Shifter Nanny Agency

by Celeste Raye

  They sat there for almost ten minutes, and the bird had not moved. Dana made a comment about it and Laura had to stop muttering under her breath. It was the only reason that the bird had stayed so long. She had tried to charm it to stay, and the little girl had enough of a start to keep going.

  “I don't think any bird has ever stayed that long.”

  “Sometimes you just have to make it stay.”

  “How would you do that?”

  Laura wanted to answer honestly, but she knew that it wasn't the time. She had just met the family, and the last thing she needed to do was draw attention to the fact that she was a witch. Especially considering who her family was. Laura wasn't stupid.

  “Maybe one day I'll show you.”

  Laura went back to her drawing, and there was an easy silence that came over them. It was becoming easier day by day, for Laura to fit in. Now though, she was thinking about what was going to happen next. Her employer would be home soon, and the whole dynamic would change. Would he be there a lot? Or would he be the kind of father that dropped by once or twice a week for dinner and worked the rest of the time? She would find out soon enough.

  Then she heard Dana calling for her daddy. It was sudden, and it startled Laura. It took her a minute to realize that he was behind her, coming up the drive, and Dana was ecstatic to see him.

  Laura wasn’t sure how she felt about seeing her employer again. Last time, it had only been for a few moments, but there was something about the way that he had reacted to her that made her nervous. It wasn’t just the hunger in his eyes that worried her, but the need in her body as well.

  John was the sort of man that a woman should stay away from if she wanted to keep her heart intact. Laura knew better.

  Chapter Seven

  “What are you two doing?”

  John had just walked up from where he had parked his car. His eyes immediately went to the nanny. A part of him was a little surprised that she was still there. His daughter was known to be a little reckless and hard on the help. She did not like most babysitters, and he was curious why they were outside. It looked like they were drawing when he came up, and he saw the paper pads next to each of them. Now he was even more intrigued.

  “Laura and I were out here doing some drawing. Do you like my bird?”

  It wasn't finished yet, but he told her that it was beautiful. There was always a light that came into Dana's eyes when she drew something. He wanted that light to never disappear, and there was a moment of pride that filled his chest. She really was good.

  He looked down at the other paper pad that had a tree and other details of their surroundings.

  “This looks good as well. You both have quite some talent.”

  Dana was beaming with pride. She was always happy to see her father, and even more so when he was being so generous with compliments. All she ever wanted was to make him happy and make him proud.

  “Isn’t it time for your piano lesson?”

  Dana agreed but then told him that she had made a deal with Laura. “She made me chocolate chip pancakes, and we threw the rules out for the day.”

  John had a feeling that Dana was quoting the new nanny. She picked up on phrases very quickly, and he was finding it hard not to smile. What surprised him more was how, in three days, Laura was able to do something that he had not been able to do since her mother died. It had bothered him to his core that his daughter was so rigid. He wanted her to relax and enjoy being a kid.

  John knew that the schedules came from losing her mother. She felt out of control, and for the past three years, her life was nothing but a schedule. It somehow made her feel better, though, so he had gone along with it, no matter how much John just wanted her to be a kid.

  “Well, I leave for a few days and everything has changed.”

  Dana was serious for a moment. “It has. I really like this one.”

  She had that innocent look on her face, the one that he didn’t trust. John was thankful for all of the positive changes, but he had to wonder how Laura had done it. He planned to talk to her about it and sent his daughter in to show Ernest the picture that she was talking about.

  After she was gone, John looked at Laura.

  “You’ve done quite a lot in the last few days.”

  “She has been really receptive, although I didn’t think I was ever going to drag her away from the schedule. This is the first day that we broke from it.”

  “It looks like it was a success.”

  “It was. We had a good time.”

  “How did you do it?”

  “Pardon me?”

  “I want to know how you got her to agree to all of this.”

  There was an accusatory tone that he couldn’t get rid of. John knew that she was a witch, and he knew how powerful she was. He was worried that she had done something magical with his daughter. That thought had not occurred to him when he was looking for leverage. Not until he saw the drastic change, the one he had been so unsuccessful at.

  “What are you asking me? She wanted pancakes, and I said if we were going to break the schedule for breakfast, then we should break it for the entire day. I knew that she would give in.”

  It sounded reasonable.

  “So, you bribed her with chocolate for breakfast?”

  She laughed, this loud, tinkling sound, and he was grinning as well.

  “Yes, I guess I did.”

  “Don’t worry; I am not mad. I am only pissed off that I didn’t think about it before. That would have made my life a lot easier.”

  “Well, I wasn’t thinking it would hurt anything. She is very rigid for a little girl.”

  “Don’t let her hear you call her that. She thinks that she is a lot older than she is. She has always been that way.”

  John was mesmerized by her. The way she laughed and hid her mouth like she was shy. There were so many endearing qualities about her. John found it hard to think about her in that way, especially when he knew that there was a dark secret between them. He had to watch himself. There was no point in getting close to her, not when John knew that he would have to possibly use her as a bargaining chip later. It didn’t seem wise to get too attached to her, although it was very easy to do.

  He pulled back the grin and wondered out loud about dinner.

  “Well, since you just got back, why don’t I start dinner and leave you two for some time together?”

  John agreed because it was going to be easier to ignore the pull in his loins if he didn’t have to see her and talk to her. It was thoughtful of her, but he was thinking about himself and his

  survival.

  After the nanny went inside, he was able to think straight. He found Dana and posed for her to draw a portrait of him. He was surprised at how good she was at it. The little girl really had a talent and he hadn’t seen her that excited to draw for a long time. He knew that the reason was clear. It was Laura. She had awakened the little girl in ways that he hadn’t been able to. Laura had done it in days. He wondered what kind of miracle she could do to him. He had a feeling that it could be a lot.

  Laura had made dinner, and it smelled amazing. He hadn’t known that she was a cook and was happy to learn that she was. She was just full of surprises.

  “It smells good in here.”

  “Dana said you like paella. I haven’t made it in a while, but it came out well. Did you guys have fun drawing?”

  She was talking to Dana now and showed how impressed she was with the picture. It was so natural, and the bond was fast growing. He had never seen this happening this way. How was he to know that Dana was going to like Laura, out of all the other nannies that she had scared off? John had figured that it wouldn’t be long at all and then she’d been on her way. He could keep up with her and know where she was at all times. The plan was to use her as leverage. How could he do that now?

  John had to shake off the thoughts and feelings because they had no place in his day. He was already trying to back out of it, which wasn’t a
good sign. He wanted to distance himself. At the same time, he had a true need to get closer. It was a very confusing position to be in.

  They sat down, and Laura brought dinner to the table. Dana didn’t even bat an eye at all of the new foods. She would even eat shrimp for her. John noticed that Laura wasn’t sitting down, and he asked her about it.

  “Well, I want to give you two the time to be together. I am going to eat on the back balcony. You two have a good night.”

  That wasn’t going to do for John. He needed to know more about the woman. It wasn’t advisable by any means, but it wasn’t something that he was willing to change.

  “Stay, really. I want to hear about what you guys have been up to since I left. It looks like there have been some changes to this place and I would be happy to hear about them.”

  Chapter Eight

  Laura sat down because it didn’t feel like she had a way to say no. She wanted to, because the looks that she was getting from John were hard to ignore. Laura’s heart raced when she was around him, and before long, she wasn’t worried too much about anything else, just getting away from him so that she could breathe again. He was sucking up all of the air.

  “How was your trip?”

  Laura wanted to get the conversation rolling, get away from the weird vibe that was in the air. It made her self-conscious, but more than that, Laura didn’t know where she was supposed to look. Looking at John and his naughty grin was not an option for her.

  “It was pretty good. Just went to a few meetings. They were rather uneventful. I don’t usually have to take off like that, but some people insist on making a big deal out of everything.”

  “Trust me, I get it. I have a family that is pretty dramatic.”

  Laura stopped herself from saying anything else. If he knew who she was, it wasn’t good to talk so flippantly about it. If he didn’t know all of it, she still didn’t want to give details.

  “Yes, family can be a burden at times. I have certainly said that more than once.”

  The conversation was dropped when Dana started talking excitedly about some of their adventures. Laura had taken her to several parks in the area. Dana had been convinced there was nothing to do, but Laura found all sorts of things to occupy their time.

  “I didn’t realize that there were so many parks within walking distance in the city.”

  “The city is chocked full of greenspaces. They have an app for it.”

  “I will have to take your word for it. I still haven’t gotten the hang of all of these gadgets.”

  Dana told her father that he was a dinosaur, and it was the first time that Laura had seen her actually acting her age. Most of the time, she was so serious, and it was hard not to see that she wanted attention more than anything else.

  “It’s good to see you smiling again, Dana. I hate to mention it, but my daughter has gotten quite a reputation in some nanny circles.”

  Dana cut her father a look and Laura waved him off. “Well, they just didn’t get to know her, that’s all.”

  Dana was satisfied with the answer. John was given a few more dirty looks before it vanished, and she was happy to have him back again. Laura found it interesting to see them together. She wondered how long they had been alone. She still had so many questions, but she didn’t feel like it was her place.

  The dinner finished and Laura started to pick up the dishes. She wanted to continue talking and carrying on with them, but she had a bit of work to do, and then she was going to go to sleep. Dana would be up early, schedule or not.

  “I am going to head up to bed. Thank you for dinner and conversation. It has been rather nice.”

  Laura embraced Dana when she stepped forward for a hug like they did it all the time. Laura could feel John’s eyes on her, and she didn’t know how to take it. The more she tried to understand, the harder it seemed to become.

  Her room gave her some refuge, and she tried her best to get her mind off of the boss. She settled in with a book that she had found in the extensive library downstairs and tried to let her mind be pulled in. It had to be better than her worrying about all of her problems.

  A little while later, Laura heard a knock at the door. She wasn't sure who it was, but she figured that it was John. The one person that she was trying to stay away from.

  “Come in.”

  Laura closed her book and saw that John had a bottle of wine in his hands. He also had a couple of glasses, so it wasn't hard to put together what he was trying to do. But she didn't understand was why. Why was he all of a sudden interested in her? She was the nanny after all, not a date.

  “Do you mind if we have a drink? I didn't serve any with dinner because I just wasn't thinking. I always like to unwind with a couple of glasses before I go to sleep. Do you mind?”

  He was being so nice and so courteous that it was impossible for Laura to tell him no. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to. There was a part of her that definitely had a connection with John. Maybe it was better to call it an attraction. Whatever it was, it was rather apparent.

  “Sure, that sounds like a good idea. I don't drink all that often, but I have been known to once in a while.”

  “I just can't get over how different Dana is. It's like you've worked a miracle with her or something.”

  “It's nothing like that. Sometimes they just listen better to other people. You could say the same thing fifty times, and somebody else will say it once, and all of a sudden, it’s like they are hearing it all for the first time. Kids are strange that way.”

  Laura wanted to tell him that he was doing good with his kid, but she didn't think that it would be taken the right way. Instead, she asked him about Dana running off other nannies.

  “Are you serious about her running off so many nannies?”

  He nodded his head in agreement. “Many. I would say we have at least twenty in the last year.”

  Laura almost spat out her drink. That number was far higher than she would have imagined.

  “Wow that is a lot of nannies. I just thought you were kind of joking about it. She had a little bit of an attitude the first day. She kept calling me human, and I can tell that she doesn't like humans much. But it didn't take her long to get back to normal. I think she’s just like every other kid; she just wants to see people's reactions. If you don't give one, they move on pretty quickly.

  “How do you know so much about kids without having any of your own?”

  “I have a lot of nieces, but it doesn't have much to do with kids; it has more to do with just being a girl.”

  “Well, I have certainly looked past some of the nuances.”

  “You do great with her. I wouldn't worry so much about it. Kids are going to act out, but she will outgrow it.”

  “I'm just glad to have found somebody that she likes. That I like as well.”

  He stopped short and Laura just looked at him. She couldn't believe that he had just said that. She wondered if he really meant it or not. Laura even imagined that she had heard what she wanted to hear. There was no way that he had said that out loud.

  Instead of answering, she sipped her wine and tried to avoid his gaze. She could feel it burning on the side of her face, and finally he touched her cheek and turned her towards him.

  “Does it bother you that I said that?”

  “A little bit. You’re my boss, and I don't think we should be talking about that sort of thing.”

  “I would agree with you, but at the same time, I really want to kiss you.”

  Laura pressed her lips together, and she didn't know if she was doing it in anticipation of him kissing her or if she was nervous. It was most likely, a little bit of both. She was perfectly fine with that as well. It wasn’t like she could stop how she felt, and when he began to move towards her, alarm bells started going off. She knew what he was doing, why he was doing it, but it wasn’t doing her any good to have that knowledge. For one reason or another, Laura was unable to stop the inevitable. She didn't even know if she
wanted to.

  Chapter Nine

  John did not know what he was doing. He had just convinced himself that the last thing he needed to do was be around Laura, and now he was kissing her. At first, he thought it was a mistake, and then she started to kiss him back, and there was no way that he could consider that a mistake. It felt too good, and that was rare for him.

  After a few moments, her body started to melt into his, and her lips gave in to his dominating pressure. He tried to pull himself together, but the next thing he knew, John was doing everything in his power to get closer. He pulled her into his lap and deepened the kiss. His hands were roaming over her back and cupping her butt. He wanted her even more, and the way she was reacting made it worse. Laura was acting like she needed it just as badly.

  Laura made a soft sound in the back of her throat that drove him a little crazy. He looked down at the woman that was making it and felt a shiver run through him. He really did love the sound of it.

  Then she was pushing back, and he was remembering the reason he wasn't supposed to be doing it in the first place. The whole point was John was supposed to stay away from her. She was leverage. He was using her. The last thing he needed to do, was complicate things further.

  “I am sorry, Laura. I don't know what has gotten into me.”

  John could see that she was a little dazed and confused. He could certainly relate to that. Everything had happened so quickly, and now it was at a standstill. His body was still raring to go, but his brain was telling him to stop. It certainly wasn't something he wanted to do, but they both knew that they had to. He apologized again, but she still didn't answer him.

  Finally, she told him that it was fine, that it was no big deal. She climbed off of his lap and straightened her hair out.

  “If you don't mind, though, I think I'm going to go to bed. This wine must have gone to my head.”