by Sky Winters
“That’s right,” said Cassie. “For a nanny position.”
The receptionist checked the computer in front of her, nodding as she confirmed the information.
“Take the elevator on the left,” she said. “You’ll be going to Hart Holdings on the top floor. Just tell them your name and that you’re there to see Mr. Hart.”
Cassie nodded and hurried off. The elevator doors opened as she approached, and Cassie got inside.
The elevator rose in silence, opened to a bustling office scene. Cassie entered the lobby and gave the receptionist her information.
“Come with me,” said the receptionist, standing up from her desk, a massive logo for Hart Holdings written above her in bold letters, and leading Cassie through the sleek, modern office.
Cassie couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated by everything happening. After a time, the two of them arrived at a large set of double doors. The receptionist pressed a button near the door and spoke.
“Mr. Hart?” she asked. “I have your three o’clock.”
“Send her in,” came the smooth, low voice Cassie recognized from the phone.
The receptionist opened one of the double doors, revealing a long room with a massive, rectangular table in the middle. And seated at the head of the table was a man who was so far away Cassie couldn’t quite make out his features. However, she could see that he was dressed in a fitted, dark suit.
“Mr. Hart?” asked Cassie as the doors shut behind her.
“Please,” he said, gesturing to one of the chairs near him. “Come in. Have a seat.”
Cassie walked slowly down the length of the room, doing her best not to let her eyes fix on the man at the end. As she grew closer, however, he rose, and she got a good look at him, gasping as she regarded his features.
He was tall—that was the first thing Cassie noticed. His hair was a gorgeous auburn, slicked back behind his ears. His skin was fair, his eyes a luminous blue. He had a strong jaw, a slim nose and a full, red mouth set above it. And his suit was fitted so well that Cassie was able to get a sense of the gorgeous body beneath it.
“Josh Hart,” he said, extending his hand toward Cassie.
She took it apprehensively, his grip firm and his skin warm, a small smile forming on his gorgeous lips as he did.
“Cassie Mayer,” she replied, doing her best to not be distracted by Josh’s obvious good looks.
He gestured again to the seat near him, a few seats down from the end.
“Your resume?” he asked.
Cassie reached into her folder and handed him a printed copy.
“There’s…not much there,” she said. “I’ve been..”
Josh raised his palm, cutting her off.
“Just getting a sense of what kind of work you’ve done,” he said, his eyes on the resume. “There’s much more to this interview than a long resume.”
Satisfied, he set the down the piece of paper and pushed it aside.
“You have experience sitting, I see,” he said.
“I do,” said Cassie. “Just watching kids of friends of family.”
“You did see that this position is live-in, correct?” he asked. “Not just staying over for the evening while the parents are out to dinner.”
“Right,” she asked. “And that’s fine with me.”
“Good,” he said. “Now, before we go any further, there’s the matter of the non-disclosure agreement.”
Cassie remembered this strange detail and couldn’t figure out what it was for. She felt like it was something perhaps more appropriate for a job at the CIA.
“Are you prepared to sign?” he asked. “It simply means that nothing we discuss from henceforth during this interview leaves this room, whether or not you get the job. And if you get the job, you’re not to discuss the position with anyone except in the most basic terms.”
As odd as the idea seemed, she couldn’t think of any reason why she couldn’t agree to it.
“Sure,” she said. “It’s fine with me.”
“Excellent,” said Josh.
He pressed a button on the intercom near him.
“Send in Mr. Arnold,” he said.
The doors opened right away, and Cassie turned to see a slim, baldheaded man enter, a briefcase in one hand. He approached her with quick steps, opening the briefcase and withdrawing a stack of papers from his briefcase.
“Now,” said Josh. “I can have Mr. Arnold explain all of this legalese, or you can trust that I’m not having you sign your life away and just mark your name on the dotted line on the last page.”
“I can assure you it’s all standard for an NDA,” Mr. Arnold added.
“It’s fine,” she said. “I’ll sign.”
Mr. Arnold instantly produced a golden pen and handed it to Cassie. She took it and marked her initials down on the last page after Mr. Arnold flipped to it. As soon as her name was down, Mr. Arnold took the papers, placed them back into his briefcase, and left the room as quickly as he’d arrived.
“Excellent,” said Josh. “Now we can get to the real meat of the interview.”
He sat back in his chair and folded his hands on his lap.
“I’m sure you noticed that I told you I had other fathers involved in this job,” he said after a pause.
“Yes,” said Cassie trying to hide how curious she was about the issue. “I’d noticed that.”
“And I assume you figured I was a homosexual.”
Cassie nodded.
“I…didn’t really see any other explanation for it,” she said, wanting to make sure she didn’t accidently say something offensive.
“That’s…not the case,” said Josh. “First of all, it’s not me and one other man. It’s me and two other men.”
“O-okay,” said Cassie, now ever more curious than she already was.
Josh flashed her a half-grin.
She couldn’t hold it back any longer.
“How is that possible?” she asked. “There are three of you and two children? It’s been a while since biology class, but..”
“There was a woman involved,” he said. “But she’s no longer with us. Hence the need for a woman figure in the twins’ lives.”
Cassie realized this answered the question of where the twins came from, but not about there being multiple fathers.
“As far as the question of paternity, just know for now that we three all consider the children equally ours, and leave it at that.”
Cassie didn’t say a word, understanding that she likely wasn’t going to get any more out of Josh than he wanted to give out.
“So, Cassie,” he said. “As a business man, you don’t get very far unless you learn to trust your gut. And so far, my gut is telling me you’d be a good fit for the role. However, there’s still the matter of you meeting the rest of the family.”
A silence hung in the air, and Cassie suspected that Josh was giving Cassie time to process everything.
“Is that something you’d be interested in?”
“Yes,” said Cassie.
She thought the situation was odd, but nothing she couldn’t handle. So far, Josh seemed to be on the level, all things considered.
“Excellent,” said Josh. “Now, one of the other fathers is here with the twins. But the third father is…occupied at the moment. But he informed me that if you get the OK from the two of us and the twins, that he’s sure you’d be fine with him. Now, without further ado…”
Josh leaned in and pressed another button on his intercom.
“Nick, come on in.”
Moments later, a side door opened, and three figures entered. The first was a tall, statuesque man who struck Cassie as Nordic-looking, with a tall, muscular build and sun-blonde hair worn in a close-cropped style. He was dressed in a grey suit that hung perfectly on his broad-shouldered body, his eyes an emerald green and his mouth wide and full. He had intelligent, scanning eyes and a serious disposition.
And at his legs were two adorable girls who loo
ked to be around eight. One had the same sun-blonde hair as the man who entered with them, the other with Josh’s brilliant auburn. And both had the same wide-eyed expression on their face.
The blonde man approached Cassie, giving her an appraising once-over before extending his hand.
“Nick Stern,” he said, his voice even deeper than Josh’s.
“Cassie Mayer,” said Cassie, taking his hand shaking it.
Nick regarded Cassie carefully, and Cassie almost felt as though he was looking right through her, seeing her down to her core.
Cassie broke her gaze from Nick and turned her attention to the two girls standing next to Nick. She squatted down enough to be eye-to-eye with the girls.
“And who are these two young ladies?” asked Cassie, pushing aside her anxiety from the interview and trying her best to make the girls feel welcome.
“I’m Amy,” said the auburn-haired girl, a big, friendly smile pushing away the timid expression on her face. “Nice to meet you.”
“Well, hello there, Amy,” said Cassie, shaking Amy’s hand. “I’m Cassie.”
Then Cassie turned her attention to the other girl.
“What’s your name?” said Cassie. “My name’s Cassie.”
The blonde girl wrapped her arms around Nick’s legs, hiding behind them and peeking out with one eye.
“She’s shy,” said Amy. “And she hates coming to our dad’s offices.”
“Is that right?” asked Cassie. “What would you rather be doing instead?”
A moment passed before the girl spoke.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Reading, maybe.”
“Don’t be a weirdo,” said Amy to her sister. “Sorry, she gets really quiet around new people.”
“It’s not that weird,” said Cassie. “I used to be really shy when I was her age. What’s your name, sweetie?”
Another quick, quiet reply.
“Samantha,” she said. “But ‘Sam’ for short.”
“That’s a really pretty name,” she said. “What kind of books do you like to read?”
Cassie did her best not to look over at Josh and Nick, despite knowing that this little interaction was all part of the interview.
“I don’t know,” said Sam. “Anything.”
“Do you like the Grimm Academy series?” asked Cassie?
Sam’s eyes lit up.
“Yeah!” she said, her voice sounded enthusiastic for the first time since she’d come in. “I just finished book four.”
“Who’s your favorite character?” asked Cassie.
“Umm,” she said, looking away in thought. “I think Martina. I like the way she always sticks up for herself.”
“Yeah, she’s so cool,” Cassie said. “Have you gotten to book five yet?”
“No,” said Sam. “My dads have been too busy to take me to the bookstore.”
“Hmm,” Cassie. “Maybe you and I can go sometime. I love to go to bookstores and just wander around all day. How about you?”
Sam’s eyes lit up again.
“I love it!” she said.
“Then we ought to go together sometime,” said Cassie.
Sam nodded eagerly.
“Ugh,” said Amy, chiming in. “Bookstores are so boring.”
“Oh yeah?” asked Cassie. “What kind of stores do you like to go to?”
“Probably shoe stores,” said Amy, giving the question the same amount of thought. “Or any place with dresses.”
“Those are fun stores too,” said Cassie. “I love going to buy new clothes when the weather changes; it’s one of my favorite things to do.”
“That sounds cool,” said Amy, her tone a little cautious, as if she wasn’t quite sure what to make of Cassie.
“I bet the three of us would have an awesome day if we all got to hang out together,” said Cassie. “Bookstore, then maybe some pizza, then clothes shopping after.”
The girls both appeared very enthused by the prospect.
“Only if we can go clothes shopping first,” said Amy.
At that moment, Nick reached down and placed his hand on the back of Sam’s head.
“Girls,” he said. “Why don’t the two of you go have a seat while we talk to Cassie?”
The girls nodded compliantly and headed over to two of the open seats. Cassie waved to them as they walked away.
“So,” said Nick, slipping a hand into one of his pockets. “You’re the interview for today.”
Cassie stood back up and smoothed down the front of her shirt.
“That’s right,” she said.
Nick turned to Josh.
“And what do we think so far?”
“She’s given me a favorable impression,” said Josh. “And she seems to have a way with the girls.”
Nick nodded.
“I agree.”
“Head and shoulders above the rest of the interviewees,” said Josh. “And my gut instinct says that she’d be a good fit for the job.”
Nick chuckled, a small smile on his face.
“You and your guts,” he said. “But I’d be lying if I said they didn’t often steer us in the right direction.”
“You’re right about that,” said Josh. “And right now, it’s telling me to give this girl a shot.”
“Hmm,” said Nick. “And there’s still the matter of Caleb.”
“What matter would that be, exactly?”
“You know how fussy he can be. Those artist-types are always so fickle.”
Cassie’s ears perked up at the idea that one of these men might be more artistically-inclined.
“True,” said Josh. “But he likes to leave these sorts of matters to us.”
Silence hung in the air as Nick considered the matter.
“And I assume that she signed the NDA?” he asked.
“Of course, she did,” said Josh. “That was the first order of business.”
Nick nodded, his sculpted face in a look of intense concentration.
“Then what do you think?” he asked Josh. “Should we give her a shot?”
“I’m thinking a trial basis might be in order,” he said.
Then they both glanced to Cassie, as if realizing at the same time that she was still in the room.
“And what do you think, Cassie?” asked Josh. “You interested in trying out the position?”
“If you give it a shot and find that it’s not for you,” said Nick. “Then you can feel free to leave at any time. We’ll, of course, compensate you for the days worked.”
Cassie thought it over. Sure, the whole matter struck her as strange—the situation with three fathers standing out as very, very odd. But the men all seemed to be on the level and professional. Not to mention it’s not like she had any other options.
“Yes,” she said. “I would love the opportunity.”
“Very good,” said Josh. “Then let’s not waste another minute.”
CHAPTER 5
CASSIE
“Come this way,” said Josh, gesturing toward the side door Nick and the girls had entered from.
“Girls!” said Nick, getting his daughter’s attention.
The girls looked up, Sam taking her nose out of her book and Amy glancing up from her phone.
“Time to go,” he said.
“Do you…all live in the building?” asked Cassie.
Nick and Josh both chuckled.
“In a matter of speaking. This company is run by the three of us, so at times it feels like we live here.”
“And you’re the CEO?” asked Cassie to Josh.
“That’s right,” he said. “I was the one who decided to start this little financial holdings business, and Nick here is the CFO—he handles the money and all of the behind-the-scenes matters.”
“And the third?” asked Cassie.
Josh led the group through the door and into a long hallway lined with doors.
“That’s Caleb, as we mentioned,” he said. “You’ll be meeting him before too long.”
“And right now, he’s in the middle of one of his creative spells,” said Josh. “He likes to be alone during those times.”
They continued down the hallway, approaching a large steel door at the far end.
“But to answer your question,” said Josh. “No, we don’t live in the building. We actually live on an estate in the mountains outside of town.”
“That sounds like a long commute,” said Cassie. “I had to come in from the outskirts of town and it was a pretty long trip.”
“We’ve figured out how to overcome that little obstacle,” said Josh.
He opened the door at the far end of the hallway, revealing a set of stairs. They all went up, arriving at another door. Josh pushed that one open as well, which led to a helipad, a helicopter already nosily whirring and ready to take off.
Cassie’s eyes went wide she’d never ridden in a helicopter before.
“Come on,” said Nick. “Just a quick flight.”
The family piled into the helicopter, Nick taking Cassie’s hand and helping her in. As their hands touched, Cassie felt a tinge of something unmistakable, an undeniable attraction.
The same one she’d felt for Josh.
Cassie pushed this out of her head as she climbed into the helicopter. Josh climbed into the pilot’s seat after pulling the door shut and moments later they were off. Cassie watched as the helipad shrank as they rose in height, the small downtown of Burlington spread out beneath them.
The helicopter took off east, toward a mountain range in the distance. Cassie could see the city become less and less dense, and soon they were over more rural houses.
The vehicle lowered, now pointed toward a huge estate, complete with its own helipad. The enormous home was surrounded by thick, green trees, and seemed to have been built with privacy in mind.
The helicopter dropped slowly, coming to a stop in the middle of the huge “H” in the middle of the helipad. Josh killed the engine and the helicopter blades slowed down, the noise stopping.
“Wow,” said Cassie, now able to hear herself think again. “This is how you all get to work every day?”
“Just about,” said Nick. “Sometimes driving is nice, but this is easily the fastest, as you can see.”
