Next Door Daddy

by Ford, Mia

  “It is not you who should apologize,” Yvonne snapped before drawing in a deep breath. “She is lucky that I didn’t break anything. Unfortunately, I have hurt my back. I will need to withdraw from your employment.”

  “Just until you’re better?” I try.

  She gives me a look that clearly says, “Don’t be stupid”. I sigh.

  “Please reconsider?” I ask, even though I know better. “I know Alicia is difficult, but she really is a sweet girl when you get to know her.”

  “If she was so sweet, she wouldn’t have tried to force me to quit,” Yvonne points out.

  “She’s also five,” I counter. “She’s five, and she misses me and she’s trying to get attention.”

  Yvonne grimaces. I know what’s going through her mind. She’s thinking that Alicia may only be five, but she’s a spoiled princess who is determined to make everyone’s life difficult.

  I’ve heard the same thing from several previous nannies.

  “I just…can’t afford to have you leave,” I continue when she doesn’t voice what she’s thinking. “I had to take several days off before you applied, and I don’t think anyone else will reply to the ad.”

  Yvonne wavers for a moment, and then she sets her shoulders, and I know I’ve lost.

  “I’m sorry, Seth… I just can’t do this anymore,” Yvonne finally sighs. “I know this is putting you in a bad position, but…”

  She looks guilty, which is more than I can say for some of the old nannies. It’s for that reason that I sigh again and try to smile at her.

  “I understand,” I say, holding out my hand. “I wish you the best of luck.”

  “And I, you,” Yvonne says with a small smile, shaking my hand. “And I am sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I say.

  Except that it’s not, but I don’t say that to Yvonne as she leaves the house, leaving me without a nanny once more.

  When she is gone, I head further into the house and sit heavily in a chair at my dining room table. I don’t know what I am going to do now. I’m not lying when I say that I don’t think I will have any more luck with nannies. It’s more surprising that I’ve managed until this point if I’m honest.

  But that begs the question of what happens next. I’ll try my luck, of course, but what happens when I fail? What do I do? I cannot leave Alicia on her own. But I also cannot quit my job; not only do we need money to continue living and for Alicia’s future, but I can’t abandon the company that I created. This is my life’s work.

  I had considered, earlier, working from home. But how long could that last?

  Though, perhaps it doesn’t need to last very long. I only need another year. Then Alicia will be at school. As long as she doesn’t fulfill my own dark prophecy about forcing me to homeschool her, then I’ll be able to return to work full-time and adjust my work schedule to work around her school hours.

  But that’s still a whole year away. That doesn’t help me now.

  With a sigh, I pull out my phone and send a message to Jason.

  “Yvonne quit. Won’t be in for a few days. Bring me anything I need to sign.”

  Within seconds, I get a reply.

  “Ouch. Will do!”

  Well, at least work is fine for now. One of the perks of being the boss is that I can take a couple of days off if I need it, but I can’t leave the company to look after itself indefinitely. It’s already bad enough that I’m taking a few days off so soon after I did the same before finding Yvonne.

  I wish that I could blame Yvonne for this, but I can’t. It isn’t entirely her fault, and I do understand what happened. It’s just unfortunate that it’s left me in such an awful position.

  With a sigh, I pull my laptop out of my briefcase and boot it up. The advertisement that I had typed up when Georgie left is still sitting on my desktop, so I click it open and read it over to make sure that I don’t need to make any changes.

  Experienced Nanny Wanted

  Looking for a caring, responsible nanny for one child, a girl aged five. You must have some experience in looking after young children, and you must be mature, reliable and well-presented. You will be required to work Mondays to Saturdays, from 9 am until late. Any hours over 4 pm will be paid in overtime. This is a non-smoking household.

  Your duties will include:

  · Preparing meals and snacks

  · Washing and drying clothes, as required

  · Taking the child on outings, as required

  · Teaching the child basic literacy and numeracy

  · Some cleaning and general housekeeping

  Further duties and pay will be discussed at the time of employment, and I will reserve the right to do a background check.

  Please email a current resume with a cover letter and references to Seth Gray at s.gray@aapparel.com.

  There is nothing else I need to change about it, though I am strongly considering adding “Must be well versed in dealing with problem children” in the duties. I sigh and find the websites I normally use while searching for nannies, and put the advertisement up on them all.

  I know it won’t work, though. Anyone who regularly looks at these sites will know that I have put this ad up more than once in a short space of time. No one in their right mind will respond to it.

  My only hope is to find someone who is new, someone who isn’t aware that I have been trying desperately to find a nanny for my daughter for longer than I care to remember. Then it will have to be a miracle if I can find someone like that in the next few days.

  I finish posting the ad and stand, shutting the lid on the laptop with a yawn. Loosening my tie, I make my way up the stairs, my feet sinking into the soft carpet. It isn’t very late, but I feel ridiculously tired all of a sudden.

  Alicia’s door is half open, and I make my way toward it, nudging it open a little further. The soft glow from her nightlight spills across her face. She is clutching at her favorite doll and a lump forms in my throat. Rose made that doll before she died, and Alicia never allows it out of her sight.

  I open the door further and step into the room, taking care not to tread on any of the many toys scattered on the floor. It’s a mess in here, and I can only imagine Alicia throwing everything around in a temper when she realized that her antics weren’t bringing me home any quicker.

  “What am I going to do with you?” I sigh.

  Alicia stirs, one eye flickering open briefly. She doesn’t seem to really see me, but a small smile curves on her lips as she drops back into sleep, and she pulls her doll in tighter.

  I lean in to kiss her gently on the forehead, and then leave the room, pulling the door ajar once more. Once outside, I run my hand through my hair.

  I wish I knew what to do. I can give my beautiful daughter everything she desires… except the thing she seems to want most, which is to have me at home with her. I can’t solve that, as much as I want to. Now, however, she’s gotten tired of waiting and is trying to force my hand.

  A brief, humorless chuckle bursts from me. Matt was right; Alicia really is too much like me. Just as stubborn and determined to get her way.

  I only hope that it won’t end up causing more problems than I would like.

  Chapter Four

  Zoe

  “Here kitty, kitty. Come over here, I have some food for you!”

  The little black kittens press against the wall of their enclosure and eye me warily, trying to decide whether the food is worth coming near me.

  “You remember me, right?” I encourage. “We played together yesterday!”

  Well, I waved a laser light at them, and they tried to catch it, never realizing that I was the one controlling it. It counts!

  Slowly, one of the kittens unfolds itself. It’s the little girl kitten, standing on wobbly legs. She and her brother are now ten weeks old; they were with a foster family before being brought here since their mother had passed away in the birth, leaving them needing to be bottle fed for a few weeks. They are both quite shy, and
I hope that one day soon, we could find a family for them that they will love.

  “That’s it,” I say quietly. “Are you hungry?”

  She lets out a quiet mew, pausing to look back at her brother. He blinks slowly at her before finally getting to his feet as well, and they move closer to me. I hold myself very still, barely daring to breathe as they glance at me before beginning to nibble at the biscuits I had just given them.

  Knowing I won’t get any further, but feeling almost giddy that they have come near me at all, I leave the enclosure and stretch, feeling pleased. The kittens were the last of the cats to be fed, which means that I can go on break for lunch, now.

  “Finished?”

  I turn around and manage to find a smile at Rick.

  “All done,” I assure him. “Raven and Cobalt are even eating, too.”

  Raven and Cobalt were names given to the kittens by their foster family. I like them, so I use them as often as I can, hoping to teach the kittens to respond to their own names.

  “Good,” Rick said. I swallow my snort as he puffs up like an oversized peacock. “You can go on break now.”

  “Thanks,” I say, watching him walk away. I scowl. “As if I wasn’t going to already.”

  Shaking my head, I walk to the break room and flick the switch on the tiny kettle. Then I rummage in the fridge until I find the wrapped chicken roll I had decided to bring to work; there are no stores near the pet store that I work for, and every employee learns very quickly to bring their own food.

  Despite my annoyance at Rick, I smile as I sit at the small table, remembering Cobalt and Raven. I wish that I could afford to just take both of them home with me, but I can’t. I know they will both find good homes, though.

  While I eat my roll, I pull out my phone and find a job site. Recently, I have been considering moving on. Playing with the animals is the only thing I like about this job; as much as I will hate to leave them, I’m finding it difficult to stay in a place where I don’t get along with anyone.

  I have even applied for a few jobs, but, so far, I’ve been knocked back by them all. With the way my luck has been going lately, it doesn’t surprise me that I’m having trouble.

  Sighing, I scroll down the page, looking for new advertisements.

  “A bank looking for a trainee”… might be interesting, I muse as I read. “A clerk at a hardware store”… “receptionist positions”… “a nurse”… “a nanny”… wait.’

  I blink and scroll back up. A nanny advertisement? But it’s not the title of the advertisement that makes me pause. It’s the name of the advertiser.

  “Seth Gray.”

  Hadn’t I just been thinking yesterday about Seth and his ever-changing nannies? It looks like his latest nanny has left him, as well, leaving him stranded once more. It’s such a shame; I don’t doubt that his problems with his nanny and his daughter are what are causing him to look so tired and stressed lately.

  Though, it has made me wonder why Seth goes through so many nannies. I don’t see his daughter much, but, when I do, it’s to see her playing quietly in the yard. Sometimes, I even feel sorry for her; she doesn’t attend a daycare and she doesn’t have any friends her own age. Instead, she has a father who works a lot and nannies that never seem to stay for some reason.

  I wonder who the next nanny will be. No doubt another so-called “professional” who couldn’t handle working with a billionaire and his child. I snort. Even I would last longer than some of those nannies, and I have no qualifications!

  I pause.

  Then I slowly look back at the advertisement. The ad doesn’t specifically say that Seth is looking for a professional nanny. It simply says that he is looking for someone who is used to working with young children.

  I don’t have the sort of experience that Seth is likely looking for. But I am the oldest child in a large family, and I used to look after my much younger siblings all the time.

  Why can’t I apply? Excitement starts to thrum within me as I consider this. I may not be a professional nanny, but I can definitely handle looking after one child.

  There is nothing stopping me from applying for this job. Not only will it be a job I can enjoy doing, but I could also get closer to Seth in the process.

  I download my resume and covering letter, both of which I had saved on my account on this site, and make a couple of quick changes, now mindful of the time. I only have half an hour for a break, which suddenly doesn’t feel long enough.

  Once I finish making changes, I scan them both to make sure they still look professional. Then my finger hovers over the “Apply” button.

  I hesitate again.

  Is this a good idea? The idea of being so close to Seth and seeing him almost every day of the week… It is like a dream come true. But my main role will be to look after his daughter; I need to be prepared for that, too. If I do this, I cannot allow my feelings to get in the way of my job.

  So why can’t I have both? a tiny corner of my mind asks.

  I frown as I consider this. Could I both look after Seth’s daughter, and somehow get him to really look at me as a potential partner as well?

  Well…I’ll never know if I don’t try.

  I click the button and quickly upload my resume and the covering letter. There are no additional questions to answer, so I submit the application and drop my phone to the table, taking in a deep breath.

  It’s in, now, and all I can do is wait.

  It feels foolish, though, now that I’ve done it. Surely Seth will have lots of nannies lining up to be in his employment, and my resume will probably be tossed to the side because of my lack of experience. Or, worse yet, my resume will get lost in the waves of all the other applications, and he won’t even see it.

  Well, no sense worrying now, I decide, standing to make a cup of coffee. I’ve put my application in, and I will just have to see what happens next.

  Even if it means I never hear from him. I sigh. It isn’t like being ignored by him is unusual by now, anyway.

  * * *

  I wait, a smile on my face, as my customer slowly looks between two different collars.

  “I wonder if the black would suit her,” he muses. “Or perhaps the white. What do you think?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know your dog,” I say as pleasantly as possible. I have been standing here for fifteen minutes, waiting for this customer to tell me what he needs after he called me over. “What type is she?”

  “A Golden Retriever, did I not say that?” the customer chuckles, shaking his head at himself.

  “In my experience, not many colors clash with their golden fur,” I say. I would like to be able to just pick one and forget about it, but I feel like that would just cause more problems in the future if he decides he doesn’t like it after all. “I guess it depends on what color you like?”

  “Or what color she likes,” the customer counters.

  If your dog was actually here, I would be more inclined to give her a say, I don’t remark out loud.

  “Does she normally have a color preference?” I ask instead.

  “Not really,” the customer muses.

  Someone give me patience, please. I see Rick going past, restocking dog food, and I send him a pleading look. This is exactly the sort of job he loves to do; he could wax poetic about everything he knows about collars until the customer gets so confused that he just picks one.

  But Rick is either ignoring me or he simply doesn’t notice, because he turns away and I’m left to deal with the customer alone.

  “I do like that blue one, though,” the customer suddenly says, eyeing a blue collar and then studying the two collars he already has in his hand.

  So, after fifteen minutes, in which he has taken an agonizingly long time to narrow the choices down to two, he decides to look at something else? I make my smile a little wider, with some effort, before I might lose it completely.

  “Okay, blue it is,” the customer decides, putting the black and white collars b
ack on their hooks.

  Thankful, I turn away to lead him to register.

  “Though the pink is nice…” the customer mutters.

  I pause for a moment and then pretend that I didn’t hear, quickening my step. He’ll either follow me or he won’t; I find that I couldn’t care less either way, as long as I don’t have to deal with him any longer.

  To my relief, he follows me to the register, holding not only both a pink and a blue collar but also a bag of dog biscuits.

  “I’ve been gone for some time,” he explains when I scan them through. “I should probably buy Abby some treats to make up for it.”

  “Sounds good,” I say with a nod, ringing up the purchases. “Would you like to pay for that by cash or card?”

  He hands me a few bills, and I give him his change. Then, blessedly, he gives me a wave and leaves the store. I wonder if we will see him back in a few days so that he can return the collar that his dog doesn’t like. I fervently hope that I’m not working when that happens.

  “Almost time for close, Zoe,” Rick says, approaching the register. “We can lock up soon. I doubt we’ll get many more customers at this point.”

  I glance at the clock. The store closes in ten minutes.

  “Anything you want me to do?” I offer.

  “Could you finish restocking the fish supplies?” Rick asks.

  “Right.”

  I hurry to the storeroom, and find a box labeled “Fish”. There is a tight ball of anxiety in my stomach that has nothing to do with my job, and everything to do with the application I sent out at lunch.

  Knowing how quickly Seth turns over nannies, it wouldn’t surprise me to receive a reply to my application either this afternoon or tomorrow - if I get one at all. I long to check my emails, but I’m still at work, and I won’t have time to do so until we finish. At least I have something to keep my mind occupied for now.

  The time seems to crawl by, though. Every so often I check the clock, only to find that only a few minutes have gone by, much to my growing frustration. I’d felt, earlier, that the afternoon had been slow, but this is torturous.