Live-In Position

by V. S. Tice

“I do not need someone to help me with Victoria.” The loud smack of the thawed chicken breast on the counter seemed to punctuate my words.

  “Listen to me. Do you think I set my own schedule, travel arrangements, speeches?” I gave a reluctant shrug. “No, I don’t,” he continued. “I have an assistant who handles my calendar and other logistical aspects of my job.”

  His words made sense, but it made me feel like I was putting Victoria second.

  “Honestly, I can handle—”

  “Do you want to get sick? Do you want to not have any time to do the things you love, like writing, cooking with Victoria, taking our children to the playground?” His hand splayed across my stomach.

  “No, I don’t want that,” I grumbled and removed the plastic from the chicken.

  “Just think about it, okay? You don’t have to do it right away, but I would like for you to be less stressed sooner than later.” He kissed the side of my head.

  “Okay,” I huffed.

  Did I really need to hire someone? Was Ilene correct when she told me I would need a cook, a nanny, and other house staff? I understood what Collin was saying and agreed that having someone to help with Victoria and the book tour would be very helpful, but a part of me was concerned the person would replace me in Victoria’s life. And would Collin find himself interested in a new nanny?

  Irritated with my own thoughts, I shook them off and started working on dinner. The poor chicken took a beating during my prep work.

  The following day, I found myself running around trying to make up the time I lost sleeping in late. Apparently I hit the “off” button instead of “snooze.” Apparently, my body wanted more sleep. By the time I got out of bed, Victoria didn’t want to get up and moving. I practically had to dress her and feed her like a baby. When it was time to put on shoes and coats, she was dawdling, putting my already raw nerves further on edge.

  “Damn it, Victoria, come on and get your ass moving,” I snapped.

  My eyes grew as wide as hers. I had never talked to her that way. I knew the pregnancy had me anxious, but I couldn’t blame the hormones completely. Truth was, I was exhausted. I knelt to the floor and hugged her tightly.

  “I’m so sorry, baby.” A single tear trailed over my cheek.

  “It’s okay, Mommy.” She hugged me tighter.

  “No, it’s not.” I pulled back and looked into her face. “I should never talk to you that way. I swear it won’t happen again. Okay?” She nodded. I hugged her one more time before we left.

  As soon as I was back in the house, I rushed upstairs and got dressed for one of those damn brunches I committed myself to attend. The wife of one of Collin’s research colleagues was holding this one. Slipping into a plum wrap dress and a pair of black ballet flats, I pulled my hair back in a twist and pinned it up.

  Walking into the restaurant, I was assaulted by a multitude of unfamiliar women with mimosas in their hands. Congratulations were spoken in regards to the wedding and the baby. As soon as I sat down, I was pelted with questions about “how I landed Collin.” “Did he hire you for extracurricular activities?” was my personal favorite. I tried to be as civil as possible, all the while praying the restaurant fire alarm would go off so I could escape.

  Halfway through the brunch I realized this was nothing but a gossip get-together. So-and-so’s husband was sleeping with his secretary, another’s daughter was pregnant to a professor, and so on. They droned on and on to the point I considered excusing myself, but the conversation finally changed. Soon I was being thrown invitations to parties and shopping trips. I nodded politely, hoping it didn’t come across as an acceptance but more of an “I’ll think about it.”

  “Will you back off?” The familiar screech shut the women up.

  “Well, if it isn’t Allison Bedford. Oh wait, you’ve gone back to Bishop now, right?” A dark-haired, over-tanned, made-up woman sneered at Allison.

  “Yes, I have. Why would I keep such a filthy last name?”

  “Why didn’t you go with your mother’s last name?” The same woman spoke with a glint of evil in her eye. She turned to me. “She was a nanny too, wasn’t she?” Her eyes batted innocently.

  Oh, this bitch wants me to kick her ass. I will make her choke on that French manicure.

  “Yes, just like the one your first husband left you for and the one that your current husband is screwing.” Allison tossed the words back at her while grabbing my arm and gently pulling me up from my seat.

  As we walked toward the exit, a hand fell on my arm. I turned. There stood the hostess of the brunch with sincere embarrassment on her face.

  “Sophia, I’m so sorry. Vinita has had one too many mimosas and—”

  “And one too many lifts to her face,” Allison snorted from behind me. The hostess fought laughing.

  “It’s okay, I understand. Thank you for brunch. It was, well, it was entertaining.”

  With a warm smile and goodbye, I left the group of women. Once outside Allison turned to me.

  “You don’t have to do that, you know?”

  “Do what?”

  “Go to all of these things.” She waved toward the restaurant. “I’m sure my mother has you believing you do, but honestly very few of them matter. Some are worthwhile, like the charity events, but these little brunches are just ridiculous.” She shook her head and began to walk away. “Oh,” she looked back at me, “and don’t let her convince you that you have to host something either, unless you really want to, okay?” I nodded and she walked to her car.

  Climbing into mine, I sighed out my frustration. Collin may be right. I need help.

  That evening I was declining Ilene’s idea of hosting a dinner party at our house when Collin got home from work. As soon as I hung up, I groaned.

  “That bad?” he asked.

  “You have no idea.” I stood from the kitchen stool and kissed him properly. This ended with me being lifted onto the counter top and him pressing his body between my legs.

  “Victoria,” I panted. He groaned and placed his forehead to my chest.

  “It’s just as well because I need to discuss something with you.” I nodded for him to continue. “The detective has found nothing but a trail for Grace.”

  “Still?”

  He nodded. “Yes, so I had my lawyer petition the court for sole custody.”

  “They’ll have to agree with Grace just disappearing again.”

  He looked worried and that confused me. “Yes,” he forced a smile, “however, they want to meet with Victoria again, and you.”

  “That’s not a problem.” I brushed his hair from his forehead.

  “I want to make a petition for you to have parental rights to Victoria,” he continued.

  “But how…I mean that’s not possible without—”

  “If Grace doesn’t return, or is gone for a period of time, then it can happen. You wouldn’t be able to adopt her until we can get Grace deemed unfit and prove she abandoned Victoria.” I saw the hard swallow he took. “Victoria would have to be aware of being called an abandoned child.”

  My eyes widened, but I fought to keep my feelings under control.

  “Well, we would just need to talk with her first.”

  “You are so fucking perfect.” He began kissing me again.

  “Victoria,” I panted.

  “Won’t hear any—”

  “Is behind you.” I pulled away and blushed. Victoria giggled loudly and climbed onto a stool.

  “What’s for dinner?”

  A WEEK LATER we sat in the courtroom. The judge went over the motions, affidavits, witness statements, and police reports with the parties. Collin’s petition for sole custody would be granted, but the judge postponed our petition for my adoption of Victoria. Papers needed to be sent out with ample time given for Grace to respond.

  Meeting Victoria in the hallway after the hearing made my heart leap. She was as cheerful as ever. I took her hand, and we began to walk back to the main lobby of the courthouse.
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  “How about some ice cream?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “Really? Can we?” She developed a bounce in her step. Somewhere in the background a baby wailed loudly.

  “Definitely,” I smiled.

  Collin froze next to me. I stopped and looked to him. His eyes were focused across the room. I followed his glare. Dominic.

  Dominic approached with an infant carrier. The source of the crying was the small newborn inside. The poor baby’s face flushed red. My heart broke for the child.

  “What do you want?” Collin’s eyes darted from the baby, back to Dominic.

  “Is Grace here?”

  “What? No, she isn’t here. No one can find her or has seen her. Apparently, you‘ve seen her?”

  “Look, she showed up a week ago with this baby, okay?”

  “Why didn’t you tell anyone? You knew we were looking for her.” Collin was starting to yell. I placed a hand on his arm to calm him. Victoria buried into my side.

  “She just showed up, Collin. Claiming this kid was mine. She said she didn’t have anywhere else to go.” Dominic tried to put a pacifier into the baby’s mouth unsuccessfully. “I told her she could stay until I got a DNA test, but two days ago I got home from work and she was gone.”

  “She just left the baby there alone?” I gasped.

  My instincts took over. I reached for the baby and removed him from the seat. Holding him against my chest I patted and rocked him until he calmed.

  “I haven’t been able to get him quiet all fucking day.” Dominic exhaled and rubbed his tired face.

  “Where did she go?” Collin continued questioning.

  “I don’t know. I got home from my shift and there was this middle-aged woman on my couch with the baby sleeping in her arms. All she said was that Grace hired her so she could run errands and said I would pay her for the day. She hasn’t contacted you at all?”

  “No.” Collin shook his head, running his hand through his hair.

  He turned his eyes to me and gave me a disapproving look. Victoria was still hiding in my side.

  “I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do with him,” Dominic said. “Christ, she just shows up and throws me an infant, claiming he’s mine. She even fucking named him after me, calls him Dom.” His humorless laugh was a little eerie.

  “Why don’t you let us take him while you look for her? Come over this evening and—” Collin’s red face stopped me from finishing.

  “We are NOT taking that child home.” He pulled the baby from my arms and thrust him back into Dominic’s. “I will not get involved.”

  I found myself suddenly angry. Grabbing Victoria’s hand, I walked away from them. Collin called after me, but I needed to cool off. He met us at the car, but we didn’t speak, not even after he pulled out of the parking space. It was Victoria who broke the silence.

  “Was that my baby brother?” Tears formed in my eyes and I wiped at my face.

  “Yes,” Collin answered.

  “Grace left him too, huh?”

  I wanted to strangle that no good woman with my bare hands.

  “Yes,” he answered again. I narrowed my eyes at him. He refused to look at me.

  “Can’t Sophia be his mommy, too?”

  There was no stopping the tears now. I felt so bad for the baby. He did nothing to deserve a shitty mother who abandons her offspring. He especially didn’t deserve suffering with Dominic’s lack of parenting skills. Collin simply sighed.

  “That’s not how it works, Victoria.” His tone softened.

  “But—”

  “Sophia is with us, not with them,” Collin finished.

  “Does that make him my daddy too?”

  “No,” Collin and I answered in unison.

  “But he won’t have a mommy?” There was a whimper in her voice.

  “Collin, please, can’t we just help that poor baby?” I gripped his thigh.

  “He isn’t our concern,” he growled. “Do you really want to get involved in all of that?” Briefly, his eyes turned to look at my teary face. “We have our own children to worry about.”

  “I don’t want to keep the baby, but we can help until he finds a good nanny or whatever he decides,” I hiccupped.

  He looked at me one more time and sighed heavily. “I’ll give him a call when we get home, but this will not be permanent. I need you to relax, not become more stressed.”

  Leaning over, I kissed his cheek. “This is helping me relax. I would be so worried if we didn’t help.”

  “I don’t like this at all,” Collin grumbled, keeping his eyes on the road.

  “I’ll make you feel better later,” I whispered into his ear before sitting back and speaking louder. “This way Victoria can get to know her little brother.” Before turning to look at her, I saw a small grin on Collin’s face.

  That evening Collin contacted Dominic, offering him our help with Dom and providing him the information for the Nanny Poppins Service along with a few names I had suggested. That night I gave Collin one intense evening of gratitude. No longer comfortable in the Catwoman suit, I wore a tiny nurse’s outfit I’d been saving and made sure to only refer to him as Dr. Bishop. He seemed to enjoy it immensely.

  Dom was at our house during the day for a week before Dominic hired a tiny blonde, Kenly, from the nanny service. His last request was that I would spend a day with Kenly and the baby, just to help her get familiar with the baby. Collin was relieved that I was no longer concerned with taking care of Dom, but I did make sure Kenly understood that she could call me any time, as well as visit often. Dom was Victoria’s brother after all.

  SITTING AT MY laptop going through a multitude of emails, my cell phone vibrated across the wooden surface of the desk.

  “He’s here!” I recognized Benji’s voice immediately.

  “Oh, that’s wonderful. How are they?”

  “They’re fantastic,” he boasted. “Rand did so good, Soph, she was amazing, and the baby, Jack, is so perfect.”

  “You named him Jack?” I rubbed my slightly bloated belly. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

  “Thanks, Soph. I would love to chat, but I have so many people to call while Rand is asleep.”

  “Okay, tell her I love her. Congratulations! Have her call me when she feels up to it.”

  “Will do. Bye, Sophia.”

  “Bye.” I set the phone back on the base.

  I closed my laptop and opened my calendar book to the current week. I read through my scheduled events—dance class, karate, a dinner party with Collin’s mentor, lunch with Ilene and Larissa, dinner with Juliet and Connor, phone meeting with my publisher. The list seemed to go on and on. With a heavy sigh, I closed the book and grabbed a stack of folders I’d been avoiding.

  Sitting in the middle of the bed, I spread the folders out around me. Collin convinced me to fill out the Request and Requirements form and mail it off to an agency, to get possible applicants for a personal assistant. I had completed it and received multiple faxes in response. I got as far as sticking them in folders and stacking them on my desk. With the weight of my calendar growing, I finally resigned to look them over.

  I needed someone who would help me with dinner invites, traveling arrangements, organizational and time management skills, as well as someone who was decent with children. Because, let’s face it, I would most likely need the help after the baby arrived, and Collin’s schedule was even worse than mine. Opening the first folder, I began to review.

  Amidst my reading, I started to get lost in my own thoughts, thinking back to my interview with the overpowering Dr. Bishop. In the beginning I thought this type of lifestyle would be my breaking point, and I would end up walking out, but I had more than prevailed. And in the process, I had gained so much. This nanny position had grown into something I never could have imagined.

  I had a beautiful little red-haired girl who could melt my heart with one look, a baby on the way, and a husband who worshipped me. To add to the euphoria, I was well
on my way in my long time career goal. My book was selling at an unexpected rate, and parents and children alike seemed to enjoy it. It seemed I was getting it all.

  Would hiring an assistant be my first step as Mrs. Doctor Collin Bishop, prominent wife and mother of two?

  Epilogue

  SITTING IN THE recently remodeled spare room, which was now my personal office, I looked up over my laptop as my beautiful ten-year-old daughter slowly walked her two-year-old sister through the door.

  Kaitlin Arabella Bishop, Katie, arrived two weeks past my due date at eight pounds, ten ounces and twenty-one inches long. At birth she resembled Collin. Since then the resemblance had only grown stronger. Her green eyes and coppery hair could only be matched in beauty by her daddy’s.

  “What are you two up to?” I grinned as they entered my room.

  “We missed you,” Victoria smiled and then dropped her head to Katie. “Didn’t we?” she cooed to her living doll.

  Victoria had taken on the role of doting and helpful big sister although she did disappear on me during those colicky months. If it hadn’t been for Steph, my assistant/live-in nanny, I don’t know how I would’ve survived. Between a screaming baby, Victoria’s schedule, Collin’s traveling, and my book tour, I could have easily lost my mind.

  The gurgled “mum” falling from Katie’s lips made me smile wider. Pushing up from my seat, I rounded my desk and lifted the mini-Collin into my arms. Her chubby arms wrapped around my neck, and her head rested on my shoulder.

  “I’m done for the morning. Come on,” I stretched my hand out to Victoria, “we should start getting you two ready.”

  Together we walked to Victoria’s room. Releasing my hand, she ran directly to her closet and pulled out the white and dark mauve gown.

  “I’m so excited to be in the wedding,” she squealed on her way toward her bed.