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I jerked my head back in surprise, not missing the tone in her voice.
“Thanks,” Aiden said before motioning for me to take a seat in the waiting room.
I glanced at him, wondering if he’d even noticed how Lori had mocked his use of the word nanny. He seemed completely oblivious. I pushed it out of my mind and followed him.
There were only two open seats, so Aiden and I sat next to each other. There was a large window that ran nearly across the entire waiting room. There were walls between with doorsleading to each different dance studio. The dance studio on the right held older girls, about thirteen or fourteen in age. The one on the left, girls around five or six.
“That one right there, with the brown curls going wild? That’s my Hadley.”
I giggled and replied, “The pink wings gave her away.”
He rolled his eyes, obviously forgetting he’d told me about his struggles earlier.
A female’s voice from across the room made me jump when she started talking loudly.
“Aiden, don’t be rude. Introduce us to your new friend.”
Shifting in his seat uncomfortably, Aiden looked at me and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
I stood hastily and made my way over to the woman who’d spoken, offering a smile. She looked to be about my age. “Hi, I’m Emma Middleton, Hadley’s new nanny. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you ladies often at dance class.”
The woman narrowed her eyes, then slowly let her gaze drag over my body. She smirked before she finally decided to speak. “Hello, Emma. I’m Nancy, Marylou’s mother.”
“It’s a pleasure,” I replied, offering my hand.
She simply looked at it, then looked past me to Aiden. “A nanny? You know you could have asked any of us to help you, Aiden. It’s what Lisa would have wanted.”
He frowned. “I need someone on more of a full-time basis—and I know what’s best for my daughter.”
She folded her arms and looked away, giving him a single head bob.
I glanced at the other women, but it was clear they weren’t going to introduce themselves, so I made my way back to Aiden. “Tough crowd,” I whispered as I sat back down.
He scoffed. “Yeah, well, you’re not going to get anywhere with her, so don’t bother trying.”
Turning my head, I gave him a questioning look.
“It’s a long story. Here they come.”
My heart suddenly jumped into my throat.
The moment Hadley saw her father, she made a beeline to him. “Daddy! I learned to twirl!”
Aiden chuckled. “Baby, you already knew how to twirl.”
She shrugged. “I gotted better.” When Hadley turned to me, her eyes lit up. “Who are you?”
Smiling bigger, I reached my hand out to her. “Hi, Hadley. My name is Emma.”
And that was all she wrote. Hadley Bishop immediately started talking and didn’t stop to even take a breath. When Aiden and I exchanged a look, he grinned, and for the first time since I’d met him earlier, it was entirely genuine.
CHAPTER FOUR
EMMA - WE HAVE A MOVE-IN DATE
Hadley giggledas I pushed her on the swing. After the introductions, we went for ice cream and then to the park near the community center. Aiden wanted to make sure I knew where it was, since Hadley enjoyed coming to the playground and would be using the center’s indoor kids’ pool a lot that fall.
Hadley had been glued to my side from the get-go. It was pretty clear she and I wouldn’t have any issues getting along.
