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He nodded.
“Like a nanny?”
“She will be your nanny, yes. Will you like that?”
Meghan nodded, taking the cup from him. She handed him her teddy bear so she could drink. She swallowed it all down, wiped her mouth, and handed it back. “Can I have another?”
“No, you’ll be waking all night to go to the toilet and I need you to be up bright and early tomorrow so I can show you off to Callie.”
“I like her name.”
“It’s a nice name, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, she likes my name. She thinks it pretty.”
“It is a gorgeous name.” He’d picked Meghan’s name. Tilly wouldn’t even hold their daughter after she’d given birth. All she’d wanted to do was fall asleep and be left alone. Everyone had done exactly as she wanted. He’d held his daughter and taken care of the rest. He always took care of her. Now, he was allowing another, a mere stranger, to take care of her.
Breathing in deeply, he lifted Meghan up in his arms and carried her to bed. He made sure to read her several pages from the latest story she wanted to read, and when she was sound asleep, he went to tackle the spare bedroom.
He really hoped he wasn’t making a mistake.
****
“You only have one suitcase?”
Callie looked at the case in her hand and nodded. “I travel light.”
“Oh. Don’t you live close by?”
“I rented a fully furnished house. I make sure I can come and go as quickly as possible.” She offered a smile.
Drew just rubbed his head.
“It hasn’t been long since my last employer no longer needed my services. Until I quit being a nanny, I don’t see a reason in buying a place to keep for myself. I can be in one employment for up to sixteen years.” She’d been surprised to get his call, in all honesty. She didn’t think they’d be able to get along together. So far, he wouldn’t let her get past the threshold and all he’d seen was her suitcase.
“How long was your last employment?” he asked.
“You have all the information in my file?”
“Just for reference.”
“Three years. They were moving to England, and I didn’t want to, so I had no choice but to be let go. I know they wanted me to go with them, but I wanted to return home at least sometime. If I went to England, there was a chance I wouldn’t ever come back. I have now.”
She held the handle between both of her hands. It was heavy. She’d learned to pack everything in one big case.
“Have you changed your mind?”
“No. Damn, it’s rude of me. Sorry. Come on in. Meghan’s still sleeping.”
“At nine in the morning?”
“Yeah, she had a late night.”
“Oh,” Callie said. She wasn’t about to tell him there was a reason he suffered from sleep deprivation. She’d need to get Meghan on the same routine as her father’s. Also, it wouldn’t be long until school started, and then she’d need to seriously consider what time she went to bed and got up.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not.”
“Let me show you to your room first.” He yawned.
It was odd to see Drew Gold looking almost human. In high school, he’d been this fierce presence that no one could touch or get close to. Now, he just seemed touchable.
Strange.
She kept a smile on her lips. After his call, she’d gone to bed as she knew once she stepped foot in Drew’s home, she was going to have a task on her hands.
Following up the stairs, he turned right and opened a door. It was the only room in the house that looked clean. “You can sleep here. There’s no en-suite bathroom. Only the master bedroom has one.”
She nodded.
“You’ll have to use the bathroom across the hall.”
“That’s fine.”
At least she wouldn’t have to worry about bumping into him naked. He’d be out of her way by the time she took a shower or a nice, long bath.
She placed her case on the bed, which was made. She also noticed every surface had been dusted, but it hadn’t been thoroughly done. Had Drew gotten this room ready last night? She saw the outline where he’d gone around things on the bedside cabinet.
Cleaning never bothered her. She was more than happy to do it.
“Right, let’s head downstairs. I can go through everything with you. I’ll be staying with you today, but tomorrow I’ll be heading into work.”
“How long have you been off work?”
“Only a couple of months since Tilly’s been gone.”
She nodded. “Will your wife be returning?”
“Not if I get her to sign the damn divorce papers.”
“You married Tilly?”
He stopped on the staircase. “Is that going to be a problem?”
She shook her head. “Your love life is no concern of mine.” She kept the professional smile she’d adopted on her lips.
“Good.”
She followed him to the kitchen where he grabbed a loaf of bread. She watched as he opened it up, sniffed it, and proceeded to place a couple slices in the toaster. He grabbed a stained coffee pot and poured out two cups.
