Page 25 of Mr. Wolfe's Nanny

“It can seat four.” Barely. “I can drive it. I think Jill’s booster seat will fit.”

“The doctor said…”

“I can manage a drive to the school and back at this point. You can stay here if you wish.” I honestly want her to come along but probably shouldn’t be angling for more time with her. It’d be just us on the ride home.

She nods and then shakes her head. She shoots a nervous glance my way. “Actually, I have a meeting there this morning so I’ll ride along.”

“A meeting at the school? Why?”

“I’m meeting with the guidance counselor about Jill.” She drops her voice. “Lady Ducks has returned. I know it’s probably due to your wreck but I wanted to see if there was anything else going on at school we’ve missed and sent an email asking for an appointment.”

I’ve never considered talking to the school about it. I’ve never mentioned her imaginary friend to anyone except family and her pediatrician. I’m a little annoyed at myself.

“I’m her father. You didn’t think to discuss scheduling a meeting at school with me first?” I ask, sharply. Yes, I’m taking my annoyance out on someone else.

“I should’ve mentioned it. I was going to but you were on the phone in your office a good while yesterday afternoon and then afterwards your family came by.”

They’d all popped by at intervals for my birthday which had been sweet but kept me busy. And, I’d been in meetings via the phone for over three hours before that, working while I wasn’t supposed to be working. I could tell Quinn hadn’t liked that. I hadn’t expected it to prick my conscience so much either.

“What time is the meeting?”

“8:45.”

“Alright. I’ll be there.”

“I don’t have to come if you don’t want me to.”

“You made the appointment. We can both go.”

She turns to fetch the children but I need to say something more. “I’m sorry I made you feel unwelcome last week, Quinn. I’m sorry for the accusations I made. I was wrong. My only excuse is… trust is not easy for me. But I’ve seen how amazing you are with my children this past week and I appreciate that very much. If I didn’t know it, I’d never guess this was your first time working as a nanny.”

Her blush and cautious smile are radiant. “Thank you.”

“However, I think it’s good for us to keep things professional between us.”

Her brow furrows before she straightens and stiffly says, “Of course.”

Why did I say that? It was unnecessary and made things awkward again.

She hurries off to get the kids and I’m left with one undeniable fact. I may betryingto keep things professional but I don’t reallywantto.

12-Theo

Thirty minutes later, we walk the children to the school doors and pretend we’ll be heading back to the car. We’d agreed not to tell Jill about our meeting with the counselor yet. We don’t want her to feel bad over her imaginary friend’s return. We just want to make sure everything’s okay.

We take a seat on a bench out front, under a tree that’s bare of leaves. October’s definitely arrived. The chilly breeze whips Quinn’s dark hair around. Some of it snags on a button of her jacket and I reach down to free it without a thought.

“I’m ashamed I didn’t think of this,” I admit to keep my mind off her beautiful hair and my intense desire to run my fingers through it again. “Speaking to the school, I mean.”

She looks surprised, whether by my hand in her hair or the statement, I don’t know. “I don’t think you should feel ashamed. Parents are busy, teachers are busy. We don’t always reach out to one another as often as we should.”

She’s trying to make me feel better but I’m not sure I deserve it. Work has taken over lately. Or maybe it was always taking more time than it should have. Maybe that’s why Kathy kept her silence for as long as she did.

Not wanting to think about that, I turn my attention back to Quinn. “What was Price Academy like?”

“It was very small, not as fancy as this school.”

“And you taught science.”

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