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CHAPTER 2-GRAHAM
Icatch myself staring a little too long at the small, impish woman standing on my front porch.
Is this the nanny?
She looks like she’s barely bigger than a child herself.
Her strawberry-blond hair is swept up haphazardly in some sort of braid that has fallen, a few stray tendrils clinging to her slender neck. She thrusts her small hand into mine, a smile stretching across her face to her eyes. I feel the warmth of her fingers against the inside of my palm and instantly release it when my mind questions if the rest of her body is this soft and inviting.
I hold back a smile at her Bruce Wayne comment. It was certainly not the first time someone called me that.
I’m completely distracted by the smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks that come into view once she steps over the threshold and into the entryway. Then suddenly she tumbles forward, landing in a heap at my feet.
“Are you alright, Miss Silver?”
I keep my hands in my pockets, too scared to reach out and touch her again.
“Yup.” She stands, adjusting her shirt. “Only my pride is hurt.”
I close the door behind her. “Please.” I gesture for her to step into the parlor to the right of the entrance. I pick up her resume from the table where I placed it and we both take a seat opposite one another.
She looks nervous, her fingers knotting together in her lap as she sits up board straight.
“You can relax,” I say, but she just offers a tight-lipped smile.
“I apologize for the out-of-the-blue call and fire drill request to have you work this evening, but my housekeeper, Miss Perry, is unfortunately on vacation and she failed to procure a new nanny before she left.”
“I had assumed that the position had been filled when I didn’t hear back from her.”
I give her a questioning look and she continues. “Well, after I interviewed a week or so ago, I followed up with two phone calls and left her a voicemail, but I didn’t hear anything back.” She shrugs.
“Hmm.” That is strange considering Miss Silver’s impeccable background in education and her relevant work experience with young children. I’m not sure what Miss Perry’s angle is recently; it’s been like pulling teeth to get her to hire a new nanny ever since my last one had to return home to attend to some family business. I don’t express any of this out loud; instead, I read over her resume again.
“Is there a reason you’re not returning to teach music education at Jefferson Elementary? Or are you only looking for a summer position since you’re a teacher?”
“I, uh, the position was downsized unfortunately. I was told that our funding wasn’t renewed so they had to cut the program. Which is such a shame because I don’t think people truly realize how important introducing music and teaching children to read music and play instruments really is. Such a transferable life skill if you ask me.”
I didn’t.I think it myself, but I can appreciate someone who is passionate about their career.
“Have you ever been a nanny or live-in caretaker before?” I lean back in my chair and watch as she shakes her head vigorously. She’s young. Based on her graduation date, I’d guess she’s barely over twenty-five.
“I haven’t but I have spent my entire professional career wrangling children of all ages for several hours a day.” She lets out another nervous laugh that wrinkles her nose and it’s fucking adorable.
Nope. Get that thought out of your head.
“I love kids. I’m such a believer in enriching not only their lives with skills but also their day-to-day experiences, ya know? They’re like little sponges; they just soak everything up so it’s a waste to just stick them in front of a screen all day.”
Her nervousness seems to have subsided. She’s speaking animatedly, gesturing with her hands and laughing and smiling.
“Eleanor is five. It’s just me and her. Her mother is not in the picture any longer. I need someone extremely reliable and the live-in portion is non-negotiable. I travel a lot for work. I’m gone early and often not home till late so I need someone that can really take the reins. I’m not looking for someone who needs babysitting themselves. Miss Perry is always around during the work hours to assist with anything, but to be clear, childcare and anything that goes along with it is not her job.”
She nods her head vigorously as she pulls out her phone and taps around before holding it in front of her face and typing vigorously.
“Am I boring you, Miss Silver?” I can’t hide the annoyance in my voice. Maybe it’s a generational thing, but these damn phones are always in people’s faces to the point it’s exhausting.
“Oh, no. Sorry. I’m just taking notes on everything.”
I nod and continue.
