by Ana E Ross
Michelle gave herself a mental slap in the head. She and the doctor were from two different worlds, and she doubted he’d ever cross that societal line. The man had refused to shake her hand when she’d offered it to him. And he’d called her uncouth. Besides, a man as handsome and sexy as Dr. Erik LaCrosse wouldn’t be unattached. She was sure he had some lucky couth babe to slake his noble passion. Anyway, she wasn’t his type, and he certainly wasn’t hers. Uh-uh. Too uptight.
He turned. “You’ve done a lot of babysitting in your teenage years, Ms. Carter, and your current involvement with the youth center in Manchester is quite impressive. But caring for children on a full-time basis is very different from spending a few hours at a time with them. It’s a huge responsibility. You’re always on call.”
Was that a maybe? “I understand.” Michelle spoke hastily, hoping to eradicate all his doubts about her capabilities to take care of his daughter. “I love kids, Dr. LaCrosse. Mostly what they need is love. I give them all I have, and for some reason, they happen to love me back,” she added humbly, thinking of the kids who flocked to her when she walked through the doors of the youth center. “If you give me a chance, I bet you that black shiny Jaguar in the driveway, I’d be the best thing that ever happened to your daughter.”
He tilted his head and continued to stare at her, his expression shrouded, unreadable. Finally, he strolled to his desk and set the folder down. “Excuse my manners. Please have a seat.” He gestured toward the sofa behind her. His face still gave no clue as to whether she was in or out.
Eyeing him skeptically, Michelle slid unto the smooth leather sofa.
“Make yourself comfortable, Ms. Carter. I will be back momentarily.”
Erik headed for the kitchen. Mrs. Hayes always carried out his requests, as dubious as they may seem to her. She was loyal, dependable, and more like a member of the family than a housekeeper. Nobody got past her without expressed permission. So why had she let Michelle Carter into the house when he’d asked her to send her away?
She was standing at the island in the kitchen, rolling dough for the bread she would be serving with a beef stew for dinner. “I thought I asked you to get rid of her, Mrs. Hayes,” he said in a diplomatic tone he knew was wasted on her.
Mrs. Hayes didn’t even look up from her kneading. “Oh, Dr., Michelle’s as harmless as—”
He stiffened in surprise. “You know her?”
“Since the day she was born.”
“You know her.” This was more a confirmation than a question.
Mrs. Hayes set down her rolling pin and peeked up at him, an affectionate smile on her plum face. “We lived on the same street in Manchester. Michelle’s mother died while giving birth to her. Life hadn’t been too good for her and her older brother when they were little, but according to Michelle, Robert now has a successful orthodontist practice.” Mrs. Hayes shook her head and sighed. “I reckon Michelle is here because she hasn’t quite found her way yet. Who knows, maybe she’ll find it in this big lonely house.”
“Did you know she was coming for the interview today?” he asked, holding her gaze.
She hesitated before answering. “No. I did not know Michelle was coming for the interview today.” She took a pinch of salt from a bowl and sprinkled it over the dough before resuming her kneading.
Erik leaned against the island. The fact that Michelle had grown up without a mother gave her something in common with Precious. She might be able to connect with his daughter in a way Holly hadn’t, he speculated, seeing Michelle in a different light now that Mrs. Hayes, his trusted housekeeper, actually knew her and had vouched for her.
In his book, a personal recommendation outweighed an impressive resume any day. Michelle had both. She’d earned a four-year degree in three years with a double major in Human Resources and Business Administration. She’d worked in customer relations until she lost her job due to the downturn in the economy. According to her resume, she’d moved to South Carolina where she worked as a temp for about a year before returning to the area.
Times were tough. She quite clearly needed a break as Mrs. Hayes had pointed out. The girl was desperate, but even so, she had managed to preserve her dignity when faced with his arrogance and skepticism. He liked her tenacity. It showed character.
“But she’s so young,” he voiced his thoughts aloud. “Too young.”
Mrs. Hayes rolled up the dough and placed it into a greased bowl. She turned the ball of dough once then covered it with a piece of plastic wrap. Her task complete, she gazed up at him. “If you’ll pardon my frankness, Sir, Michelle is just what that sweet child needs to perk up her little spirit. Little Precious doesn’t need an old woman huffing and puffing over her. She needs a young girl with life in her bones. Don’t make them pay for Holly’s happiness.” She reached up and touched a cool hand to Erik’s cheek. “Give Michelle a chance. If she doesn’t work out, I’ll give her the boot, myself.” She walked over to the stove and began stirring her pot of stew.
Erik raked his fingers through his hair. He was either a glutton for punishment or he was simply insane to consider hiring Michelle Carter. She wasn’t the kind of woman a man could easily ignore. He’d spent a mere fifteen minutes with the girl and she was already wreaking havoc on his world. No woman had ever had that kind of effect on him. Not even his wife.
But, he had to consider his daughter’s wellbeing.
Her former nanny had been wonderful in helping Precious cope with her mother’s death for the past fifteen months. Then a month ago, Holly married and moved away to start her own family, taking Precious’ smile and spirit with her.
Erik longed to see his daughter’s eyes light up with laughter again. He longed to hear her squeals of delight ringing through the house and her feet clambering up and down the stairs. All she’d been doing lately was sulking in her room as if she’d lost her mother all over again. He was tired of the endless barrage of applicants coming to his house, only to be disappointed when Precious gave them the cold shoulder, time and time again.
Mrs. Hayes thought Michelle would make an excellent replacement. Perhaps he should listen to the old lady and give the girl a chance. If Michelle could work a miracle in his daughter’s life, he would be eternally grateful to her. She had a sparkling candidness that he liked—even admired in a surprising sort of way, he thought, recalling the satisfaction in her black eyes when she’d pointed out his lie.
“Very well then,” he said as Mrs. Hayes covered her pot of stew. “I’ll give her a chance since you insist.”
Mrs. Hayes smiled at him. “That’s all anyone can ask, Dr.”
CHAPTER TWO
Michelle stared at a collection of Monet landscapes lining one wall of the study. A smile ruffled her lips at the idea that she and the stiff-shirt doctor had something in common. He’d probably choke on that bit of info, she thought, her smile spreading to her eyes. What, a girl from the other side of the river with an acquired appreciation for fine art?
See, that’s the trouble with people, she thought. You think you know them until they surprise the heck out of you by doing something totally unimaginable.
Take her father for instance. He’d been a rotten parent throughout her childhood. In spite of his neglect and abuse, she’d earned a four-year college degree in three years by working two jobs and attending night and summer school. She’d landed a great job as Manager of Customer Operations at a well-established company, and moved into a nice apartment on Elm Street. She had a new car and a so-so boyfriend. Since she had no college loans to pay back, she was able to save a substantial amount of her salary.
Then it was all blown to smithereens one night when her father knocked on her door. He’d knocked on her door before, and she’d offered him a little food here and there—never money, because she knew it would end up in the cash register of the nearest liquor store. Once in a while, if she were in a good mood, she would let him take a shower and sleep off his intoxication on her sofa.
Miche
lle wiped her hands down her face. She wished she’d been in a bad mood that night. If she hadn’t been so nice to her father, when she was unexpectedly laid off a few months later, she would not have found herself penniless, homeless, and free-loading off her best friend Yasmine until she got back on her feet.
Michelle didn’t even know if she still had feet to stand on. What she did know was that she hated taking charity from anybody, even from her brother who’d been sending her regular checks to help her out. She didn’t want Robert’s money. She didn’t want Yasmine’s pity. She just wanted her life back.
A nanny position was just the kind of job that could give her back some control on her life. She would have a roof over her head, home-cooked meals every night, and time to plan out her future. She wouldn’t need to depend on anyone’s financial support or live in anyone else’s house—well only as an employee.
Michelle’s heart fluttered around in her chest when the door of the study opened and the doctor appeared in the threshold. She didn’t know if it was his presence or the uncertainty of her future that was affecting her ability to breathe.
His expression was still masked as he came further into the room. “Mrs. Hayes assured me that you are harmless,” he said directly.
Michelle wondered what else Mrs. Hayes had told him. She was sure she’d mentioned their acquaintance, and she was doubly sure it was the only reason Erik hadn’t marched back in here and ordered her to leave.
“So I’ve decided to give you the chance to prove yourself.”
Michelle buried the urge to jump up and throw her arms around his neck. “Thank you,” she said, rising to her feet. “Thank you.”
“Don’t be so quick to thank me,” he warned. He glanced quickly back at the half-opened door before continuing in a lowered voice. “My daughter has been in a somber mood since her nanny left. If you can bring a smile to her face, the job is yours.”
“You’re putting me on the spot, Dr. LaCrosse? You advertised for a nanny, not a shrink.”
“Are you saying you’re not up to the challenge, Ms. Carter? You told me you’d be the best thing that ever happened to my daughter. Well, here’s your chance to put your money where your mouth is. Or should I say, my money,” he added with mock severity.
Michelle growled inside as she faced the challenge in his amber-grey eyes. Cad. He’d called her bluff. “Okay. I’ll make your daughter laugh.”
He turned and peeped around the doorframe. “Come here, darling.”
Michelle braced herself.
“Come on, Muffin,” he coaxed when no one appeared.
Muffin? Michelle’s eyes widened. Well, celebrities were known to give their daughters names like Apple, Scout, and Rumer. But Muffin? A child with such a ludicrous name would be the butt and butter of baking jokes in her neighborhood.
When she still refused to come, the doctor stepped into the hallway. Michelle heard a series of childish “Nos” in response to his gentle pleas. She was about to go get the little muffin herself when he reappeared at the door, dragging Muffin who was clutching to one of his long legs like a chimp to its mother.
“Ms. Carter, this is my daughter, Precious.”
Precious. Now that was more like it, Michelle thought, her heart melting at the sight of the little girl with long dark brown pony tails falling on either side of her little heart-shaped face. She was no muffin. She was precious.
“Hi, Precious,” Michelle said in a buoyant voice, coming closer to the tangled pair.
Precious glared at her through a pair of wide cinnamon-brown eyes. There was no doubt this little precious muffin didn’t like her. Well, neither did her father. So… “My name is Michelle, and I’m hoping to be your new—”
“I don’t need a nanny.”
“You’re so right, Precious.” Michelle fell to her knees and sat back on her haunches. “Just for the record, I wasn’t going to say nanny. I hope to be your new friend.”
“I don’t need any new friends. I don’t like you.” Her scowl deepened.
Ignoring her father’s swift intake of air, Michelle pointed to the rag doll tucked under Precious’ arm. “Who’s that? I bet she could use a new friend.” She smiled with hope in her heart. She needed this job and was willing to do anything to win this kid over.
But Precious just stared her down.
Michelle understood her unfriendliness. Her mother was gone, and according to Mrs. Hayes, her nanny recently left to start her own family with her new husband. Precious felt abandoned. She was tired of people leaving her. She was protecting her little heart in the only way she knew how. If she didn’t become attached, she could never be abandoned. It was a hard lesson for someone to learn at such an early age. Michelle empathized. She never knew her own mother, and her father may as well be dead. It hurts like hell when people you depend on abandon you.
Michelle longed to tell Precious that it was okay to need and to love, and that when people left, it was their loss, as Robert had often told her. But in order to do that, she had to make her laugh first.
Michelle stared into the cinnamon-brown eyes staring back at her, and took a deep breath. “Okay, little one. Here’s the deal. We’ll stare each other down and make funny faces and the first one to crack a smile, loses. If I win, you’re stuck with me.” Michelle had no doubt she would win this game. It was how she and Yasmine settled disputes when they were children. Heck, they still did. “Ready?” she asked Precious. “Okay, here goes. We start on three. One… Two…”
“Wait,” Precious yelled, pulling her arm from around her father’s leg and handing him her doll. “What happens if I win?”
You won’t. “I’ll walk out of the house and you’ll never see me again.”
Precious’ brows puckered into a frown. “Okay.” She planted her feet apart and folded her arms across her chest.
Michelle veiled her smile of impending victory. The kid had no idea who she was up against. It would be over in thirty seconds. She settled her buttocks against her heels. “Alright, on three. You can go first. One… two… three.”
Precious made a fish face, stuck her thumbs in her ears, and waved her fingers around.
Cute, but no effect. Michelle shrugged, made a monkey face, and began to sway back and forth on her haunches.
Precious rolled her eyes in boredom.
Darn, the kid was tougher than she thought.
“Your turn, Precious,” her father chimed, clearly amused at the game.
Michelle wondered if he was rooting for Precious.
Precious pulled apart her eyelids and let her tongue hang out of her mouth.
Unimpressed, Michelle decided to pull out the big guns—her unconquerable pig face.
She placed a finger in the space between her nostrils and pulled her nose upward. When she saw the slight hint of a smile flash across Precious’ face, she knew it was over. She rolled her eyes back into their sockets until only the whites were visible, pursed her lips, and began making slurping noises like a pig at the trough.
“Hee, hee, hee, hee.... You’re silly.”
“And you’re precious. C’mere.” Michelle held her arms wide. It was a huge risk, but she let out a long sigh when Precious wrapped her arms around her neck. The feel of those skinny arms about her pushed Michelle over the edge and tears flowed down her cheeks.
Precious was no different from Jessica, Malcolm, Tessa, Ashley, Parker, or any other kid who hung out at the youth center where she volunteered on a regular basis. She may have a lot more toys, nicer clothes, and eat more food in a day than they had in a week, but at the end of the day, all a kid needed was love, and to know that somebody cared enough to fight for them, laugh with them.
Michelle looked up to find Erik staring at her. There was relief and gratitude in his eyes because his daughter had laughed, but there was something else shrouded in their gauging depth. Something she didn’t understand.
“This is Bradie.” Precious pulled her doll from her father’s hand and shoved it into Mic
helle’s face. “I call her Bradie ‘cause she has a lot of braids.”
“Hello, Bradie.” Michelle shook the doll’s limp hand. “I’m Michelle, your new friend.”
“Are you my friend, too?” Precious asked with a timid smile, apparently unsure if Michelle would forgive her earlier offenses.
“Of course, Sunshine.” Michelle touched her cute button of a nose then tapped a finger to her chest. “That is if you have room for one more friend in that little heart of yours.”
“I do.” Her eyes sparkled with eagerness. “You know what?” She started chattering like a seven-year-old high on life. “I have two goldfish. One’s named Charlie and one’s named Sippy. Charlie is the big one. You wanna see them? You wanna see my room?” She tugged Michelle to her feet.
“Sure, I’d love to see your room and your fish.” She looked at Erik. “If it’s okay with your dad.”
Erik pulled his gaze away from Michelle and walked over to his desk. She was crying, he thought in astonishment. She wasn’t afraid to show her emotions. Tears didn’t bother her. Cassie had hated tears. She never cried, at least not in front of him. He gave his wife’s portrait a quick glance then cleared his throat before trusting his voice not to embarrass him. “Precious, go back to your room now, sweetheart. Ms. Carter—”
“Michelle,” Michelle corrected him.
“Michelle will be along soon. I promise,” he added at the reluctance in his daughter’s eyes.
Precious glanced from Michelle to her father, then back to Michelle again.
Sensing her hesitance, Michelle pushed her hand into the front pocket of her jeans. “Here.” She pulled out a penny and held it out to Precious. “This is my lucky penny. I don’t go anywhere without it. So I can’t leave without seeing you, right?”
Precious stared at the penny. “But it’s old and rusty.”
Michelle smiled. “That’s exactly what I told my big brother when he gave it to me many years ago when I was just a little girl like you. But you know what he said?”