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“Because I would hate anything to happen to her and people to think it’s because of, you know, because of what happened in the past. She’s not to blame and now I just want to take care of her. She has no one. Her grandparents don’t want her. No one wants her.”
“You do.”
“Yeah, I do, and that’s all she needs right now. At least I hope it is.”
He placed his hand on her knee. “You’re doing an amazing job, Annie. You need to stop worrying. I know Tara is going to love you.”
“But what do I do? How do I tell her that her parents died? That I’m not her mother? That I’m just an old friend of her parents?” She groaned. “I don’t know.”
“You take it one day at a time and you’ll find the right moment to tell her the truth. Trust in that.”
****
“I don’t like this,” Annie said.
“There is nothing to not like. We’re going to venture out in the world. You, me, and Tara. It’s been three weeks. Three long weeks, and you need some fresh air. That’s why I cancelled your usual grocery delivery. We’re going for a walk and we’ll pick up some groceries from the market. You’re going to have fun.”
Being inside the apartment was easier. It didn’t require her to talk to people or to interact or talk about Tara.
Caleb had purchased a stroller as well as a nice thick coat for Tara. The weather had gotten so cold in the last few weeks. All the last rays of summer were cold. They were now deep into the fall.
Three weeks. They’d been a rather trying three weeks. Annie didn’t even know if she had learned anything. Not really. So far, Caleb had told her not to do a whole lot of things. Most nights he was there waiting for her to move around. Since their night with the hot chocolate, that had become a regular occurrence. She noticed he never talked about himself.
She’d opened up about her past with Tara’s parents and why it scared her to fuck up. With Caleb, nothing. He always steered the conversation away. She knew he wasn’t just an employee at The Nanny, but the owner of it. Caleb Nanny, that was his name.
He would have to take calls and he’d also need to leave for a few hours at a time to handle some of the crises that came his way. She felt so bad for pulling him away from his company. When she suggested he get someone else, he’d told her no. It did fill her with a bit more relief that he didn’t want to send anyone else. She knew it was wrong on every level, but there was something about Caleb. She shouldn’t be attracted to the nanny. But those arms… They were thick and covered heavily in ink, but it wasn’t just his muscular body. It was the deep blue eyes. She had to struggle to look away. They seemed to see everything and know everything. They were hypnotic and more often than not, she felt completely and totally under his spell.
She also happened to love his short black hair. He had a tendency to run his fingers through it, giving himself a ruffled appearance, but sexy with it. There was so much she was attracted to. His laugh, it was deep, throaty, and like he couldn’t quite help himself. She loved the sound and wanted to hear him laughing all the time. He had a soothing voice when dealing with Tara.
She shouldn’t be attracted to the nanny. That was what she had to keep reminding herself. He must see her as a horrible person, needing a company to help her look after a kid.
“It’s cold out. There is nothing fun about walking out in the cold.”
He laughed. “You’re making that up now. You’ve already confessed that you love the cold and you love this time of year. No more hiding.”
He opened her apartment door and she glanced back at the safety of her space. She saw no other choice than to step out with him. Caleb took the keys from her, sliding them into the lock, and pocketing them after he’d done so. She was at his mercy.
They pushed Tara toward the elevator. The doors opened and a couple of people stepped out. They were her neighbors and she smiled at them. They gave her a nod, and then walked around her. Glancing back, she noticed them whispering and looking in her direction.
“There’s the building gossip for the week,” she said.
“Let them talk. Let them all speculate. They don’t have a clue, and the truth is, if you ever told them what happened, they would be ashamed of themselves.”
“How do you even know that?” she asked.
“Tara’s circumstances are sad, Annie. She lost her parents.”
