Page 30 of The Bossy One

Something about that niggled at my brain. I couldn’t figure out what it was until it hit me.

Ava hadn’t disagreed with a single thing I’d said during this entire interview.

Olivia’s accusation rang in my mind.You don’t listen. None of you listen.

“…and that’s why I believe a live-in nanny is always the best childcare structure for every family,” Ava finished.

I tilted my head, deciding to test my newly formed theory. “I’m not sure I agree with that. Catie’s mom has never had a live-in nanny, and I think she did just fine.”

Ava paused. And then she gave a charming laugh. “Oh, of course, I don’t mean when the mom is available to be a full-time stay-at-home parent. But in all other scenarios, a live-in nanny makes all the difference.”

“Sinead’s a working mom,” I said.

Ava beamed. “We’re in total agreement. As you say, it’s a different scenario when a working or stay-at-home mom is available.”

Suddenly, it didn’t seem like such a coincidence that Sunny Day Childcare had been able to find another nanny who checked all my boxes.

I pulled up Ava’s resume, scanning the names of the people she’d worked for. It read like a who’s-who of rich and powerful parents. “Can you tell me about a time you disagreed with your employer over what was best for the child? How did you work through that?”

“I’ve been lucky enough to avoid those scenarios by choosing my employers carefully,” Ava chirped. “I’ve worked for amazing parents and guardians whose childcare philosophy I support 100%, so there’s never been a conflict of interest.”

I blinked. There was no possible way that was true. One of the families on her resume was a single-mom influencer who’d risen to prominence on Snug with a blog about something calledBeyond Gentle Parenting.

Meanwhile, she’d also worked for famed venture capitalist Kevin Frost, my friend Grayson’s cousin. And I knew for a fact that Kevin thought kids these days would be better behaved if harsher punishments hadn’t gone out of fashion.

When my co-founder Anil Patel and I were building Snug, we’d never wanted to hire yes-men. We wanted to hire the best of best, who cared enough about their work to challenge us if we were wrong.

We wanted people like Olivia, I realized.

I’d been interpreting Olivia doing the one thing she knew would get her fired as proof of her arrogance, her defiance. But there was another way to look at it.

When faced with either protecting her job or doing what she thought was best for Catie, Olivia picked Catie.

Looking at the woman on the screen in front of me, I knew. There was no way she’d be brave enough to take that risk. There was no point continuing this interview.

“Thank you for your time, Ms. Chase,” I said. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Excellent. I look forward to supporting Caitlin.”

I ended the video call without bothering to correct her about Catie’s name. I was confident in my decision, but fairness demanded I confirm my hunch.

I checked the time and texted Grayson. He lived in New York, but he normally rose early.Do you remember a nanny who worked for your cousin? Ava Chase? Blonde, polished, agreeable…

Grayson responded quickly.Don’t date her.

I snorted. There was a story there, but I didn’t have time for it.She interviewed for a job with me. Thoughts?

This time, Grayson’s response was more measured.She’s reliable, smart, and works hard. But at the end of the day, she puts her own ambition ahead of anything else, including the kids she takes care of. She likes being close to power.

That explained the warning about dating her. Grayson’s father was one of the most powerful businessmen in the UK, and Grayson himself was climbing fast in the American tech world. I thanked him and sent Sunny Days Childcare a brief message saying I wouldn’t be hiring Ava.

Then I went downstairs to try to smooth things over with Olivia. I still wished she’d consulted me before telling Catie the truth. But I could also admit I hadn’t always been in a listening frame of mind when Olivia tried to disagree with my childcare decisions.

With Snug I could listen to opposing opinions because being wrong in business happened to everyone sometimes. You listened, learned, fixed your mistakes, and moved on. But with Catie, I didn’t want to make a single mistake. And that meant I’d dismissed Olivia, instead of hearing her out.

As I rounded the corner into the kitchen, I was surprised to hear my mum’s voice. She sat at the kitchen table with Catie. Catie was picking at a slice of soda bread, her face glum.

“What’s this?” I asked. “Why the sad face, Catie?”

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