Page 2 of The Unexpected Nanny
On a typical Wednesday, I was working the afternoon shift at Kid’s Toy World, in my hometown of Miami, Florida. Just getting back from a fifteen-minute break I’d spent on my laptop, turning in assignments for my online classes I was taking in hopes of one day becoming a nurse, I smoothed out my baby blue smock.
A mess of long, blonde spiral curls a little cherub of a girl had going on, bounced around her adorable, little round face as she barreled toward me. “I found a monkey!”
Her words had me a bit confused, so I asked, “A real one?”
The little girl stopped and laughed, holding her tummy as she did. “No, silly! A stuffed one! You’re so funny!” She took my hand in her chubby, small one and led me away with her as she went on and on, “I like monkeys. I want a real monkey, but Daddy won’t let me have one until I’m big enough to take care of it, my own self. And he says that monkeys can bite you on account of the sharp teeth they have. So, my monkey might have to go to a monkey dentist and get its teeth pulled out. But I think that’s too mean. Don’t you think that’s too mean, lady?”
The pause in her rambling gave me the chance to answer her, “I do think that’s a bit mean.”
“See, I knew it was. Daddy says it’s not as mean as if that monkey bit me and he had to put it in the zoo. Anyway, a stuffed monkey will have to do for now, and I found me a great big one. Only I can’t reach it and even my very tall daddy can’t reach it. So, he said we needed to get some help, and you look like the right person to help Daddy and me. And has anyone ever told you that you’re very pretty and you smell like cotton candy? You don’t have any more of that stuff, do you? Cause I like cotton candy very much and today is my birthday too so I can have some if you have any left.”
“Happy birthday,” I said when she took a breath.
“Joy!” a deep voice called out. “What in the world made you think you could run off like that? I was worried sick. I nearly called the police!”
We stopped and turned around as the little girl batted her eyelashes at me. “Oops, I forgot to wait for Daddy. This is my daddy, nice lady.”
“I can see that. You two look just alike,” I said with a smile. “The same blonde curls hung around the tall, muscular man’s face. His ocean blue eyes sparkled as he gave me a shy nod.
It was hard to believe he was looking so timid. He was an Adonis. They could’ve made a statue out of him and women everywhere would flock to see it. “I’m sorry for shouting at you, Joy. It’s just that you shouldn’t ever run off like that, baby.” He came to us and scooped her up in his strong arms. I couldn’t help but notice how his huge biceps bulged under his tight teal colored T-shirt. And the way his daughter was refusing to let my hand go had me standing so close to the man that I could smell the coffee he must’ve had earlier. It mingled with a musky scent that was all him.
“Um, little girl, you can let go of my hand now,” I said as things felt more than a little awkward.
“No,” she simply said. “Daddy, this nice lady will help us get my monkey.”
“That’s nice,” he said then gave his kid a kiss on the top of her head. “But you’re making her feel uncomfortable. You need to let her hand go, pumpkin.”
“But I like her,” she said, and my heart melted a little.
“And I like you,” I told her. “You can hold my hand if you want to. Come on, let’s go get your bear.”
“Monkey,” she corrected me.
“Monkey, yeah I meant that.” I had to walk backward as she held my hand and it felt a little like her dad, and I were dancing as we went to the aisle the toy was on.
There was a ladder not too far from there, and I looked at it then at the little girl’s grip on my hand. I had no idea what to say to her. And when I caught her father’s eyes, he saw my distress. “Joy, she has to go get the ladder. You have to let the nice lady’s hand go.”
When she released my hand, it felt more empty than it had ever felt. “Okay,” Joy said then smiled and whispered something in her father’s ear as I walked away to get the ladder.
I heard her, and her father snickering behind my back and felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I was fairly sure it had to do with me. I was always body conscious. I was what some called well-endowed. I called myself fat.
My mousy brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and I had spilled a bit of chocolate milk on my smock. I didn’t usually care what I looked like when I was at work. But that day with that gorgeous guy there, I cared a lot!
When I pushed the ladder that was on wheels over to where the monkey was, I found the guy looking me over. “So, Skye, that’s a cool name.”
I was shocked he knew my name and asked, “How do you know my name?”
He and his daughter laughed liked hyenas as he pointed at my name tag. I felt like an idiot, and my blush went one shade deeper as I climbed up the ladder to retrieve the monkey.How would I recover from that?
When I pulled the toy off the shelf, I heard the guy as he said, “Hand him on down here, sweetie.”
Sweetie?
“Here you go, honeybunch,” I said with a smile as I held out the stuffed animal to him. Then I saw his daughter as he had her held up so she could reach some other toy.
When my eyes met hers, she went into another fit of giggles as she said, “You called my dad, honeybunch!”
I couldn’t speak, I was utterly humiliated. Then he spoke, “I think she was talking to you, Joy.”
