The Nanny Who Kissed Her Boss

by McMahon, Barbara

  “I’ll switch,” Savannah said, taking hers off and holding it out to Jacey. The teen studied the backpack for a moment, then took hers off and handed it to Savannah. She almost dropped Savannah’s and her eyes widened. “Wait, this is much heavier than mine. You’re shorter than me, how can you carry all that?”

  “It’s my stuff, I’ve told you before, I’m responsible for me.”

  Jacey took her own pack back and put it on. “Ready,” she said to her father. She opened her cell. “No bars. How am I going to charge it during the trip?”

  “No electricity until we get back,” her father said.

  “And no bars,” Savannah said.

  Jacey looked up, horrified. “How can I call my mom? What about my friends?”

  “We’re going into the wilderness like people have done for years. You can live without your phone for a week or two,” her dad said, starting off.

  Savannah followed, keeping an ear out to make sure Jacey followed. They had gone several yards before the teen scrambled behind them to catch up.

  “That’s so unfair. I have a life, you know.”

  “This is life. Seeing the beauty of nature, learning how we can be one with it. Living off the grid,” her father said.

  “Oh, brother,” Jacey said.

  * * *

  They reached the site Declan wanted before full dusk. Quickly he directed each of them in setting up the camp. When he unloaded the tent, Jacey complained how small it was.

  “It’s just to keep the dew off us and provide some shelter from the cold. It’s not the Hilton,” he said. “But I want to see how easy it is to set up. I know the basics, so you two follow the directions and see if you can do it. That’s part of the trip, to try out this new gear.”

  Savannah looked at Jacey. “Now we know the real reason we’re here, to wait on your father.”

  Jacey giggled. “Only if we can figure out how to set up the tent.”

  Savannah walked over and leaned closer. “Maybe we can figure out how to have part of it collapse on him tonight.”

  Jacey giggled again.

  Declan smiled, turning away so she wouldn’t see. Trust Savannah to know how to get the girl in a better frame of mind. He knew now what the Spencers had been talking about. Vacation Nannies did have top-notch nannies. He felt proud of her success. And of knowing he’d been in on the early planning stage.

  Amidst much arguing and constantly checking the directions, Savannah and Jacey had the tent erected in less than thirty minutes.

  “Ta da,” Jacey said when it was up.

  “Great job, only the manufacturer thought it should go up in ten,” Declan said.

  “We’ll be faster tomorrow,” Savannah promised.

  “Now what, oh slave driver?” Jacey asked, sitting on the ground and looking up at her father.

  Declan directed the rest of the camp setup. Each followed his directions. Soon Savannah had some water boiling on the fire. The freshwater creek was cold and beautiful. Due to parasites in the water, however, it had to be boiled to be potable. Once the water was deemed safe, she put in the dried ingredients to make a savory stew.

  Jacey said little once she finished laying out all the sleeping bags and throwing a rope over a limb of a tree for hoisting their provisions later to keep them safe from bears.

  When she finished, she sat on the ground near the fire staring at the flames.

  Savannah would give a lot to know what was going through the child’s mind. Despite the fun they’d had setting up the tent, she wasn’t sure Jacey had decided to enjoy herself. Working, activity, that was no threat. But introspection wasn’t her thing and the silence seemed to bother her.

  By the time dinner was finished, it was full dark. They washed the plates, banked the fire and prepared for bed.

  Once ready for bed, the three of them sat on the ground cloth next to the small fire. It was peaceful. The night sky was full of sparkling stars. The moon was low on the horizon. The setting was silent except for the low murmur of the nearby stream.

  “So can you tell us constellations or have you forgotten them?” Declan asked Savannah.

  “Oh, we never forget things our Grams taught us. She’d make us learn it.” She pointed out the Big and Little Dippers, and several other constellations.

  “They’re just stars that don’t look like anything,” Jacey said.

  “I have a hard time envisioning the figures they are supposed to represent. Except for Leo and Orion,” Savannah said. “They’re so clear up here, however. In New York, there’s too much ambient light to see any but the brightest stars. There’s the Milky Way.”

  Savannah indicated several other constellations, then stopped. “You’ll never remember them all,” she said.

  “No, but it’s fun to have them pointed out,” Declan said.

  “There’s nothing else to do up here. I can’t get cell service, don’t have a flush toilet or anything,” Jacey said. “What’s that one over there?”

  The flickering fire was small, giving little warmth. Savannah shivered. It had grown colder ever since the sun had set.

  “I’m getting cold,” she said. “I think I’m going to get into my sleeping bag.”

  Grateful Declan had known what to get for the trip, Savannah got into her down sleeping bag a few moments later. In only seconds she grew warmer. Snuggling down, she let herself relax. Let father and daughter have time alone. She was tired and glad to get to bed early and be alone for a little while even if she could hear every sound within fifty feet.

  Her solitude didn’t last. In less than five minutes Jacey followed her into the tent and scrambled into her sleeping bag, turning her back on Savannah. A moment later Declan banked the fire and joined them.

  Once in their respective sleeping bags, the tent zipped closed, Declan questioned the wisdom of his sleeping arrangement. Why had he thought it a good idea to be in a confined space with Savannah? He could smell her scent, the sweet floral fragrance that seemed so much a part of her.

  She’d made it perfectly clear last night she was not interested in him. The job was solely for Jacey. Still, he wished she’d stayed up and Jacey had gone to bed early. He’d welcome some calm adult conversation. And even some insights from a professional on how to continue to get better acquainted with his daughter.

  She’d given him such a sweet smile during the hike that had encouraged him, made him glad he was doing this when Jacey had him doubting every move. She was happy in the trek, that was all. He wished it had held special meaning.

  Yet his goal remained steadfast. He wanted his daughter back. Surely the child of younger years was there, waiting to come out again to be the joy of his life.

  Declan turned and looked at Savannah. There was little light in the tent. The fire had been banked. The only illumination came from the moon, climbing in the sky. The back of her head was toward him. Her hair was still spiky. He looked forward to the morning to see how she fared. Had she been teasing about always carrying her mousse? Or did she really fix her hair every day?

  He liked it that way, it was sassy, just like he remembered her.

  He’d liked it longer, too. When he could run his fingers through the softness, let the strands drift t
hrough. The sweet smell had permeated every bit of her—including her silky hair.

  He’d missed her.

  * * *

  The next morning—more complaints. Jacey didn’t have a mirror to use for her makeup. She didn’t have a place to take a shower. She was cold and wanted to go home. Had she known there would be no cell service she never would have come.

  “After breakfast, we’ll heat some water to wash in. You don’t need makeup here, there’s no one around to see you. And we’ll go home when our trip is finished. Time enough then to call or text your friends,” he said, barely holding on to his temper. One step forward, two back. Or at least it seemed like it.

  “Where are we going?” Jacey asked.

  “Up the trail. We’re not on a schedule. We’ll stop when we want, push forward when we want. There’re several overnight stopping areas along the route we’re taking today, we can choose wherever we want to stop.”

  She grumbled again. Savannah listened with some amusement as Declan tried to reason with his daughter.

  He found he was best to change his focus to Savannah. He engaged her in conversation and she didn’t like it. She was trying to keep a distance, but she sensed the genuine interest he had and that made it easier to tell him—them—more about the operations of Vacation Nannies.

  She remembered their long talks into the night when he’d shared his business knowledge with her. She’d taken all the suggestions and applied them to their start-up company. When they paid off, she had so many times wished she could have shared that with him. Here was the perfect opportunity for payback.

  “So then we tried the office in a prestigious location. And business doubled almost overnight.”

  He nodded, his eyes holding hers. The silent “Well done” warmed her heart.

  Breaking eye contact she looked at her plate of reconstituted scrambled eggs. She was grateful, but the gratitude was mixed with sadness.

  * * *

  Once they’d cleaned up, Declan had Savannah and Jacey break down the tent, as further testing. He took notes on the things they complained about to see if he could find a way around difficulties in the instructions. Or where they weren’t clear.

  They started out on the trail. Tall evergreen trees flanked both sides. The air was cooler than yesterday, perfect for hiking. The sun shone in a cloudless sky and once or twice she heard the screech of an eagle. Looking up, she saw a magnificent bird floating on thermals, wings widespread.

  Despite the awkwardness of dealing with Declan, Savannah was glad she’d accepted this job. The scenery was spectacular, the air so clean and fragrant with pine and cedar. She glanced at Declan once or twice. He seemed in his element here. His hiking clothes were worn in spots, like a well-loved pair of cargo pants that had seen many hikes. How did he stand being cooped up inside during the year when he could be here, exploring one of the scenic wonders of the world?

  That was another aspect of her job she liked. So often families had some kind of back-to-nature adventure for vacation—whether at the beach, hiking or at a destination resort that catered with water, sun and fun. She would not like to be an office worker.

  As the morning progressed, Savannah tried remembering all she could about her adolescent psychology classes. She wished she could find the key to getting Jacey to drop the act and be herself. She suspected from some of the comments the girl made from time to time that she had a great sense of humor and could even be nice. But only if she’d lose the chip on her shoulder. Normally Savannah could relate with teens quickly. Was this more difficult because of the divorce, or because of her feelings for Jacey’s father?

  The day grew warmer as they hiked along the narrow trail. The higher they climbed, the cooler the air was. Pockets of snow still dotted the landscape in shady sections. Wildflowers pushed up through the damp soil, yellow, blue and red. In the distance snowcapped peaks rose.

  Declan had started their trek with a fast pace, but soon slowed to accommodate Savannah and his daughter. As they climbed, Jacey lagged behind, dragging her feet and scowling as she looked only at the ground immediately in front of her toes.

  When Declan and Savannah stopped, Jacey almost ran into Savannah.

  She looked up. Declan pointed to his left. Silently she turned to see a small herd of deer grazing in a meadow about fifty yards away. The three of them watched in silence for long moments; the deer didn’t seem to notice they were sharing the area with them. Two small fawns jumped around, then went to stand near two does.

  “They’re adorable,” Savannah said softly, the delight showing on her face. This alone made the assignment worthwhile. She was enchanted.

  Declan glanced beyond her to Jacey. She seemed equally enthralled. Miracle of miracles, there was a smile on her face.

  Another group of hikers could be heard coming up behind them. They were laughing and talking. The deer lifted their heads, then in the blink of an eye bounded into the grove of trees beyond and vanished.

  “Oh,” Jacey said, turning to look behind her with a scowl.

  Three couples came into view. They seemed completely oblivious to the scenery surrounding them, too intent on their conversations.

  “Hi,” they said as they drew closer, glancing around. “Is there something to see from here?”

  “Just taking a breather,” Declan said easily. “Great day, isn’t it?”

  “Sure is. Enjoy.” They passed and continued with their talk and laughter.

  “They’re going to miss a lot being so noisy,” Jacey said. “I wish they hadn’t scared the deer.”

  “We’ll see more—if we let them get far enough ahead of us,” Declan said.

  “Until then, we can spot wildflowers,” Savannah said. “I brought a chart of Sierra wildflowers. It’s rolled up in my backpack, can you get it, Jacey?”

  “Geez, are you sure you aren’t a teacher?” Jacey grumbled, but she reached into Savannah’s backpack as instructed.

  “I’m sure. I think it’s fun to learn new things. I’ve never been here before, and who knows if I’ll ever come back. I want to enjoy everything today I can.”

  Jacey blew out a breath as she pulled out the laminated chart. The three of them looked at it when Savannah unrolled it, then looked at some of the flowers growing in the meadow.

  “Okay. The flowers are sort of pretty,” Jacey said.

  Declan had to hand it to Savannah, she was making headway. He was grateful for that.

  The rest of the day was actually enjoyable. Jacey and Savannah began a contest to see who could spot a new flower. They checked each one that could compare with the chart Savannah had. Stepping off the trail at one point, Jacey’s foot got covered with water and mud. The snow melt made everything soggy. But instead of complaining, she just shook off the water and stepped back on the trail.

  Savannah had Declan sharing the wildflower descriptions and tried to spot them, as well. But he spent more time watching Savannah and her genuine delight in recognizing flowers from the chart she had. She found life exciting. He wanted that for his daughter. And himself.

  They passed another group of hikers going the opposite direction and had another couple pass them in midafternoon, going at a strong, fast pace.

  “Now, they’re in shape,”
Savannah murmured as they nodded and passed in seconds.

  “But they’re going too fast to see the flowers,” Jacey said. “Or any deer. I wish we’d see another bunch.”

  “Look there,” Declan said, pointing skyward. Another eagle soared above them

  “Wow, is that an eagle?” Jacey asked.

  Jacey stepped closer and Declan threw his arm around her shoulders, leaning down so his face was close to hers as they watched the bird.

  Savannah watched the father and daughter. They looked right together. With no makeup on, Jacey looked like the young teenager she was. Her hair was still that awful flat black, but at least for a few days, she’d have a healthier look without the makeup. She hoped this would work for Declan’s sake. He was trying so hard.

  They picnicked with trail mix and bottled water in the shade of a huge cedar. The ground was damp, so they used a ground cloth to sit on.

  “This is nice,” Savannah said. “It’s hard to believe people back home are hurrying to work, hurrying home from work, doing errands and all the while I’m lounging in beautiful country, enjoying myself.”

  “Guilt-free,” Declan said.

  She looked at him. “What does that mean?”

  “You can’t do anything here, so all the ought-to-dos are gone. You can enjoy doing nothing guilt-free.”

  Jacey laughed.

  Savannah turned to look at her. “What are you ignoring guilt-free?” she asked, delighted to see the girl’s spontaneous laughter.

  “Chores around the apartment. And no homework.”

  “You wouldn’t have homework anyway over summer.”

  “Yeah, but it’s hard sometimes to make the switch. I find I still feel like I should be doing something about studying even after school gets out.”

  “Then I’ll see what more I can do to help,” Savannah teased.

  “Hey, flowers are enough for today. At least I don’t have to take a test.”