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She snuggled into my shirt, and I did my best to stop her.
“I can’t smell that fresh right now,” I told her. “Come on, let’s get you into the car and get us home before it’s late. Did you have fun with the other kids?”
She was too tired to really talk to me, bordering on grumpy the whole way back to the house. I was sore after my workout, but my daughter felt like nothing in my arms, so I didn’t mind carrying her into the house and heading straight to the bath. I could wait until after she was asleep to shower, even if I really wanted to get out of my sweaty things.
Lucy was the priority in my world. She was number one in everything. It had been that way since the day she was born, and it wouldn’t change, either.
I was getting her into her pajamas when I heard my phone buzz, and a quick glance told me it was David texting me the information for the nanny business he’d told me about. I was glad he was so prompt with getting me the information. I really wanted to get things moving.
As soon as I had Lucy in bed, I sat down and called.
A younger woman answered, and I was immediately struck by how straightforward and almost forceful she was.
“Teresa, what can I do for you?” she said as soon as she answered.
“Hey,” I said. “My name is Alex Osborne, and I have a three-year-old daughter I’m looking to get a nanny for. I got your number from a friend of mine.”
If she recognized my name, she didn’t show it.
“Cool,” she said. “Are you looking for part-time? Full-time? What hours? When do you need us to start?”
I found myself stumbling over my words. I hadn’t expected her to have so many questions for me right off the bat, and I hadn’t taken the time to even figure out the answer to most of those questions myself.
“Well, right now, I was hoping to talk to you more about the rates you have and the hours you offer,” I said. “I don’t work a traditional job, so the hours I need can be a little sporadic.”
“Hmmm,” she said.
I wasn’t sure if she was taking notes or if I was boring her with the information I’d given. I wished she would say something, but I was also rather nervous about what she would say next.
“How does an interview in person tomorrow sound?” she asked.
“Tomorrow?” I repeated.
“Does that work for you?” she pressed. “If not, I can look into next week sometime, but tomorrow would be ideal.”
“Sure,” I said. “I can do tomorrow. Are you the person I’ll be seeing?”
“No,” she said.
I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed. I liked the drive she had, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to hand Lucy over to a nanny who seemed to be doing a version of military school.
“You’ll be interviewing with my sister, Angela,” Teresa continued. “She’s just gotten cut back to two days per week withher current clients, so she’s going to have the time to take on another child. I take it you have only one child, right?”
“A girl,” I said. “Three years old.”
“Great,” Teresa replied. “Let me put you down for one in the afternoon. How does that sound?”
“Great,” I told her, using the same word she had. I didn’t know why I felt intimidated by this woman, but I was glad we were coming to the end of the conversation, and I was glad she wasn’t the one I would be meeting the following day.
“Address?” she pressed.
I gave it to her, along with the few other details she asked for. Then, just as abruptly as she had started the conversation, she finished things.
“And we will see you tomorrow,” she said.
With that, she hung up the phone, and I was left with my mind spinning. I pulled myself out of my chair and headed to the bathroom, checking to make sure Lucy was still asleep on my way by. I was a little shaken by the way the conversation had unfolded, but I decided this was the best solution, so I would stick with it.
She seemed to know just what she was doing, and from what David had said, his brother was really happy with the nanny service, so I figured I could at least give them a shot.
