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I was supposed to be the one with all the answers. But since I no longer had our dad to turn to, he was it. Our youngest brother, Eli, had calmed down a lot since he met Violet, but he still wasn’t anyone I’d get life advice from.
“Nope,” he said. “Not when I’m about to watch Laurel take her turn paragliding off the side of the mountain.”
“How do you stand it?” I asked seriously. He’d been so affected after witnessing Callie’s and our dad’s small plane crash that he couldn’t leave his apartment for nearly a year. He’d suffered awful panic attacks back then, and I knew he still struggled sometimes with Laurel’s extreme lifestyle.
“A minute at a time, man,” he answered. “But seriously, what’s up?”
“We might be getting a new nanny,” I said. “She’s on her way, and I’m going to make an offer.”
“Okay, I’ll start a new pool with Eli, then. What do you think this one’s odds are of making it three months?”
“Shut up,” I groaned. “This one’s different.” I explained how I met her at the park and how the kids took to her right away, and even listened to her.
“You met her at the park?” he asked incredulously. “I hope you locked up any valuables because that woman is going to take you for a ride. Pretending to faint and everything. Wow.”
I counted to ten. Our dad worked hard to make our company what it is today, and we were filthy, stinking rich because of it. Most people in New York knew who we were. It was normal that Ben would be suspicious. But I was positive that Bailey didn’t recognize my name. Hell, I’d tried to impress her with it because she was so beautiful.
Guilt.God, I was sick of it, which only made it stronger.
“She was already vetted by the agency,” I said. “Before she met us.” It was clear he didn’t think our meeting was a sign, or even a coincidence. Was I trying to get his advice or convince myself of something? “The only thing that gives me pause is she has a six-month gap in her employment history. Ever since she got to New York.”
“Well, that’s not so weird,” he said. “It’s tough to get a job these days.”
“That’s the thing, though, she’s been working two jobs at restaurants for the past week, and only signed up at the nanny agency a week ago as well. What do you make of that?”
He paused before answering. “Actress? Writer? Went to the city with some savings and a dream, then ran out of money?”
“Maybe,” I said. “But those types usually let you know right away what their real goal in life is. She seems to actually want to be a nanny. And her past references are impeccable. She’s worked for several families, and they gave glowing references, and no criminal history.”
“And the kids like her so far.”
“Yes, that too. I mean, that’s the most important thing. But…”
“Will, if you’re that worried about the gap, ask her about it.”
“I don’t want to scare her off by prying into her personal life, though. I’m not exactly swimming in choices here.”
He sighed, loudly. “Then take a chance. It sounds like you’ve already made up your mind.”
“You didn’t help, making me think she’s going to steal the art off the walls.”
“Your taste in art is kind of crappy, anyway,” he said.
The doorbell rang, and I swore at him before hanging up. I was more confused than ever. I also didn’t know why I was stressing so hard about this particular nanny. Of course I wanted to keep someone longer than a few months. But for some reason that I couldn’t quite figure out, I really wanted to keep this one. The guilt tried to attack, but I battled it back. Why was I so excited? I felt as giddy as the kids, who were running in circles in the hallway while waiting for me to get to the door. It wasn’t because I was attracted to Bailey. No matter that she was incredibly attractive. If I was interested in her as a woman, I certainly wouldn’t hire her.
I didn’t bother asking the kids to calm down, they were too far gone for that. I swung open the door and ushered Bailey in. Harrison instantly bombarded her with questions about her mode of transportation.
“Subway and my feet,” she answered.
Ava reached up for a hug, which shocked me and cracked my aching heart a little. Was my daughter starved for affection? Bailey gave her one and complimented her hair bow, which I noticed crookedly held her overly long bangs back off her brow. She normally never wore her bows anymore. Was she trying to impress Bailey?
I know I was trying to impress her when I shooed the kids back to the kitchen and showed Bailey her room. My wife Callie was always determined that the kids’ caregiver would feel more like part of the family than hired help, so she made sure to set up the nanny’s suite accordingly. The area was almost as big as the master suite, and she’d even had the old bathtub ripped out and replaced with a huge soaker with spa jets. I offered her a silent nod of gratitude for that when Bailey’s eyes nearly rolled back in her head when she saw the tub, like she wanted to immediately crawl right in.
And guess what I felt next? Guilt.
We discussed what she’d be responsible for, and since the agency had already cleared her driver’s license and gone over my salary offer, all I could do was wait to see if she’d accept. After her initial glazed look of desire over the tub, she got a sick look on her face. What did I do wrong? I waited while she gnawed on her lip, looking like she might cry.
“I’m so sorry, I must have gotten confused somewhere,” she said. “I didn’t know it was a live-in position.”
