by Mia Ford
“Yes,” Veronica nodded, moving to pick up her suitcase, but he beat her to it.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” he said kindly, moving to put her suitcase in the trunk of the car. “I’m Thomas.”
“Nice to meet you too,” Veronica replied.
Thomas moved to the rear passenger’s side door and opened it for her. Veronica stepped into the car and allowed him to close the door behind her. She buckled her seatbelt, and waited for Thomas to seat himself in the driver’s seat.
Soon, they were moving back on the road. Veronica felt her heart pounding in her chest as they navigated outside of the city and into the more richly populated areas on the outskirts. More and more space began to form between homes, until the countryside surrounded them.
Finally, they turned down a long driveway and approached a large gate between brick pillars. Thomas pressed a button on a remote he had on him, and the gate began to draw back and open, allowing them access to the rest of the driveway.
Veronica allowed herself to look ahead, and her jaw nearly dropped as she took in the sight of his home. It was not quite a mansion, but it was still a very large home. She could see that outside was a pool house, and there was surely a pool to go along with it. There was a fountain in the circle drive, and there was yet another gate to pass, this one situated between more brick columns, but gold instead of the black of the first.
Thomas once again pressed a button on the remote, and the gate opened inward. Thomas drove into the circle drive, and he stopped when they were in front of the entry to the home.
Thomas stepped out of the car and moved to her door, then opened it. He offered his hand to her and she took it, allowing him to help her onto the driveway. He stepped away to get her suitcase out of the trunk.
“Right this way,” he smiled and gestured toward the staircase leading up to the door.
Veronica nodded, awe still written across her face as she took in the beauty of the large home. As they approached the door, Thomas moved to the side and pressed a small button, and Veronica could hear the sound of the doorbell ringing through the large home.
Promptly, the door swung outward, and a woman, apparently in her thirties, appeared to greet them.
“Mrs. Martinez,” Thomas spoke up. “This is Miss Lawrence, our new nanny.”
“Of course, and you can call me Maria,” the woman gave her an easy smile. “We were hoping you would accept the offer. Mr. Davenport made it very clear that you were his first choice.”
Veronica felt her stomach flip at that information.
“Mr. Davenport is, of course, at work,” Maria went on, and Veronica couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. “But he will be returning this afternoon, as is his usual. Until then, I’ll be introducing you to the girls and showing you around the house, letting you know what you’ll be responsible. Oh, and of course showing you your living space.”
Veronica nodded.
“Alright, well I’ll leave you ladies to it,” Thomas said, moving to excuse himself. “Miss Lawrence, here is your suitcase. It was a pleasure to meet you, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around a lot more in the very near future.”
“I’m sure,” Veronica smiled up at him. “It was very nice to meet you too.”
With a smile, Thomas went back down the staircase and moved back over to the car, driving it away.
“Here, let’s get you inside,” Maria smiled, and gestured to the inside of the home.
Veronica took up her suitcase and followed Maria. Veronica barely kept her jaw from dropping as she took in the splendor of the foyer. It was like something someone would see in a movie. There were marble floors and even a staircase leading up to the second floor.
“Yeah,” Maria chuckled at her. “It’s a lot to adjust to, but trust me, you will.”
Veronica gave a soft laugh, and she followed Maria as she led her further into the house.
Maria gave her a brief tour of the living room and the kitchen as they passed through. Both the rooms were outfitted with obviously extravagant and expensive furniture and appliances, and Veronica wondered where in the world he would even get any of these things from.
She was a little surprised when Maria led her out of the house, and to the pool. It was large and plain square, and off in one corner there was a small gazebo, and under its shelter was a hot tub.
“The girls love to swim,” Maria explained. “So you’ll have plenty of opportunities to come out and enjoy the weather.”
Veronica nodded.
“So do you live here at the estate as well?” Veronica asked as they made their way around the pool.
“No, I’m just one of the daytime staffers,” Maria explained. “We do all the work in the day so the property is empty when Mr. Davenport comes home for the evening. Except for his security team, of course.”
“And the nanny,” Veronica assumed.
“And the nanny,” Maria verified with a smile.
They finally made it to the door of the pool house. Maria withdrew a key from her pocket and opened the door.
“This is the pool house,” Maria explained. “There is a shower just out here so you can all get clean after a swim.”
Veronica nodded.
“Whenever guests come to stay, this is where they generally take up lodging,” Maria explained.
Veronica nodded, taking in all the information.
With that, Maria locked the door again and led Veronica back to the house through another of its doors. This door opened up into what appeared to be a more informal version of a living room.
“This is the den,” Maria explained. “This is where the girls like to play and Mr. Davenport will watch football or movies or whatever.”
Veronica nodded more as they walked, and they approached another staircase, this one far less grand than the first. Veronica soon discovered, though, that they led the same place, as she could see the main one from down a hallway.
There was a large open space that led to four different hallways. In the main area there was a couch, as well a few chests and decorative boxes.
“The girl’s toys are in there,” Maria explained, and Veronica smiled as she was led to one of the hallways in each of the corners of the body of the floor.
The hallways were much longer than Veronica would have ever expected, with doors lining either side.
“And here,” Maria said with a smile. “Is your room.”
Maria opened the door, and again Veronica could not keep the look of shock off of her face.
The room was large, and it was complete with a king sized bed with a four poster frame and curtains. The room also had a vintage vanity, a small cream colored sofa, and a chair, as well as a long bench at the foot of the bed. The bedclothes were a dusty rose color, and they complimented the cream colored walls and dark wood of the furniture and floors. To offset the hard word of the floor, there was a large, soft rug that matched the color of the bedding and tied the room together.
There was also a nook surrounded by a window where veronica could picture herself curling up and reading if she ever had the time to do so.
“And the bathroom is just over there, and your closet is there,” Maria pointed to two different doors.
“Thank you,” Veronica said, more than a little shocked by the opulence of her dwellings.
“Why don’t you take a minute to unpack what you’ve already brought,” Maria suggested. “And then I can give you the whole tour.”
“That sounds great,” Veronica nodded. Maria gave her a smile and then made her way out of the room.
Ch. 9
Veronica sat down on the long bench at the foot of her bed and released a soft whoosh of air that had built up in her lungs. She was struggling to accept the fact that soon, this was going to become familiar to her, and it would be as natural as breathing to live here.
In a haze, Veronica unpacked her few belongings into the large walk-in closet. Her small quantity of clothes seemed even smaller compared to th
e size of the closet. Once the rest of her clothes were there, it wouldn’t seem quite so large, but there was no way they would fill it up either.
She put her suitcase in a corner of the closet and looked around, making sure she liked the way she had placed her clothes. She stepped out of the closet and took in the sight of her extravagant room once more, then she left and went downstairs to meet up with Maria.
Once there, Maria went through the house with great detail. She left no stone unturned, letting Veronica know what each and every room was, and which ones she was responsible for. By and large, the household staff took care of most of the things, but she was still responsible for the small maintenance items, and of course anything that the girls impacted.
“Speaking of the girls,” Veronica spoke up as they came up in conversation. “Where are they right now?”
“They’re out with the interim nanny,” Maria explained. “We just wanted to give you the chance to get the lay of the land and then meet them. They should be in at about noon, they went to see a movie.”
“Okay,” Veronica nodded. She appreciated the time she had been given to get to know the house, but her main job would be interacting with the girls, so she was eager to meet them.
“Well, that’s about all I’ve got for you,” Maria said, clapping her hands together. “Make yourself at home! Unless of course you have any questions.”
“Actually,” Veronica said, and Maria raised an eyebrow. “I do have some concerns about my moving situation.”
“Oh that,” Maria waved a hand. “Not even complicated. We have the best movers. We would just need your permission to enter the premises and we will take care of breaking the lease and everything. You don’t have to worry about any of that. And any furniture you have can either be sold or put into storage at Mr. Davenport’s expense at your discretion.”
“Actually, that’s just the issue,” Veronica spoke up. “I live with my boyfriend, so our things are kind of mixed up together.”
“Oh,” Maria blinked, as though that possibility hadn’t even crossed her mind. “Well that does complicate things a bit.”
Veronica waited as Maria seemed to think the situation over in her head.
“Well,” Maria frowned a little. “I’ll have to call Mr. Davenport and work out the situation with him. Do you mind if I step out for a moment?”
“Of course not,” Veronica smile pleasantly.
“The house is as good as yours,” Maria gestured around as she turned and pulled her phone out. “Make yourself at home.”
Veronica watched as Maria went out the kitchen door onto the porch in front of the pool. She couldn’t help but feel a little awkward, but she figured she may as well try to normalize all this as soon as possible. So, she moved into the kitchen and took a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the sink.
She moved over to the breakfast bar and sat down on one of the cushioned stools. She sipped at her water as she went through a mental list of the things she was responsible for. She assumed she would likely do her set of chores while Davenport was at work so that she wouldn’t be disturbing him in the evenings when he was home. That certainly wouldn’t be hard, and she could do it all while keeping a close eye on the girls.
As Veronica was thinking of these things, Maria came back into the room, and she turned to look over at her.
“Mr. Davenport says not to worry,” Maria said with a calm smile. “He is going to take care of absolutely everything.”
Veronica frowned a little, and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but Maria held her hand up to stop her.
“Miss Lawrence,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “I have worked for Mr. Davenport for a few years now. When he says he’ll take care of something, he means it.”
Veronica blinked in a bit of surprise. She was used to fending for herself and being the stereotypical strong, independent black woman. Now, it seemed like someone was intent on making sure she was absolutely taken care of.
“Thank you for calling him,” Veronica said, at a loss for what else to say. “I really appreciate it.”
“You’re really going to like it here Veronica,” Maria said softly and genuinely. “Mr. Davenport makes sure that everyone on his staff wants for nothing. We’re like a family here.”
Veronica smiled. She wondered vaguely if it was because he hadn’t had a family of his own growing up that he spread his wealth to so many people.
“Well I’ll leave you to yourself,” Maria said. “If you need anything I’m sure you can find me. I’ll meet you in the foyer a little before noon so I can introduce you to the girls.”
“Sounds great,” Veronica gave her a smile. Maria nodded, and turned, walking quickly to some other part of the house.
Alone again, Veronica stood and took her glass over to the sink, washed it and put it back in the cabinet. Maybe it would be easier than she thought to adjust to life here.
Ch. 10
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur for Veronica. The girls, Ashley and Kaitlyn, arrived home promptly at noon, and had immediately attached themselves to Veronica’s legs.
Veronica had been shocked, but managed to laugh, naturally putting her hand on the back of their heads. The interim nanny, a woman who looked slightly younger than Veronica in spite of the bulge that revealed her pregnancy and the wedding band that adorned her left ring finger, laughed, and said her farewells to the girls.
From that moment on, it seemed almost as though the girls had known Veronica their entire lives. They got along immediately, and Veronica seamlessly integrated herself into their play and activities. She was so engrossed with them, in fact, that she hardly noticed when Mr. Davenport made it home for the afternoon.
When she finally noticed him standing in the doorframe of Kaitlyn’s room, she felt her stomach do a flip. He was still dressed in a dark blue suit and a white shirt. His tie, a paisley affair, had been loosened, and it hung around his neck. He had a familiar twinkle in his eyes and a small smile as he watched them play. Veronica could have sworn, though, that they flashed with something darker as he looked at her.
“Don’t mind me,” he said in his smooth, deep voice, a smile warming his features. “I’m glad to see the three of you getting along.”
“Daddy!” the two girls cried excitedly, and rushed toward the man.
Veronica watched as he dropped down and scooped the girls up in his arms and gathered them to his chest, kissing them both on the top of their heads. Her heart melted a little to see how well he interacted with the girls.
She tried not to eavesdrop as they spilled the entire contents of their day to him as he patiently held them. When they had settled a little bit, he put them back down on the ground.
“Well I don’t know about you guys,” Davenport said to his daughters. “But I’m getting hungry. How does spaghetti sound?”
The girls made their delight known by squeals of excitement.
“Alright, well let’s all go downstairs then and I’ll get it started,” he chuckled and stood back up to his full height.
The girls took off down the stairs and Davenport looked over at Veronica with a smile, and that ever present twinkle in his eye. Veronica suddenly felt that the air had gotten very thick, and it was significantly harder to breather.
“You accepted my offer,” he said, his tone obviously pleased.
“It was an offer I couldn’t refuse,” Veronica said, wishing her tone was a little stronger. She couldn’t help but feel at a disadvantage, being in his home and a new member of his staff.
“I’m glad it pleased you,” he said, and she heard his tone soften and darken.
Veronica shifted a little, feeling a spark light up deep in her core. Her mind scolded her body, but there was little she could do to fight the fire when she knew very well that she desired him more than any man she had ever met in her life.
“Oh, by the way,” Davenport raised an eyebrow. “I settled all that business about your belongings with your
boyfriend. Calvin, is it?”
“Oh, yes,” Veronica nodded, suppressing the way her body was itching to move closer to him, remembering that she was not at all single. Especially at the mention of Calvin. Somehow, though, that made her body even hotter.
“Yes, well,” Davenport went on. “I spoke with him, and he said he would be glad to separate your things and label them so my movers can proceed with their jobs tomorrow, and I assured him that I would be most glad to offer him an apartment at my building, and waive the deposit. I’ll also adjust the rate to be a bit lower than whatever he is currently paying on the apartment you shared with him.”
Veronica blinked, surprised. That would certainly solve the issue of finding Calvin another place to stay since she would be moving out.
“That’s very generous of you,” she noted, and Davenport chuckled.
“It’s not like I’m hurting for the money,” he quipped, gesturing to his lavish home with one hand. “Besides, had I known you two were living together, or even that you were in a relationship, I may have made some amendments to our agreement.”
“No amendments are necessary, I assure you,” Veronica said, and Davenport raised his brow. If his smirk was any indication, he had read her tone expertly. She felt a moment of guilt for the way she had just disregard Calvin, but at the same time she couldn’t feel too guilty for expressing her true feelings.
“Well,” he said softly. “We’d better get downstairs before the girls get into something.”
Veronica nodded, and made her way past Davenport to the main staircase. As she passed, she felt his hand at the small of her back, and she felt a shiver travel down her spine.
The two made it downstairs, and they proceeded to prepare a dinner of spaghetti and meat sauce. Veronica was surprised to find that Davenport was an expert at the dish, and she could tell that he was not a man to sit around and let his staff do everything. Veronica was a little surprised when Davenport laid a place for her at the table, but she did not object.
As they all enjoyed their meal, the girls chatted, and Davenport joined in. Veronica stayed quiet, content to listen. Soon, they were all finished with their meal. Veronica insisted that she would wash the dishes, so he and the girls moved into the den. Veronica smiled at the noise she heard coming from the room as she put the dishes back in their place.