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“You can order something,” he offers. “If you want. I don’t mind.”
“Um, thank you, but I might need to go throw up now. I should see myself out, right? This is already a disaster.”
“Wait, no.” He holds out a hand as I move to stand. “Don’t do that.”
I stop trying to slink away. Surely he can’t still be considering me, can he? Maybe he’s bonkers too. “You still want to interview me?”
“To be honest,” he sighs, “no one has applied with anything near your credentials. CPR training, a bachelor’s in occupational therapy with a minor in psychology? I mean, your last job was at achildren’shospital. And they had nothing but good things to say about you there when I checked your references. It almost sounded like they hated to let you go.”
“Yeah, I was pretty bummed when they did,” I admit. “There was a funding issue, unfortunately. I loved the work.”
“Well,” he laughs, “I’m hoping their loss is my gain. I couldn’t believe it when you sent me your résumé.”
“But now that you’ve met me, you’re beginning to think I forged it, right?”
He sort of laughs, his mouth barely opening as he casts his eyes down at the table, like he’s afraid of making me think he’s laughingatme, which would be well within his rights, considering this awful first meeting.
“No,” he says. “I don’t think you forged it. Though, I am curious why you’re looking at a nanny position with your background?”
I sink back down into my chair, heaving a sigh as I lean over the table. “Can I be totally honest with you?”
“I’d prefer it,” he says, leaning in and looking intrigued.
“I’m in my last year of the graduate program for OT, and like I said in my email, I got let go from my job due to downsizing. Rent in this city is ridiculous, and honestly, I need the money. And evenmorehonestly, the free room and board isn’t anything to turn my nose up at either. It would be great to not have to worry about that on top of everything else.”
“Right. About that.” He frowns then, and I assume this is the part where he tells me that he actually can’t allow a spitting lunatic like me anywhere near his kid. “Itisa live-in position, but full disclosure... it’s just me and my daughter. You would have your own room, of course, practically your own floor, even—full privacy, and all that, but... I want to be completely transparent with you in case that makes you uncomfortable.”
Twenty-five years old, and the first time I live with a good-looking guy is in a full-onUptown Girlsscenario. I’m dying to ask about the other parent in this situation, if only to squash my mental drooling, but my brain is screaming that this is the wrong move. Still, he’s got a good job and a nice smile and doesn’t give me total murderer vibes.
I paste on my most professional smile. “I don’t think that will be a problem. However, in the spirit of being transparent... I’m in a hybrid program at St. Augustine’s over in San Marcos.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that most of my coursework is online, which I have been taking care of at night after work, but two weekends a month I have to attend on-campus classes. It takes longer than the usual program, but since I’ve been paying my own way, it makesworking easier. Most of the jobs I have been applying to haven’t been able to work with me on my schedule, though, which is sort of a deal breaker.” I chuff a laugh. “It seems that you’re the only one who thinks my credentials are impressive. Diners, dives, and department stores? Not so much.”
Aiden frowns, thinking. “I won’t pretend that I get home at a reasonable hour every night. My job is stressful—that’s actually an understatement. My job is anightmaresometimes. I have most mornings off, and sometimes I don’t have to go in until the afternoons... but my nights can get late. Do you think it would be a problem? Sophie normally gets into bed by nine. I’m sure that as long as she’s fed and ready for bed, you could work on your schoolwork.”
“Sophie? Your daughter?”
Aiden smiles a new kind of smile, one that feels warm and proud, but it clashes with the flash of sadness that sparks in his eyes. “Yes. She’s... really great. She’s nine, but she seems so much older than that. She’s too damned smart for her own good.”
“Little girls usually are,” I laugh, thinking of myself. “And the weekends that I have school? I could be home by late afternoon. So I can still cover dinner, surely.”
Aiden considers this. “I can make it work. I mean, I have so far, anyway. If worse comes to worst, maybe you could pick her up here on those days? She could play her little game system in the office while she waits. She’s, ah, used to that by now, unfortunately.”
“And your daughter? Is she okay with all of this? The nanny situation?”
Aiden nods thoughtfully. “She’s had them before. None have really... fit though. I... Can I be honest with you again?”
“I prefer it,” I tell him, echoing his earlier sentiment.
Aiden laughs again, and I determine that I am going to have tomake it a point not to make him laugh very often for my own sanity’s sake, if I’m going to be living with him. It’s a very nice laugh, okay? “I just... I need some help, Cassie, if I’m being blunt. I’m doing this all alone, and it’s much harder than I thought it would be. Or maybe it’s exactly as hard as I thought it would be. I don’t know. Sophie can be very... strong willed, and that’s made it difficult to find someone who is willing to stick around. I’ve been looking for a replacement for the last nanny for weeks, because I wanted to find the best fit for Sophie, and absolutely no one has applied for the job that has been half as qualified as you. It’s been weeks of juggling schedules, and at this point, I’m desperate.”
“That’s... very honest.”
“You can run away screaming at any time.”
Strangely, I have no desire to do that. Something about this tired-sounding man with his pretty eyes and his stomach-fluttering laugh makes it kind of hard to say no to him. Not to mention, there is still the ridiculous amount of money he’s offering.
