His blue eyes looked a bit sad. It was then I noticed the wrinkles at the corners of them. There was one frown line that ran across his forehead. It was plain to see that he didn’t want me to go but for his kid, he’d do just about anything. Even take a stranger to her birthday lunch!
Joy took my face in her hands and said, “Pleaseeee…”
“How can I say no to that?” I said then gave her father a nod. “Sure. I can follow you in my car.”
“No, ride with me! Pleaseeee….” Joy pleaded with me.
“Please, ride with us,” her dad said. “My name’s Aiden Copper by the way. I don’t expect you to get in a car with a complete stranger.
“The Aiden Cooper?” I asked in surprise. “How did I not recognize you? I’ve read everything you’ve ever written. I love horror stories, and you’re like a master at them.”
I was shocked to see his cheeks go a light shade of pink. “Thanks. I haven’t written anything lately.”
“I know. I’ve been wondering what happened to you,” I said then felt bad about it as I dimly recalled a news story on him a couple of years back. His wife had died, and his daughter almost died. And there was some other news along with that. His wife was cheating on him too, and he’d found that out at that time also.
And all I could think was, poor man.
Chapter Three
Aiden
My eyes kept migrating to the rearview mirror. Skye was sitting in the backseat with Joy who was chattering away like a little bird. It wasn’t like my daughter at all to be doing that with anyone but me. She wasn’t even that comfortable with her grandparents.
I knew I shouldn’t be looking at the woman who was kind enough to go to lunch with my kid. But I couldn’t help but notice how her brown eyes had a ring of green around them. How her face was naturally beautiful even without any makeup on. Thick, dark lashes framed her soulful eyes. Her nose was turned up at the end, giving her a cute, slightly fairy-like look.
When Joy took a breath, I asked, “Do you have any kids, Skye?”
“Me?” she asked with a very high voice. “I’m just twenty-two. I haven’t even had a real relationship yet.”
“Oh,” I said then felt stupid for asking.
“Plus, I have work and my online school. Kids are a thing that might come for me in the distant future,” she added.
“What’re you going to school for?” I asked her as I looked at her through the rearview mirror.
“I want to be a nurse,” she said, and I found her smile sweet. “A pediatric nurse, to be more precise.”
“Well, you’re certainly a natural with kids. Let me tell you, Joy has never had this reaction to anyone before.” I tapped the steering wheel as a notion flitted through my brain. I’d need someone to help me with Joy so I could get back to writing. And the young lady in the backseat might be the one who could do that for me.
“I think you’ll be a great nurse and mommy,” Joy said as she played with a lock of Skye’s chocolate colored hair. “Your hair’s so pretty. I wish mine was like yours.”
I watched as Skye twirled her finger around one of my daughter’s blonde curls. “I love your hair, Joy. It’s much more beautiful than mine is. You’re one lucky girl with this head of hair you have.”
“Nah,” Joy said. “Yours is much better.”
“I think you both have gorgeous heads of hair,” I said, earning me a little blush from Skye. Which I found utterly adorable.
We pulled into the place my daughter picked for her birthday lunch. It wasn’t where I’d have chosen for her or take Skye to, but it wasn’t my birthday.
“Yeah! Nuggets!” Joy squealed.
After parking, I found Skye helping Joy out of her car seat. “So many buckles,” she said.
I got out of the car and opened the back door. “Let me do it. It’s complicated.” Our fingers touched as I reached in. I was a bit surprised to find sparks shooting through me. But I’d been celibate for over two years, I should’ve expected it.
“Okay,” Skye said then got out of the car.
After getting Joy out, we made our way to Skye who was waiting at the door for us. Joy rushed up to her and held out her arms, wanting to be picked up again. A thing she didn’t usually do, even with me.
Skye scooped her up with ease, and I opened the door for them, letting her walk in before me. “Thank you. What a gentleman you are, Mr. Cooper.”
“I’m only thirty, Mr. Cooper is hardly what I should be called. Aiden would make me happier,” I told her as my hand moved instinctively to rest on the small of her back.
Joy’s arms were wrapped around Skye’s neck, and I had never seen my daughter so happy. Not ever! “Nuggets for us both, Daddy.”
“Maybe Skye would like something else, Joy. Let her tell Daddy what she wants,” I said and watched Skye’s cheeks blossom into a scarlet color. “Oh, poor choice of words. Anyway, Skye, what would you like?”
“Nuggets are cool,” she said. “And a small soda. Any kind is fine with me.”
“I can afford to splurge today,” I told her as I chuckled. “How about a large drink?”
“Sure, whatever. I’m easy,” Skye said then her cheeks went even redder. “I didn’t mean… Oh, Lord. Anything is fine. Should I take Joy to the play area and get her shoes off so she can play?”
“That would be sweet of you,” I said. “Is that okay with you, Joy?”
“Yes, please take me to play. Oh, Daddy, fries too and ketchup!”
“Got it,” I said and watched them walk away.
When I turned back around the little old lady who was waiting to take my order said, “What a beautiful family you have there. You must feel pretty lucky.”
“Huh? Oh, she’s not mine,” I said then stopped. What did I care what this lady thought? “Thanks. How about some nuggets and fries and a hamburger with three large drinks?”
“Sure, what kind of sauce would you like for the nuggets?” she asked me, leaving me wondering what kind of sauce Skye liked.
“Give me one if each,” I said then paid the bill and went to fill up the cups while I waited for the food to come out.
Again, I was left wondering what type of soda Skye really liked. I settled on a Mr. Pibb because who doesn’t like that?
With the order placed on a tray, I took it and the drinks and went out to the play area to find my daughter and her new friend. Skye was sitting at a small round table with the face of a clown on it. “Go, Joy!” she shouted as my daughter ran through the maze at the top of the structure.
“Wow, she’s never ventured up that high before,” I said as I placed the food on the table then ditched the tray on the table next to ours. “You have a remarkable effect on her.”
I took the seat opposite hers and pushed the packets of sauce over to her. She turned around to face me. “Thanks. You’re really a great dad. I wish I’d had one as good as you. Mine was always gone. I hardly ever saw him. It was just my mom and me most of the time. Until I turned fifteen, then it was just me.”
“Your dad left?” I asked her as I handed her a straw.
She took it and said, “No, he didn’t leave my mother. She just started going out and staying out. Dad worked out of town. I guess they had an open marriage or something.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling like I’d dug too deep. “How committed are you to that job?” I wasn’t sure why I was even asking her that question. Words seemed to be coming straight from my brain and right out of my mouth with no forethought what-so-ever.
“It’s a job. And it’s pretty easy,” she said. “I won’t keep it once I get my nursing degree. If that’s what you mean.”
“I meant that I might have a job for you. If you’re willing to let that one go.” I still couldn’t believe what I was saying. It was not like me at all. It was more like what a character in my head would say.
The thing was, I hadn’t had any of the voices in my mind that I’d had when I was actively writing. When I was in my prime, before th
e incident, I talked to myself all the time. And the characters in my head spoke to me and one another nearly continuously.
I had to admit to myself that my being so wrapped up in my stories and my writing might have been why Tanya went looking for love in all the wrong places. I knew I’d have to learn how to divide my attention between my writing and Joy. It’d be tough to learn how to do it, but I would do it for my little girl. The woman Joy had inadvertently found might just be my key to making it all work out.
“What kind of job are we talking about?” Skye asked then popped a naked nugget into her mouth.
“No sauce at all for you?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “Nah, so about this job?”
“Oh, um well,” suddenly I was hesitating about offering her the job of the babysitter. I wanted it to sound more prestigious than that. “Have you ever considered being a nanny?”
“A nanny?” she asked as she seemed to be thinking it over. “I can honestly tell you that I’ve never thought about doing that.”
“Hey, look at me, Skye!” Joy called out then jumped off the top of the platform, landing in the ball pit.
Skye jumped up and clapped as she whooped and hollered, “Way to go, Joy! Great jump, kiddo!”
“Thanks,” Joy said as she made her way to the side, most likely to do it all over again.
My heart was pounding with how great the woman was with my kid. When she sat back down, and I saw pure and honest happiness radiating all over her, I just said it, “Be my nanny, Skye. Joy needs you.”
“Huh?” she asked with a frown on her pretty face. “I honestly know nothing about kids. Really, Aiden. You need to hire a pro for something that important.”
“Can you run some bath water that won’t freeze or scald my kid?” I asked her.
“Well, yeah, I can make a decent bath. I can cook too. I can do the normal things. But taking such an active role with anyone’s child, well that’s daunting.” She sipped her drink and smiled. “Hey, they had Mr. Pibb? It’s my absolute fav, but you hardly ever find it. Thanks, Aiden. You’re a mind reader.”
“That’s how I feel you are with Joy. Please take the job. I can pay you seven-fifty a week. You’ll have complete access to my second car, a Range Rover. And room as well as board. Plus, the job of nanny will look great on your resume when you go to get a job as a pediatric nurse. Don’t you think?”
“Well, yeah, it would, I suppose. And seven-fifty? Do you mean seven dollars and fifty cents an hour?” she asked me as she looked into my eyes.
“No, I mean seven hundred and fifty dollars a week. And you’ll only have to take care of Joy from nine to five each weekday. You can have weekends off,” I sweetened the deal to see if I could get her to agree.
“When would this start?” she asked.
“ASAP. I’d love it if you could start today. I think that would be the ultimate present for Joy,” I said, and then I saw a twinge of something in her eyes. A little worry maybe.
“A present for her, huh? I don’t know,” she said then popped another nugget into her mouth.
“Don’t think in those terms. I just mean it would be a great thing for her. Starting today would be great too. I could help you move your stuff into our home after you get off work. I know you’ll probably want to give them two weeks’ notice, but I’ll make it worth your while if you quit today. How about a cash sigh-on bonus?” I took a thousand dollars, all in hundreds, out of my wallet and placed them on the table in front of her.
“Damn! Have I killed over or something? Am I actually on the way to the hospital in the back of an ambulance and not sitting at this table where a chunk of money is sitting in front of me?” She shook her head as if she was unable to believe something like this could happen to her.
“It’s real. Take the cash and come be my daughter’s nanny.” I reached over and grasped her hand. “Pleaseee….”
After taking in a deep breath, she looked at me with a smile. “How can I say no to that. I’ll do it! Oh, my God! I’ll do it, Aiden!” Then she made a little scream.
And just like that, I’d hired a nanny for my kid!
Chapter Four
SKYE
I knew I should’ve told Aiden about my brief stint as a stripper when I was eighteen. But I was afraid he’d look at me as a bad influence on his little girl so I kept that locked away. Only a few people knew about it after all. And I doubted Aiden Cooper ever rubbed elbows with drug dealers and bar bouncers anyway.
So, I ended my career as a customer service rep at the toy store to become a big-time nanny to the ultra-wealthy horror writer’s little princess. And things went well that first week.
We easily settled into a nice routine. His housekeeper made breakfast for us all then she got to work, cleaning the house, Aiden went to his study to write, and I played with Joy. It was easy and fun.
His housekeeper only worked on the weekdays until noon then she went to her home wherever that was. She barely spoke English. That left me to make lunch and Aiden would join Joy and I to eat the meal then he’d go back to writing and I’d take Joy to her bedroom where I read to her until she fell asleep for her two-hour nap. Then I’d take a break and go into my bedroom, taking the baby monitor so I could hear her when she woke up. I’d get in some online school work then make Joy a snack when she was done napping.
Aiden insisted on taking us out for dinner every night. Always someplace nice that Joy and I would get dressed up for. It was a nice way to spend my time. And things were going so well, I had no doubts I’d made the right decision.
The first weekend came and there I was, off. I wasn’t supposed to do a thing for Joy. I was supposed to let Aiden take care of her all by himself. Which he’d always done so it wasn’t like he couldn’t handle it. It was me who was finding it hard to be doing nothing.
I had no idea what to do with myself that first day of freedom. So, I went for the old go to and started doing school work. I was at the end of a section when a knock came to my door. “Skye, can I come in?” It was Aiden.
“Sure,” I said as I sat my laptop on the bed next to me. I had put on shorts and a V-neck T-shirt since I’d be doing a bunch of nothing all day.
“Are you busy?” he asked me as he gestured to my open computer.
“Not anymore. What can I do for you?” I asked him, thinking he might need me to take Joy off his hands for a while.
“We’re going to the beach. I wanted to know if you’d like to come with us?”
“Uh, well, you said you didn’t want to lose what you and Joy had. You told me you wanted to spend time alone with her. Don’t you think it’d be better if I didn’t go?”
He chewed his lower lip as he put his hands in the pockets of his baggy shorts. “Yeah, I know what I said. But here’s the thing. It’s been a week and I’ve yet to come up with an idea for a novel. And since you said you’ve read my work, I thought a nice outing might help me get inspired. And I could bounce ideas off you.”
“Sure!” I said with enthusiasm. “I’d love to help you. Let me put on my bathing suit under these clothes and I’ll be ready to go.”
“Great!” came his happy response. “See you downstairs when you’re ready then.”
I went through the drawer that had my bathing suits in it and found all I had were skimpy bikinis. I didn’t think it would be appropriate to wear any one of them but had no choice. I picked out a black one and put it on then pulled on some black shorts and a spaghetti strap, black shirt over the top. Slipping into my flip flops, I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and headed out for a day of being helpful to a famous author.
As I got to the front door, I found Aiden staring at me. It made me secretly happy to find him looking at me as a woman rather than a nanny. “I’m ready.”
“I can see that. Don’t you have any sunglasses?” he asked me.
I shook my head. “No.”
He pulled open a drawer on the Queen Anne desk that sat by the front door. When he pulled out a bla
ck box and then took a pair of Ray Bans out, handing them to me, I shook my head again. “Yes, you can have these. I have several pairs. I’m not going to take no for an answer.”
Reluctantly, I took the expensive glasses and found Joy pulling at my shorts. “Carry me, Skye. I want to hold you.”
She’d come up with this cute way of getting me to pick her up or hold her on my lap. So, I fell for her charms again, taking her into my arms as I followed Aiden out of the huge house.
Aiden acted modest about what he’d accumulated in his short time. A six-bedroom home, I thought of as a mansion but he told me it wasn’t nearly the size of an actual mansion. He just liked to call it his home. He had a swimming pool in the backyard, he’d yet to fill up because Joy didn’t know how to swim yet. It sat empty with the gate locked. And there were three garages that I’d never been into, on top of the one that was attached to the house where his BMW and the Range Rover he let me drive, were parked.
I followed him across the paved drive to one of the garages. He hit a button on the side of one of the three doors that ran along the front of it and when it moved up, I saw a shiny red, four door Jeep. “Nice,” I said.
“Yeah, Daddy likes to drive this when we go to the beach,” Joy said.
I saw there was already a car seat in the back of the passenger seat and put her into it. I strapped her all in then went to get in behind Aiden. “Hey, how about you sit up front? I don’t want to feel like you guys’ chauffer.”
“Are you going to be okay back here, all alone?” I asked Joy.
“Sure,” she said as she kicked her little, white sandaled feet and smiled like crazy. Her tiny sunglasses were perched on her nose, and she pushed them up. “Come on! Let’s go!”
I hurried to get in the front seat and found Aiden smiling at me. “Buckle up. I like to go fast.”
“Oh, my goodness,” I said as I did as he told me to. The wind whipped around us as he took off.
The Unexpected Nanny - A Single Daddy-Nanny Short Romance Page 2