by K. L. Ramsey
“Sure,” she agreed.
“Great,” Rose said. “Tell me why you became a nanny, Zara,” she asked.
This was her favorite question to answer and also the toughest. She would always be truthful about her past, but sometimes families didn’t like the fact she was raised in the foster care system. It was as if they thought she was somehow damaged. “My parents both died when I was very young and I have no other family. I was placed in the foster care system and bounced around a little bit. I’ve been working my way through college and honestly, being a nanny is right in line with my major,” she said.
“Oh, and what is that?” Rose questioned.
“I’m majoring in early childhood education. I want to be a teacher. I have one more class to take in the fall and then I can graduate. But don’t worry,” she said. “My class is in the evening and work always comes first.” Rose nodded again and checked her paper and then sat it back down on the desk.
“It must have been awful for you, growing up without parents. I’m sure they would be proud of the young woman you’ve become,” Rose offered. Zara had always wondered if her mother and father would have approved of her choices and the path she had taken. They would have been so happy she was able to work her way through college, but she wondered if some of her other choices would make them proud. It wasn’t something she let her thoughts linger on too long because focusing on them always made her heart ache a little. Sure, she had grown up and learned to live without either of them, but she would always wonder what if and that was a dangerous game to play.
“That is very kind of you to say, Rose,” she whispered.
“Well, if you have no further questions for me, I’d like to know when you can start,” Rose said. Zara all but stood from her chair, dumping the contents of her purse onto the floor.
“I’m so sorry,” she muttered. Rose stood and helped her gather her things from the floor, handing her back her bag.
“No, it’s fine. I’m always a bundle of nerves when it comes to these things myself. You might think it’s nerve racking being on the interviewee side but interviewing someone is just as stressful. Maybe I didn’t handle that right. I guess I should have asked if you’d like the job?” Rose waited her out and Zara wasn’t sure if jumping up and down, clapping and cheering was the correct response but she didn’t care.
“Thank you so much,” she said. “I’d have to meet the family first but I think I’d love to take the job,” she offered. “When would you like for me to start?”
“How about tomorrow morning, eight sound good? You can meet the girls, but their dad will be out of town for a few more days. We’ll get you settled in before he even gets back,” Rose said. Zara noticed a glint of mischief in the older woman’s eyes and she wondered if it was going to turn out to be a good or bad thing for her.
“If you’re sure that is alright, then yes. Tomorrow morning works for me,” Zara admitted.
“Great. Will you have much to move in?” Rose asked.
“Move in?” Zara questioned. “I was told this wasn’t a live-in role.” The agencies she worked with usually gave her a heads up if the position required her to be a full time live-in nanny. She tried to avoid those jobs but she so desperately needed this one, she really didn’t’ have a choice.
“I’m sorry,” Rose offered. “You will need to be there quite a bit during the campaign. I’m afraid the girls haven’t’ had much stability or structure lately. It would help them tremendously if you could be there for them twenty-four hours a day. You can have most weekends off, if you’d like.” Zara knew she was going to have to make a quick decision, but the idea of leaving Ava high and dry for the unforeseeable future made her feel bad. She also knew if she wanted to finish her last semester of school, she was going to have to have a job to pay her tuition bill.
“Yes,” Zara agreed, holding out her hand to shake on it. “I’ll take the job and I’ll move into their home. It will be on a trial basis, of course.”
“Of course,” Rose agreed, shaking her hand. “We can re-evaluate when the election is over, if that works for you.” Zara nodded. “Great.” Rose pulled a slip of paper out and handed it to her. “Be at this address by eight tomorrow and bring whatever you will need for the time being. If you need to hire a moving crew, just send me the bill and I’ll take care of it for you.” Rose walked to the elevator and Zara followed.
“Thank you,” Zara said.
“No, thank you,” Rose returned. “I hope you like a little chaos because you’re about to dive in, headfirst.” Zara wanted to laugh at what she thought was a joke but judging from the expression on Rose’s face, she wasn’t joking.
Aiden
Spending half a week in boardrooms and one boring meeting after another, Aiden was ready to get home and sink into his own bed. He was just thankful he was able to slip away from his trip two days early because spending one more day away from his girls was going to drive him crazy. Corbin had been handling the business trips since Allison left but he couldn’t say no to this one. This trip involved a company that was his baby from the start and he needed to be involved in the negotiations. Sending Corbin in his stead felt wrong and he was glad he made that decision because he had to put out some major fires.
Aiden unloaded his luggage into the corner of the mudroom, deciding he’d deal with it all tomorrow. Tonight, he wanted to peek in on his girls and meet the new nanny Rose hired. She was supposedly staying in his guest room and he wasn’t sure how he felt about having a live-in nanny. The press might catch wind of it and have a field day with the news. But, Rose assured him his new nanny wouldn’t cause him any trouble and as far as looks went, she described her as frumpy and easily overlooked. Aiden just hoped Rose was right because he didn’t have time to squash rumors about his new help.
He checked in on the girls to find them both peacefully sleeping and made his way down to the spare room Rose said she put the new nanny in but he found the room empty. He decided to search for her, hoping she wouldn’t just leave the girls alone, when he heard water running in his bathroom. What the hell was the nanny doing in his master bathroom?
“Hello?” he called and no one answered. He rounded the corner and found the door to his bathroom closed. “Hello,” he said, banging on the door. No one answered and he had no choice but to try the doorknob hoping his new nanny was decent but not really giving a shit at this point. First he’d introduce himself and then he was going to lay down a few ground rules; the first being no using his master bath. The second would be to answer the fucking door when he knocked, but he was sure barging in on her would solve that little problem.
“Hi,” he said to the back of the blonde head that greeted him. The woman in the tub full of bubbles didn’t answer him and he was beyond frustrated by her complete lack of attention. What if it had been one of his girls who needed her? “Hello,” he shouted, going the extra mile to tap her on her shoulder. He tried to ignore the way the bubbles enveloped her sexy curves or the fact she was a whole fucking lot younger than Rose had described her and one hundred percent sexier. He made a mental note to have a little chat with Rose about how she described people and her use of adjectives, the next time he saw her. His new nanny was neither frumpy nor old. In fact she was damn sexy.
As soon as he tapped her shoulder, she squealed and jumped, pulling her earbuds from her ears. “Sorry,” she stuttered, looking him over. “Oh fuck,” she swore. “Aiden?” He stood over the tub and realized the woman staring back at him was the same woman he had been dreaming about for the past few weeks, the one he couldn’t seem to forget—Zara.
“What the hell are you doing in my house, Zara?” he questioned. She stood from the soapy water, letting the bubbles slide down her curves and he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. He was immediately reminded of their night together, her breathy sighs and the way she shouted his name when she came on his tongue. And now, she stood completely bare in his tub and all he could think about was how she ended up t
here.
“Your home?” she questioned. “Wait—you are Mr. Bentley? Lucy and Laney are your daughters?” Zara questioned. He slowly nodded, trying to catch up.
“Yes,” he said. He handed her a towel knowing if she continued to stand in front of him completely naked, he might not be able to regain cognitive thought clear enough to keep up with his end of the conversation. “Can you please wrap this around yourself?” he asked. She shot him a look that told him she wasn’t in the same submissive mood she was in the night they shared together.
What, Aiden,” she spat, snatching the towel from his hand, “my naked body offends you now?” He couldn’t take his eyes off her as Zara wrapped the towel around her wet body and he felt about ready to swallow his tongue. “My body didn’t seem to bother you that night in the club,” she spat. God, she was gorgeous and he had to fight every one of his natural instincts to pull her against his body and make her his again. But, she wasn’t his—she never was his and he needed to remember that.
“That was before you were my nanny, Zara. So, you didn’t know the job was for me?” he questioned. He hated how he sounded, like he was accusing her of something but he couldn’t help it. If there was any chance she was stalking him or his girls were in danger, he would do what ever it took to make them safe.
“Of course I didn’t,” she insisted. “Why would I take this job knowing you will be my boss. As far as I’m concerned we said everything we needed to say that night. If I remember correctly, you accused me of lying and I ran out of the club half naked and completely ashamed. Thanks for that, by the way,” she said. He hated hearing he made her feel that way. It wasn’t what he intended and he had spent the last few weeks feeling like a complete ass for what he said to her.
“I’m sorry for that, Zara,” he admitted. “I handled taking your virginity all wrong and I regret the way things ended that night.” She stepped from the tub, pulling the drain and brushed past him to leave the bathroom. She smelled like flowers and he knew for a fact she tasted like honey. Just the thought of her scent and taste made his mouth water and his cock spring to life. He wanted to push her against the fucking wall and kiss her until they were both breathless and needy but he could tell that was something she wouldn’t allow. So, he let her pass and followed her down the hall to her bedroom.
Aiden stood helplessly in her doorway, watching as the woman who occupied his every waking and sleeping hours pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a t shirt, forgoing undergarments. “Listen, I’ll be out of your hair by morning,” she said. Zara was shoving clothing into a bag and he felt a moment of panic, not knowing if he should feel relief she was going to leave or fear he was going to have to watch her walk away again and possibly this time forever.
“So that’s it? You’re just going to walk away and leave the girls?” Aiden asked. He hated the idea of his daughters having to lose someone they were getting close to again. The past few nights, when he called home to talk to Lucy and Laney, they seemed so happy about the new nanny. They called her “Z” and Aiden just never put two and two together and why would he? Aiden would have never guessed Zara would not only show up in his life again, but as his daughters’ nanny—it was just too much of a crazy coincidence.
“Well, I certainly can’t keep working for you—not now, knowing that it’s you,” she said. She motioned to him as if trying to prove a point and he almost wanted to laugh at her grand, sweeping hand gestures.
“Listen,” he started. Aiden knew he had to be patient if he was going to have any chance of talking her into staying with them. Hell, he wasn’t sure what he wanted exactly but he knew letting her go would only hurt his girls. “My daughters have been through hell this year. Their mother walked away from them and has very little contact with any of us since the divorce was finalized.”
Zara looked down at the clothes she was holding and dropped them to her bed. “I know,” she admitted. “Rose told me some of it and the girls still talk about her. I’m so sorry you three had to go through all of that but I still don’t think me being here is a good idea,” she said.
“How about if we can work out some kind of agreement? You know, I’ll keep my distance and give you some space and you just take care of my girls?” he asked. He sounded more like he was begging but he didn’t give a fuck. His daughters were worth any amount of begging he had to do to keep them happy.
“Why would you want me around, Aiden?” Zara questioned.
There really wasn’t a clear cut explanation as to why he wanted to keep her around. Aiden knew part of it was the fact he liked seeing her again. Even in his wildest dreams, he never imagined he’d find Zara naked and wet in his bathtub after he returned from his business trip. He wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth though and keeping Zara around just felt like the right thing to do.
“The past few nights, when I’ve spoken with Lucy and Laney, they both seemed so happy. They went on and on about their new friend, Z and I have to admit it was nice to hear my girls sound excited about something again. It’s been months since I’ve heard either of them sound so happy. I don’t know—it was nice to hear. I worried less about being away from either of them, knowing you were here. Well, not you exactly but someone they were both coming to trust. If you leave now, they might never trust anyone to come into our home to take care of them again. Please,” he begged.
Zara sat down on her bed next to the pile of clothes she had been working on. “You really know how to work the whole sympathy factor, don’t you?” she asked. “I do love your girls. I have to admit in just a few short days, they’ve really grown on me.” She smiled and then broke out into full giggles and Aiden couldn’t help himself, he found himself chuckling right along with her.
“Mind sharing what’s so funny?” he asked.
“Well, Lucy was telling me her daddy was flying like Superman and he had a red cape and everything. You know she really believes you’re a superhero? I guess I was just picturing you in a Superman costume,” she admitted. She looked Aiden up and down and then broke out in a fit of giggles, falling back onto the bed.
Aiden flexed his muscles, as if trying to show off for her but that only sent her further over the edge. “Is it really so hard to believe I could be a superhero?” he asked. Sure, saying the words aloud made him sound crazy but he had to admit his feelings were a little hurt.
Zara seemed to sober at his lack of hysteria, picking up on the signs he didn’t find the whole thing as funny as she had. “I think it’s nice your daughters think of you in that way,” she admitted. “I’m sure I felt the same way about my dad, when he was alive,” she almost whispered that last part.
“I’m sorry,” Aiden offered. “How old were you when he died?” he questioned. He wasn’t sure if her personal life was any of his business, but a part of him hoped she would want to share something like that with him.
“When I was nine,” she said. “Both of my parents died in a car crash. They were hit by a drunk driver.” Aiden saw the sadness in her eyes and heard every ounce of her heartbreak in her shaky voice. He wished he wasn’t dredging up such bad memories for her but a part of him wanted to know more about his new nanny. Hell, he wanted to know everything she’d be willing to share with him but he wouldn’t admit that to her. Telling Zara that might just scare her away and he couldn’t let that happen.
“That must have been horrible for you, Zara,” he said. Aiden crossed the small bedroom and pushed some of her clothes aside to sit next to her on the bed. He worried about crossing some imaginary line, but when she didn’t balk at the idea of him sitting so close to her, he didn’t make a move to get up. “What happened to you after they died?” he asked.
Zara sighed, “Well, I was placed in foster care and bounced from place to place,” she admitted.
“Shit,” he swore. “That sucks.”
“No, really it wasn’t as bad as you might think. I was lucky enough to be placed with decent families,” she said. “You hear horror stories about k
ids who are abused in some form or another but I got through the system unscathed and I believe I’m a stronger person for the time I was in there. It made me want to become a teacher and taught me to fight for what I want.” Aiden took her hand into his, needing the contact. He knew it was silly; he just promised to give her space but none of that mattered at the current moment.
“I’m in college and I have one more class to take and then I graduate. Working as a nanny was supposed to be a part- time gig and give me some extra experience on my resume for after college. But, it became so much more than that. I’ve grown to love the kids I work with and I honestly find the work fulfilling,” she said. Zara paused and Aiden wasn’t sure if she was finished talking or if she was going to say what was on her mind.
“Listen, if this is all too much for you, just say the word and I’ll have the agency place me with another family,” she said. A pang of jealousy ran through him and Aiden shook it off. He had no claim to her professionally or personally, so he had no right to feel that way. The idea of Zara with any family but his own made him inexplicably grumpy.
“No,” he said. “I’d like for you to stay. The girls seem to be crazy about you and I promise to keep my distance.” Zara looked down to where their hands were joined and smiled.
“Um,” she said, holding up their linked fingers, as if trying to prove her point.
“Yeah,” he said, letting go of her hand. “Sorry about that.” Aiden felt anything but sorry but he was going to keep that to himself. “How about we say that rule starts now?” he asked. Zara smiled and nodded. A strand of her long blonde hair fell from her messy bun and he wanted to reach over and tuck it back but he didn’t. He was going to have to make an effort to keep his hands to himself but he’d do just that if it meant keeping Zara on. Maybe he was a masochist and having to deal with the realization of having Zara under his roof, but not being able to touch her was just the type of torture he was in to.
