“Early. The agency is sending out a couple of applicants for your job this afternoon. I’d like you to have the children gone from three to five.”
“I’m sorry Mary Franklin didn’t work out for you.”
“She’s too young. Barely out of high school. Although I see why you think she’d be good, she doesn’t have enough experience.”
“Yesterday at church I ran into Mrs. Addison. All the kids in the family she used to work for are in high school. She’s been taking a month’s break, but now she’s ready to move on to a new family. I mentioned you and your children. She’s interested.”
“Fine. Have her come this afternoon at five with her résumé.”
“I’ll let her know, and I’ll keep the kids away from the house until six.”
“Sure.” He started for the hallway. “Whatever you think. I’m going to work now.”
“But I haven’t fixed breakfast yet.”
“I’ll grab something on the way.”
Ian disappeared down the hall. For a moment Annie felt as if a part of herself had walked out of the room. She shook that idea from her mind and concentrated on getting the pancakes ready, then she went to see if the children were up yet.
* * *
Later that afternoon when Annie settled on a bench near the playground area at Sooner Park, she felt tired—even after the day of rest on Sunday. Mrs. Addison was arriving at the house at five, so Annie had packed an early dinner for the kids.
She’d have the children eat in a couple of hours. Maybe then she could take her mind off the interviews taking place, especially Mrs. Addison’s. She would be perfect for the family, similar to what their aunt had been like. And to satisfy Ian, she wasn’t nineteen but in her late forties with a ton of experience, having been a nanny for twenty-five years. He would probably hire her on the spot.
Why am I so depressed by the prospect? I’ll be able to leave soon and put my life back on track.
Annie checked her watch over and over, and the hours seemed to crawl by. Keeping an eye on four children required a lot of her concentration, but obviously not enough. All she could think about was leaving in a couple of days.
Jasmine waved to her from the top of the slide while Jade ran toward Annie and plopped on the bench beside her. Jade waved her hand in front of her face. “Hello? Water, please.”
Annie dug into the cooler she’d brought and passed a bottle to the young girl. “Having fun?”
“Yes, there are even a couple of friends from school here.”
Annie scanned the children, hoping Kayla wasn’t one of them. She didn’t want Jasmine’s afternoon ruined.
“Is Dad joining us for our picnic?”
“No, he has business to take care of. I made him something and left it in the refrigerator.”
“He’s been upset lately.” Jade slanted a look toward her.
Annie tensed. “He must have a lot on his mind.”
“Are you going to have the surgery? All of us were wondering. I figured it didn’t work out and that made him sad.”
Annie had wondered when one of them would ask. “I haven’t decided.”
“Then, you can have the surgery. Great!” Jade clapped her hands. “But then, why is Dad upset? He was so excited when he went to Dallas with you.”
Out of all of Ian’s children, Jade was the one who was the hardest to keep anything from. “I can’t answer that. You’ll have to talk to your dad.”
She twisted toward Annie. “Is he mad at you?”
Ian had requested she not say anything about leaving to his kids, and she hadn’t. She wouldn’t break her word, but looking into Jade’s inquisitive expression, she didn’t know what to tell the child. She panned the playground again, locating Joshua and Jasmine right away. When Annie couldn’t see Jeremy, she stood up. “Just a sec, Jade. Where is Jeremy?”
“He’s on the monkey bars.”
Annie took a few steps to the right and spied the boy swinging from one end to the other with Rex near him. She sat back on the bench where she had a good view of him.
Jade scooted down to Annie. “You care about us.”
Although it wasn’t a question, Annie answered, “Yes, of course. You’re all special to me.” Then, why am I leaving?
“Is Dad?”
More than she wanted to admit to Jade—even herself. “Yes.”
Jade beamed. “Good.” She threw her arms around Annie, kissed her on the cheek then hopped up and raced back to play.
Stunned, Annie touched her cheek. Jade reminded her of herself before the fire: sports oriented and full of life. But the fire had changed her in more ways than physical.
Rex trotted toward her and sat in front of Annie, whining. She glanced at Jeremy still hanging from the monkey bars. “Is something wrong?”
Rex barked.
Annie jumped to her feet. Rex had done this before, and Jeremy had had a seizure not long after. She hurried to the boy. The dog ran to Jeremy and barked insistently. The boy peered at Rex, then Annie and let go of the bar, dropping to the ground.
“Sit on the grass for a few minutes and play with Rex,” Annie instructed.
“But I wanted to do the big slide next. Why is he barking?”
“I’m not sure, but I think he senses something. If that’s the case, being on the grass would be safer for you.”
“But—”
“Please, Jeremy.”
With his forehead wrinkled, he trod out of the pool of small, round pebbles under the playground equipment and sank to the lush grass. “How long do I have to stay here?”
“I’m not sure. Awhile.” Annie took a seat next to him and checked the ground to make sure there were no objects in the vicinity that could hurt Jeremy.
Jeremy lay back on the grass and began playing with Rex. Within a few minutes, he stiffened and began shaking. She turned him on his side and swiveled her attention between him and his siblings. Rex placed himself right next to Jeremy and licked his face. Sixty seconds later the boy became aware of his surroundings and put his arm around the dog.
“You okay?” Annie relaxed.
He nodded, still dazed a bit. “How did he know?” Jeremy asked when he sat up and petted Rex.
“The more he is around you, the better he’s getting at sensing stuff. There’s a connection between you two.”
“Good boy. I love you, Rex.” Jeremy buried his face against the dog’s neck.
A lump in her throat made it difficult for Annie to say anything. Seeing the boy and dog together lifted her spirits. She’d set out to help Jeremy especially, and now he had some help. He wasn’t alone.
But I am.
* * *
After interviewing two disappointing candidates for the nanny position, Ian sat across from Mrs. Addison. On paper she looked good, but...
She isn’t Annie.
Ian had tried to help Annie, and instead she was running away as though she had to pay for her innocent mistake the rest of her life. It broke his heart, but he knew he couldn’t force her to accept the truth. Now he needed a nanny to replace Annie, but so far no one had come close to her.
“Do you have any questions about the job, Mrs. Addison?”
“Annie had nothing but good things to say about you as an employer. I’m not sure why she’s leaving, but this job sounds like a nice match for me. I had a nephew with epilepsy and know how to deal with a seizure. I didn’t realize dogs could help with them. I’ll have to tell my sister about that. Do you have any more questions for me?”
“No, you’ve given me all the information I need. And your references are impressive.” Tired of the process, Ian pushed to his feet. “I’ll let you know after I finish my interviewing.”
Mrs. Addison clutched her purse and rose. “I’d hoped I could meet your children, but it’s awfully quiet in the house.”
“They went on a picnic with Annie.” Ian glanced at his watch and noted they’d be home soon. He wanted to make sure the candidate was gone before then
. He started toward the foyer.
Mrs. Addison followed. “I look forward to hearing from you, Mr. McGregor.”
After he shut the door on his last applicant of the day, Ian wanted to bang his head against the wood. He didn’t want to do this again. He never thought he would fall in love after Zoe’s death. She’d been his life for years, and they’d been happy. Then her being wrenched from his arms had left him shocked for months, really years, until Annie had popped into his life and shaken it up. Shaken his whole family up.
Earlier Ian noticed that Annie had left him a plate with a sandwich and fruit salad. He went into the kitchen, took the food from the refrigerator, sat at his large table and ate. The silence taunted him. As he ate his chicken salad on rye, he stared at the schedule that Annie had put up to help the family keep activities straight. Something that simple had been an enormous aid for him and even the children. When he glimpsed the dogs’ water and food bowls, he grinned at the difference Rex and Daisy had made in everyone’s life, but especially Jeremy’s. Ian had his eldest son back, and he had Annie to thank for that, too.
The sound of the utility room door opening and then footsteps pounding proclaimed his family had returned. Annie was back. For a second his heartbeat raced, then he remembered she would be leaving soon. He ate the last bite and headed for the sink as they all poured into the kitchen.
The first thing Joshua said was “Where’s Daisy?”
“Out in the backyard.” Ian gestured in that direction. Annie hadn’t come in.
“Annie went to her apartment and said she’d be back in a few minutes. Dad, next time we need to take Daisy, too,” Jade said while Joshua and Jasmine ran out the back door.
“Someone will have to keep up with her on a leash the whole time.”
“We can take turns.” Jade walked through the kitchen to the hallway.
“How did it go with you and Rex?” Ian asked Jeremy, who was feeding his dog.
“I had a seizure, but I’m okay now. It wasn’t long, and Rex knew about it before it happened.” Jeremy straightened from filling Rex’s bowl with dry dog food.
“How do you know Rex knew about it?”
“He went and got Annie. She had me sit on the grass. Good thing because I was swinging on the monkey bars.” Jeremy talked about the incident as though it was nothing out of the ordinary.
“How long ago?”
His son shrugged. “Probably two hours.”
“How did the other kids at the park react?”
“Fine. A couple wanted to know about Rex, and I told them what he did. They were amazed.”
And so was he. Ian knew some service dogs noticed a seizure coming on. In a short time Rex and Jeremy had become close. They did everything together, and Jeremy loved having his dog tag along.
Within minutes Rex wolfed down his food, and he followed Jeremy to the den. Ian thought back to when Jeremy had fought him about having a service dog. A lot had changed.
And the woman coming into the kitchen had been instrumental in it.
“How did the interviews go?” Annie asked after looking around for any children.
“They all showed up.”
“Wasn’t Mrs. Addison great? The kids at church love her. She teaches a third-and fourth-grade Sunday-school class.”
“She was nice.”
“That’s all? Did you hire her?”
“No, I didn’t hire anyone today.”
“But you’re going to call her back and ask her, aren’t you?”
Ian plowed his fingers through his hair. He hadn’t thought much about it until Annie had brought it up. If he could avoid...
“Ian?” Annie stepped a few feet closer.
Too near. “I’m not going to hire any of the women tonight.”
“What was wrong with Mrs. Addison?”
“Too old.”
“First Mary was too young, and now Mrs. Addison is too old. I can’t believe it. Either would be a great nanny.” She opened her mouth to say more, then closed it.
“My kids are active. I know there are days you get tired. I certainly do. Keeping up with them requires an experienced hand.”
“Between what ages?”
“Twenty-five and forty.”
The back door opened, and Jasmine and Joshua came inside with Daisy. Annie glared at Ian while Jasmine fed the dog.
Joshua remained. “Daisy was so happy to see me.” Then, as if he sensed the tension in the kitchen, he looked between Ian and Annie. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing you need to worry about, son. We’ll be in my office. Jeremy is in the den.” Ian walked into the hallway, glancing back to make sure Annie was coming, too.
When he reached his office, he leaned against his desk, too agitated to sit. He clasped its edge and waited for Annie’s response.
After shutting the door, she pivoted. “What are you doing? You’ve turned down two perfectly good nannies. Are you doing this to keep me here?”
Anger surged through him. Ian gritted his teeth and waited to calm down before he answered. “I’m looking out for my children’s best interests. What are you afraid of, Annie? Loving a man?”
“Why do you want to change me?”
“Why are you blaming yourself for your mother’s death when no one else does?”
She gasped, her eyes wide. “That’s low. That isn’t something I share with others.”
“But you did with me. Why?”
She started to say something but shook her head.
“Annie, it’s because you feel something for me beyond employer/employee and even friendship.”
“But you don’t think I’m good enough for you the way I am.”
Ian shoved off the desk and closed the space between them. “That is not why I contacted my friend. If you choose not to have the surgery, that’s your decision, and I’ll respect it.”
“You say that, but when I told you I didn’t want it, you went to your friend without my knowledge. So obviously my appearance bothers you more than you’ll admit, maybe even to yourself. You’re a plastic surgeon—you want people to be as beautiful as possible.”
For a moment her words halted him. His mind went blank. Was she right? Not a chance. “Annie, I don’t see your scars. I see you. I started caring before I even knew about your scars.”
“I don’t believe you. You’re lying to yourself, Ian. And I think my staying would only complicate the situation. Believe me, I don’t want to leave your children. They mean a lot to me.”
“Obviously not enough to stay. This will devastate them.” And me.
“That’s why I wanted someone like Mary or Mrs. Addison to take my place.”
“No one can do that. I think you’re scared. Acknowledging your feelings for me means you can’t move on in a few years like you’ve been doing. You’ve always been able to put a certain distance between you and the family. You’re afraid to give love a chance.”
“That isn’t true.” Annie stiffened, her fists curling and uncurling at her side. “Ian, I’m giving you my two weeks’ notice.”
Kneading his neck, Ian tried to quash the hurt and pain that filled every part of him. “I think it’s best, then, for my children not to come to depend on you any more than they already do. You can leave right away, if that suits you.”
Looking stunned, Annie whirled around and threw open the door as she stormed from the office.
Ian started after her but stopped in his tracks when Jasmine and Jade blocked the entrance, horror on their faces. Behind them were Jeremy and Joshua. They must have heard everything we said.
* * *
Somehow Annie held back the tears as she drove to the church. She had stopped at Amanda’s house, but no one had answered. She needed a refuge in which to think and decide what to do next. She needed the Lord to comfort her, guide her.
Annie noticed some cars in the parking lot, but she prayed no one was in the sanctuary. When she entered the church, she found a pew in front but off to the side, shroude
d in shadows.
For a long moment she sat silently. Then emotions flooded her, and she quietly cried. She wasn’t yet ready to say goodbye to the children—she wanted to make the transition to a new nanny as easy as possible—but Ian had told her to leave now.
If that suits you.
Those words made her pause. Ian had tried to keep her. She’d been the one who’d insisted on going. Tension prickled from her neck down her spine. When she massaged her tight muscles, she felt the rough texture of her scars.
Mom, I miss you so much. I could use your words of wisdom right now. Help me.
“Annie, are you all right? I saw you come into the foyer and waved.”
She turned tear-filled eyes on Emma, who stood a few feet from her.
* * *
Ian gathered the children in the den on the couch and sat across from them.
“Why is Annie leaving us?” Jasmine asked, then burst into sobs.
Jade held her twin and patted her back. “I thought Annie loved being here. What did we do wrong?”
“It’s me. I drove her away with my seizure today. I didn’t mean to have it at the park,” Jeremy said sadly.
Joshua remained quiet, staring at his lap, then he looked up. “I’ll do everything Annie wants if she’ll stay.”
“Who are Mary and Mrs. Addison?” Jade asked.
“Two women I interviewed to take Annie’s place.”
“How could you?” Jasmine shot to her feet and ran from the room.
Jeremy moved to the floor in front of the couch and held Rex. Joshua joined him.
“Fix this, Dad,” Jade said fiercely.
Ian’s desire to fix the family was what had started this. That and making the mistake of falling in love with Annie. “I wish I could.”
“There’s no choice. You have to.”
How do I make someone fall in love with me when she’s decided she’s not worthy of love?
* * *
“May I sit with you?” Emma asked, and took a seat next to Annie before she could answer. “I feel as though we’ve gotten to know each other lately with Rex. I hate to see someone in pain. I felt as though I needed to come in here and see you. What’s wrong?”
For a long moment Annie couldn’t even find the words. She’d have to tell Emma everything, even about the fire. When Annie began explaining about her scars, it flowed from her like a flood.
The Nanny's New Family (Caring Canines) Page 17