by Lisa Scott
***
Maxim paced his room. Nicholas had called him with the news and it wasn’t good. Belle’s father was in a precarious condition. With no mother, she couldn’t lose her father, too. He couldn’t imagine how she was feeling. Did she even have anyone to turn to? He knew there was no boyfriend in her life. Her friends were back upstate. His heart pounded just thinking of it. Could he go to her?
He closed his eyes. He couldn’t. But how could he not?
He dialed Nicholas on his cell. “Take me to the hospital.”
“To the hospital? Are you sure?”
“I have to be there for her if something happens.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Maxim looked around the room where he’d spent most of his last six years. “I’ll be waiting in the lobby.”
“Of the building?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Maxim put on his cloak and dashed down the stairs. Mrs. Downing froze as she watched him coming downstairs. A huge smile split her face. “Your highness!” Her hand fluttered over her throat. “You’re downstairs! Let me get you some milk. Some pie? Courtney could make a pie. You always loved pie. Tea?”
“Belle’s at the hospital with her father. She needs me.”
Mrs. Downing’s eyes were wide as she nodded and watched him hurry out the door without even closing it behind him.
He was fortunate to get the elevator to himself. He paced impatiently as he rode slowly down to the lobby. He’d forgotten the slow, lurching ride that left his stomach queasy. Or maybe it was fear for Belle that had left him feeling that way.
People passed him the lobby, but he wasn’t aware of their reactions. His cloak obscured his face, but seeing a man in a dark, hooded cape must be disconcerting, as well. It was of no concern to him. Nothing could keep him from her. Please let her father pull through.
***
Nicholas chased after him as Maxim raced down the hall. He found her father’s room and paused outside of it. It hadn’t occurred to him she might not want him here. It was too late. He was here, and he wanted her to know he cared; that he cared more about her than his own feeble insecurities. He knocked softly on the door. “Belle?”
She jumped and turned to him. Her eyes widened. “Maxim? What are you doing here?”
He walked toward her and held his arms open. “I couldn’t let you be alone at a time like this. I kept thinking of you as a little girl … and your mother.” He swallowed the lump in this throat.
She folded herself into his arms. He held her tight and tried to fight back his tears. It was the closest he’d been to anyone in years and it felt like magic and dreams holding her. Maybe he hadn’t come here for Belle, after all.
Maybe he needed her more than she needed him.
Belle gave him the rundown of her father’s prognosis. “It’s just a waiting game, now.”
“Then I’ll wait with you.”
***
They spent the night sleeping in uncomfortable hospital chairs, waking as nurses came in to check on her father.
Nicholas returned in the morning with coffee and breakfast for them both. Maxim offered her the orange from his meal. He felt at such a loss that he couldn’t do anything to help.
“I don’t think I can eat. But thank you.” Her face was pale and he reached for her hand.
They both turned at the sound of footsteps. Nicholas was leading a doctor into the room. “Prince Maxim? This is the chief plastic surgeon on staff. He’d like to have a word with you.”
The prince looked at Belle. She smiled. “Go. See what he has to say. You owe me a walk in the park.” She squeezed his hand.
His heart was in his throat and his voice came out in a whisper. “I will. For you.” He kissed her forehead and let go of her hand.
But Belle was shaking her head. “Don’t do it for me. Do it for you.”
He took a deep breath, nodded, and followed Nicholas and the doctor into the hall.
***
Belle’s head was spinning with hope and fear. She was thrilled for Maxim. Her father couldn’t leave her now. She grabbed his hand. “Daddy, can you hear me? I need you. There’s so much ahead of us.”
She wasn’t sure, but she thought her father squeezed her hand. “Do that again,” she whispered. And he did.
She pushed the call button for the nurse.
***
Two weeks later, her father watched her work on the last of the bookcases. “You do better work than me … my daughter.” Her father was slowing regaining his speech. The prince had insisted on him recovering at Maxim’s apartment. Mrs. Downing was in her glory waiting on him.
Belle looked up from the trim she was cutting. “Only on the finish work, Dad. I could never frame up a job like you do.”
The prince stuck his head in the room. “Why do you insist on working? The bookshelves can wait.”
She grinned at him. “I’ve got quite the to-do list. I’ve got a ballroom to remodel when I’m done here.”
He frowned. “Right. I promised you a ball, didn’t I?”
“So I could be—”
“The belle of the ball,” he finished. He paused for a moment and ran his fingers along the bookshelves. “You’ve already made over this whole place, Belle, just by being here.”
She blushed and looked down.
He held out his hand. “How about a walk?”
“Outside? Now?”
He nodded.
“You haven’t had your first surgery yet.” Doctors had planned three surgeries over the next year, but told him they’d never be able to fully correct the damage.
He smiled. “Yes. I’ve spent too many beautiful days inside alone.”
***
He wore a hat, which shaded his face. A few people glanced his way as they walked by, but he was too busy looking at her to notice. “Where shall we go?” he asked, his three dogs pulling on the leashes he held in one hand.
She looped her arm around his and leaned into him. “The river.”
He stopped walking. “Are you sure?”
She took a deep breath of the fresh air. “I am. You see, I met a brave prince who convinced me to face my own demons.”
He laughed it was such a lovely sound. “Ah, so you owe me one.”
“I guess I do.” She pulled him along the sidewalk and started walking again, the river just around the corner. “So, how am I going to repay you?”
Taking her hands in his, he pulled her close. “Come with me when I return to my country.”
She felt her eyes widen. “Move with you there?”
He laughed. “No. This is my home now. But I need to show my people I’m still alive and well. Very well. Thanks to you.”
They crossed the street and she looked out over the river. She didn’t know exactly where they were headed together, but she knew it would have a happy ending. Somewhere, she’d hoped her mother was smiling. “A trip to your country? It’s a date.”
“Good. After that, it’s back home for the ball, my Belle.” And then he did something amazing, simply by taking off his hat and smiling up at the sky.
“Snow”
Shawna White nudged past the couple kissing on the sidewalk tethered to three enormous dogs. She’d never been crazy enough about someone to stop and kiss them on the street. How sad was that? Back in high school, she and her friend, Goldie, had decided they’d know they were in love when they madly kissed someone in public. Hadn’t happened so far. She wondered if it had for Goldie. Shawna liked to tell herself she was too focused on her career to care about romance, but that was just an easy excuse to soothe a lonely heart.
She kicked a stone along the sidewalk until it skittered into the street. Maybe if she landed the audition to be the voice for the new kids’ juice beverage, she could stop worrying about finding work and focus on the more important things in life. However, the producers that morning hadn’t given her any indication they’d been impressed w
ith her impression of a singing bean stalk stretching to the sky, unlocking a treasure trove of fruits and veggies. Really, how does a girl channel a legume? Truth was nothing had gone right since her father died a year ago.
Taking the elevator to the modest apartment she shared with her stepmother, she crossed her fingers that something good would come her way soon. Life shouldn’t be this stagnant at age twenty-three, she thought to herself.
She bumped the front door open with her hip, and Veronica, her stepmother, looked up from her magazine, smiling like a hawk. Nothing good ever followed that look. “I’ve got wonderful news,” she said. “I’ve found you a job. Now you can start contributing to the rent. It may be a cheap hovel thanks to your father’s business dealings, but still, there are bills to be paid.”
Shaw groaned. She stopped taking her stepmother’s bait soon after her father died. Veronica missed the money; Shaw missed her father. End of story. “Veronica, I just got back from an audition, and I have another one lined up tomorrow. I’ll find something.”
Veronica rolled her eyes. “When are you going to give up on that silly idea?”
“I’m not giving up.”
“Well, this will tide you over until you get that big call. And it’s urgent. The man I’m seeing needs a nanny. I can’t stand one more minute watching those kids. One of the little ones has a cough.” She wrinkled her nose. “I could get sick.”
Shaw flopped onto the couch and stared at the ceiling. Dealing with her stepmother was more like wrangling a ridiculous older sister. She was a child pageant queen all grown up; she lived by different rules. “You do realize if you marry him, he’ll expect you to help with the kids.”
“No, he won’t. Jeremy has agreed to take on a nanny for the children, and I recommended you.”
Shaw laughed. “I have no experience as a nanny. I’ve never even held a baby.”
“They’re not babies. They can walk. And poop on their own, I think.” Veronica pressed her hand against her chest. “Plus, you don’t need experience when you have my recommendation. Be there tomorrow at one.”
She couldn’t turn down a job handed to her on a platter. She’d lost her waitress position because she’d skipped out for one too many auditions, she’d been too mortified to continue with the singing telegram gig, and she didn’t have any jewelry left to pawn. It couldn’t be that hard to watch a few children. Once you’ve worked as a singing “love bug” delivering flowers, anything would seem easy, right?
***
Shaw walked twenty blocks to Grimm Towers to save on cab fare. Jeremy James lived on the twenty-fifth floor in one of the swankiest buildings in the city; no wonder Veronica was chasing him. Once upon a time, Shaw’s father had been just as wealthy. But then he lost his money in a Ponzi scheme. Not too long after that, he died. That was over a year ago. Veronica had been scrambling for a new husband ever since. Not so easy to do once you hit thirty, Veronica was learning.
Standing in the lobby, Shaw sucked in a breath, certain she wouldn’t be applying for a job she didn’t want if her parents were alive. Her mother died when she was a child. If she’d grown up without knowing the real love of a mother, did she have any hope of properly caring for little kids?
She jabbed the elevator button again, like she could leave her sad memories in the lobby if only she could get on the elevator. She tapped her foot and crossed her arms.
A nanny. Could I be a nanny? Shaw was an only child, so it’s not like she had experience with siblings. Or cousins. Or kids in general, for that matter. But she did need a job. And with her voice training had come a bit of acting. She could pull this off. She had to convince Jeremy she was up to the task of watching his children. It couldn’t be that hard. Millions of people did it every day. Then, once she landed an audition, she could move on.
When she found his apartment, she rang the bell and just about dropped her purse when the door opened. A tall, handsome man with auburn hair, flecked with gray, smiled at her. Shaw hadn’t been expecting this. Veronica wasn’t fussy about looks, so long as the man had money. A handsome face was just a bonus. Veronica must have been thinking ‘jackpot’ with this one. And he was younger than she’d expected. He appeared to be in his thirties. Her father had been fifty when he’d married Veronica.
Shaw called her up best professional-laced-with-a-splash-of-sex-voice. It worked in most situations. “Mr. James? I’m Shawna White.”
He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m so glad you’re interested in the job. It’s not easy to find someone willing to work with seven children.” The corners of his eyes crinkled as he grinned.
Shaw stepped back and willed her smile to stay in place. “I’m sorry, you said seven children?”
He rubbed his chin. “Ah. Veronica didn’t tell you. No wonder you showed up.”
Veronica came up behind him and set her hand on his arm. “I’m sure I mentioned that, Shawna. How he has this wonderful little….” She circled a hand in the air searching for the right word. “Little mob of kids. A pack of them. They’re a tiny gang.” She shrugged and giggled.
Shaw clapped her hands together in mock enthusiasm. “Guess I didn’t hear you, Veronica. That’s fine, the more the merrier. Let’s meet them.”
He led her inside and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Kids? Come out to the living room and meet my new friend.”
A sound like a stampede of miniature horses filled the room. She gulped. Three tiny blond boys rushed for their daddy’s knees, nearly knocking him over. They were followed by two curly-haired girls, half a foot taller, holding hands and skipping behind them.
An older boy and girl rounded out the group; the boy with his nose in a book, the girl rolling her eyes. They were the same height, with straight, reddish-brown hair like their father. “Is that everyone?” Shaw asked, fearful there could be more.
His mouth opened, but before he could answer, three cats, two birds, a ferret and a little dog tumbled into the room. Shaw gasped.
“And we’ve got a few pets, too,” Jeremy said, rubbing the back of his head.
Shaw rocked back on her heels. “That’s no problem.” Right? Animals were easy. Although, she’d never had a pet of her own. Well, a goldfish when she was twelve that lasted three days before she fed it to death. Mental note: must not give the children too much food.
“So, let’s start with the triplets.” Jeremy pulled the three identical platinum-haired boys in front of him and tousled their heads. “This is Jordan, John, and Jake. Just turned three years old a few weeks ago.”
She flapped her hand at them. “Hi, guys. You look just like Daddy.”
They beamed up at her, while two cats wound themselves between their legs. “We’re this many.” Jake held up four fingers.
“Close, honey.” She folded down one of his fingers. “You’re this many.” Clearly, they’d need some help with their math.
Jeremy smiled at them, his adoration for the little guys evident in his grin. “Go sit on the couch, boys.”
The curly-haired girls took their place, like they’d been through this drill before. “Meet the twins, Maddie and Jenny,” he said, putting an arm around each girl.
“Don’t worry. We’re much more mature than them.” One of the girls looked over at the triplets wrestling on the couch.
Her twin nodded in agreement. “We’re six, and we’re also very intelligent. I’m Jenny.”
“And I’m Maddie. How do you know Daddy?”
“She’s Veronica stepdaughter,” he said.
Jenny nodded and looked at Veronica. “So, that means you’re her mommy now?”
Veronica laughed. “Oh, no, no, no. Nooo. I’m too young to be someone’s mother. Look at me. Do I look like a mother?”
Maddie smiled up at her. “You’re the prettiest lady I know.”
Veronica didn’t even bat an eye. “Thank you sweetie. I just hit my thirties.”
Shaw planted her hand on her hip. “Really? Because I was sixteen when you mar
ried my father and I remember thinking, eww, she’s only eleven years older than me. So that would make you thirty-four now.”
Veronica didn’t look quite as pretty when her face was red. But she quickly recovered, and forced a big smile. “Well, it feels like I just hit the thirties. Sometimes I forget. Time goes by so quickly, doesn’t it, Jeremy?” Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she beamed at him.
“It does. I can’t believe I’m thirty-five already. With seven kids,” he said, incredulously.
Veronica’s eyes widened and she blinked at him. This must have been news to her. For once, she was chasing a man her age.
One of his older kids cleared their throat. “Dad, are you forgetting us? You know, your first born?”
“Ah, yes. My first set of twins, Lizzy and Tyler. Lizzy can keep them all in line when needed, but we’ve been struggling to find the perfect nanny. We’ve gone through sitters galore. Some kind stranger in the building kept sending us food from a catering company and sitters from an agency, but they all quit. If Veronica thinks you might be the right one, I’m listening.”
He explained how they mostly needed help in the morning when the kids get ready for school, and again after school, and then at bedtime. “The triplets are in day care, so once we’ve got them out the door, you’ve got some time to yourself.”
She let out the breath she’d been holding. “Good, because I go on auditions from time to time.”
That caught Lizzy’s attention. “Auditions? For what?”
“For singing and dancing.” Shaw did a quick shuffle step.
The triplets applauded. “Again! Again!”
Ah, so she had an in. “Maybe later. And if you’re really good, I’ll teach you how to whistle The Star Spangled Banner while standing on your head.” That particular talent had landed her a spot in a commercial, and it had the rapt attention right now of seven little kids. “Oh, and the bunny hop. Do you guys know how to do the bunny hop?”
Seven wide-eyed children stared at her, shaking their heads.
Jeremy folded his arms. “What happens if you land an audition? Would you have to leave us?”
Veronica laughed, wrinkling her nose. “I don’t think we need to worry about that. Dreams very rarely come true.”
