by Natalie Ann
Earlier, she’d studied this file and knew the only reason this man had appeared was because his neighbor had reported him to the DCS (Department of Child Safety) who then sent the information to their office.
The sudden appearance of a small toddler living with him, a single man who had no wife, and gave no reason other than ‘mind your own business’, rang a bell for the concerned neighbor. Once the button had been pushed, certain protocols were set in place which ended with the appointment today.
Elli moved to greet the pair and after a very quick introduction and handshake with Mr. Williams, she crouched down by the curled-up child on the floor and spoke gently, “Hello. What’s your name?”
“She doesn’t talk. To anyone.” The male voice had a husky tone that sent shock waves through her system. She glanced at him quickly and then away again. Did he know his voice sounded sexier than any actor’s she’d ever heard?
“What do you mean, she doesn’t talk? She’s old enough. The file says she’s almost three years old.”
“I mean, she hasn’t spoken a word in the few days she’s been with me.”
In her mind, the words how convenient flashed, but she shut them down. Stop it, Elli. You’re totally biased for any child and your grizzly bear mood isn’t a good way to start this conversation.
“When I explained we were going out today, the kid hid in the closet. I had a hell of a time finding her.” Disgruntled, his expression exhibiting that very sentiment, he made the excuse she’d expected. “That’s why we’re late for the appointment.”
“I had wondered if you would be appearing at all.” She stopped herself from saying more because there were cuss words mixed up in the actual statement she’d like to fling at the grinning idiot.
Mr. Williams had a lilt to his soft, incredible voice; a slight accent she couldn’t place. “Her name is Caro. She's a cantankerous little peanut who likes getting her own way.”
“I have a feeling that's something you'd have in common. How did Caro come to be staying with you?”
“I told the other woman from DCS that my brother’s old girlfriend came by my place looking for Roger. Said she couldn’t look after Caro any longer. She dropped the kid off like a FedEx parcel and high-tailed it out of the apartment. Never saw her again. Good riddance to bad rubbish as my mom used to say.”
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind.” He scratched his head and stood, walked right by her and picked up the child. Then he went to the chair and tried to settle the little toddler in his arms but gave up the struggle when Caro wriggled to be let down on the floor by his feet, her thumb in her mouth.
Watching this performance, Elli couldn’t decide if Caro liked Beau Williams or not. One thing seemed clear though; she didn’t fear him, and that gave Elli a huge sense of relief.
“You say her mother holds your brother responsible, maintaining that he’s Caro’s father?”
“That’s what she claims. I can't be certain since I wasn't there during conception.” His chuckle showed how lightly he viewed this situation.
“Really.” The dry tones in Elli’s voice were noticeable, and she didn’t try to cover up her disgust. This man was totally unsuitable to raise the little girl. It came through each time he opened his mouth.
“Look, I know what you’re thinking. It’s exactly what I’d already reckoned from the very first day. Yet, every time I figure this won't work and I need to find a place for her, she turns on her thing.”
“What thing?”
As if she knew her cue, Caro stood. Then she laid her pretty face on his knee, stared up into his eyes and sighed happily.
“This thing.”
Elli could see clearly that Caro trusted Beau Williams. The strange little girl had her own language and without words, she expressed her wishes.
“Ahh... She's gotten to you.”
“Yeah!” His frustrated look said it all.
“That’s why you’re here… to fight for her. You don’t want to give her up.”
“Not unless you kill me first.” This time when he shot her a glare from his gorgeous green eyes – similar to his niece – she saw seriousness staring back.
“I gather that means you want custody?”
“At least until my brother shows up.”
“Do you expect him to?”
“Not unless he's sick or broke.”
“Doesn't sound to me like he'd make this little angel a very good daddy.”
“Nope. He's more of an absent friend kind of guy.”
Elli couldn’t believe he could take the situation so lightly. “Are you purposely trying to be annoying?”
“No, ma'am. It just comes naturally.” This time he grinned in a way that probably won him a bar pickup for the night.
Getting serious, Elli asked, “Why would you want to take on the care of this child? I’ve read your statement. You’re successful, work hard and are involved in a demanding career. You have a perfect life – no responsibilities. Freedom to come and go when you please.”
“I don't see that having a child will make that much of a difference.”
Seriously? The guy had rocks in his head if he truly believed that. “Mr. Williams, you have no idea. Children need to be nurtured and have constant supervision and love. Lots of positive attention.” She pointed at the watchful child and lowered her tone. “Look, her hair needs a good washing and her dress is too small, she’s only wearing one shoe, and… and her teeth will be ruined from her sucking her thumb.”
“It’s okay, they’re her baby teeth. She’ll get a new set, and by then, she’ll most likely have broken the habit.”
“What! Are you purposely being annoying? Do you know what a dentist would tell you about your stupid statement?” Her voice became her loudspeaker as it rose with each new word. If he wouldn't have stared at her like she was an alien, she might have been able to control her temper, but the man reeked of insolence and her cool boiled over.
“Excuse me, Miss Storm. May I speak to you in my office for a moment?” Miss Grundy, stiff with annoyance, waited.
Chapter Four
Damn! Here we go again.
“I have repeatedly asked you not to freak out with our clients, and now you're doing it twice in the same day. You're here to get paperwork done; not judge people's choices or state your opinion.”
“But he’s a buffoon. How can he look after that darling little girl?”
“That’s not your choice to make. If you step over the line one more time, you can pack your things. And... keep your voice down.”
“But this clown hasn't a clue what it takes to raise a toddler. She's too precious to be with that man who can’t even keep her from lying on the floor.”
“Which isn't our problem. We take their information, pass it on to the person whose job it is to inspect it and give their recommendations to the supervisor who then decides whether or not to grant the client approval. We just facilitate the process, not judge the participants.”
“Yes, Miss Grundy. You’re right.” Elli knew it in her head; it was her heart that couldn’t quite accept the truth.
“Just stay focused, Elli. That's all I ask. Keep your personal opinions to yourself.”
“Yes, ma'am.” Elli swallowed the words she wished she could say – like, I'm outta here – and went to open her office door only to find it hadn't been closed.
When she returned to her desk, she found the child asleep on the floor next to his chair, while he dallied on his stupid phone.
“Did you know she's fallen asleep on the floor?”
“Yeah, she does that a lot.”
“Seriously? And it didn't occur to you to pick her up?”
“Nope, she likes the floor.”
“It's dirty on the floor.”
“It’s okay, I put my jacket down for her.”
“You… you threw your jacket down... like… like you’d do for a dog. She's a little girl. Not an animal. What were you thinking?”
“Shhh… keep y
our voice down or Godzilla will be back and fire your pretty little ass.”
Elli couldn't believe that the crude idiot grinning at her like a Cheshire cat would speak to her in such a demeaning way. She jumped to her feet and leaned across the desk that had overpowered her from the first day. She'd even brought a footstool to hide under it, so her feet had somewhere to rest rather than swinging in the air.
Files propped on the edge toppled over and woke up the little one who started to whimper. Seeing the poor baby so distressed hit Elli hard. Her finger pointed, and her control flew out the window.
“How can you sit there talking about my ass when it's the perfect description of yourself, you self-satisfied smug idiot.”
Miss Grundy, showing an unusual loss of restraint, slammed her hand at the door to open it. “Miss Storm! That is quite enough. You will pack your belongings and leave. I strongly recommend you take some anger management classes before applying for another position such as this one.” She stalked from the room, her skinny body stiff as a stick.
Elli looked towards the man who’d come closer to her… waiting. She didn’t know what to say, but he did.
“Now look what you’ve done. The monster reacted. You really do have a temper.”
“Look what I’ve done? Why you silly man, it’s what you did that drove me into behaving so badly. It’s all your fault.”
“And I’ll fix it, don’t you worry.” The gentleness in his voice as he patted her back was the final straw. The tears came hard and heavy as her composure broke. Heartache for the boy earlier in the day now entwined with her worry for his little ward broke the restraints. Burying her head in his shoulder, she let loose and bawled like the baby who’d come over to pat her on the hip, her big eyes full of childish worry and her tiny hands moving in a caress.
Chapter Five
He didn’t know what to say to the crying woman who’d buried her face against his chest. His hand rose to hold her head in place, and it knocked the clip thing from her hair. The soft bulk tumbled around her shoulders and over her back.
The light above highlighted the shiny mass, and he could feel the thick strands softly entwined in his fingers. A wonderful smell of flowery perfume wafted from around her head, and he found himself breathing deeply.
Shocked, he felt Caro pulling at his pant leg, and he reached down to smooth her head, the one tenderness she allowed from him. He saw that her tiny hand patted Miss Storm’s leg and that shocked him.
The crying woman obviously affected her. He saw her big green eyes open wide and full of empathy, and it gave him hope for the future. He’d never seen emotions displayed by the cherub. Most of the time, her face was blank and the staggering control she kept over her feelings was unheard of in a child so young. It made him wonder what in the world her life had been like before she’d come to him.
It had taken him two days just to be able to pick Caro up without her flinching, fighting and trying to pull away. She didn’t like being touched and protested loudly when he overrode her comfort zone. She might not speak, but she did cry.
Just last night, she’d finally come close to him of her own free will, laid on the floor by his chair as if seeking his company, and his heart had lifted. He’d found himself carefully reaching down to touch her gently.
The gesture hadn’t been accepted; she’d flinched and moved away. So, he left his hand there and slowly, she’d come closer until he saw her head so near that a short reach had him caressing her hair. She let him do that for a few moments, then she laid her head on her arms and went to sleep.
The only contact she volunteered were those few times she lay her head on his knee. At first, he couldn’t touch her, but now, she’d allow a few seconds of touching before pulling away.
Caring for an almost baby was beyond his comfort zone. How she knew when his frustration had peaked, when he’d begin telling himself that keeping her with him wasn’t the solution, he had no idea. Then she would do that thing. It was as if she sensed his withdrawal, and she’d lay her head on his knee and stare up into his eyes – eyes that were identical to hers.
Somehow, they drew her. He’d seen her searching gaze, the way she’d stare as if she knew they belonged to each other in some strange way. And so, he’d decide to give it one more day.
When his pain-in-the-ass neighbor, Kevin Bong – Kevin Ding Dong as he secretly nicknamed him – stuck his nose into his business, he became involved in this travesty of bureaucracy, and his stubborn streak flared. Hell, it was one thing for him to decide yes or no to caring for his niece, but it was totally another for some obnoxious government official to tell him he couldn’t.
“You can stop hugging me now, Mr. Williams. I’m sorry I was such a crybaby.” She’d stiffened and pushed at his arms that hadn’t been paying attention to her efforts. He quickly dropped them and backed away. Caro didn’t. She held onto Miss Storm’s ugly black skirt and kept staring upwards.
The woman didn’t realize how much of a victory she’d gained from Caro. Instinctively, she’d just reached down and picked the child up to cuddle her close. He saw Caro stiffen, readying herself to throw the fit she usually did when he picked her up, then stop. She’d noticed the still visible tears on the woman’s cheeks. Reaching with her little hand to wipe away the wet tracks, her sympathy became instantly apparent.
And his heart took the final, unequivocal step to accepting that one day in the distant future, he’d be the man giving Caro away at her wedding. She needed a daddy, and he needed to be that man. Simple as that.
Miss Storm’s voice broke into his predictions. She’d removed her glasses, tossed them on the desk and wiped her eyes with her free hand. Riveted, his focus on the strange transformation of a plain Jane to a beautiful young woman, he listened to her husky voice.
“I’m sorry. It’s been the worst day since I began working here. And now you’ve gotten me fired, so that’s put the cherry on the cake.”
“I didn’t get you fired. You were in the wrong job, and it became apparent to Godzilla, bless her stony heart. A person who cares about the people as much as you do, and who hates red tape crap as much as I do, shouldn’t be in this office stuck behind a desk, curtailed by stupid rules that don’t consider the individual. It’s a recipe for frustration and you’re filled to the brim.”
She stared at him as if mesmerized. Caro did too. Since she didn’t reply, he continued. “You need to be working with people where you can actually help them one on one. Where you can follow through and see that your efforts have made a difference. That’s why you need to come and work for me. Help me with Caro.”
“What in the world are you talking about?”
“Look, Miss… ahh, Miss Storm. Just a few days ago, I was a happy bachelor, working twelve hours a day and my life was normal. Okay, a bit boring, but I was changing that. In fact, the day this whole crazy situation began, I’d just returned from shopping for surfing equipment so I could start exercising the sport again. Then the doorbell rang and my whole world changed.”
“It changed? What did you expect when you took on the care of this child?”
“That’s what I’m trying to get through to you. I don’t want everything to change. I want Caro, yes. Do I want her to be happy? Of course. That’s where you come in. If you work for me as a nanny, looking after her, I can get on with my busy life, and you’ll be doing something that matters. Helping her learn how to be a happy, well-adjusted little person is important.” He watched her expression change. Clearly, she was considering his offer. Leaning back, she looked at Caro, who didn’t like the scrutiny and wriggled ferociously to be put down. Rather than drop the imp, she lowered Caro to the floor, and as if weakness attacked, she dropped into one of the visitor’s chairs.
Just as he would have spoken, begged, offered to pay her an outrageous salary, she held her hand up to stop him.
“Give me a minute.”
Thankful she didn’t just turn him down straightaway, he closed his mouth and sat in
the opposite chair to wait.
Her head dropped to her hands and her wild hair cascaded over her shoulders. He hadn’t realized what a small woman she was. Probably because when she lost her cool, she appeared a lot more imposing.
Driven by an urge he couldn’t fight, he spoke low, cajoling her before she refused him down outright. “She needs you. Hell… I need you.”
Beau noticed Caro watching the social worker. From what he could tell, Caro listened to everything they’d said. Being so young, he had no idea how much she actually understood, but her little features were serious and troubled. Right now, she seemed focused on the woman and her angst.
When Miss Storm finally looked at him, her gaze searching, he could have kissed his little ward. Caro did to her exactly what she did to him. The action that had won his heart. She stood and moved over to the distressed woman and laid her head on Miss Storm’s knee, her eyes pleading, no words were needed. The point was made. Caro wanted her.
Chapter Six
On her way to her new job, Elli drove slowly, knowing she was early. Her mind traveled back to the day before when she’d accepted a job based on the beseeching gaze in a child’s eyes. How had her world changed so drastically in such a short time?
After getting the answer he wanted, Beau Williams gave her his card with his address, shocked her by asking if she needed some time off before starting her new nanny job, and effusively thanked her when she shook her head, saying, “I’d rather start tomorrow. What time does Caro usually get up?”
“I don’t know. She never comes out of her room, and she doesn’t make any noise. Not wanting to disturb her, it’s usually around seven-thirty when I check, and she’s always awake.”
“Should I come around eight then?”
“Perfect. Yes. We’ll be waiting for you. And thank you, Miss Storm. I’m so relieved. We need someone with your expertise to help us pass the upcoming home visits.”
After they left, she wasn’t sure of what Miss Grundy expected of her, what duties she should finish so as not to leave them too much in the lurch for the next counselor.
