by Sam Crescent
Running fingers through his hair, he tried to keep his rioting emotions at bay but nothing was helping. He needed to clear his mind.
“Ah, all woman. I know that kind of look.”
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Point out the obvious that you clearly want to fuck the girl? I’m not stupid.”
“Neither am I,” he said. “And keep your voice down. The last thing I want is for Meghan to go and scream that word while I’m at the store.”
“Look, all the bullshit of high school is behind you. Did you hire Callie?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“What if she’s a bitch to my kid?”
“Did you check out her credentials? Can she do the job?”
“Yes, I did. I also tried to find someone else.”
“And?”
“Nothing. There isn’t a nanny who can take a live-in position and watch my kid twenty-four-seven while I get back on my feet.”
“I think it’s safe to say that you’re going to have to hire this woman. Have a little faith.”
“Have a little faith?” He shook his head. “You just want to get me back into work.”
“Yes, I do, but I also want my baby brother to realize he didn’t make a mistake.”
“Oh, you mean marrying Tilly?”
“No, she was a mistake. There’s no way I can dress up her existence in your life. You did fuck up there, on a grand scale. She was the worst decision you ever made. Sorry and no offense.”
“None taken.” He couldn’t exactly lie to his brother about his feelings when it came to Tilly. She was a huge mistake. They’d been wrong for each other from the start.
“But Tilly aside, Meghan is a beautiful, sweet kid. Even if she was a brat or whatnot, she’s still part of you. That’s where you can never regret what happened. If you ever for a moment wish you’d never even gotten into bed with Tilly, just think you wouldn’t have a reason to smile every single day.”
“Do you ever regret your own kids?”
“No. Not even for a moment. Sometimes I wish they’d give me a break for me to enjoy my woman, but no, I love them completely.” Callum went back to eating his noodles.
“Then why are you sitting with me eating takeout rather than with them?”
“My wife sent me. She wanted me to make sure you were fine and handling things on your own.”
“Ah, Leah always had a soft spot for me.”
“Don’t even start with that. You know it makes me want to fuck you up.”
“Yeah, and you’re a damn good lawyer. You’d argue that I needed the ass-beating.”
“Yep. That I helped society by putting you in your place. Stop being an asshole and hire Callie. Did anyone give you any doubt at all, even a smidge, that she’d be a problem?”
“Nope, the complete opposite. From them, she sounds like some kind of saint.”
“If my memory serves me well, she was always doing nice things at school. She may just naturally be a nice person. You know, the kind of person to do lovely things from the goodness of her heart. Believe me, you need it. I think this place is actually starting to grow special things, you know?”
“You’re an asshole,” he said.
“And you love me for it. You will always love me for it.” Callum blew him a kiss. “Go on, call her. Let her know you want her to work immediately.”
“I’ll have to get the spare room ready,” he said.
“So, I’m not going anywhere. If I can tell Leah all of you is handled, that you’ve got a nanny, and someone to help put your life together, I’ll be a happy man tonight.”
“Gross, man. There’s some shit I don’t need to know.”
“You need to stop cussing. Meghan will copy.” Callum chuckled.
After getting to his feet, he grabbed his cell phone from the hallway, where he’d also left Callie’s card. He didn’t want to make this call. Not because he didn’t need her, but something felt off.
Callie shouldn’t be taking care of his kid. He should be able to keep on top of everything, only, he’d proven more than once that he couldn’t do it all.
After typing in her number, it rang. He’d hoped it would go to voicemail and he’d have a petty reason not to make this call. Give some excuse about her not being the right fit. If she couldn’t even make a call, what could she really do to help him? Nothing. Simple as that.
“Hello,” Callie said.
Typical.
“Callie, hi, it’s Drew.”
“Hi, Drew.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking and I was wondering, how soon could you start? I’ve got a spare room I can get cleaned up for you. It wouldn’t be any trouble at all.”
“Spare room?”
“The position is live-in.” Please say you can’t do it.
“Yeah, of course. You’re actually offering me the job?”
“Yes, as soon as you can start.”
“How about I swing by tomorrow? I can get started. You can show me Meghan’s routine.”
Routine? He didn’t have one for her.
“And we can set out a schedule for how you want this to work.”
“Yeah, that sounds great.”
“Awesome. I look forward to seeing you.”
So did he. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
“You know, you looked like you wanted to say a lot more then,” Callum said.
He turned to see his brother still eating noodles, leaning up against the doorframe.
“Don’t start.”
“I’m not starting. I’m simply stating a fact that you looked like you were hungry. Now this has me intrigued. I haven’t seen Callie in years, so I’ve got to wonder, do you want to fuck your nanny already?”
“I suggest you eat up and go home to your wife. I’m not discussing this with you.”
“Okay, but to warn you, Callie’s going to be here every single hour of every single day, unless she’s dating someone. She’ll be in her pajamas or whatever clothes she wears. Your place isn’t overly big, so you’re going to be around her a lot. Will you be the perfect employer, or will you put her in her place?”
“You know what, Callum? You may be the oldest but you’re the youngest at heart.”
“I’ve got a way of staying young. It’s falling in love and having a family you want to go home to. Speaking of, my job here is done. You’ve got the nanny coming and I’ve got a family back home.”
“You said you were going to help me with the spare room,” he said.
“Did I say that? My bad. I’ve already done so much, and you know, being a daddy and all, I’ve got to go and read to my kids.” Callum was already walking back toward the door. “Remember, brother, keep it in your pants.”
“Fuck off.”
“Will do.”
He closed and locked the door behind Callum.
“What’s fuck off, Daddy?” Meghan said.
He should have known his daughter wouldn’t be asleep. “Hello, munchkin. How are you?”
“I’m thirsty.”
“Come on. I’ll get you a drink but then you’ve got to go to bed.”
“Why?” she asked.
“I need to sort out the spare bedroom.”
“Why?”
“For the nice lady,” he said, thinking about Callie.
“The nice lady with the hair?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“You liked her?” he asked.
“I did. She was pretty.”
“She was, wasn’t she?”
“Yes. She is going to stay with us?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Like a nanny?”
“She will be your nanny, yes. Will you like that?”
Meghan nodded, taking the cup from him. She handed him her teddy bear so she could drink. She swallowed it all down, wiped her mouth, and handed it back. “Can I have another?”
“No, you’ll be waking all night to go to the to
ilet and I need you to be up bright and early tomorrow so I can show you off to Callie.”
“I like her name.”
“It’s a nice name, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, she likes my name. She thinks it pretty.”
“It is a gorgeous name.” He’d picked Meghan’s name. Tilly wouldn’t even hold their daughter after she’d given birth. All she’d wanted to do was fall asleep and be left alone. Everyone had done exactly as she wanted. He’d held his daughter and taken care of the rest. He always took care of her. Now, he was allowing another, a mere stranger, to take care of her.
Breathing in deeply, he lifted Meghan up in his arms and carried her to bed. He made sure to read her several pages from the latest story she wanted to read, and when she was sound asleep, he went to tackle the spare bedroom.
He really hoped he wasn’t making a mistake.
****
“You only have one suitcase?”
Callie looked at the case in her hand and nodded. “I travel light.”
“Oh. Don’t you live close by?”
“I rented a fully furnished house. I make sure I can come and go as quickly as possible.” She offered a smile.
Drew just rubbed his head.
“It hasn’t been long since my last employer no longer needed my services. Until I quit being a nanny, I don’t see a reason in buying a place to keep for myself. I can be in one employment for up to sixteen years.” She’d been surprised to get his call, in all honesty. She didn’t think they’d be able to get along together. So far, he wouldn’t let her get past the threshold and all he’d seen was her suitcase.
“How long was your last employment?” he asked.
“You have all the information in my file?”
“Just for reference.”
“Three years. They were moving to England, and I didn’t want to, so I had no choice but to be let go. I know they wanted me to go with them, but I wanted to return home at least sometime. If I went to England, there was a chance I wouldn’t ever come back. I have now.”
She held the handle between both of her hands. It was heavy. She’d learned to pack everything in one big case.
“Have you changed your mind?”
“No. Damn, it’s rude of me. Sorry. Come on in. Meghan’s still sleeping.”
“At nine in the morning?”
“Yeah, she had a late night.”
“Oh,” Callie said. She wasn’t about to tell him there was a reason he suffered from sleep deprivation. She’d need to get Meghan on the same routine as her father’s. Also, it wouldn’t be long until school started, and then she’d need to seriously consider what time she went to bed and got up.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not.”
“Let me show you to your room first.” He yawned.
It was odd to see Drew Gold looking almost human. In high school, he’d been this fierce presence that no one could touch or get close to. Now, he just seemed touchable.
Strange.
She kept a smile on her lips. After his call, she’d gone to bed as she knew once she stepped foot in Drew’s home, she was going to have a task on her hands.
Following up the stairs, he turned right and opened a door. It was the only room in the house that looked clean. “You can sleep here. There’s no en-suite bathroom. Only the master bedroom has one.”
She nodded.
“You’ll have to use the bathroom across the hall.”
“That’s fine.”
At least she wouldn’t have to worry about bumping into him naked. He’d be out of her way by the time she took a shower or a nice, long bath.
She placed her case on the bed, which was made. She also noticed every surface had been dusted, but it hadn’t been thoroughly done. Had Drew gotten this room ready last night? She saw the outline where he’d gone around things on the bedside cabinet.
Cleaning never bothered her. She was more than happy to do it.
“Right, let’s head downstairs. I can go through everything with you. I’ll be staying with you today, but tomorrow I’ll be heading into work.”
“How long have you been off work?”
“Only a couple of months since Tilly’s been gone.”
She nodded. “Will your wife be returning?”
“Not if I get her to sign the damn divorce papers.”
“You married Tilly?”
He stopped on the staircase. “Is that going to be a problem?”
She shook her head. “Your love life is no concern of mine.” She kept the professional smile she’d adopted on her lips.
“Good.”
She followed him to the kitchen where he grabbed a loaf of bread. She watched as he opened it up, sniffed it, and proceeded to place a couple slices in the toaster. He grabbed a stained coffee pot and poured out two cups.
She made a note of everything she needed to do.
Clean, grocery shop, and put this man back together. He looked a mess. Well, not completely. The clothes he wore were clean, but clearly the man wasn’t all put together. This wasn’t any real way to live and she needed to fix that and fix this.
“What’s Meghan’s routine?”
“There’s no routine other than the usual. When she gets up, she uses the bathroom, I dress her—”
“She doesn’t dress herself?”
“No. She has breakfast. We hang out. If she wants to go to the park, we do. Stay in watch movies, we do. You know.”
“She tells you what you do.”
“Pretty much.”
She kept on nodding. “What about school?”
“Er, next September?”
“So a couple of months away?” she asked.
“What?”
“We’re in April, and September is a few months away. Just over five months.”
“Shit, yes.”
“Don’t worry. I can set up a routine.”
“Okay, but nothing that will disturb her, either. You know? I think she needs to be taken care of. Her mother’s not around.”
“And you’re compensating for that.”
“You’re making it sound like a problem.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“I’ve been doing really well for now.”
“I get that. I apologize.”
“I’m not like any other family you’ve worked for. I don’t need you criticizing the way I do shit.”
“I’m not.”
“Good.” He gripped the edge of the counter. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way. Look, I know I’m fucking up on a daily basis. I know I swear a lot and it’s not good. You may hear Meghan swear a lot too. This wasn’t supposed to happen, okay? I didn’t anticipate any of this. I’m trying.”
“I get it.”
“Do you? Because I don’t think you really understand,” he said.
“I do understand. Children are very difficult and it can be hard to provide them a stable environment. If you don’t like me being here, please say so.”
“You’ve given up an apartment,” he said.
“So, there are other apartments. I only want what’s best for Meghan. If you don’t like me to be here, then tell me. I can, you know, leave.” She didn’t know why she was pacifying him.
He didn’t deserve it. He clearly knew he was making mistakes. Still, he was trying.
She saw that. The last thing she wanted to do was upset or offend him. He’d be her employer and she’d already promised herself she’d put the past to bed. It was where it belonged. In the past. Away from the now.
“I want you to stay. I know … I’ve read a couple of the books. I shouldn’t be letting her be in charge and all that. I fuck—messed up. It’s just, I don’t know the first thing about raising a kid on my own. Tilly was supposed to be here.”
“I’m sorry.”
“She’s not dead, she just doesn’t want to be a mom anymore, or take care o
f her responsibilities.”
“I’m still sorry. I don’t have any kids and I don’t know your situation. I’m not here to guide you, Drew. I’m here to help. I don’t want you to think I’m pushing or controlling you.”
“You’re not.”
“How about I come up with a routine as I see you going through yours today? I’ll go through it with you, and then we can see about implementing it. I’ll always put any ideas by you first. Meghan will need some structure for school as well.”
“You’re right.” He rubbed the back of his head.
The toast was already burning. He quickly dived for it and started to spread butter over the blackened bread. He took a bite, wrinkled his nose, and took another bite.
“Do you want me to cook you something?”
“Nope. I’m good. I’ve gotten used to eating anything so long as it will keep me sane, you know?”
She smiled. “Fair enough.” She’d also cook for him and get up early enough to make him breakfast.
“What is it you do?”
“I’m a lawyer.”
“You are?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“Back in high school, you were all about the football.”
“Injuries change things. I got my injury early enough to change to law. I was lucky. Some aren’t. I’m not just a pretty face. How come you’re a nanny?”
“Bad experience at college.”
“You didn’t finish?”
“Not at the college I went to. I dropped out. I finished my degree a few years ago. It took time, but I got there. I also took several courses at local online colleges about how to take care of children.”
“Why do I feel there’s a story there?”
“There’s always a story. Some are just better than others.” She shrugged. There was no way she was going to get into that, not now, not ever.
Her private life would remain that way.
Chapter Three
After months away, Drew finally sat behind his desk. He ran his hands over the mahogany wood. It was a fitting desk for a damn good lawyer. He was full as well. Back at work, on a full breakfast, with his daughter being taken care of.
While Callie had watched him yesterday taking care of Meghan, she’d come up with a fully working schedule that also included mass cleaning, learning activities, going outdoors, and pretty much running Meghan into exhaustion, but the fun kind. He didn’t see it working. Meghan only liked to do what she wanted. It was one of the few traits that reminded him of her mother.