by Claire Adams
I stood up from the child-sized chair and smoothed the wrinkles on my pants. “Thank you, Allison.”
She nodded and backed out of the room, leaving the door open.
Jess stood up from her chair. Her expression was remorseful. Had she thought she’d given a bad interview? Granted, it was shorter than I would have liked, but she’d given me everything I needed in that small amount of time.
“Well, thank you for your time,” Jess said. She opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it. She crouched down next to Gina. “It was nice to meet you, Gina.”
Gina flung herself off her chair and into Jess’s arms. “Can you stay while Daddy has his meeting?”
Jess cleared her throat and glanced up at me.
“Honey,” I said to Gina. “Jess has to go.”
Gina frowned but didn’t protest.
“Thanks again,” Jess said. “I can show myself out.”
“Bye,” I said for lack of better words. Gina had the right idea. I wanted Jess to stay too. Appearing too eager wasn’t a smart move.
When Jess left, I closed the door behind her.
“I like her,” Gina said, grabbing another pastry. I’d have to have Allison remove those while I was in the meeting so Gina wouldn’t be hopped up on sugar all day.
I smiled. “Me too.”
“Can Jess be my nanny?” Gina asked.
“Do you want her to be your nanny?” I asked.
“Yes! She’s so pretty and nice, and she colored with me.”
I laughed. “Okay, honey. I’ll be right back.”
I threw open the door and stopped at Allison’s desk. “I’ll only be a minute.”
“I’ll get everyone together right now,” she said.
At least she could do that part of her job.
Jess was nearly at the elevator, so I picked up my pace to catch her before she exited the building.
CHAPTER 6
Jess
As I walked down the hallway toward the elevator, I took my time looking into all the rooms as I passed. It was easy enough since the walls were made of glass so I could peer into the empty meeting rooms. I smiled to myself. I’d made the right decision by coming in this morning. Even though I made a point to skirt the secretary, who was more concerned with flirting than protecting her boss and his adorable daughter. Though I wasn’t a threat at all. And in the short amount of time I’d spent with Gina, I had developed a want to protect her as well. I recalled having similar feelings when I’d first met Ricky.
I hoped the secretary wouldn’t get in too much trouble since it was only half her fault.
Gina’s face popped into my mind. She was simply adorable, and I hoped that I’d impressed Mr. Stone in the few minutes I’d spent with them. At the very least he could give me a proper interview at another date.
I wouldn’t mind seeing him again soon. He wasn’t anything like the picture I’d had in my head before the interview. He was much younger than I’d thought. Probably thirty-something. He was attractive as hell. His tailored suit didn’t leave much to the imagination. Definitely the athletic type. And I had a thing for five o’clock shadows. I assumed that was more for lack of time than purposeful, but it did the trick. At first, I didn’t notice the resemblance between the two. Gina with her brown hair and brown eyes and him with silky black hair and piercing light green eyes. But the way her mouth moved favored him without a doubt.
I shook off the thoughts. What if he was to become my new boss? In any nanny position, pining after the father was a big no-no.
When I reached the end of the hallway, I pressed the elevator button, and the doors opened straight away. I stepped inside and turned to see a hand pushing against the door.
“Jess,” Mr. Stone said.
I glanced down at my bag. “Did I forget something?” I thought I’d handed him my resume. But maybe I didn’t. I was a little scatter-brained after barging in on him and Gina.
He dug his hands into his pants pockets. “No. I was wondering if you were able to start tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I asked. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? My stomach did a flip-flop.
“Yes,” he said, a little out of breath.
Had he run all the way to the elevator to stop me? I couldn’t help the good feeling that stirred inside of me.
“I can start tomorrow,” I said. “I would love to.”
“Great. We can negotiate the logistics tomorrow for your pay and everything else,” he said with a big grin.
I matched it. “That’s fine with me.”
“Me too!” Gina said from behind him. She giggled.
“Thank you, Mr. Stone.”
“Call me Noah.”
“Call me Gina!” Gina said.
Noah and I laughed. “Sure thing.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he said, still smiling.
His teeth were brilliantly white, but a few of them were a little crooked. Good. At least he had one flaw.
“I’m excited for tomorrow!” Gina exclaimed and then shot off down the hallway.
“I’m going to go,” he said, removing his hand from the door. “Be sure to wear comfortable shoes. She likes to run.”
“Sure thing,” I said and waved at him.
He smiled, and the doors closed between us, giving me the perfect mental picture to hold onto until I saw him again.
On the way down to the lobby, I did a little happy dance in the elevator. Then I looked up in the corner and saw a camera. My cheeks flushed, and I moved toward the doors. I hoped Noah couldn’t see that! But my embarrassment faded quickly. I couldn’t believe how smoothly that interview went. It was the easiest one I’d ever had. And I hoped that I’d found my new Ricky in Gina. From everything that had happened so far, I had an excellent feeling I had.
After the interview, I stopped by the record store to tell Sierra the good news.
“Oh my gosh! Congratulations!” Sierra said, giving me a hug.
“Thanks so much.”
She leaned against one of the record stands. “Tell me everything.”
I glanced around to see a few people mingling in the store.
She waved them off. “If they need me, they can come get me.”
I grinned. “It was very easy actually. I sneaked by the secretary and walked into the office.”
“Ooh, you bad girl,” Sierra said.
“Well, it was a good thing I did,” I said. And lucky too. If Noah had been a different man, I could have come out of there with an entirely opposite outcome. “His daughter, Gina, was there. She was so adorable, and I can’t wait to get to know her.”
“Yeah, yeah, tell me about him,” Sierra said, lifting her eyebrows.
“What about him?” I asked innocently. I knew where she was going, but I didn’t want to talk about him. My job was to take care of his daughter.
“Is he as good looking as Rachel says he is?” Sierra said. Rachel was the friend who told Sierra about the job. I’d have to send her flowers or chocolates to thank her.
“Sure, he’s good looking. But Gina—”
Sierra pointed her finger at me accusingly. “You’re avoiding the subject!”
“Because it’s not relevant. He’s my boss now.”
“You can be attracted to your boss,” Sierra said.
“Not when I want to keep my job,” I said. “Besides, he’s way out of my league.” And that part was right. I’d had enough of these jobs to know that sometimes the parents treated the nannies like furniture. Something to be overlooked. He was a busy executive; sure, he was kind to me today, but he was motivated to get someone to watch his kid.
“I’m not telling you to marry the guy,” Sierra said, wrinkling her nose. “But you could be his naughty nanny.”
I looked around us, my cheeks flushing. “Sierra!” I hissed.
She giggled and lowered her voice into a husky tone. “Sure, I’ll go get your laundry, Mr. Stone. Do you want it freshly pressed?”
&n
bsp; I lightly slapped her arm. “Stop it.”
She laughed uncontrollably, and everyone in the store looked over. If it was possible to be more embarrassed, my entire body lit up in flames.
“Everyone is looking at you,” I said.
“Whatever,” she said. “You’ve always been so easy to embarrass. You probably won’t see anyone in here ever again.”
That didn’t matter. I wasn’t sure how prominent Noah was in this area. What if he knew one of these people? Would they tell him that his new nanny was making fun of him? I knew it was a minuscule chance, but a chance I wasn’t willing to take.
“Do you want to get lunch?” Sierra asked, changing the subject.
“As long as you agree to stop calling me a naughty nanny.”
“I can’t promise that.”
I couldn’t help but smirk. “Come on then,” I said, looping my arm in hers.
“Harold, I’m taking lunch!” Sierra called into the back office.
After lunch, Sierra went back to work, and I went home. I wasn’t sure what my schedule would look like as of yet, though I had an idea Noah that would need me a lot. I didn’t mind working six or seven days a week, but the cleanliness of my apartment would suffer.
So, I rolled my sleeves up and got to work. The mindless motions of cleaning made my mind wander. From the impression that I got from Gina and Noah, I knew I was going to enjoy working for them. Gina had an infectious energy and a silent creativity that I wanted to explore. I made a mental list of places I wanted to go with her.
I briefly wondered about the nature of the former nanny’s termination. From what I saw at the interview, Noah and Gina seemed perfectly fine. The fact that he had a little section for her in his office showed his love for her. Most corporate types who I’d come in contact with never wanted their children at their work, never mind setting up a corner in the office for them.
By the time I’d finished cleaning my apartment, it was past supper time. I made a grilled cheese and watched an episode from my DVR before getting ready for bed.
While brushing my teeth, I couldn’t help a smile from forming my lips. I couldn’t wait for tomorrow. I loved my job as a nanny. Taking care of kids was my passion.
Recalling Sierra’s idea of the naughty nanny made me laugh so hard that I spit out a little toothpaste onto the mirror. I scrubbed it off. There was no denying Noah’s attractiveness, but I knew he’d never think of me that way. He was too desperate to keep a nanny to ever screw it up.
But that didn’t deter me from thinking about his gorgeous green eyes as I fell fast asleep.
CHAPTER 7
Noah
I woke much happier on Tuesday morning when my alarm went off at four. I took the monitor for Gina’s room and went downstairs to my home gym. Even though I hadn’t worked out since Friday, that extra day had made me a little sluggish. But I pushed through. This small bump in the road was over, and I could get myself and Gina back to a schedule, something that eased my mind immensely.
After I showered and made myself some breakfast, I glanced at the clock. Five forty-five. I gritted my teeth. Allison had called Jess with my home address and asked her to be here around six, so I could meet with her before Gina woke up.
Though if she were going to be late, that wouldn’t sit well with me. Punctuality was a pet-peeve of mine. And I needed this to work out.
I finished the rest of my coffee and placed the mug into the sink just as I heard a knock on my front door.
I raked my fingers through my damp hair and headed over to the door.
“Good morning,” Jess said. “I didn’t want to ring the doorbell if she’s still sleeping.”
Punctual and thoughtful. This working relationship was already starting off on the right foot.
“Thank you,” I said. “Please, come in.”
She did. As she walked in, she glanced around the space. “You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you. Do you want some coffee?”
She waved me off. “No, thanks. I’ve already had two cups.”
“Really?”
“That’s more than I normally have. I wasn’t sure what to expect of Gina. She seemed very active, and I wanted to keep up.”
I laughed. “Active is an understatement.”
I indicated for her to follow me into the dining room. “Thank you for being on time. That’s very important to me.”
“Me as well.”
“Good. I want to get the logistics out of the way.” I slid over a manila envelope with the employment contract inside. I pulled it out. “Right here is the pay and benefits package.”
Jess took the sheet of paper and read it over. A slight lift in her eyebrows meant she’d reached the section about her wages. I increased the amount since Layla with the hopes of giving Jess an extra incentive to stay for a long time. If her relationship with Gina grew from what I saw at the interview, I wouldn’t have to worry about a nanny ever again. I hated thinking of women in Gina’s life coming and going as if through revolving doors.
“Looks good to me,” she said.
I handed her a pen, and she signed the bottom of the sheet. Then I signed the second line. “I’ll have a copy for you by the end of the day.”
“So, tell me more about Gina,” she said.
“Regarding her schedule,” I said, handing over another sheet of paper. Layla emailed me the schedule she’d set up for Gina. I enjoyed a scheduled day, but I knew that concept was a little far above a three-year-old. “This is from her previous nanny.”
This was a test for Jess, even though I already liked her.
Jess read over the sheet and then looked up at me, confused. “This is Gina’s schedule?”
“It was.”
“And you want me to stick to this?” she asked. “It seems a little rigid.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
She noticed and smiled back. “Is this a test or something?”
I took the sheet of paper back from her and placed it down on the table. “Layla, our previous nanny, tried to stick to this schedule. I appreciated her methods, but going forward, you‘re to create your own schedule. Now, I don’t need it written down, but I would like a mix of play and learning. She will start preschool part-time next year, and I would like to see her prepared for that.”
“That sounds doable. I have a membership to the local children’s museum and the aquarium. It’s up at the end of the year, but—”
“I will renew them and pay for any other membership she’s interested in.”
“Thank you,” she said. “That’s very generous.”
My phone beeped, and I checked my timer. “I’m sorry to break this early, but I need to head to work.”
Jess stood up from her chair. “Not a problem. Do you have a list of emergency contacts?”
“Just me,” he said. “Let me give you my cell number and my work number. May I?” She offered her cell phone. The picture on the front was of Jess and a young boy. I assumed he was her previous charge. That gave me even more hope that I‘d made the right choice. I typed in my numbers. “If I don‘t answer my cell then you can call Allison. She will find me.”
“There‘s no ex-wife?” Jess asked.
I flinched. “No. Gina’s mother passed during childbirth.”
“I’m so sorry,” Jess said. “I didn’t know.”
I handed her phone back to her. “It’s fine.” This wasn’t what I wanted to discuss at the moment. “I have to go. You’ll have full access to everything in my home, and I have a spare car with a car seat for Gina. All of your keys are on the key rack by the door. It’s the set with a unicorn keychain. That was Gina’s touch.”
“Everything will be okay. Have a good day at work.”
“You too,” I said.
The moment I walked onto my floor at the office, Allison approached me.
“Noah,” she said, a bit frantic.
“Good morning, Allison. What’s going on?”
“Edd
ie called out of work today. He has the flu.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“He was supposed to meet with Hill Ridge Hospital today before their annual budget meeting.”
With Gina taken care of, I felt enough at ease to say, “I’ll do it.”
“You?”
“Don’t look so surprised. I started off as a salesman, remember?”
“Sorry, Noah. I know that. I’ll get you Eddie’s notes and call a car for you.”
Less than ten minutes later, I was in a car on the way over to the hospital. Admittedly, I felt excited about stretching my salesman legs again. Having someone drive gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the previous dealings with the hospital. Eddie was one of the best on the team, and I wanted to keep his good reputation with the client.
At the hospital, the staff directed me to the bank of offices on the tenth floor. Before stepping off the elevator, I straightened my tie and gave myself a little pep talk before putting on my metaphorical salesman hat.
At the reception desk, I announced myself, and the older woman brought me down the hallway to a large meeting room. The standard sized room looked like every other one I’ve been in, but this one had a beautiful view of the city. Admittedly, I was a little jealous of that.
Several hospital employees sat around the table.
The man at the head of the table came to meet me at the door. I assumed he was Eddie’s contact, Mr. Travis Holmes.
“Eddie Banks, it’s nice to meet you in person,” the heavy-set man said.
“Actually, my name is Noah Stone. Eddie is under the weather today.”
Travis frowned. “That’s unfortunate.”
“But I am the CEO of Stone Medical Supplies.”
“Oh,” he said with a surprised expression.
I smiled. That line always made people take notice. “I don’t want to waste any more of your time. I know annual budget meetings can take a while, so I’ll get started.”
“I like you already,” Travis said and sat down.
I opened my briefcase and pulled out several sheets of paper and placed them on the table.
“Stone Medical may be a smaller operation than what you’re used to, but I guarantee you won’t lose anything in the transition. You will have a dedicated team assigned to your account with twenty-four-hour support. And Eddie has also saved you ten percent by matching the supplies you already purchase with our warehouse.”