Page 8 of Falling for the Nanny

I was surprised by how quickly things moved after I applied with the agency. Within two weeks, they’d finished my background check, vetted my references, and had me set up with preliminary interviews.

The first one clearly hadn’t been a good fit. The mother worked from home and basically unrolled a ten-foot scroll of rules and requirements for taking care of her six-month-old. I wasn’t disappointed when I didn’t advance in that round. I loved babies, but I had more fun with the older kids. Preferably ones that were fully potty trained.

I had another prelim that was promising, but not exactly right. Then I met with Cecilia Barnes, who was looking for her replacement, and I felt an immediate connection. If I were looking for a nanny, she’d be the one I wanted. She had an exacting manner paired with natural warmth that I knew from experience made children feel loved even when they were being corrected.

Now, as I followed the GPS’s directions to the house in Great Falls, I felt a mixture of excitement and trepidation. If it was a good fit, I would be living in one of these palatial estates. All of my money problems would be solved. But I’d also have huge shoes to fill in Mrs. Barnes’ absence. From what she’d said, she was essentially the only mother figure in the little girl’s life.

How could I follow that?

I pushed the question out of my mind and locked the door on it. It wouldn’t do any good to psych myself out before I even got the job. I turned off the main road onto a narrower avenue closely hemmed in by trees. At the end of it, I found the address Mrs. Barnes had given me and turned onto the sweeping paved drive that led up to the house. It was big, rising up in the trees, but it wasn’t like some of the mausoleums they’d built recently that looked like beautiful, cold boxes. This place had some character. Mullioned windows. A widow’s peak roof. Blue-gray shutters against cream walls, and a riot of flowers growing in the flower beds.

I got out of the car and tightened my long ponytail. Then I brushed my hands down the front of my shirt and straightened the waistband of my pants. I’d had no idea what to wear to something like this–business casual since it was an interview? Something more relaxed so I could play with the kid? I’d agonized over it until Alyssa had picked out my nicest jeans and told me to wear them with a button-up shirt and flats.

She was as invested as I was in me getting this job. She had just signed the rental agreement with Parker, and we were slated to move out of our apartment in two weeks.

Straightening my shoulders, I walked the path that led from the driveway to the front door, trying not to notice just how high the house soared. I didn’t have to choose between knocking on the door and ringing the bell, though, because Mrs. Barnes was waiting for me when I reached it.

She smiled when she saw me, and her eyes raked over me in quick approval. “Lily and Mr. King are inside,” she said. “He’s finishing up a conference call, and she’s having her after school snack.”

“Great,” I said, pushing back a wave of nerves. “Should I meet Lily first or wait until he’s ready?”

“I think you should meet Lily first,” Mrs. Barnes said, crisp and decisive, as though she were the one making the decision and the girl’s father. She led me in through the front door, past a closed door off the entryway through which I could hear voices, and back to a large kitchen where a small girl sat perched at the bar, a charcuterie board in front of her. She was eating what looked like a very fancy, deconstructed Lunchable.

And she was very familiar.

She looked up, and her dark green eyes widened at the sight of me. “I know you,” she said in surprise.

“Chocolate milk girl,” I said, putting my finger on it. “But only one.”

“Unless I negotiate,” she reminded me with a quick grin that made her sweet features almost look sly.

“Which you do not,” Mrs. Barnes said firmly.

I had a big smile on my face, thinking that I had this job in the bag. But then I heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hall behind me, and I remembered who the little girl’s father was.

Mr. King was hot dad. The tall, dark-haired, green-eyed, scowling man who always looked right through us.

I’d guessed that he lived in one of these huge houses, and I was right. My thoughts careened wildly around in my head as I turned to look at him. Maybe he would be different, ensconced here in his own home. More relaxed. Maybe he didn’t even know how he came across in public and once I got to know him…

But as his incredulous gaze met my wide-eyed one, those fantasies went up in smoke.

“Mrs. Barnes,” he said, an edge in his voice. “Can I speak to you in my office?”

“An open mind,” she said, as if she was reminding him of something.

Hot dad bared his teeth at me, a purposefully poor imitation of a smile. “Wait here.”

They disappeared back down the hall, leaving Lily and me alone. I looked at her, wide-eyed, and she looked back with the same expression. Then she dissolved into giggles, and even though I found the situation to be wildly unfunny, I couldn’t help laughing, too. I definitely wasn’t going to get this job, but I was going to have a great story for Alyssa.

My nerves dissipated as I realized the pressure was off. I scuffed off my shoes and went to join Lily at the counter. “Is this your usual afternoon snack, kid?” I asked, picking out a piece of celery with a smear of peanut butter. “You know, my mom used to make these, too, but she put raisins on them and called it ants on a log.”

Lily wrinkled her nose. “Gross.”

“They were good!”

“If you say so.” She picked up the other celery stick and chomped into it. We ate in companionable silence for a minute, and then she said, “Do you want to see the pool?”

I put my shoes back on and followed her to the stairs. They led down to a basement that was easily three times the size of my apartment, and much nicer. One wall was all windows, and through them, I could see the pool, sparking like a bright blue jewel, beyond the shade of the covered patio.

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