“Well, that’s great because that’s pretty much what I need, too. Get her to and from her activities, I mean. Hopefully no CPR, although that does put my mind at ease. Will you be on the island the whole summer?”
My smile disappeared. “Um, potentially? I’m off from work right now and my tentative return date is July 15th. I may be able to extend it, though. But there’s a chance I have to go back to New York by mid-July. I totally understand if that won’t work for you,” I said, dread flaring in my belly.
He nodded, training his gaze over my shoulder for a second before asking, “Would you be comfortable helping a second grader with her homework for the next couple of weeks?”
“Of course. I always liked school.”
Luke grinned at that answer. He asked where I went to school and I told him UPenn undergrad and Michigan for law school.
He let out a low whistle. “Damn. Safe to say second grade homework should be a cakewalk for you.”
I bit down a smile. Admiration for my education was my kryptonite.
“You catch any football games while you were out in Michigan? I’m a fan.”
“Me too! And yes—I dragged some of my classmates to a game or two at The Big House every year.” I chuckled to myself.
“Were they bad games?” Luke asked.
“Oh no. They were good. I was thinking about how I became a college football fan in the first place. To my father’s disappointment, my brother was more interested in philosophy than contact sports, so I’d watch games with my dad instead, because I felt bad for him. But then I wound up liking it, once I understood how it worked.”
“You’ve given me hope I can turn my daughter into a football fan.”
“If she’s anything like me, she’ll do it just to hang out with you. After that it’s hardnotto get sucked into the fandom.”
“Perfect.” Luke leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands and resting his head into them, revealing toned, larger-than-expected biceps and a glimpse of a tattoo on the outside of his shoulder where his sleeve hitched up. I couldn’t tell what it was from this angle. “Okay, you seem perfectly well-qualified. Probably more qualified than Mrs. O’Neil across the street who I usually rely on. She’s moved off-island for the time being to help her daughter with her first baby.”
“Great for her! But I guess…not great for you.”
“Exactly. Luna is pretty self-sufficient. She’d usually go over there after school for a couple hours and do her homework until I got home from work.”
Luna. That was a pretty name.Luke and Luna.
“What made you decide to seek a nannying job?”
Maybe it was his casual posture, or the laid-back ease he exuded in his home, which was lovely but so cozy and lived-in, the type of place you weren’t overly worried about spilling something. Or maybe it was that I hadn’t felt nervous or self-conscious since the moment he smiled and called me the Morning Glory girl on his front steps, but I wanted to tell him the truth.
“The break I’m taking from my corporate legal career is actually a leave of absence. I…” I scanned his expression. Not a hint of judgment. “I burned out. Needed to reset and reevaluate. My parents suggested I come spend the summer on the island with my grandmother, both to help her out with the house and stuff, but also as an escape for me, I’m realizing. And…” I glanced up again. He was still looking at me with genuine interest, so I continued. “And I just want a little income to supplement, so I don’t have to dip into savings for living expenses in case…” I swallowed. “In case I don’t want to go back.”
I held my breath and searched his face for any hint that he saw me differently now, but Luke simply nodded. “Makes sense to me. I have a lot of respect for people in those intense corporate jobs, but I don’t think I could do it. Plus, I’m sure your parents are happy to have someone with your grandmother. I assume she’s on her own?”
The tightness in my chest loosened with my exhale, and for the first time since I left New York, I wondered if needing this mental health break wasn’t such a big failing, after all. “Yeah, my grandfather died a few years ago.”
“Sorry to hear that.” His deep brown eyes filled with empathy, like he knew a thing or two about loss.
“Thank you.” I meant it. It didn’t matter how long it’d been; every time I thought about hunting for quahogs or boating with my grandfather, it stole my breath. I probably would never have even been to Martha’s Vineyard if it weren’t for him. I tried to think of something to ask next, but Luke beat me to it.
“How’s it been so far? Your island escape?” Ourconversation had veered off so much that it didn’t feel like an interview anymore. Hopefully that was a good thing.
“It’s been amazing. I love it here. It’s so different from New York.” I shook my head slightly, picturing the view from the fish pier, and writing at the café, thinking about how my lungs felt bigger, capable of breathing twice as much air here. “I think my parents knew what I needed better than I did.”
“I love it here, too. Moved here almost twelve years ago and never looked back.”
“That’s awesome. Can you tell me more about Luna?” In case this interview was going as well as it felt like it was, and my possible July expiration date and burnout hadn’t disqualified me, I was curious what she was like.
He looked at the watch on his tanned, also muscular, forearm. “She should be getting back from school any minute now, so you can meet her.”
That’s a good sign!
