Page 14 of Nanny for the Mercenaries

“Sort of. Verbally. But I haven’t signed anything yet. Should I do it?”

She gave me a confused look. “Whywouldn’tyou do it? It’s a job doing what you love.”

“But only for two or three months.”

“And you would be spending more time with Brownie and Blondie!”

“Their names are Jordy and Archer.”

She waved an annoyed hand. “They’ll always be Brownie and Blondie to me. And if I were offered a trip with them, I would do it forfree.”

“Be serious,” I insisted. “I don’t know if I can do it. Traveling out of the country for so long…”

“Why not? There’s nothing holding you back here.”

“I don’t know. It’s just… a lot? I’ve never been out of the country before, and now I’ll be gone formonths. And I don’t know where they’re taking me. It’s like learning how to swim by jumping right into the deep end.”

“It will be exciting!” Lisa said. “What if you’re going to Paris?”

“What if I’m going somewhere worse?” I countered. “It could be sub-Saharan Africa for all I know. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, Lisa, but I’m a huge fan of running water. And indoor toilets. And air conditioning. Those are pretty high on my list of needs.”

Lisa rolled her eyes. “Stop imagining the worst possible scenario. They wouldn’t take their eight-year-old daughter somewhere like that. At the very least, you’ll probably be in a city. Oh, or a villa! What if it’s an Italian villa on the beach? Until proven otherwise, that’s what I’m choosing to believe.”

She had a point: they wouldn’t be bringing Kaylee along if it was dangerous. Nor would they send her somewhere without running water. That alleviated most of my fears. But there was a nagging doubt in the back of my head that this would be a mistake…

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Both of our heads swung in the direction of the front door. Lisa put down her wine and clapped her hands excitedly.

“What if it’s Brownie? Go answer it!”

“It’s probably my weekly Amazon delivery,” I said as I got up and went to the door. But when I peeked out the window, there wasn’t an Amazon truck in front of my house. It wasn’t Jordy, either.

I opened the door. “Archer?”

His studious eyes took me in quickly, like a soldier analyzing data and discarding any potential threats. Only then did he nod slightly and ask, “May I come in?” with his posh English accent.

I held the door open so he could enter. As I closed it behind him, I heard Lisa gasp from the kitchen. “It’s you!”

“Archer,” I insisted before she could use his nickname. “His name isArcher.”

“You are the woman from the gym,” Archer said. “Pleased to finally make your acquaintance.”

Lisa had thatI’m going to jump your boneslook in her eyes, so I put a hand on Archer’s back and quickly led him into the living room. “Let’s talk in here.Awayfrom my friend. Who is going to remain in the kitchen.”

Lisa sighed unhappily, but then returned to her wine.

“Your friend is interesting,” Archer said.

“She’s been crushing on you for a while,” I revealed.

“I did not notice,” he said sarcastically.

“What are you doing here?” My heart sank. “You’re rescinding the offer, aren’t you? Oh God, I don’t want to go back to Starbucks…”

Archer held up a tablet PC that I didn’t notice he had been carrying. “Actually, I have some documents for you to sign.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Jordy said it would take a few days.”

“Jordy is, quite often, incorrect when it comes to timelines.” He sat at the couch and put the tablet up on the coffee table. “I can go over all the terms with you, if you would like.”

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