“Let’s not keep him waiting.” Eagerness propelled his footsteps. Although he hadn’t yet viewed the interior, Nick felt as if he was coming home.
The man who answered the bell was older than he’d expected, possibly in his seventies, which meant his recently deceased parents must have been in their nineties. Short and thin, he had neatly brushed gray hair and a warm smile. “Dr. Davis!”
“Mr. Tran.” Nick shook hands with him. “This is my friend, Zady Moore.”
Mr. Tran shook her hand. “You work at the medical center also?”
“Yes, I’m a nurse.”
“Good, good.” He ushered them into a spotless living room that held an entertainment stand, couch, bookshelf and coffee table. Although in fine condition, none of the furnishings had much personality, and Nick guessed that the elder Trans’ special belongings had been replaced with items geared for renters.
That suited him fine. Less risk of damaging costly antiques.
“I won’t be living here,” Zady noted. “I’m along merely as an observer.”
“Where do you rent now?” Mr. Tran asked.
“The Harbor Suites.”
“Dreary!” he exclaimed. “This is much nicer. And cheaper if you split the rent. Let me show you the kitchen. I’ve installed many new appliances.”
How odd that the older man seemed intent on having Zady join Nick. Perhaps he believed women kept a cleaner house than men. The Carrigans had reacted similarly, Nick recalled. She certainly had an appealing personality—more approachable than his.
In the kitchen, the shiny gas range impressed him, and the refrigerator was a recent model with an excellent energy rating.
“Too bad it’s dark outside.” Mr. Tran opened a sliding door from the kitchen to the patio, where the porch light revealed only dark shapes. “The yard is beautiful, very private, with high hedges. By the way, if you have a pet, there is an extra security deposit.”
“We don’t,” Nick assured him. “I do have a three-year-old son, as I said on the phone. Is there space for play equipment?”
“Yes, for sure.” Their host kept up a line of encouraging patter as he shut the door and escorted them around the rest of the house, showing off the utility room with an up-to-date washer and dryer, the pantry, two bathrooms and three bedrooms, one of which lay on the opposite side of the living room from the others. “Privacy for the lady,” he noted.
“Why are you so encouraging?” Zady asked. “There must be lots of renters interested in such a lovely house.”
“But they are not a doctor from the medical center! And a nurse.” Mr. Tran’s head bobbed with approval. “No one will be better than that.” To Nick, he added, “I can offer a five percent reduction in the rent if you handle routine repairs. I’ll pay for materials.”
Routine repairs—how hard could that be? A mental calculation reassured Nick that, if necessary, he could hire the occasional repairman with what he’d save. Better yet, he’d figure out how to do the work himself.
“Sounds great.” But if Zady didn’t accept his offer, he didn’t need three bedrooms. He’d save more by renting a smaller place. “Can you allow me—us—twenty-four hours to decide?”
Mr. Tran weighed the question for a split second before addressing Zady. “Do you have children also, Mrs. Nurse?”
To Nick’s surprise, a no didn’t immediately spring from her lips. “I have a goddaughter.” After a beat, Zady added, “I just arranged for her to stay with me for a month while her parents are traveling.”
She’d mentioned her goddaughter during their visit to the Carrigans, he recalled.
A houseful of children might be fun. Or drive them crazy. But it was only for a month, and if this little girl turned the tide with Zady, he’d be grateful to her.
“In a tiny unit at the motel?” the landlord inquired. Mentally, Nick awarded the man points for persistence, and additional credit for manipulating Zady more baldly than he himself would have dared.
“She’s two and a half,” Zady responded. “I doubt she’ll mind.”
“Let me show you something.” Mr. Tran led them to a large, isolated bedroom and opened the double closet to reveal a cot. “An extra bed.” A wave of the hand indicated a folded wood-and-rice-paper screen with three panels. “You can divide the room for privacy.”
“There’s plenty of space.” Nick swallowed the urge to lobby more strongly.
“It would be convenient.” A tremulous note in Zady’s voice indicated she might be weakening.
Nick was already sold. How could she resist this charming house? Well, Mr. Tran had done his best. Now the ball was in Nick’s court. “May Mrs. Nurse and I have a moment to talk?”
“Of course!” The landlord regarded them thoughtfully. “I will step outside onto the patio. I will hear nothing.”
“You don’t have to wait in the cold,” Zady replied. “We’ll talk out there. Seriously, I could use the fresh air.”
“You are a kind person,” Mr. Tran said with evident relief.
He was elderly, despite his vigor, Nick reflected. “Thank you. We won’t be long.”
Surely if Zady was set on refusing, she’d have already turned him down, he mused as he followed her outside. He longed to live here. And after seeing Zady light up the rooms tonight, he couldn’t picture doing so without her.
* * *
HOW COULD A HOUSE cast a spell over her? Zady had dreamed of living in a place like this all her life.
Aware that she’d never be able to afford one on just her income, she associated having a house with finding Mr. Right, followed by Baby Right. Now Nick dangled the lure of living in this minipalace rent-free.
Nevertheless, the psychic price was too high. No sane woman would agree to a second job as nanny to Mr. So-Wrong-She-Couldn’t-Imagine-Anyone-Wronger-Unless-It-Was-Dwayne. Yet here Zady stood in the cold air of an early-February night feeling utterly enchanted, the scent of jasmine and the twitter of night birds only enhancing the effect.
She kept picturing Linda toddling happily about with Caleb in the cheerful kitchen, clouting each other over the head with blocks, screaming and then cuddling with her while muffins in the oven perfumed the air. Exactly who would be baking those muffins, she had no idea. Perhaps Mr. Tran would be willing to drop by occasionally. A man who knew about flowers might also bake for his tenants.
She must be delirious. Or under a spell.
Standing close enough to shelter her against the chill breeze, Nick radiated persuasion without speaking. If he pressured her, she’d stomp inside. Please do that. Save me from this insanity.
“Do you suppose it’s fate?” he asked.
“Do I suppose what is fate?” She prepared to march away, any second.
“You said this business with your goddaughter just happened.” He paused, but she couldn’t contradict him. “And Mr. Tran is eager to have us.”
“Are you casting him in the role of heavenly messenger?”
“You didn’t see the faint outline of wings?” he replied lightly. Before she could muster a sarcastic reply, he changed the subject. “Tell me about your goddaughter.”
“Her name is Linda,” she said.
“That’s Spanish for ‘pretty.’”
“What’s Spanish for ‘I didn’t just take stupid pills, so don’t try to con me into living here’?”
“But this place is perfect.” Nick’s smile gleamed in the moonlight.
Zady refused to succumb. “In a month, Linda will be home with her parents.”
“And you could stay in this home with its brand-new kitchen...”
Thank goodness, he’d provided the ammunition she sought. “Are you under the impression that you’d be getting a free maid, cook and laundress?”
A slight widening of the eyes indicated
she’d caught him off guard. So he had assumed that.
Nick rallied fast, however. “Actually, you’ll be scoring a free maid, cook and launder...laundry...whatever the male equivalent is. I’ll clean. I’ll, uh, fix food when I’m home. And I already wash clothes. You’ve seen me do it.”
“You touch my underwear, you die.”
“I promise to launder judiciously,” he responded. “Only what’s mine and Caleb’s. How’s that?”
Oh, heavens, they were negotiating. How had she slipped into this? “I refuse to commit to a long-term arrangement. Think how upsetting it will be for your little boy when I move out. It’s better to establish him on a consistent schedule with a regular sitter.”
Nick scuffed his shoe against the concrete. “As it happens, the licensed sitter I had in mind isn’t available on Friday nights. I’d be juggling substitutes one night a week. Plus, Caleb would have to stay over at her place the other three. Having someone live-in would be far preferable.”
“Can’t the hospital change your overnight schedule to Monday through Thursday?” she asked, ignoring the second part of his statement. “That would solve the problem with the sitter.” Not the part about having to sleep in someone else’s bed, but she couldn’t help that.
“I doubt it. My fellow doctors aren’t any more eager to work Friday nights than babysitters are.” He regarded her sadly. Milking it a little.
If Zady hadn’t gone with him to the Carrigans’ house and met Caleb, she’d have simply walked away. But that little boy was in a nest where he felt safe, and now he had to be yanked out of it. The poor kid deserved a break.
What was wrong with her? Why was she providing exactly the arguments that she’d have rejected ferociously had Nick voiced them?
“Six months,” he said.
“Excuse me?”
“I committed to my shift for a year,” Nick said. “But I’m only asking you for six months. If you’ll move in for that long, it will give me a chance to make other arrangements for Caleb or negotiate a schedule change at the hospital. Free rent and food, remember. That includes laundry detergent.”
Leave while you have the strength. “I’d be working for you and your cousin. Ever think of that?”
His mouth snapped shut. Then it reopened. “Granted, I expect you to honor my privacy. Loyalty matters, especially in such close quarters. But I wouldn’t expect you to tell me about what goes on in his practice, either. Surely that shouldn’t pose a problem.”
“I’m not sure— What’s that?” From the bushes poked a pointy nose. “It isn’t a skunk, is it?”
“Hold still.”
She had no trouble obeying.
A cat-size white rat with black markings advanced onto the patio. Zady tried to scream but nothing emerged. All she could do was cling to Nick’s arm, registering his strength and the odd fact that he didn’t seem alarmed.
“Wow,” he said.
“Wow, what?”
“It’s a possum. Technically, an opossum.”
“Seriously?” She’d heard of the nocturnal creatures, marsupials that raised their young in pouches, like kangaroos. No one had mentioned how ugly they were, with that long naked tail.
“Do you suppose they’re endangered?”
“That’s hard to believe,” Zady said. “Who would get close enough to harm one?”
To her embarrassment, she uttered a squeak as the creature skittered across the patio. At the far side, it paused and regarded them with beady eyes, as if asking, “Who are you and what are you doing in my territory?”
“We won’t hurt you.” She hadn’t meant to speak aloud.
In a flash, it vanished into the darkness. “You can’t let him down now,” Nick said. “He’s counting on us to respect his territory.”
“This isn’t his territory, it’s Mr. Tran’s,” Zady said. “Besides, he might endanger the children.”
“Possums are harmless,” Nick assured her. “I’ve read that they eat insects and other small pests. And how fascinating for the kids to experience nature at close range.”
“You could do a sales job on a cockroach in the kitchen,” she muttered.
“Which we’re more likely to find at the Harbor Suites than in this house.” Nick ran his hand along her arm. “You sure you’re all right?”
Zady refused to be laid low by an encounter with a possum. “I’m fine.” She withdrew, and immediately missed the sturdy bulge of his muscles.
“Shall we go in and tell Mr. Tran we’ll take the place?” he murmured.
Through the glass doors, she gazed into the glow of the kitchen. Everything appeared shiny and up-to-date, in contrast to the weary decor of her motel unit. Here, Linda could play in an enclosed yard with a small companion, who badly needed the stability of a live-in sitter. Moreover, six months of free rent and meals would refresh Zady’s depleted bank account.
The place came with a dangerously attractive man. She’d be sharing meals with Nick, inhaling his masculine pheromones, becoming vulnerable to him when she ought to be seeking the man of her dreams.
For heaven’s sake, her experience with Dwayne had armored her against falling for the wrong guy. Surely she’d be impervious to the allure of bossy Dr. Single Dad.
Almost impervious.
“Six months,” Zady said.
“Done.” He high-fived her.
Only after they’d gone inside, made arrangements with a beaming Mr. Tran and headed home did she realize that tomorrow she’d have to tell Marshall what she’d agreed to. Well, as Nick had said, she ought to be able to keep her jobs separate—if only the two men in her life could stay on good terms.
Chapter Nine
On Tuesday morning, while Marshall was in surgery, Zady restocked supplies, set up for afternoon office procedures and phoned to remind patients of appointments. In the age of the electronic calendar with its beeping alarms, she didn’t understand why people often lost track of scheduled events—but perhaps they experienced such apprehension that they forgot to list doctor visits on their calendars.
In person or on voice mail, she kept her tone pleasant, even though she had better things to do this morning than nag. Yesterday’s pact with Nick had kept her awake half the night, drawing up to-do lists. By late morning, she was grateful to be able to start work on them. True, these weren’t part of her duties, she mused with a touch of guilt, but she wasn’t cheating her employer, since she often skipped breaks and cut short her meals to attend to her duties.
Zady emailed Alice about the move on Sunday and provided both her old and new addresses, for good measure. She also posed questions that had piled up in her mind: What did Linda like to eat? How far had she progressed with potty training? What toys was she bringing?
She informed Zora of the new situation, also via email, which prompted a visit from Lucky. He popped into Marshall’s office shortly before the lunch hour, moving at near-lightning speed, and at first Zady assumed that her brother-in-law had come for something related to his new duties.
His promotion to director of nursing for the men’s fertility program had been officially announced the previous day. He’d circulated a “We’re a team!” memo expressing appreciation for the staff and promising regular reports on the progress of the expansion. In keeping with the theme of teamwork, he still wore his navy nurse’s uniform rather than a suit, she noticed when he barreled up to the nurses’ station.
After chatting briefly with the other two RNs, Lucky caught Zady’s arm and steered her into the break room. “My wife called about your new living arrangements.”
“You can release my elbow,” she said.
“Sorry.” With a self-conscious grin, her brother-in-law obeyed. “I just... What were you thinking?”
“Are you speaking as my nursing supervisor or as Zora’s husba
nd?”
“I’m speaking as a man with common sense.”
“Well, quit doing that.” Leaning against a table, Zady tried to ignore the vending machines that loomed over them as if glowering. Did they disapprove of her choices, too? “I explained to Zora that I’m supervising my goddaughter for a month. She’ll be happier in a house with a playmate.”
“Yes, but you signed on as a live-in nanny for six months.” Concern darkened Lucky’s brown eyes. “If you’re having financial problems, you could have asked Zora and me. We’re family.”
That was all Zady needed—another male interfering in her life. “You’re my sister’s husband, not my father.” Seeing his hurt expression, she added, “I’m sure you mean well. And since you’re eager to be involved, I’m sure Nick could use your help moving in his son’s furniture. Shall I let him know you’re available on Sunday?”
That brought Lucky up short. After a bit of throat-clearing, he nodded. “I’ll contact him directly. And listen, Zady, call whenever you need a spot of emergency babysitting. You’re welcome to join us for the occasional meal, too.”
“Much appreciated.”
Lucky paused as if weighing whether to continue scolding. Then, with a shrug, he left.
The two other nurses scurried in. “You’ll be living with the other Dr. Davis and two toddlers?” asked Jeanine, a tall, whip-thin nurse in her fifties who’d raised six children. “Do you have a masochistic streak?”
The acoustics in this building were much too good, Zady reflected. “I’m the sitter, not the girlfriend.”
“A nanny for a hottie like Nick Davis. Interesting.” In her late forties, Ines had a short, rotund body that provided dramatic contrast to Jeanine’s bony build. “I sense a budding romance.”
Zady groaned. During her middle-of-the-night list-making mania, she’d recognized that a subversive part of her longed to cast Nick in the role of dream guy. Since this same weakness had manipulated her into sticking with Dwayne long after any rational woman would have hit the road, she rejected it. That didn’t mean she’d obliterated the temptation. Yet.
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