The only reason the Finns had a nanny was for the sake of time, and they happened to be wealthy enough to afford someone who could always be there, if needed, which wasn’t often. Mr. Finn was an orthopedic surgeon, and Sylia was an attorney who worked at her father’s firm. She had the flexibility to work from home most of the days, but there were times when Ashley was needed on a moment’s notice.
Truth be told, Ashley had a lot of free time over the years, and she was now at the point of realizing she’d squandered the gift over the years. Rather than finish her degree or pursue a hobby, she . . .
Actually, she couldn’t really figure out what she’d done. The time had to go somewhere, but she had nothing to account for it, nothing to show for all those hours she could have been doing something. Apart from a huge garden in the summertime on the Finns’ property and maybe some wicked recipes she whipped up, she didn’t do a darn thing enrich to her life.
Which just depressed her.
Peter let out a slow breath, and he rubbed his right temple. “We might as well tell her.”
Ashley’s eyes darted to Peter’s and then Sylia’s. “Tell me what?”
Ashley could see it in their eyes. She’d been dreading this day. She loved the Finns, but this was part of the package as a caregiver. There always came a time when the service was no longer needed.
“Sylia has decided to scale back at the firm.” Peter frowned.
“That’s great.” Ashley clutched her hands together and stiffened slightly. “The kids will love it.”
“It’s not totally great, Ashley,” Sylia began, clearing her throat. “We’re going to miss you like crazy.”
“You’re part of the family,” Peter added. “You’ve been with us for what?” He glanced at his wife. “Six years?”
“Almost seven.” Sylia nodded and took a sip of wine. “We haven’t known how to tell you.”
“So you hoped I’d find Mr. Right at the dating event and then you wouldn’t have to tell me?” Ashley chuckled.
The Finns were genuinely kind people, and she actually wondered if they’d kept her on for so long because they didn’t know how to tell her she was no longer needed. Ashley knew this was hard on them. And it was hard on her.
Ashley had specialized in being a long-term nanny. She never hopped around from family to family from one month to another. Since she’d started doing it at twenty-two, she’d had four families: The Adamses for three years, the Nelsons for four years, the Garcias for two years, and the Finns for six years.
Now, she was thirty-seven and kicking herself.
“Well, that was one hope,” Sylia agreed, laughing. “We knew it was a stretch, but . . .”
“It’s the thought that counts.” Ashley set her wine glass down and looked around the living room she’d called home for so many years. The soothing tan leather couches were full of gold and silver pillows, and the billowing ivory curtains framed the three large windows overlooking the front yard. The room was enormous, but Sylia made it feel warm and inviting, just like Sylia.
Ashley wasn’t supposed to have favorites, but the Finns were hers. She loved their family dynamic, their extended family, their friends, and the Finns’ home. Ashley had admired pretty much everything about the Finns. And after years of wondering why they were her favorites, last Christmas, she realized what made their relationship stick out the most.
The love they had for one another built this incredible life that Ashley was lucky enough to share in.
It wasn’t money that brought them together or apart like some couples. It wasn’t lust that kept them going. It was admiration for each other. When Mr. Finn spoke to his wife about her day, he actually cared. Peter actually wanted to know the minutia that made up Sylia’s day, and the same could be said for her. They cared for one another and what was best for each other and their family. Ashley had seen the priorities of other families, and often, they were driven by outside forces. The only thing that drove the Finns’ decisions was love.
Seeing the Finns’ relationship set the bar high.
Really high.
And because of what love could be, Ashley knew she might never get it since she wanted nothing less than what she saw.
“I always know this day will come with each family.” Ashley sat back on the couch and smiled at the Finns whose worried expressions were plastered all over their usually happy faces. “I always prepare for the goodbyes, but I don’t think this time, there’ll be a real goodbye. I have a feeling I’m going to have to fly back to Washington to visit.”
“You don’t think you’ll stay in Washington?” Peter asked, shocked.
“Doubtful. I haven’t stayed in the same state twice.” Ashley grinned. “It’s exciting that way.”
“That’s true.” Sylia nodded. “Your last family was in Connecticut.”
Ashley nodded. “Before them, I was in Wisconsin and Montana.”
“Maybe your next family should be somewhere warm like Hawaii or Florida.” Peter wiggled his brows. “Then we could come to visit.”
“I hate the heat,” Ashley confessed. “I’d much rather dig my way out of a driveway than sweat my way into a grocery store.”
“I hear ya.” Sylia nodded in complete agreement as she rested her hand on top of Peter’s. “I love the seasons. I love living in the mountains.”
“Me too,” Ashley agreed.
The truth of the matter was that Ashley loved living in Cherry Hill. It was barely a blip on the map, but it felt like home to her. This entire area did, even the ritzy Silver Ridge. But rarely could a nanny find two families in tandem who needed her in such a small space. Most likely, she’d be in Idaho or New Hampshire this time next year.
Without warning, a little lump formed in the back of her throat, and she glanced toward the window where the snow continued to fall. She really would miss the Finns, but this was how it worked.
The danger of being a nanny.
“We don’t want you to feel rushed. We literally have no timeframe in mind. You can stay here for as long as you need.” Sylia cocked her head. “You okay?”
Ashley nodded. “I am. I’m just really grateful to have gotten such a great family. It gives me hope that they do exist out there.”
Not that Ashley had ever had one.
“They do. Just not where you might think.” Peter winked.
“Like I should have been on the lookout better tonight?” Ashley chuckled. “Truthfully, I think my time has long since passed.”
“Whoa.” Sylia held up her hand. “What are you talking about? You’re so young. Take it from me. I don’t know what I was thinking, having my first child at forty-one.”
Her husband laughed and shook his head. “You two sound like you’re about to sign up next week for Medicare.”
“I’m thirty-seven.” Ashley grinned. “Even if I do accidentally meet someone, it takes time to nurture a relationship to even get married. So to then think about children after that? Not in my cards.”
“That’s the spirit.” Peter laughed, shaking his head. “If you don’t want children, it’s not a bad thing. Not everyone does.”
Ashley shook her head. “I didn’t say that. I just don’t think it’s in the cards timing-wise.”
“Peter and I met in college, got married . . .” Sylia paused for a few seconds. “And we never gave having kids much thought. I hit thirty-nine, and we suddenly wanted to expand our family.”
Ashley smiled as she saw Peter’s face light up.
“I guess what I’m saying is that no matter what the age, circumstance, or relationship, don’t count certain things out. Surprises are bound to happen, good and bad, so you need to be flexible. Rigidity is an awful trait.” Sylia shivered.
Ashley chuckled and thought back to the stranger from tonight.
“You’re blushing again,” Sylia hummed as she stood up with her husband.
Ashley groaned and shook her head. “This pale skin is going to be the death of me.”
“So did you or did y
ou not meet someone?” Sylia teased.
“I happened to notice someone who, of course, wasn’t part of the event.” Ashley clamped her lips together.
“And?” Peter asked, intrigued.
“And nothing.” Ashley shrugged. “He called out some of his hulks to carry the obnoxious guy away, and that was it. He bailed.”
Peter’s head tilted slightly. “What do you mean, he called the hulks over?”
“I don’t know. I guess he’s one of the owners of the resort or something.”
Sylia brought her hand to her mouth. “You don’t think . . .”
“Think what?” Ashley questioned.
“The North brothers own the Silver Ridge Ski resort,” Peter explained, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him I already knew that thanks to the lovely bartender, Erika. “They are good friends of ours.”
Ashley froze. “What do you mean? Why haven’t I seen them? Met them?”
“We usually head up to the resort to get together. Gives us the feeling of a little getaway, even though it’s only twenty minutes up the mountain.”
Ashley’s jaw dropped, but she quickly clenched it. Hearing this news didn’t change a thing.
“I’ve actually operated on every single brother.” Peter grinned. “Owning a ski resort is a brutal business.” He laughed and glanced at his wife, who had a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
“And our firm handles items that their in-house legal team doesn’t.”
“Of course, you’ve operated on them.” Ashley rolled her eyes playfully at Peter and then looked over at Sylia. “And of course, you do. So, let’s not make this a topic of conversation at one of your next get-togethers.”
“Well, we could introduce—”
Ashley bolted from the couch. “Nope. No need.” Panic set in as she thought about how the Finns might mention how their nanny had a crush—at thirty-seven, no less—on one of the North brothers. This wasn’t the type of reputation she wanted to leave Cherry Hill with.
Ashley was a dignified woman who focused on her job and nothing more, and that was precisely the reputation she wanted to keep.
“I bet it was Austin,” Peter continued. “Now that the others are married, it’s usually Austin who’s there at night. Right?” He glanced at his wife, who nodded excitedly.
“Okay, you two. I thank you so much for that gift tonight. It meant a lot and got me out of the house, but I’m delighted with where I’m at in life and need to focus on my career.” Ashley cleared her throat and glanced toward the staircase.
“It doesn’t have to be anything formal.” Sylia ignored Ashley’s plea. “We could get a sitter and head up that way for dinner. Our treat as a thank-you or . . .”
“Being around you all is treat enough,” Ashley assured her. “I would be absolutely mortified if I saw that man again.”
Sylia waved her hand in the air. “Oh, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Every North brother is so sweet and genuine. There’s not a bad one in the bunch, but that’s because their mother and grandmother are absolute dolls. Feisty as all get-out, but dolls nevertheless.”
“I’m sure Austin is used to throwing creeps out all the time. He probably didn’t give it a second thought,” Peter explained.
“Perfect.” Ashley clapped her hands and chuckled. “Then let’s keep it that way.”
Sylia let out a sigh followed by laughter. “Okay. Whatever you say, my dear. But the offer is on the table.”
“Since I’m one foot out of town anyway, it doesn’t make sense to start dating locally.” Ashley winked. “I’ll be sure to keep you posted on my misadventures in the next place.”
Sylia came over and gave Ashley a hug. “We won’t push you any longer. I promise.” She dipped her mouth near my ear and whispered, “But if I were single, I wouldn’t let Austin get away.”
“And your husband is standing right behind you,” Peter said, laughing. “I’m glad to know you’ve already got your backup Peter lined up.”
Sylia giggled and spun around, wrapping her arm around Peter’s waist. “No one could be your backup. You’re the best husband and father in the world.”
Ashley shook her head and laughed. “See? You guys set the bar really high.”
“No.” Peter shook his head. “We don’t. We’ve just pushed away all the crap that doesn’t matter— and surprisingly, that’s most of it—to focus on what truly matters.”
“Which is what?” Ashley asked, resting her hand on her hip.
“That I love Sylia and she loves me.” Peter smiled as if that was the most obvious and straightforward thing in the world.
But Ashley had lived with her parents for eighteen years growing up, and she knew that love wasn’t always enough.
Chapter Four
“Are you serious?” Joel North laughed as his wife, Autumn Tucker, poured a cup of coffee for the two brothers.
Austin North sat stunned at Joel’s kitchen table while Joel and Autumn’s dog, Oscar, curled at his feet and softly snored.
It was ten o’clock at night, and Austin had to tell someone what an idiot he’d been. He didn’t know what had come over him, and it wasn’t like he’d never encountered a beautiful woman before. Yet here Austin sat, alone and whining to his brother while the most gorgeous woman he’d ever laid eyes on slept soundly somewhere out there.
Alone.
Because he blew it.
And now Austin was spending his night alone.
Well, not entirely alone. After all, he had his brother. The North men always had their brothers. And now their fiancées and wives.
Except for Austin.
Austin was the lone holdout and would always be a single man.
“Don’t feel bad. I’m sure—wait, what’s her name?” Autumn asked, grinning as she pushed a mug of black coffee in front of her brother-in-law.
“Ashley. At least that’s what Erika told me.”
“Wait. You didn’t even ask for her name?” Joel’s brow arched. “You asked the bartender for it?”
“I told you. I don’t know what came over me, but I had to bail.” Austin let out a growl. “It was like I had to pound my chest in front of the entire bar, show my power, and call in the bouncers. For what? What did I think she’d do? Fall into my arms like I was Godzilla rescuing her?”
Joel traded a glance with his wife, and she smiled wider.
“You don’t have to be Mr. Suave at all times. I’m sure you’ll run into her again.” Autumn rubbed her growing belly, and Austin couldn’t help but crack a smile. She was due any minute. Well, any week at this point, and every North brother, their mom, and Grandma had a group chat going, laying bets on the due date.
The one thing Austin absolutely hated was admitting failure to a married couple. In fact, Joel North had always lived by the same rule that Austin had followed. Yet, love had even wrangled Joel into the traps of matrimony too.
Every single brother.
Down for the count!
Was love just inevitable? Austin shook that silly notion aside and concentrated on the embarrassing matter at hand.
“I threw a drunk out and—”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Joel interrupted. “It’s our job to keep that place running smoothly.”
“And he did touch her.”
“Well, there you go.” Autumn smiled. “No touching allowed.”
Austin chuckled.
“I think what’s got you shaken up the most is that there was something about this woman that scared you.” Joel sat back and ran his fingers through his wet hair.
After all, Austin had dropped in on them right before bed, and Joel was still in the shower, but that didn’t stop Autumn from inviting Austin into their home. And now Austin was beginning to regret his confession.
“She didn’t scare me.” Austin rolled his eyes and adjusted his cuffs.
Autumn narrowed her eyes on Austin and took a seat next to her husband. She had a bowl of pudding in front of her that Joel kept eyeing.
“What was she wearing?” Autumn asked. “Let me guess.”
“Oh, yes.” Joel rubbed his hands together. “This ought to get good.”
“Let’s see. I bet she was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, red stilettos, a tight little top, and freshly manicured—”
“Hey, now.” Austin broke into laughter. “You’re making me sound as bad as the guy I threw out.”
Joel chuckled and finally stole a bite of his wife’s pudding.
When Autumn caught on to Joel’s antics, she scowled playfully at him and stole the spoon back. “I can’t believe you’d steal food from your pregnant wife.” She took a bite. “The baby needs this nourishment.”
“I almost forgot.” Joel stood suddenly and dashed toward the refrigerator, throwing it open quickly. “They finally had this at the store.”
He held up a pickle dip with cream cheese, and Austin crinkled his face as Autumn squealed in absolute delight. It sounded awful, but she looked as if it was a pot of gold.
“I need that right now. Pour me some chips. I’ve been good this whole pregnancy, but I need that now.”
Joel immediately obeyed and poured the chips into a bowl. Not even bothering to scoop out the dip separately, he brought over the snack to his wife.
Austin couldn’t help but see the love traded between the two. He’d seen it between all of his brothers and their partners, and it really started to remind Austin how much he’d been missing over the years.
After a few bites, Autumn turned her attention to Austin again. “Okay, so tell me.”
“Tell you what?” Austin repeated, confused.
“What was she wearing?”
Austin laughed and shook his head. ”You wouldn’t believe it.”
“Well, I’m guessing it was something sexy since she was at a dating thing.” Autumn cocked her head slightly. “Didn’t you say it was a speed dating thing tonight?”
Austin nodded and couldn’t help but smile as he thought back to Ashley. He really hoped that was her name because it fit her perfectly. Erika was usually pretty good at remembering patrons’ names, so he’d continue imagining Ashley as Ashley, even though he shouldn’t imagine her at all.
A Surprising Fact About Love: Small Town Romance (Silver Ridge Series Book 4) Page 3