by Juniper Hart
“You were calling for what?” he urged, wishing she would get to the point. This was why he much preferred texting to calling.
“Where are you? What’s that noise?” she asked, changing the course of her conversation.
“At the airport,” Trevor replied without thinking. He cringed as the words left his lips.
“That’s right! Mom said the nanny was coming today.” Tristan cried, and Trevor exhaled, glad that he didn’t need to explain. His ease was short-lived. “Is she there yet?”
“I’m—” he started to say, but someone was tapping him on the shoulder. He held up a hand to wave them away. He didn’t want to be bothered. His eyes shot around the terminal again as he tried to get his bearings.
“What did you say?” Tristan asked. “I can barely hear you with all that noise.”
“Excuse me…” There was another tap on his shoulder, and Trevor whirled, annoyed to face the intrusion.
“Can’t you see—” His words died on his lips. His jaw dropped at the sight of the woman who was demanding his attention.
Her red hair was cut stylishly short and rested just above her shoulders, a flattering contrast to her tight, black sweater. Her brow was furrowed, but it did not distract from a set of clear sea green eyes, and her wide mouth was puckered into a fine line. Trevor’s eyes traveled down the woman’s shapely bosom, to her curvy waist. She was model-esque, at least five ten, without an ounce of fat on her stunning body. Her jeans and sweater were high quality and obviously pricey, though Trevor did not recognize the brands.
“I’m sorry,” the redhead murmured, seeming embarrassed. “I just…” She paused, gnawing on her lower lip uncertainly.
“I gotta go,” Trevor mumbled into the phone, cutting off Tristan’s protests. He turned fully to stare at Marika, his pulse racing. His mouth didn’t seem to know which direction to take, going through a variety of movement and finally settling on a weak smile.
“I’m sorry to bother you, sir, but are you Trevor?” The accent that she had was almost non-existent, and her English was flawless, flowing musically into his ears. She was nothing like he’d expected in every respect of the surprise.
Trevor found himself nodding vigorously in response to her question, unable to find his voice. Awkwardly, he leaned forward to embrace her in a hug, unsure of how else to greet her. She seemed taken aback by his gesture and impulsively stepped out of his grasp. Horribly embarrassed, Trevor let his arms drop, a deep flush washing over his face.
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, stepping back, but her expression seemed to mask his, and she quickly jumped forward again. They seemed to be trapped in an uncomfortable dance. Trevor realized that anyone watching them would think they were idiots.
“No! I’m sorry!” she declared, throwing her arms around the hefty man. “I was merely startled. I am Marika. I’m happy to meet you, Trevor.”
They shared a gentle hug and departed, each one sizing up the other for the first time as new friends. There was an unmistakable energy flowing between them, one that filled him with a renewed sense of hope.
Well, this is nice, he thought lamely, reluctant to part from her embrace. Get it together. She’s Ellie’s nanny, not your girlfriend. Trevor looked around and saw she did not have any luggage.
“Where are your bags?” he asked. Marika shook her head and laughed lightly.
“The airline has lost them,” she told him quickly. “It is why I am late. I am sorry you were waiting for so long.”
Trevor shook his head, relieved that the explanation for her tardiness was simple. Instantly, all his doubts dissipated into the air as if they’d been nothing more than a petty bother and not the soul-crushing disappointment it had felt like moments before.
“We will locate your luggage,” he assured her. “But we can do that later. You must be exhausted from your trip. Let’s get you home. I can stop somewhere on the way to pick you up a change of clothing and some toiletries in the meantime.”
Marika nodded and smiled gratefully at him.
“Where is the little one?” she asked, looking about. “I thought she would be here?”
“She’s with my mom right now. There will be plenty of time for you and Ellsbeth to get to know one another soon. First, let’s get you settled. Ellie can stay with her grandmother tonight if necessary.” He hoped his words didn’t sound too eager.
“All right.” She didn’t seem perturbed by the idea, but as he studied her face, he realized that she maintained an almost stoic expression. He marveled at how well she spoke, even though everything else about her screamed Europe, and a twinge of alarm sparked in the back of his mind.
Is she an American? On closer inspection, he still couldn’t determine what being she was, but there would be time enough to ask her that when they got home, too. You don’t want to overwhelm her—or yourself, he reminded himself. Baby steps for all of us.
After some investigation, Trevor finally located his Ford Escape in an obscure parking garage in which he did not remember leaving his car.
“It never fails,” he told Marika as he held open the passenger side for his lovely companion. “Airport parking lots are designed to make you forget where you park. I think they unleash something into the air so you purposely leave it longer than you intended, and they can charge you extra.”
Marika smiled, but he noticed that the expression didn’t quite meet her eyes. He idly wondered if she fully understood him before he dismissed the thought just as quickly. Her English was almost better than his. He backed out of the spot and glanced furtively at the new nanny. He couldn’t help seeing the slightly tense look on her face.
Of course she would be stressed. This was completely new to her. She was in a strange land with a strange man, commissioned to watch a strange kid. Trevor had to do everything he could to make this transition smooth and comfortable for her.
She caught his stare and offered him a small grin. The gentle upward curl of her sultry mouth sent flutters through Trevor. She was much more beautiful than he had expected. Her picture didn’t do her justice. In fact, she didn’t resemble her picture very much at all. She was gorgeous!
He remembered his earlier fears that she was an old man and grinned to himself. For the first time since learning about the death of his brother and sister-in-law, Trevor found himself filled with a sensation not unlike happiness. Beside him, the lovely woman turned to watch the scenery outside the window, and he wondered what she was thinking.
He had no idea that she was terrified that everything was about to blow up in her face.
They made a stop at Westfarms Mall on the way back to Trevor’s apartment, and despite Marika’s protests, he purchased almost an entire wardrobe for her from various stores. Inside Abercrombie and Fitch, the fourth apparel place they visited, Marika finally threw up her hands in exasperation, causing Trevor to look at her in surprise.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded. “You don’t like this store?”
“I do not need all this!” she declared as Trevor pulled another pair of size two jeans off the rack. He was surprised by her protests. As the hours whizzed past, he was already getting a feel for her low maintenance personality. She was nothing like the woman he had been expecting. In his mind’s eye, he had expected someone who would have relished being spoiled by his spending, but the opposite seemed to be true. If anything, she seemed off-put by his platinum business card.
“You have no idea how long it can take for an airline to locate your luggage,” Trevor replied calmly, trying not to read too much into her reaction. He reasoned that she was tired after her flight and probably didn’t want to spend the entire day shopping. “It’s better that you have too much than not enough. We can’t come shopping every day, and you don’t have a license here, so getting around, especially with Ellsbeth, will be difficult.”
“It is too much!” she insisted. “No more, please, Trevor. You have already done enough for me.”
Trevor arched an eyebrow at
the statement. What had he done for her? Aside from buying her ticket and offering her a job, there was nothing that she had asked for. Trevor thought of the other women with whom he had briefly exchanged messages. He was sure that either one of them would not have argued the shopping spree.
They would have maxed out my credit cards, Trevor thought wryly, but he reluctantly agreed to stop purchasing clothing. The concession seemed to make Marika relax.
“We need to make a quick stop at CVS for toiletries,” he told her. “A toothbrush? Maybe a hairbrush? If you want, we can get makeup.”
He was embarrassed by his own suggestion. Her face didn’t require an ounce of makeup. She seemed to radiate a glow of confidence and innocence simultaneously. He could not pinpoint what it was precisely about Marika, but staring at her lovely profile from his peripheral vision, a sense of calm and peace stole over him.
She is almost otherworldly. She has a spiritual quality about her, Trevor thought, watching her expressions in fascination. What is she? Though he was almost salivating to ask, for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to form the query, like it might take away from her appeal somehow. All he knew was that he’d never been in the presence of anyone so captivating.
“Will you trust me?” he asked her, and she met his eyes. “One more stop, and then we’ll head home.”
“Yes,” she mumbled. “Of course.”
Trevor couldn’t help wondering if she didn’t want to refuse.
She watched him as he breezed down the aisles, buying for her with too much confidence. She didn’t know how to stop him. She didn’t want him to spend more money, but Trevor seemed to be enjoying their shopping spree more than she was.
He reminds me of someone else I know, she thought, swallowing her anxiety and forcing the thought out of her mind. They’re nothing alike. I can already see that.
It was clear that Trevor was trusting, possibly lonely. The knowledge only fueled the guilt she was already feeling. What was she doing there? She was dragging him into a situation she had no business bringing him into.
Trevor had no way of knowing that her luggage had not been mixed up in some inflight mishap. She had left home with the clothing on her back in the middle of the night. Personal property had hardly been her concern at that time, but she wished she’d thought to bring something at least. It all looked too suspicious. Would she be able to pull it off for long?
She gnawed on her lower lip, knowing that she had probably made a huge mistake in ever meeting with Trevor Holland. What could she do now, though? He didn’t seem to mind in the least.
Initially, she had intended to take the ticket, landing at Bradley International Airport without ever setting eyes on him, just as he had feared. From the airport, she was sure she could find her way to New York City, as had been her plan along. She had waited behind the frosted sliding doors in the terminal, watching him eagerly awaiting her arrival. She found herself becoming apprehensive when he refused to move from his spot like a tree rooted in place.
Give up and go home, she thought with some annoyance. You can find yourself another desperate European “nanny.” She felt contempt toward him at first, irritated by his need to recruit an unsuspecting woman from overseas. Why can’t he find himself an American woman? Are they all disgusted with him?
From where she stood, she didn’t see anything wrong with the man standing in wait. He was attractive, with dark hair and eyes, the pure build of a dragon, and a kind face. She couldn’t imagine that he would have a difficult time finding a mate, yet there he was, eagerly awaiting a stranger from a world away.
As the crowd thinned, he remained there, a hopeful expression on his face, and while he could not see her, she could slowly see the optimism fade from his dark eyes when she did not materialize. Shame began to overtake her anger with this man as minutes passed yet Trevor did not falter, his neck still straining to look beyond the doors, confusion overcoming his face. A stab of shame pierced her heart.
You can’t do this to him, she told herself. Or to his niece. You made a promise to them both. You’re better than this, no matter what your past dictates. It’s not too late to turn all your wrongs into rights.
She had been expecting a pervert, someone leering and aggressive, but she sensed a gentleness about this being, a deep loneliness, and she had an almost psychic affinity toward him. She recognized something of herself in him, despite their physical differences. It was as though something in his soul was reaching out, calling to her. She felt momentarily lost, weighing her options in her own mind.
Sighing, she decided that she would minimally introduce herself to him.
You have nowhere else to go and no money. If he ends up being less than a gentleman, you can simply leave, she told herself, making the decision. Another voice in her head laughed at her. Oh? Is it that simple?
But she silenced the thought and stepped forward, activating the double doors with thigh high boots. To her surprise and slight distress, Trevor was no longer standing where he’d been for over an hour. She looked around almost frantically. Which way had he gone? She had waited too long!
Out of the corner of her seawater eyes, she watched him slowly ambling toward the exit, his ear pressed to his iPhone. He was out of earshot, but she could see his lips moving in conversation.
She waited for a moment, questioning her next move before briskly walking after him, the expensive leather of her boot stiletto tapping against the tile floor. She knew that if she paused too long, she would lose him again, and she wasn’t sure she’d find him.
Or maybe I’m still looking to him as my safety net, she thought, somewhat dismayed by the idea. Truly, Trevor was the only connection she had in America, and letting him go would be a mistake. She made her way into the cold, winter sunlight and almost smiled. People scurried through the drop off zone, shivering and wrapping their arms about themselves.
They had no idea what cold felt like. She relished the crisp air against her face. It reminded her of home, and for a strange moment, she felt a stab of nostalgia for her chilly city.
Don’t be daft. You can never, ever go back there. You shouldn’t have ever been there in the first place. She shook her head to clear her head, and she stood, watching Trevor as he spoke into his cell phone. She caught bits and pieces of his conversation and heard the forced cheer in his voice, but his face told a different story. She found her heart sink as she realized that she had caused this man hurt. You owe it to him to introduce yourself. He has done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment from you.
She moved forward before she could change her mind. It was then that she tapped him on the arm. The expression of relief on his face had told her then and there that she had done the right thing.
“Marika? Marika!” Trevor’s voice shattered her reverie, and she turned to look at the man. He had pulled into the parking lot of the drugstore and was expectantly waiting for her to undo her seatbelt. “Are you all right?” he asked with some concern.
Marika returned his smile easily, quickly dissolving his overthinking into a puddle of happiness.
“Of course,” she answered evenly. “Everything is perfect. Thanks to you.”
Again, ease flowed onto Trevor’s face, but she was already thinking about something else.
I must remember that my name is Marika now, she thought. Kendra Jagger is dead.
5
Marika flowed into Trevor and his niece’s lives seamlessly, adopting the role of Ellsbeth’s nanny without ego or pretense. Trevor was stunned at how well the two females interacted, as if they, too, had been old friends from another life. His niece adored the beautiful caregiver, and from the moment they met, they were inseparable.
Marika was happy to take Ellie to the park when he was on calls with clients and entertained her when they were home so that they could all have dinner together.
“You’re not a wolf or a bear,” Trevor overheard the little girl say to Marika one day. “Are you a dragon?”
�
��No,” Marika said. “I’m not.”
“Are you a fairy?”
“Ellie, maybe Marika doesn’t want to tell you,” Trevor chided his niece gently. “And you shouldn’t go around asking people things like that. You know better.”
Ellsbeth seemed hurt by the reprimand.
“But Mama always says I should ask questions!” she protested, and Marika waved a hand dismissively.
“It’s fine,” she insisted. “I’m a Vulpes, Ellie.”
The child and Trevor gasped in unison.
“A what?” Ellsbeth demanded, unfamiliar with the thought-to-be obsolete Enchanted being. “What is that?”
“Are you pulling our legs?” Trevor demanded simultaneously, but even as he asked the question, he realized why it had been so hard to place who and what she was. “I didn’t think there were any more foxes.”
“Foxes?” Ellie cried in disbelief. “I’ve never met a fox shifter before.”
“Now you have.”
“Wow,” Trevor mumbled. “No wonder I couldn’t place you. You must be the rarest of us all.”
“I know,” Marika chuckled. “We’re rarer than demons.”
Ellsbeth’s eyes filled with tears at the mention of demons, and Trevor cringed instinctively.
“My mommy and daddy were killed by a demon,” she whispered. Trevor watched as Marika’s face darkened in disbelief.
“Why?” she questioned, but it was directed at Trevor. “Who?”
“Long story—for another time,” he said quickly, giving Marika a warning look. “Ellie, why don’t you go wash up for dinner.”
Ellsbeth sniffled and blinked, eyeing her nanny reluctantly.
“Will you come with me, Marika?” she begged. “I feel better when you’re with me.”
“Of course,” Marika agreed. “Then I’ll figure out dinner.” She winked at Trevor, and he felt a warmth growing inside him like he’d never known.
A Vulpes. How strange and wonderful. I wonder what she can do. Like so many others, he had heard of the mystical creatures, but they were thought to have been extinct. He would have to research their powers.
