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He caught his reflection in the door as his eyes unfocused from the two debating beyond the glass. The faint blue of his skin barely showed on the tinted yellow glass, but his indigo close-cut hair contrasted the rest of him drastically. Looking at the man staring back, decked out in his uniform as well as his weapon, made him realize that they were right.
He had to give up Ayla eventually. His life was the military. That was all he had known and planned on knowing. His home and life were not ideal for harboring an eight-year-old girl, no matter the relationship. Ayla would be better off with him visiting and providing financial assistance than being a primary caregiver.
When the door burst open, he almost gave away his distracted state with a jump but quickly composed himself. It was unlike him to be caught off guard, especially so many times in one day. He needed to stay focused and keep his shit together.
Looking at his judges’ faces gave him no indication as to what they had decided.
“Well, General Axur, we will grant you your request, but on one condition.”
Axur was pleased to have more time to properly place Ayla. He could care less what the restrictions were. He needed to do right by his niece and his brother.
“Absolutely, sir.”
“Today, you will get a nanny to care for the child. Will that be a problem?” asked his commander with a tone that made it clear it wasn’t a question.
“Not at all, sir.”
“Good. We cannot afford childcare to interfere with your work, grace period or not.”
“General.” The resource officer pulled out a card. “I looked into options for you before this meeting. This is the name of a nanny agency that comes highly recommended.”
He handed the card to Axur.
“Rocket Nannies?” Flipping the card over, he read their motto. ‘Highly Qualified Help at the Speed of Light.’
Good. I need all of the help I can get.“I’ll call them now before returning to my office.”
“That would be wise. Remember, you are short on time, so the sooner, the better that your niece is out of your direct care,” his commander warned before he and the officer exited, leaving Axur alone.
He reminded himself he was doing what was best for the both of them. He took a breath and picked up the communicator.
TWO
KATIE
“I’ll be right in.”
Katie hung up the receiver and rushed to her bathroom. She ran her fingers through her blonde hair, trying to calm the frizziness. After a couple of minutes, she gave up and threw it into a high ponytail. It had been a while since she’d gotten a nanny job, and her bank account was lower than it had ever been. If she wanted to eat, this job was important.
“Okay, anything else?”
She looked around her bare, simplistic bathroom. Even at a young age, Katie hadn’t been a fan of makeup. It took too long. And now, at twenty-eight, her feelings had never changed. All she had was an old tube of mascara that she kept for work to aid her blonde eyelashes in standing out against her dark green eyes.
Satisfied with herself, Katie grabbed her keys and headed out.
She used the drive to mentally prepare herself for the basic questions she would be asked by Stella to see if she was a good fit for this family.
By the time she pulled into the Rocket Nannies Agency, she was ready. She glanced in the mirror to give herself one more look over.
“Let’s get this bread.”
Stella Sabara waited for her with her radiant smile.
“Katie! I’m so glad you could make it in.”
The chipper middle-aged woman widened her smile. It was something Katie admired about her. Stella was peppy and sincere. Which she probably needed to pitch these less-than-desirable jobs successfully.
Maybe it’s part of her species … or not? I can never tell if her purple hair is dyed or natural. Would it be rude to ask?
