“Hi, you must be new here.”
A woman leans her shoulder on the wall beside me. I look up at her from my spot on the ground. Brown waves are styled into loose curls over her shoulders. Her outfit is better suited for a courtroom than an elementary school gym. The gray pantsuit couldn’t be more opposite from my sweatshirt and the jeans I changed into after taking Nellie to school.
I rise and dust my hands on the back of my pants, holding out one for her to shake.
“Hi, yes. I’m Alice. I’m here with Nellie.”
She touches me briefly before dropping my hand. Her expression is open, but her eyes are assessing as she scans my face.
“Stephanie. Is something wrong with Sutton?”
With his prickly persona and guarded attitude, what isn’t wrong with Sutton? The image of him sporting nothing but a towel and gold glitter nearly makes me laugh out loud, followed by a sharp spark of heat between my legs. I chuckle softly.
“No, nothing is wrong. I’m his new nanny.”
Creases form around her mouth. “I didn’t know he was looking for someone to fill that position. Our girls are friends. He could have told me he needed help.”
The honey dripping from her tone exposes she has more than one idea about how exactly to assist Sutton. By the rock on herleft ring finger, I’d guess it has to do with her husband watching the girls while she and Sutton spend some time alone.
I shrug.
“I don’t know what to tell you. If you’re friends, you should ask him.”
Her smile turns saccharine. “I will.”
This interaction rubs me in all the wrong ways. The last thing I want from Fairview Valley is any sort of drama. I move my attention back to the young girls practicing pliés.
“Is it a live-in position?”
“I’ll be there morning, noon, and night,” I quip without looking at her, and the inquisition stops.
My wrist vibrates, the screen flashing another unlisted number. I let it go to voicemail, not wanting the caller to know I declined the call. By the time I look up, Nellie is skipping across the gym with her pink backpack slung over her shoulders.
“All finished?”
“Yep!”
“All right. Let’s get home and get you some dinner.”
Small, warm fingers squeeze their way into my palm, the move unfamiliar but not unwelcome. I haven’t had my hand held by a small human since Whitney lived in Arizona with my niece, Lucy, and nephew, Bennett. I smile down at Nellie to find her already looking up at me. Her hand tightens around mine.
We spend the fifteen-minute walk actually getting to know one another. After her dad left this morning, I cleaned up while Nellie got herself ready for school. I helped her with her hair, and we played a few rounds of Spot-it before it was time to leave. This morning, she was eager to point out all her favorite places on the way, and this afternoon, she jabbers on about her teachers and her friends.
I use the spare key Sutton left me with to unlock the front door and disarm the security alarm as per his instructions. Meritstands like a sentry in the foyer, her keen eyes recognizing the lack of threat.
“Okay, first things first, wash your hands.”
Nellie crinkles her nose as she sits down to pull off her sneakers. “Why do I need to do that?”
I crouch down to her level. “Because you’ve been at school all day, and kids carry a ton of germs.”
“My friend Layla kept asking the teacher for a tissue. She asked her so many times that the teacher gave her the whole box.”
Ew.
“And that’s why we wash our hands.”
Nellie takes off toward the sink with Merit and me on her heels. I let the dog out into the fenced backyard, spinning back around with hands on my hips.
