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“Let me know if you need anything,” Aaron said. “I want you to be comfortable during your stay here.”
I didn’t know how I could be anything but comfortable. The hunting cabin was like a rough and rugged palace.
Aaron was cold toward me, polite and professional. There was no trace of the heat between us the other night. I couldn’t blame him. Aaron was nothing if not professional, and I was the one who’d made it clear it was just a one-night thing. I was the one who’d said we should just forget about it.
But I couldn’t forget about it. When I closed my eyes, I always pictured Aaron’s face. I dreamed about how he’d touched me, and I could still smell his cologne if I tried hard enough to conjure up that night up in my memory.
He’s your boss. You’re a nanny. You will never be more than that to him.
I had to keep reminding myself of the facts.
My phone pinged with a work email coming in, and I excused myself.
When Aaron had told me to come with him, I hadn’t known how to convince Hannah that I needed a week out of the office without telling her the truth. How could I keep up this lie?
I’d walked into her office, and after fumbling around for a couple of minutes, I’d been straightforward with her––I’d asked her if I could work at home all week.
When she wanted to know why, I’d told her I was struggling in the office and felt I could do much more at home. I told her I wanted to test my theory, which was I worked better without distractions at home. I even told her I would return to the office if she weren’t happy with my work.
But I hoped it wouldn’t come to that this week––I was determined to pull it off no matter what.
After taking care of the emails and sending them back and forth between HR, Marlene, and two au pairs, I was on top of it. It made me confident that I could figure this week out.
When I stepped out of my room again, I heard guests arrive.
“Jade, Jade!” Ben called, running toward me through the hallway, his feet thudding on the polished wooden floors. “Alex is here! Dad said he told Auntie Carol we were here, so they came at the same time!” He grabbed my hand and dragged me toward one of the family rooms, gushing with excitement.
“Oh,” I said. “That’s so fun. I’m so happy for you.”
When we reached the family room, a woman sat on the couch with a boy about Ben’s size, with platinum blonde hair and evergreen eyes. He looked like a spitting image of the man who stood at a bar with Aaron, talking and laughing.
When we walked in, the conversation stopped, and all eyes were on me. I felt out of place and uncomfortable.
“This is Jade,” Aaron said, gesturing to me. “She’s Ben’s nanny.”
My cheeks burned. Why did it bother me that he’d introduced me as Ben’s nanny? What else was he going to introduce me as? This is my one-night stand…God, I had to get my shit together.
“This is Jack and Carol,” Aaron continued. “And that’s Alex.”
Ben ran to his friend.
“Can we go play?” Ben asked his dad, and Aaron nodded. The two boys ran away, and I stood awkwardly to the side. I wasn’t a part of this world and wasn’t sure how to act or where I belonged. Why was I here? Ben and Alex were playing. I wasn’t needed. Maybe I could excuse myself––
“Jade, was it?” Carol asked and patted the couch next to her. She was a slender woman with a designer dress that looked great but uncomfortable. I noticed a fur coat over the armrest; her shoes were pointed and so high I would definitely trip over myself if I tried them.
I walked hesitantly to her and sat down. I noticed all the rings on her fingers and the bracelets around her wrists. It looked like she wore all her jewelry to show it off.
“I heard you work wonders with Ben,” she said. “How did you start as a nanny?”
“Oh…it was something I just sort of fell into. I wasn’t planning to be one, but sometimes these things just happen, you know?”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Carol said. “My fashion business was much the same. I always worked on something, making dresses for myself or for my friends, and one day it developed into a business, and just like that, I’d found my calling.” She smiled at me.
What had happened to me wasn’t nearly the same, but I nodded and smiled politely. I couldn’t very well tell them the truth.
“Have you worked with a lot of children?” Carol asked.
I shook my head, squirming. “I try to stick with one child for a long time rather than hopping around. It’s…better to get to know them, you know? And offer them stability when there’s one person they can learn to trust outside the family.” I recited the words as I’d seen nannies and au pairs say in their cover letters.
