by Jenna Brandt
“James’ father made me feel very comfortable in their home. He had an easy nature, kind of like you,” she said with another way-too-familiar smile.
Apparently, the smile and flattery were lost on Roger as he asked, “How about the worst things about that job?”
“Listening to James’ parents fight. His father definitely didn’t deserve the way his wife treated him. I tried to explain that to him, but he just didn’t want to see it. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” she stated, giving a side glance to Celeste as if she was making a point. “Some couples need to realize they’re just better off apart.”
Celeste’s eyebrows drew up in shock. What was this girl thinking, saying something like that on a job interview? Didn’t she know how she sounded?
“I appreciate your candor. I’ll get back to the agency as soon as I’ve made a decision,” Roger stated, standing up and gesturing towards the front door.
He came back, shaking his head. “That woman was too much. I don’t need someone like that around. Hopefully the next candidate is a better fit.”
Two more nannies came and went without either of them meeting what Roger and Marcus needed. The fifth and final candidate arrived, and Celeste prayed the middle-aged brunette sitting in front of her would be the one. Celeste and Roger had spent the entire day interviewing potential nannies, but none of them presented as the right fit.
Celeste peeked over at Roger’s checklist bracing herself for another round of twenty questions.
“What was your typical daily routine with your last family?” Roger asked, reading from his list then looking up at the older woman to hear her response.
“Both the mother and father left early for work during the week, so I got the child up promptly at 7 AM every day. I would bathe, feed, and dress the child.”
Child. Celeste wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. She didn’t even call the last child she took care of by her name. Did she purposely keep a distance so that it was easier when she left?
“Then I fed her a strict diet of oatmeal and poached eggs for breakfast.”
“Did the child have a restricted diet?” Celeste asked, wondering why it was such a peculiarly bland choice of food.
“No, I’m a firm believer that a well-balanced meal free from sugar and spices is essential. Children need to be taught that food is fuel, and nothing more. It doesn’t need to taste good.”
“Hmm,” Roger said, “I’m not sure I view food the same way you do, Miss Morton.”
“They get used to it, Mr. Boswell, and let me assure you, they are better for it,” the woman stated tersely.
Before Roger could argue with her or dismiss her because of it, Celeste asked, “And what did you typically do after breakfast, Miss Morton?”
“On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we would go to the park for one hour of play while on Tuesday and Thursdays, I took her to her piano lessons. Afterward, we’d come home and she’d spend two hours of quiet reading, followed by a two-hour nap. The end of the day concluded with two hours of math.”
Roger’s eyes grew wide. “That’s quite a full day for a toddler.”
“It’s my job to prepare them for kindergarten. I do the job of a pre-school without the need to have them fraternizing with…less desirable children.”
Okay, now Celeste had heard enough. What right did this woman think she had to judge what children were desirable? God made them all, and each one was beautiful. Celeste was about to argue her point when Roger stated, “Thank you for your time Miss Morton, but I don’t think you will be a good fit for us.”
The woman made a “humph” sound under her breath before standing up and slinging her purse over her shoulder. She gave a curt nod, before clipping out, “Good afternoon, Mr. Boswell.”
Once the woman exited the penthouse, Roger turned to face Celeste and let out a sigh. “What am I going to do, Celeste? None of these nannies will work.”
“I agree; all of them had huge deficits.”
“Should I try another agency? Do you know of one that could set up some interviews quickly?”
Celeste shook her head as she scrunched up her face. “I don’t know of any off the top of my head. Agencies come and go, and I was only in the industry for a short time when I first moved to the city. I ended up getting the job at a restaurant, so I lost contact with the nannies I used to know.”
“I understand. I’ll just have to figure something else out.”
Celeste appreciated Roger being optimistic, but she wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to do it, especially in the time frame he needed.
The pitter-patter of little feet could be heard from down the hall. From the shadows, Marcus appeared, covered in what Celeste hoped was chocolate.
“I put it all over,” he said with a toothy grin, proud his entire body was covered in the dark, gooey substance.
Celeste jumped up from her seat on the couch and rushed over to the boy. “What is all this?” she inquired, inspecting the boy by turning his arms over and looking at the substance, trying to avoid getting any on herself.
“I found chocolate in the kitchen,” Marcus declared with pride. “It’s good.”
She stood up and gently pulled the boy alongside her. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” Then over her shoulder, she added, “I didn’t know your daddy had a sweet tooth.”
“I don’t, for the record. It must have been left over from a party,” Roger stated, following behind them.
“Liking sweets is nothing to be ashamed of,” Celeste teased. “We all deserve a treat every now and again.” Looking down at Marcus, she added, “But only if we ask our parents first. You shouldn’t have gotten into the chocolate like that, Marcus. You need to ask first before getting something to eat. What if it was rotten, or had something in it?”
“Hey, just so you know, you don’t have to worry about any of that. Margo makes sure to get rid of anything that isn’t edible.”
“Who’s Margo?” Celeste asked with an arched eyebrow, looking up from where she was using a wet towel to wipe away the smudge of chocolate.
She didn’t want to care. If she were honest with herself, part of her didn’t like the idea of some other woman in Roger’s apartment, let alone familiar with it enough to go through his household items and get rid of things.
“She’s my maid,” Roger explained, “and she comes twice a week, though I’m starting to see I’m going to have to double that.”
“Probably a good idea,” Celeste said with a roll of her shoulders. “You two boys are going to need all the help you can get.”
“What about you?” Marcus asked.
“Marcus, you can’t ask Celeste to help out around here,” Roger stated with embarrassment. “She’s got a job.”
“Two of them, actually, but I don’t mind coming over and helping out around here now and then.”
“No, not then, all the time,” Marcus whined, crossing his arms and putting his bottom lip out in a pout. “You take care of me?”
Celeste was shocked at Marcus’ request. “That’s sweet, Marcus, but your daddy wants a professional to take care of you.”
Roger tilted his head to the side as if he were contemplating something. After a moment, he said, “You know, Marcus, you have a pretty good idea. What do you think about being Marcus’ nanny?” When she didn’t respond right away, he added, “At least, until I can find a permanent one? You’d be doing me a real favor, and I could have Bryce tell your manager to give you the time off without any penalty. Your job would still be there when I find a replacement for you. While you’re working for me, I’ll pay you whatever the highest going rate is for a nanny—heck, I’ll double it if you’re willing to say ‘yes.’ I can even pay your rent while you’re staying here so you don’t lose your apartment.”
Could she do it? Should she do it? It was tempting, considering the money would really help her get a few more acting classes under her belt. With how much she was already starting to
care about Marcus and Roger, however, she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. Shouldn’t she keep her distance, for all their sakes? It was dangerous getting close to a family that didn’t belong to her. On the other hand, Roger and Marcus were in real need, and she had the power to help them. Could she turn down their request, knowing how it would negatively affect them?
“I guess I could do it,” she said, reluctantly.
When both of them got excited looks on their faces and Marcus started clapping his hands from his perch on the counter, she quickly added, “But you both understand, it’s only on a temporary basis?”
Roger and Marcus simultaneously nodded, but their smiles remained.
“Text me later with the details,” Celeste suggested. “I need to go home and break the news to my roommate.” With a roll of her eyes, she added, “I’m sure she’ll be really heartbroken to get our apartment all to herself without having to pay twice the rent.”
As Celeste left Roger’s penthouse, she thought about the turn of events. She could use the extra money, plus she could get away from Megan while spending time with a cool kid like Marcus. And then there was Roger; she wasn’t sure what to make of Roger or the odd connection she found growing every time she was near him. What did this mean for her going forward? She wasn’t sure, but she was hopeful it could be a good thing for all of them.
4
When Celeste arrived on time, he was grateful. The last thing he wanted was to be late for his first day at the office. His father would never let him forget it, and he was trying to turn over a new leaf. If he was going to be a good father, he needed to start being responsible. Holding down a job was a step in the right direction, even if it wasn’t a job he entirely liked the idea of doing.
“Is there anything else you need?” Roger inquired, glancing from Celeste to Marcus.
Celeste gestured towards the door with a grin. “We’ve got this, Roger. Don’t worry about us. Go to work and we’ll be here when you get back.”
Reluctantly, he made his way out the door. He wasn’t even sure why he was so hesitant about the situation. The boy had only been in his life for a few days now, but somehow, in that short time, he had found himself worrying about Marcus’ well-being.
Despite his best efforts to keep it from happening, Celeste occupied his thoughts during the drive to the downtown business district. She looked super cute in her jeans and bright, blue t-shirt. Even though the outfit was casual, it still did nothing to disguise her natural beauty. The color of the top enhanced the green of her eyes, and the jeans hugged her body in all the right places. It had been all Roger could do to keep himself from staring at her longer than a few stolen moments here or there.
Though he found her appealing, he knew he needed to keep that fact under wraps. They had barely become friends, and now that she had agreed to be Marcus’ temporary nanny, he didn’t want to jeopardize that arrangement by introducing romantic feelings into the situation. He needed to keep his feelings hidden—though part of him wondered how long he could do that. With her under his roof looking as cute as she did without even trying, it was going to be an uphill battle.
As Roger entered the Boswell Oil corporate offices, everyone instantly recognized him greeting him with smiles and firm hand shakes. Most of them seemed to want to kiss-up to him. It didn’t surprise him since he was their boss’s son, and one day, their future boss. What did surprise him was that there were a few of the men who seemed irritated, as if he didn’t deserve to be there. If Roger was honest with himself, he agreed with those men.
He had done nothing to deserve the position his father had thrust upon him—COO (Chief Operations Officer)—one spot below his father. Though Roger did go to college, finishing his business degree under extreme pressure from his father, he hadn’t put the degree to use in the three years since finishing it. He had chosen rather to spend his time partying and chasing after women, causing a steady lack of confidence by most everyone in his life. He realized now he was going to have a long road to prove himself capable. Was he going to be able to do it?
Roger straightened his shoulders as he approached his father’s receptionist sitting at a desk just outside the CEO’s (Chief Executive Officer) corner office. She gave Roger a warm smile, but he could tell there was apprehension under the façade.
“Your father is waiting for you, Mr. Boswell.”
Roger nodded as he moved past the young, brunette woman, and entered his father’s office.
“Good morning, Dad,” Roger said as he shut the door behind him. He sat down in a chair across from his father’s large mahogany desk.
“You actually made it in this morning,” his father said, setting down his pen and leaning back in his chair. “I have to admit; I’m surprised you actually followed through.”
The distrust in his father’s voice stung, but Roger realized, it was his own fault. “I know I haven’t done much to prove myself, Dad, but I want to change that going forward.”
“You haven’t done anything, Roger; that’s the problem. All you’ve managed to do is build up a reputation as a playboy who blows money without any thought about the consequences. We need to work on changing that image so that the board members will trust you to run this company, not to mention our business partners and potential clients wanting to do business with you.”
“I understand,” Roger said, with a firm nod of his head. “I won’t let you down.”
“I hope not,” his father said. “I expect you to be in the office every day during the week going forward. You’re going to shadow me for the rest of this week. Then next week you will shadow our current COO, Daniel Maddox, who will be stepping aside for you to take his place. I warn you, he’s not happy about the situation. Even though I found him an equivalent position in one of our overseas offices, he sees it as a demotion.”
“I promise, Dad, I’m going to make you proud.”
“I hope that’s true. Your feet are going to be held to the fire because we have back-to-back meetings today. I don’t have time to coddle you.”
“Understood,” Roger stated.
There was a buzzing and his father hit the button on the speaker phone. “Yes, Carrie, what is it?”
“Mr. Boswell, your next appointment is here.”
His father’s face bunched up in confusion. “I don’t have another appointment until—” he glanced at his watch, then shook his head, “what time is it at, Carrie?”
“Right now, sir. Mr. Chan is waiting. Should I send him in?”
His father stood up, pulling down on the edge of his jacket. Glancing over at Roger, he said, “Stand up, boy. Mr. Chan is going to be our strategic partner in China. You need to make a good first impression.”
Roger did as his father requested, and as his father came around to stand beside his son, Roger leaned over and asked, “Is everything all right?”
The man nodded his head up and down vigorously, as he said, “Yes, yes, nothing to worry about, Roger. I’ve just had a lot of late nights lately.”
But that was just it, Roger was worried. His father never forgot anything, and this was the second time it happened. Perhaps it was a sign of him getting older, but the thought didn’t ease Roger’s mind. All that meant was that Roger would be taking over the family business a lot sooner than he would like. He hoped it was simply lack of sleep, and not a sign of something more ominous.
Before he could dwell on it further, Mr. Chan came bursting into the room, followed by two of his Chinese employees. Roger was quickly thrust into introductions and business conversation, leaving no room to think on anything else until several hours later when it was lunchtime.
Roger had never been so grateful for a break. All morning, he had walked on eggshells trying to please his father. He needed just a few minutes to himself to get over his father’s ever-probing gaze. It was as if the man was waiting for him to mess up.
A heavy sigh escaped Roger’s lips as he kicked his feet up on his desk and placed his arms behind his
head. With a keen eye, Roger surveyed the office his father had given him. It wasn’t exactly Roger’s style with the dark, wooden furniture and stiff upholstery, but it could easily be fixed if he called his designer. Roger didn’t dare do it on company time though, and risk the wrath of his father, so he would make note of what he needed and call after work.
The buzzing sound of his speaker phone drew his attention. Roger’s eyes drifted to where it sat on his desk, and a moment later, his newly assigned secretary’s voice came over the speaker. “Mr. Boswell, I have a George Willmont here to see you. Can I send him—” but before the woman could finish her sentence, the door burst open, revealing George standing on the other side.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were actually coming to work for your father this week?” he accused, placing his hands on his waist. “I had to find out from my own old man—of all things. You could have painted me red from the embarrassment of not knowing before the rest of Manhattan’s business world.”
Roger rolled his eyes as he took his feet down and straightened up in his chair. “Being rather dramatic, George, don’t you think?”
“Hardly, as your oldest friend, I expect to be kept informed of any big changes in your life, Roger. You shouldn’t be keeping me in the dark.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Roger stated adamantly. “It all just happened so fast.”
“Well, you can make it up to me by playing racquetball with me on Sunday,” George suggested.
“I would, but lately, my Sundays have been taken up with church. Can I get a rain check for another time?”
George narrowed his eyes as he sat down in a chair across from Roger. “There you go again, putting your ‘new religion’ above everything else. When are you going to see, it’s just a fad, like your vegan phase, or the time you thought you were going to get into CrossFit? You’re not the type to stick with anything for very long.”
Roger didn’t like George comparing his faith in God to the whims he used to succumb to. He realized now that he had moved from one empty idea to the next, trying to fill a void he didn’t even know he had—a void only God could fill.