Page 2 of Nanny for the SEALs

I didn’t have time to think. I had to move. The girl, who didn’t bother introducing herself—which suited me because I didn’t know what name the agency had given her—started to move into the club.

It was a little quiet; there were one or two people sitting and then at the corner, I saw him. Ben. I ducked my head and moved to the side, hoping she was moving in the opposite direction of him, which she did.

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face me. “Are you listening to me?”

“Sorry, I thought you were on the phone?”

I didn’t, because I was hiding from Ben, but I did see her pick her phone up and hold it to her lips to speak.

“Yeah, I was leaving a voice message.”

Then she carried on walking, got to a black door, turned the key, which was on a chain around her neck, and we were in a dark hallway. I was scared because it was dark, and the echoes of her heels were the only sounds. I turned around, wondering if someone was behind us, but there was no one.

“So, as I was saying before… neither of them have allergies. You’ve got tons of experience, so I don’t need to spell it out to you. It’s late, and when I last checked in on them, they were a bit irritable. Their dad said it was way past their bedtime, but he had no choice but to bring them.”

She stopped to sigh and then kept rambling. I was trying to keep up with her, thinking I really should have eaten today. I started to feel lightheaded, and I was hoping she would halt so I didn’t feel as if I were running a marathon I didn’t opt to compete in.

“Did you get that?”

I nodded, which seemed to be the only way to put her at ease.

“Good. Right, so here we are!”

Thank goodness. I just hoped that they weren’t babies. I could look after any aged kids, but babies seemed to be a hit and miss with me. Any age group, it didn’t matter, just not babies, I repeated in my head.

Then, as the door swung open, I saw two babies in carseats. It dawned on me that I shouldn’t have said it in my head; I should have got down on my knees and fucking prayed!

* * *

Luckily,I could leave my car in the parking garage, and another car was called to take us out. I should have been relieved about being sent out the back.

What the hell was I thinking?

The only reason I was inside the club in the first place was to spy on Ben. Somehow, in the midst of it all, I forgot why I was there. Now I was holding a carseat with one baby, while holding the other. I didn’t even know their names, and I was thinking about when I was going to have to tell her the truth.

I had to do it. The nanny would show up and my cover would be blown.

“Shit, shit, shit!” she huffed as she picked up speed. “I have to be on in like, two minutes!”

On?

Was she…?

No, she couldn’t be.

Then she swung the exit door open. I was trying to keep up with her; I was wearing sneakers and I couldn’t keep up her pace, especially holding the baby and the carseat. I had to be careful; I couldn’t remember if I strapped him in properly.

She ran past me. “I need to go. The driver is waiting outside. Good luck!”

I lifted the carseat, looked at the baby inside, and decided she had no idea what she meant when she said good luck. I wondered if she was talking to the baby or me.

I took a deep breath as I promised to look after the little soul. He had Steven written on his little hat—something I never noticed before, but she must have put it on. I was too busy thinking about Ben, why I was here, and how the hell to get out of the trap I set myself up in. I reached the door, the one where she left the other baby, and saw a tall, dark-haired man with glasses waiting for us—he must be the driver.

“I was getting worried there,” he said in a deep British accent. “Shit, excuse me. Let me get that. Steven, don’t worry. Rodney’s here.”

It was ironic and funny in a way to see a man who was clearly my dad’s age in a black suit, talking in a baby voice, as he took the seat and strapped it into the back of the Jeep. I wondered for a second if he was going to say something to me, but he didn’t until he was happy that both Steven and the baby he called Rachel were strapped safely at the back of the Jeep.

“Are you okay, luv? You look nervous,” he said as he stretched his arm in my direction as if he was about to give me a hug or something. I didn’t know the man, but in the space of a short time, I couldn’t believe he was showing me more compassion than anyone had since I moved to L.A.

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