Page 8 of Mr. Wolfe's Nanny

“Worms aren’t insects. They’re invertebrates, Dad.”

Ordinarily, I’m proud of my son’s interest in life science. Right now, I’m the one growling. Yes, just like he did earlier. Very mature, right?

But the sullen look disappears, his bottom lip puckers out and I get the sad puppy eyes. “I’m sorry, Dad. Don’t be mad but… she’s a bad nanny.”

I have heard this more than once. Ryder decides he doesn’t like a nanny and he starts doing things to drive the woman off. I know it’s partly spurred by anger over his mother’s death. I can’t exactly blame him for that. Even with therapy, we’re both still dealing with it as best we can nearly five years after the fact.

But the thing is, Ryder doesn’t do this to all the nannies I’ve hired since Kathy died so, when he does, I know there’s some reason even if it’s only a good one from Ryder’s perspective.

“Why do you say she’s a bad nanny, Ryder?”

He shrugs again but this time there’s no sullen attitude, just his mother’s honest brown eyes gazing up at me, wanting me to believe him. “She made fun of Jill because of Lady Ducks.”

I rub my hands over my face before sitting down next to him to put an arm around his shoulders. He takes his role of being his little sister’s protector very seriously.

“Jill cried,” he adds, sniffling.

At nine, Ryder’s hesitant to cry in front of others but someone being unkind to his sister and him not able to stop that? He burrows his face against me and sobs out the whole story. It breaks my already broken heart but these amazing kids heal it every day, too.

Mrs. Hicksisa bad nanny. Time to find another one. And, I’m not using that damn agency again.

∞∞∞

An hour later, I wave goodbye to the kids and head for the car, trying to keep my head down. I’m not a stranger per se at my children’s school but part of having a nanny meant I could avoid drop off and pick up here. Partly for reasons I’m not entirely proud of.

“Theo!” Loud honking ensues. “Hey, stranger! I’ve been meaning to corner you to talk for ages!”

Shit. Nadine Childress is waving animatedly at me from her Mercedes. God, she’s pulling into a spot next to me.

“Hi, Nadine. Hey, Park,” I say to her son. “I’m, uh… running late this morning so I’ll have to catch up with you some other time,” I say as diplomatically as possible before diving into the backseat of the Town Car.

I catch Dan, my driver’s smirk in the rearview. “Lady killer.”

“Just drive, man,” I sigh, relieved that I have a legitimate excuse to avoid coffee or whatever she was going to suggest.

For three years, I’d been celibate after Kathy passed. I’m sure there’s men who would act like that was some monumental sacrifice but it wasn’t for me. When you’re the grief-stricken, suddenly single father of an equally grief-stricken son and a baby girl who won’t even remember her mother as well as a busy as hell CFO for one of the largest media corporations in the world, your sex life can draw the short straw.

Then came Nadine who had been one of Kathy’s friends, recently divorced and the mother of Park, one of Ryder’s pals. She’d suggested playdates for the boys, it became a routine and one day while the boys had been zoned out in front of cartoons and Jill had been tucked in for a nap… well, it happened.

I’d felt guilty initially but Nadine had been understanding. And admittedly, I had missed sex so, when she started labeling us as friends with benefits, I went with it.

It lasted over a year and I suppose I should’ve known better. One evening, I’d found Nadine poking around my medicine cabinet with my box of condoms in one hand and a safety pin in the other.

She suggested we didn’t really need condoms with her on birth control but I’m not stupid. I’m very wealthy, Nadine was vocal about the finer things her alimony didn’t quite cover but I wasn’t about to take a chance on an ‘oops baby.’ So, I’d suggested our arrangement come to an end. She’s been trying to corner me ‘to talk’ ever since.

Thus, I’ve turned to one-night stands to scratch the itch which I’m fine with. Or was.

But the last one… Lois Lane. I definitely didn’t want that to end so soon.

Oliver, my half-brother, has given me hell for never getting her name, not to mention her number. And, I’m shit out of luck finding her unless I want to stake out that bar some more.

Yes, I’ve gone back a few times.

No, no luck.

It was odd in a way. One minute, things seemed fine. Then, once I called Jill after Mom had texted and I’d decided staying over at the company’s suite for the night wouldn’t work out and she’d come out of the bathroom, Lois had looked sick at her stomach and ready to bolt. Figures the first one-night stand I was ready to suggest a repeat with was a first-timer with regrets.

Maybe it’s just as well. I had my love story with Kathy. We’d been college sweethearts and maybe it wasn’t always perfect but I’d loved her and she’d loved me. No one can take her place and I won’t lead somebody on if my heart isn’t in it.

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