by Heather B. Moore, Kaylee Baldwin, Annette Lyon, Jennifer Moore, Shannon Guymon, Sarah M. Eden
“I’m only home for a few minutes to change,” he told Jo. “I’m meeting Lila and some friends for dinner.”
“We’re getting ready to have tacos,” Jo said, wishing her first meeting with Baxter hadn’t been in her swimsuit.
Baxter grinned. “That sounds pretty good. Go ahead and take the kids to a movie tonight or something too. Have some fun.” He pulled out a credit card and handed it to her.
She took the card and looked down, blinking in surprise at reading her name on it. “Wait… what?”
Baxter shrugged and picked up Nellie in his arms, kissing her wet cheek as she laughed. “It’s for taking the kids out to eat, to the movies and for whatever else you want to do. Have fun tonight,” he said again and touched Truman on the shoulder before striding away.
Jo watched the look of yearning on Truman’s face before resignation took over, and she realized that being these kids’ nanny would be more important than she’d realized. Truman and Nellie needed love and attention. And she knew what it was like to wish for a father’s attention. What it was like to have a mother so busy working that she never had time for you.
I may be a better artist than a nanny, but I’ll do my best.
“Okay, then. Whoever can eat the most tacos gets to pick the movie.”
The kids took off running, which made her laugh.
She spent the night getting to know the children, who turned out to be sweethearts, just as Lindsey had promised. Later, when she tucked the kids into bed, she ran a hand over their wispy blond hair and felt her heartstrings reaching out and wrapping around the little boy and girl.
The moment of vulnerability made her eyebrows draw together. Falling in love with these kids would be so easy.
But for her, love always ended in heartbreak.
Chapter Three
Family Dynamics
At eight a.m. sharp, Jo walked into the kitchen, per her instructions. She scanned the contents of the fridge and decided on something basic for breakfast: scrambled eggs with toast. Ten minutes later, Tru and Nellie walked in looking sleepy.
“Tomorrow’s the last day of school,” Nellie said, “but no one shows up for that, so we get to have a party in class today.” She jumped on a stool and pulled over a plate of eggs and toast.
Tru didn’t look very excited about the eggs Jo pushed in front of him. “No Toaster Strudel?”
Jo rolled her eyes. “Not even I would eat those, buddy, and I’m pretty adventurous. Look, I sprinkled cheese on top of the eggs. Give it a try.”
She watched as the kids each took a bite, and then she sighed in relief as they both inhaled the rest.
“Hey, that was pretty good,” Tru said.
Nellie daintily patted her lips with a napkin. “Yummy. Will you do my hair before Fitz takes us to school?”
Jo looked at the mess of fine hair snarled by a night of tossing and turning and bit her lip. “Who usually does your hair?”
Nellie frowned. “Sometimes Marta, sometimes Mom. Please?”
They ran upstairs to Jo’s bathroom, where she used a brush to get all the tangles out. “How about a French braid?” she suggested.
Nellie was too busy looking through Jo’s makeup and just shrugged, so Jo quickly braided the hair, keeping it loose so the poor kid didn’t get a headache. She smiled at the end result and spritzed it with hairspray.
“What do you think?”
She thought Nellie looked like an angel. The little girl looked up at the mirror and tilted her head. “It doesn’t hurt! I love it.” She turned around, giving Jo a quick hug before running out to grab her backpack from her room. Jo rushed down the stairs just as Fitz opened the front door, stepped in, and took off his sunglasses, revealing his gorgeous brown eyes.
“Ready to go, my little captains of learning?” He bent down and picked Nellie up, only to throw her into the air. Nellie squealed in delight.
Truman looked on with a wistful expression, probably wishing he was still little enough to be thrown in the air. Fitz gave him knuckles and a light punch on the shoulder, which apparently made up for it, as Tru’s face lit up.
“Well, don’t you look beautiful today,” Fitz said to Nellie. “Who did your hair?” But he was looking up at Jo.
Nellie turned and pointed. “She did. Didn’t pull my hair even once.”
“Sounds like a keeper,” Fitz said, smiling slowly. For some reason, the sight made her blush. “I’ll take the kids to school, and then I’ll come back to run Bax and Lila into the city, but after that, I’ll be here if you need a ride anywhere. The kids won’t be home from school until four, so you’ll have some free time.”
Jo walked the rest of the way down the stairs. “I think I may want to head to the beach then. Thanks.”
“Lindsey always gave us goodbye hugs in the morning,” Nellie said in a loud whisper. Truman and Fitz turned and looked at her expectantly.
Ready for the moment, Jo bent over and hugged Nellie first and then Truman, and was surprised by how strong his little arms were. “Have a good day today,” she said after straightening and the children walked out the front door.
Fitz paused before leaving and looked back at her. “They don’t have much,” he said quietly. His eyes looked sad and serious as he added, “I hope they have you.” He turned and walked out too, closing the door behind himself.
He hopes they have me. When she’d accepted the job, she’d seen it only as a temporary solution to her money problems. But already on her second day, she was beginning to feel emotionally attached to her charges. Walking away from them wouldn’t be easy when summer was over.
She went back to the kitchen, where she cleaned up the breakfast dishes as she let her dreams of being an artist float through her mind. She compared getting her dream job to caring for Tru and Nellie and wondered what she’d choose if she’d had the choice.
“Oh, right. Bax hired a new nanny,” came a woman’s voice.
Jo turned around to see a tall, slim redhead standing in the doorway, staring at her with no hint of a smile or welcome. The woman— Lila— wore a long, white, silk robe and looked coldly beautiful.
“I’m Jo. You just missed Tru and Nellie,” she said, feeling her heart speed up nervously as Lila walked toward her with a slight frown. She came close enough that Jo could make out fine lines around her eyes and dark circles from staying up too late.
“Well, I hope you’re an improvement over Lindsey. I always thought she was silly. The kids were always laughing and being childish with her. Listening to it all gave me a headache. I hope you’ll keep the children under better control. This summer I’ll be busy with a new project for the head of Universal. He wants his girlfriend’s beach house redone, so that has to be my focus right now. Just keep the kids busy and out of my hair when I’m home. Got it?” She looked Jo up and down critically.
“Got it,” she said softly and went back to cleaning the kitchen.
How sad that the kids’ mother didn’t want to be bothered by her own children. Jo glanced down at her own clothes— striped leggings, a short jeans skirt and a simple v-neck tee. She’d tried to dress up a little but didn’t know if it had worked.
She watched out of the corner of her eye as Lila took a carton from the fridge and poured gloppy, green liquid into a tall glass before closing her eyes and drinking it with a grimace. She left the glass on the counter and walked out without another word.
“Hola.”
Jo turned around to see a cute Hispanic woman in her thirties smiling curiously at her.
“You are new nanny. I’m Marta. I clean, you take care of kids,” she said briskly, then began wiping down the counter Jo had been about to clean.
She put down the rag. “Thanks, Marta. It’s nice to meet you.” She hadn’t had a chance to eat breakfast herself, so she glanced through the fridge then grabbed a handful of strawberries and a couple of eggs. Marta chattered as Jo puttered around, getting a pot for the eggs and a plate for the strawberries.
“Mr. James is nice man,” Marta said. “Good man. Busy man, but good man. Loves babies. Mrs. James?” She looked around quickly, tilting her ear to listen for the sound of Lila’s footsteps, then lowered her voice. “Mean. Watch out.”
Jo noted the information and was grateful for a rundown of her employers.
Marta pointed at her with a bottle of Windex. “She fire you if she don’t like you. She fire you if you prettier than her. She don’t like to hear kids. You understand?”
“No worries about my being prettier.” Jo smiled. “She’s beautiful.”
Marta pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. “Botox,” she whispered. “You be careful. You pretty girl. If Mr. James notice, you’re gone.”
Eyes bugging out, Jo said, “Did Mr. James and a previous nanny…”
“No, Mr. James is good man.” Marta paused in her energetic scrubbing of the kitchen window and frowned, shaking her head. “But once, he told a nanny she would look great on camera. Mrs. James fire her next day. You be careful. You have the same look.”
Jo choked on a strawberry. Her appearance was so ordinary that Marta’s suggestion was ridiculous. “You must be joking.”
“You have the high cheekbones and big eyes.” Marta shrugged. “I hear Mr. James talk on the phone about it all the time. He bring up screen test, say no.”
Laughing, Jo put two eggs in the pot then turned the heat to high. She wouldn’t hold her breath. “What about, um… Fitz? Is he a good guy?” She hoped her voice sounded casual, knowing it was anything but a casual question.
Marta winked at her and grabbed a broom then went after the crumbs under the table and chairs. “Fitz? Good kid. Smart. He treat me with respect. Haiden? He’s…” Marta straightened all of a sudden and looked over her shoulder as Haiden himself walked in, yawning loudly and stretching.
“Ah, perfect. I’m starving,” Haiden said to Jo. “Sweetheart, make me an omelet with spinach, a little feta and those Portobello mushrooms.” He walked over to the table, collapsing in a chair as he pulled a laptop toward him.
Marta raised an eyebrow and looked at Jo pointedly. “Spoiled,” she mouthed, then turned her back on Haiden and went back to sweeping.
Jo looked unhappily at Haiden, not liking the way he’d just ordered her around. Well, she was hired help, but her list of duties didn’t list cooking for Haiden.
“I’ll be happy to throw a couple more into the pot if you want hardboiled eggs. And there are some more strawberries in the fridge if you want some of those, but I wasn’t planning on cooking omelets this morning.” She offered a polite smile as she walked to the fridge and took out the almond milk. She looked at the container and read the back. Milk made out of nuts? While in California, she would be open to new experiences. Even almond milk. She poured herself a cup then turned around to see Haiden looking impatiently at her.
“Lindsey always cooked for me. It’s part of the job, angel. You really need to think about keeping me happy.” He wore a smile, but his eyes looked at her calculatingly.
Jo shrugged. “Sorry, not in my job description. But an omelet is very easy to make yourself. Beat some eggs, pour them in a pan. Flip them when they’re solid and add in all of the stuff you want.”
Haiden narrowed his eyes at her and stood slowly. “You’re seriously not going to make me breakfast?”
She motioned towards the boiling water. “I told you, I’m happy to add a couple of eggs to the pot, since that’s what I’m having, but no, I’m not a short order cook. Sorry,” she said, not feeling all that sorry.
He stared at her, his gaze turning hard before he walked out without another word.
The maid waited five minutes and then laughed. “That was awesome.” She walked over and patted Jo on the back. “Stupid, but awesome. He’s spoiled baby. He won’t like you now.”
Jo shrugged. “Anyone over the age of three who is still a spoiled baby needs to grow up.” She plopped a strawberry in her mouth.
She spent the rest of the morning emailing her mom and Sadie then reading before Fitz returned to drive her to the beach. When they got there, she was surprised when he brought a towel and pulled off his shirt then lay on his stomach beside her. He grabbed a large text book out of his backpack and began reading.
She grabbed her book, the latest Cassandra Clare, and tried to ignore the fact that she was lying on a beach next to a gorgeous man. She did what Sadie would be screaming at her to do if she were here— she closed her eyes and tried to take it all in.
Live in the moment. That’s what her best friend always said.
Jo smiled and opened her eyes, putting her book down as she stared at the ocean. She’d never seen it before. She took in a deep breath and enjoyed the salty scent and breeze. She watched gorgeous people walking past in skimpy bikinis and knew she stuck out like a sore thumb here with her pale, thin legs. She didn’t exactly fit in here.
“You’re staring at the water like it’s going to bite you. Why don’t you try it out?”
She glanced at Fitz who now lay on his side, shading his face with one hand as he looked at her. She stared at his mouth for a moment before dragging her eyes away. “I saw something last summer called Shark Week, and there are these things called sharks.”
That’s when Fitz began laughing. He stood up and held out a hand to her. “Come on. I’ll protect you from the sharks. You haven’t lived until you’ve swum in the Pacific Ocean.”
Jo took his strong, warm hand and stood, pulling her tankini top down over her pale stomach and licking her lips nervously. As he began pulling her toward the water, she said, “One guy got away from a shark by punching it in the eye. So if one attacks me, go for the eyes okay?”
Fitz laughed again as he walked her right into the ocean. She smiled at the coolness of the water and the sensation of wet sand between her toes.
“More people are killed by cows every year than sharks,” Fitz said. “We’ll body surf. You’ll love it.” And he began swimming out toward the waves.
Jo was a good swimmer and followed closely behind. She only squealed a little when a piece of seaweed got stuck between her toes. She lifted her head out of the water and stood up; the water was just below her shoulder blades.
“Here comes a wave!” Fitz yelled and dove toward the beach. She followed as a wave slipped over her head and sent her flying through the water. She regained her footing, sputtering, then laughed with joy. Fitz grinned back.
“Again,” he said and pulled farther out.
They spent the next two hours body surfing, then stopped at a local sushi place where Fitz knew the owners.
“This was my mom’s favorite place to eat,” Fitz said, staring at a picture of the Japanese coast as they waited for their food.
Jo noticed pain in Fitz’s eyes and wondered at it. “Was? Has she found a new place she likes better?”
Fitz lowered his head for a moment before answering. “Nah, not unless they serve sushi in heaven. She died a long time ago.”
They sat outside under the shade of a palm tree and ate California rolls while Fitz told her about losing his mother to diabetes and what it was like being raised by a single father, who was loving but strict too. When Fitz stopped talking, she realized her hand rested on his arm.
“I’m so sorry, Fitz. Losing people is the worst,” she whispered, trying not to cry at the thought of three boys and a father all losing the woman they loved more than anyone. “I lost a father, but to a secretary, not a disease.”
Fitz’s brow furrowed as he reached over and grabbed her hand. “Loss is still loss. I’m sorry.”
She looked up and smiled. Fitz smiled back, leaning in as if he was going to kiss her. A car honked loudly, and the moment was lost.
“Well, we’d better get you back,” he said. “The kids will be home from school soon. During this last week without a nanny, they sometimes came home to no one.”
Jo followed him to the car, then slid in and yelped at the burning leather on her legs. “I think the bac
k of my legs just melted. And I know what it’s like to come home to no one. Being the daughter of a single mom who works a lot was lonely sometimes.”
Fitz pulled into traffic. “Well, with Bax and Lila busy all the time, Nellie and Tru are lonelier than they should be. We’re all relieved you’re here. The kids really like you.”
As she slipped her sunglasses on, she thought she heard him murmur, “So do I.”
Jo stared at Fitz. “You’re crazy.” Her voice sounded squeaky.
“Don’t look at me like I’m a shark.” Fitz grinned and glanced at her. “I’m just an engineering student by night and a driver who fights crime on the side. No big deal.”
Jo burst out laughing. “Santa Monica’s Batman, huh?”
Fitz shook his head and slowed at a stoplight. “I see myself more as the Spider-Man type. But yeah, basically.”
She studied Fitz’s profile, enjoying their easy banter. They talked about their favorite movies until they arrived back at the house. They both got out of the car, lingering as if they didn’t want their time together to end. “You should have dinner with us later,” she said nervously, wishing she didn’t feel like she was asking him out on a date.
His face lit up. “I’d like that. I was told many times this morning that your tacos are better than Taco Bell’s. What are you having?”
Jo raised her hands in the air helplessly. “I have no idea.”
Fitz walked up to the front door and opened it for her. “Then I’m there.”
They walked in, and found Lila standing in the hallway with Haiden, whose eyes were bright with anticipation. Lila wore a cream-colored suit, while her long, red hair was swept up in an elegant twist. As calm and serene as Lila looked, Jo was warned by the anger in her eyes that something was up.
Lila whirled on Jo. “Jolie, is it true that you refused to make Haiden breakfast this morning?” she asked sounding doubtful as if she couldn’t believe it.
Clearing her throat and straightening her shoulders, Jo noted Haiden’s amused smile. “I offered to make him what I was having, but he didn’t want that. I was never told I was supposed to cook for your younger brother.” She spoke stiffly, embarrassed that Fitz was witnessing this.