AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s just your base salary,” Caden adds quickly, misunderstanding my shock. “You’ll get bonuses and a car of your own to transport Lily. You can also use the vehicle when you have days off?—”
“Which won’t happen often,” Pike interrupts.
“Will you stop?” Flint finally barks at him. “She gets it. It’s a full-time job.”
Pike scowls slightly and turns back toward the window, folding his arms over his broad chest, a chestnut curl falling over his forehead.
Is he trying to warn me?
“As I was saying,” Caden goes on. “The car will be only yours, and of course, your room and board are covered, as well as a per diem. You’ll get a credit card to charge all expenses related to Lily.”
Excitement courses through me, along with nervousness. I’ll have to get rid of my apartment in Atlanta and pack up all my belongings. I’ll have to say goodbye to my friends and?—
“How long do you think you’ll need to get your affairs in order to start?” Flint asks, as if he’s reading my mind.
I bite on my lower lip, my mind racing as I mentally calculate the tasks I’ll need to accomplish.
“Two weeks?” I ask warily, terrified that it will be too long, and they’ll pass me up for another nanny.
“Make it three,” he responds. “We will take care of any costs associated with moving and breaking your lease. You have a lot to deal with. We’re asking you to uproot your whole life, and frankly, I remember what it was like when we had to move.”
Caden chuckles in agreement, but Pike says nothing, his brooding manner encompassing him like a dark cloud.
Gratefully, my shoulders sag, but I eye him uncertainly. “Are you sure you can manage for that long?”
“Sonia has been gone for almost three months,” Caden informs me with a grin. “We can manage.”
I blink. “Three months? You didn’t want another nanny in the interim?”
Caden finds my question hilarious as Flint rolls his eyes, reaching for the pitcher of iced tea to pour a glass, which he hands to me. “There have been other interviews,” he confesses as I take a sip. “But they didn’t pan out.”
A knot of dread forms in my gut, the desire to pepper the trio with more questions flooding me, but I wisely say nothing. I press the glass to my lips.
Flint looks at his housemates. “I guess that’s it, then? Questions for Aspen?”
“Nope. I’ll have Ryan take her back to the city when she’s done with her drink,” Caden replies.
Flint pulls out his phone and frowns as he scrolls through. His face brightens when he finds what he’s looking for.
“Good. I have to get ready for my trip back east. Lovely meeting you, Aspen. We’ll see you in three weeks, on May eighth. Nine a.m. Please don’t be late.”
“I won’t,” I promise.
Flint bows out, and Pike follows without saying a word.
My eyes trail after them.
“Don’t mind Mr. Moody,” Caden reassures me. “He’s an artist. He warms up… eventually.”
But I do mind. I mind very much that Pike doesn’t like me and that there have been other interviewees who “didn’t pan out.”
Did they live here, too? Were they fired? Am I about to turn my whole life upside down, only to be booted out after a week?
I just have to ensure that never happens, I tell myself firmly, but I can’t shake the sense of trepidation—coupled with elated hope building inside me. I will make this work no matter what.
CHAPTER 3
Caden
