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“It’s neither good nor bad.” I poured myself a glass of whiskey to take the edge off. “I am just no longer in need of someone to fill this position.”
“Oh. I…see.” There was a long, awkward pause. “If the position is filled, then why did you call me?”
I took a swig of the whiskey. “I decided during our conversation that I wanted to go in a different direction. It’s nothing personal.”
“Well, if you insist. Thank you for the opportunity—if there really ever was one.”
I ended the call and studied the list, knowing what had to be done. I had already made up my mind about the position, and it was Heather’s to keep. All I needed to do was make her understand why she should stay here with us.
With me.
I called the rest of the numbers on the list, informing the candidates Heather had tracked down for me that there was no longer a position available as Collins’ nanny. The last number, however, was for a private daycare center, which irritated the hell out of me. Heather didn’t understand just how dangerous that could be for Collins. It was never going to be an option for my daughter, never mind all of Heather’s arguments about social skills and childhood development.
But by that last call, I received an unexpected call of my own—from Heather.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she demanded before I could even utter a “hello.”
Jesus. I’d never heard her so angry, not even when I was pushing all those gifts and complications on her. “What’s on your mind, Heather?”
She spluttered, obviously seething over the phone. “I took the time to pre-interview a list of candidates I felt I could professionally vouch for in helping care for Collins. And it tooktime, Graham. This wasn’t something I had to do. I offered. And yet now they’re calling me back and asking me why I wastedtheirtime because you’re not hiring anymore.”
“They’re right. I’m not.”
“Are you taking my advice about daycare and in-person schooling? Collins will be old enough to enroll in pre-K.”
“I am not doing that.”
“Then what is your new childcare option?” she asked, sounding more confused than angry. “I don’t understand why you asked me to do this if you already had another plan.”
“I already have the person I want in the position. You.”
“Unbelievable.” Heather sat in several seconds of stunned silence. “You are not doing this to me. You can’t.”
“I want to talk to you about this, but not over the phone.” I looked into the bottom of my whiskey glass, mulling things over. “What are you doing this evening? You could come here. We could have dinner and hash everything out.”
“There’s nothing to hash out, Graham!” she nearly shouted. “I told you this was a limited engagement. We agreed I wouldn’t be able or available to stay on past the hiring of a new nanny. And you didn’t take the steps you were supposed to when I did all the preliminary work for you. I’m leaving.”
“Please.” I drained the last of my whiskey. “Just come over.”
“I don’t think I could have a calm conversation with you in front of your daughter right now.”
That made the corners of my mouth quirk upward. “She’s with my sister, Lauren, for the night. Girls’ night and all that. It would just be you and me here, so you can yell at me all you want.”
“What can we say in person that we can’t say over the phone? Graham, you just don’t get it. I’m leaving. I’m going back to New York.”
“Then come and tell me in person. It’s the least you can do when you’re giving notice of leave. Two week’s notice.”
“What are you even talking about? I gave you a month’s notice the moment I started taking care of Collins. You always—okay, you know what? Fine, I’m on my way. If that’s what it’s going to take, then I’m just going to get it over with, so I can go back to my life.”
She ended the call, and I smiled. Heather wasn’t going anywhere. She just hadn’t realized it yet.
15
Heather
“What in the world was that all about?” my mom asked as I gripped my phone, trying to do all I could to keep myself from launching it across the room. We were nearly done sorting through all the memories that had spent years packed away in the house. All the boxes and furniture that remained needed to be moved to her new condo.
“Your former employer is being ridiculous,” I groused, sealing the box I’d been working on. Hank sniffed it, suspicious of the idea that everything he’d previously been sniffing had been contained in a single new item to sniff—or something. I thought we were going to get everything more or less wrapped up this weekend, especially since I generally didn’t watch Collins or meet with my online clients on the weekend.
