want to join us. It would be good for you, boss.”

“I’ll think about it.”

He sighed, narrowing his eyes. “That means no.”

I shrugged. “I feel too wound up.”

“That’s what going out drinking is for.” He smirked. “You know, once she gets here, you’ll have less of a social life.”

Is that even possible?

My insides churned. “That’s why I hired a live-in nanny. I don’t want to be completely tied down.”

“She’s going to need a lot of attention from you. Poor kid’s mom just died. She’ll be looking to you for stability. She’ll want to make a connection with her only living relative.”

“The girl the agency picked for me is supposedly one of their best.”

“Sure, but the nanny will be a stranger to her.”

I scowled. “I’ma stranger. I’ve never met the kid.”

He nodded, his gaze assessing. “I guess that’s true.”

Groaning, I raked a hand through my hair. “I’m not prepared to be a parent. I can’t fucking believe this is happening.”

He wagged his finger at me. “You’ll have to clean up your language too, boss. You can’t cuss around a five-year-old.”

I gave him a dirty look, frowning when my cell buzzed in my pocket. I tugged the phone out and answered. “Jack here.”

“Mr. Wayan, I hope you’re having a lovely day.” A perky woman’s voice said.

I grunted. “Can I help you with something?”

She laughed. “I’m sorry, I should have identified myself. I’m Bernice, from VIP Nanny Services.”

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