Next Door Daddy

by Ford, Mia

  “Well, keep at it,” Seth tells me. “This might only work for a little while, but it’s more than we’ve had before.”

  I smile and lean across the table on my elbows. This time, Seth isn’t too distracted to look down. I give him a slow smile, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

  “Sounds good to me,” I say, lowering the pitch of my voice ever so slightly.

  I watch his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallows. Then he yawns, and the moment is ruined, but I’m pleased to have gotten any sort of response from him.

  He sees me as a capable nanny now, at least. Now I need to remind him that I’m a woman, too.

  “Thank you,” Seth says. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “Definitely,” I say, straightening.

  “Great,” Seth says. I turn to leave. “Oh, Zoe?”

  “Yeah?” I ask, turning my head to look at him.

  He smiles; his entire face brightening. “I’ll try and leave those toys where they are. It sounds like you’re trying to teach Alicia an important lesson…and I’d like to see where this goes.”

  “Thanks,” I grin, flushing with pleasure at the praise.

  I fight the urge to punch the air as I leave the house. The way Seth just looked at me…he’s impressed with me. Somehow, despite all the odds, I’ve impressed him.

  I’m definitely glad I applied for this job, I decide.

  Chapter Eight

  Seth

  “You look happy,” Jason notes as I walk into work.

  I pause and my smile widens. I can’t remember the last time I came into work feeling so at ease.

  “Yeah,” I say cheerfully. “Let’s just say Zoe might work out after all.”

  “Really?” Jason asks, interested.

  “I came home last night, and she told me she and Alicia had a mostly quiet day,” I tell him. “This is after Zoe took some of her toys away, because she was throwing them at her, and told her she couldn’t have candy.”

  “Is this woman a saint?” Jason asks, impressed. “Because she must have the patience of one.” He grins as I make a face at him. “No, seriously, that’s impressive. I’ve seen Alicia in one of her tantrums. I’m surprised she didn’t just give in.”

  “She said she almost did,” I say. “But she must have decided to hold strong.” I smile, pleased with myself. “Alicia asked me for the toys back this morning, and I told her that I don’t know where they are, and she needs to ask Zoe.”

  Jason laughs. “That’s great. So, what’s the plan now? Are you still going to go ahead with your work-from-home strategy?”

  In preparation for eventually losing Zoe, I have a plan in place. It isn’t foolproof yet, but I will be able to enact it as soon as Zoe leaves. I don’t want to do it, but it may be necessary.

  “We’ll keep working on it,” I say with a nod. “I don’t really know what will happen next, and Zoe has only been with us for two days. Anything can happen in a week.”

  “True,” Jason says. “What’s she like as a nanny?”

  “From what I gather, she’s strict,” I say.

  I frown. Zoe has a different way of doing things, which she explained away as being used to looking after her younger siblings. I’m suddenly very curious to witness this for myself, though.

  “Jason, I’m taking tomorrow off,” I say decisively. “I’ll do some of my work from home.”

  “That’s fine,” Jason assures me, grinning. “I want to hear all about it on Monday.”

  I roll my eyes. Jason, I discovered very quickly when he first started working here, is the biggest gossip in the company. But I don’t mind; he’s loyal to a fault and productive enough that a couple of quirks go unnoticed.

  “Of course,” I say with a laugh.

  I turn to the paperwork on my desk. Questions about Zoe can wait; right now, I have a mountain of work to get through.

  * * *

  “Work from home?” Zoe asks the next morning.

  “Yes,” I say, patting my briefcase. “I’ll be in the study, but it will be like I’m not even here, anyway. Is that okay?”

  “It’s your house,” Zoe laughs. “That’s fine, and I think Alicia will like that, too.”

  “She won’t,” I tell her. “She hates it when I work from home; to her, it means that I’m near enough to play with, but too busy to actually do so.”

  “Oh,” Zoe says, nodding. “Well, I’ll just keep her occupied. I brought over a small canvas that I haven’t used; maybe she’ll like doing some art.”

  “Sounds great,” I say, making my way to the stairs. “If you do need me, though, I’m just up here.”

  “Thanks,” Zoe says cheerfully.

  I meet Alicia on the stairs, and I bend down to kiss her on the forehead, wincing as she droops at seeing the briefcase in my hand. Then I continue on to the study.

  I give it an hour before I push away from my desk, too curious to do any more work. I open the study door carefully before creeping down the stairs, trying not to laugh at the irony of me stealing around my own home like a criminal. I can hear Zoe and Alicia in the lounge room, and I peer through the open doorway.

  Alicia is playing on the floor, clacking blocks together. She has a dark look on her face, but the first thing I notice is the absence of her doll; she had it on her way downstairs, so where is it now?

  Then I see it. It’s sitting on the couch beside Zoe, who is turned so she can watch Alicia with one eye, and watch the television with the other. The show on the screen is about fishing, and it doesn’t look like Zoe is captivated by it, so she’s simply pretending to watch it while Alicia looks up and glares at her every so often.

  I feel indignant, at first. That doll is Alicia’s favorite, a toy that her late mother had made for her. Why would Zoe take it? Then I force myself to calm down. Zoe wouldn’t know the importance of that doll, and, based on what she has been telling me, she likely took it when Alicia threw it at her.

  That surprises me, too, though. Alicia must have been in a thoroughly bad mood to throw her precious doll.

  Finally, as I watch, Alicia gets to her feet and makes her way to Zoe. She’s fidgeting, and I fight the urge to go in there and hug the frown away.

  Then…

  “Sorry,” she says grouchily, not sincere in the slightest. “Can I have Julie back?”

  I wince. That’s hardly the way to ask for something back. To my surprise, however, Zoe smiles and hands the doll over, surprising Alicia as well.

  “You may,” Zoe says. “Make sure not to throw her again, okay? I don’t think Julie likes being thrown very much.”

  Alicia looks down at her doll. Then she hugs it tightly.

  “Thank you,” she says, far more genuinely.

  Zoe beams and reaches out to ruffle Alicia’s hair quickly before the little girl sits back down with her blocks.

  I withdraw, trying to process what I just saw. Zoe had told me, yesterday and the day before, that Alicia had refused to apologize or ask for her toys back properly. That means I just witnessed the first time she has done so.

  And Zoe acted admirably, too. She didn’t make a fuss about giving the doll back with a half-hearted apology, and she only scolded her lightly, just enough to tell her that it isn’t a good idea to throw things.

  I remember what I said to Jason yesterday. I told him that Zoe is strict.

  Strict, but fair, I amend.

  It’s an attitude that I like. Quietly, I return upstairs, pleased with my discovery. It seems Zoe is a better nanny then I have given her credit for. I just wish I had been more optimistic while hiring her.

  There are, of course, a lot of things that can still go wrong. But I think I’ll stay cautiously hopeful for now.

  Nearly two hours pass before I peek downstairs again. This time, Alicia is playing with the doll that I had seen in the kitchen cupboard, and I grin before returning to work. As it creeps closer to dinner, I check again and, this time, to my shock, Zoe and Alicia are bending their heads over t
he canvas Zoe brought with her today.

  I blink at the sight. Have I ever seen Alicia willingly doing something with one of her nannies? Not unless it involves terrorizing them or forcing them to run around after her, I’m forced to admit.

  Yet, here she is, drawing on the canvas with Zoe, a look of concentration on her face. There’s a line right now the middle of it, and I wonder if they’re playing some sort of game.

  Curious, I step further into the room. They’re both concentrating so hard that neither of them notices. I crane my neck to peer over their shoulders. Alicia’s drawing is a mess of colored lines. It takes me a moment, as I see the scribbled grass and the roughly colored blue sky, to realize that she’s drawing a rainbow.

  Zoe, on the other hand, is sketching a portrait of Alicia. The lines are rough, since she’s using a black crayon, but the drawing itself is quite good. I look at Zoe, and feel a flash of heat as I see that her tongue is poking out ever so slightly in her concentration.

  “Done!” Alicia suddenly says, throwing down the purple crayon.

  “And…me too!” Zoe says with a grin, sitting back.

  “Is that me?” Alicia asks with wide eyes.

  “Yep!” Zoe says, proud. “Look…it looks like you’re looking out the window at a rainbow!”

  Alicia’s face transforms as she smiles with shocked delight. I smile as well, so happy that I think I could burst.

  “It’s a lovely drawing,” I say.

  “Daddy!” Alicia makes Zoe jump as she shrieks, leaping into my arms.

  “Sorry,” I laugh at her.

  “It’s fine,” Zoe says, then puts a hand to her forehead dramatically so she can swoon to the floor. “You just scared me half to death.”

  In my arms, Alicia giggles very, very quietly. Zoe probably doesn’t hear it, but my heart almost bursts from happiness.

  “Oh no,” I say seriously. “I think you need to rescue her, Alicia. Can you do it?”

  Alicia eyes me. Then she smiles and grabs a tiny, plastic doctor’s hammer off the floor.

  “I’ll save you, Zoe!” she declares.

  Then she hits Zoe in the stomach with the hammer. I wince as Zoe rolls over in surprise.

  “Oops, that one was my fault,” I say.

  “You don’t say,” Zoe gasps.

  “Since I’m doing more harm than good, I’ll leave you ladies to it,” I say, standing. Alicia’s smile wilts a little, and I lean down to her, dropping my voice. “I’m proud of you for playing so well with someone else, Alicia. I’ll see you at dinner?”

  “Yep,” Alicia says, still looking a little down.

  “And save me that painting,” I say to Zoe. “I want to hang it somewhere.”

  Zoe laughs and flushes, looking pleased. “Can do, captain.”

  I smile and leave the room. As I go, I hear Zoe ask Alicia what she would like for dinner. My smile grows as Alicia answers.

  Today is the fourth day that Zoe has been in my employ. Yet, four days in, my daughter is already warming up to her. I want to know how she has done it.

  Then I realize that, if I think it through, I know the answer.

  Alicia has been used to being the top dog. All her nannies arrive here, well aware of my wealth and power. By association, Alicia also has wealth and power. Many of the nannies treat her as though she’s more powerful than them, and Alicia is a smart enough girl to notice that she can get away with anything because of it.

  Now Zoe comes along. Zoe, who hasn’t once asked me anything about my company or my wealth, who only blinked as she took in the size of the house, who is treating Alicia like she would any other child. Zoe won’t let Alicia just get away with anything.

  Alicia is responding to that, without realizing it. She’s not happy about having Zoe in the house, but she’s also realizing that she is no longer the most powerful person in the equation. Zoe demands respect, and gives it in return. She also seems to hold Alicia to a higher standard, encouraging her to use her manners and treat others, even her toys, politely and with respect.

  It makes me very curious to see what the future will bring for all of us. When I hired Zoe, it didn’t occur to me, at all, that she would be such a godsend. Her competence is amazing…and highly attractive, too.

  I shake my head with a rueful smile. No, I can’t go down that path.

  Either way, I no longer have any worries about Zoe. In just four days, she has more than proved her capability to be Alicia’s nanny. Today, I was even able to witness her interactions with Alicia myself, and it makes me pleased to know that I could give Zoe a chance, even if the reason I did so was that I was forced to.

  The irony that the only person who is fit for the job is someone who isn’t even qualified for it, isn’t lost on me. It’s enough to make me wish I had just gone next door and recruited her a year and a half ago.

  Still, she’s here now. And, hopefully, she’s here to stay.

  * * *

  “Sorry,” I say to Zoe once Alicia is upstairs that night, brushing her teeth.

  “What for?” Zoe asks, surprised.

  I clear my throat. “I may have been watching you for most of the day; I was curious to know how you were doing. I hope you don’t mind.”

  Zoe laughs. “How cute,” she teases. Then she sobers, but her smile remains. “I didn’t notice, but it’s okay, Seth. I’m a stranger looking after your daughter, and you barely had any time to get to know me before you hired me. It’s natural for you to be worried.”

  She beams at me. I stare at her, struck, not for the first time, just how beautiful she is. It’s difficult to look away from her, sometimes, and I’m glad I don’t spend much of my day with her. My growing interest would become immediately apparent, and I can’t allow that.

  She’s my nanny. I’m employing her. If I try anything, it would feel too much like I’m taking advantage of her.

  “I’m much more at ease, now,” I tell Zoe, and her smile grows. “You head home; I’ll put Alicia to bed.”

  “Alright,” she says, yawning and stretching.

  I valiantly look away from the way her shirt bunches around her hips. But, instead, I find myself looking at the hint of cleavage down her shirt instead, and I turn away entirely. This is getting ridiculous.

  “Have a good night, Zoe,” I say, waving her off.

  When she’s gone, I relax. Then I groan. Zoe is the best nanny I’ve had in a long time… I can’t mess this up by wanting to sleep with her.

  With this in mind, I head upstairs, where I can hear my daughter returning to her room. I will just have to be more careful in the future.

  Somehow, though, I feel like that will be easier said than done.

  Chapter Nine

  Seth

  One week later, I can’t believe how different things are.

  When I hired Zoe, I honestly hadn’t expected her to last more than a week. I even thought I would be lucky if she lasted a full week. In my desk at work, I still have the paperwork that I will need to sign and file if I end up working from home, leaving the company to run itself while I manage from afar.

  Tentatively, I’m starting to hope that I won’t need that paperwork.

  Since those first few days when I got home to see a bruise on Zoe’s forehead where Alicia had struck her with a block, things have improved significantly around the house. It doesn’t take me an hour to leave the house in the mornings anymore; I don’t have to sit with Alicia for that time and remind her why I need to go to work, and convince her that she’ll be okay without me. Instead, the last two mornings, I woke early and was met, instead, with Alicia asking me when Zoe would arrive.

  It’s a first. Even with other nannies, like Georgia, who lasted for several months with us, Alicia would never ask about them or when they would arrive.

  It isn’t just Alicia’s attitude toward Zoe that’s changed, though. It’s the evidence of cooperation that I see when I return home; most days, I get home to see pictures strewn about the table. Yesterday, Zoe pai
nted with Alicia. Then there was two days ago, when I arrived home to find the living room cleared of toys, which are now organized neatly in the toy box that I placed in the room in the hopes that Alicia would use it. Or the cookies that the two of them baked three days ago, evidence of Alicia’s wobbly hand on the icing.

  It isn’t just that Alicia is curious about Zoe, or interested in when she arrives. She and Zoe are actively spending time together. Other than forcing her nannies to run after her in a horrible, one-sided game of hide and seek, Alicia has never done that.

  It’s amazing.

  It’s wonderful.

  It’s…also a little concerning, if I’m honest.

  “Why?” Jason asks when I voice this, his brow furrowed in his confusion. “Zoe and Alicia, as far as you know, are getting along, you don’t have to spend hours convincing your daughter to spend the day with her nanny, and you don’t have to stress about what your daughter is doing to the nanny all day. How is any of this a problem?”

  “Well…it’s too good, you know?” I try.

  “I don’t know,” Jason says, eyebrow raised. Then his expression clears. “I know what’s wrong. You’re jealous!”

  “What?” I ask, startled.

  “Think about it!” Jason laughs. “For so long, Alicia’s only had you to rely on. Now, suddenly, she’s always talking about Zoe, and she’s doing things with Zoe, and you’re feeling left out!”

  “That’s not it at all!” I say sharply.

  Well, maybe a tiny bit…but I’m mostly happy about the changes. I just need to adjust to them a little.

  “Look, think about it,” I press, talking over Jason’s laughter. “When I hired Zoe, she told me she had no professional experience working with kids, right?”

  “Right,” Jason says. “What does that matter, considering how good a job she’s doing?”

  “She has no experience and no qualifications,” I say, crossing my arms. “How is she so good at her job?”