by King, Imani
Still frowning, Trisha excused herself from the little social gathering. Brandon had moved onto arguing about whether or not aspartame gives you cancer, and Sam looked pretty busy chatting up a cute guy up by the tequila bar. They’d barely even notice she was gone …
Which was probably for the best. She didn’t really want to explain her sudden change in mood .
Trisha made it home and grabbed a shower before crawling beneath her fluffy blanket. Sleep was fitful that night. When her alarm went off that morning, she already knew it was going to be a two-pots-of-coffee kind of day. Sam was still sound asleep, thankfully, so at least Trisha didn’t have to listen to an “I told you so!” over the job .
She was halfway through her second class of the day when her phone started buzzing in her pocket. When she pulled it out, an unknown local number flashed across the screen. She thought about ignoring it, but a nagging feeling told her not to. As quietly as possible, she crept out of the classroom. Once the door shut behind her, she answered the call .
“Hello?”
“Hello!” the cheery voice on the other end replied. “Is this Miss Holcut ?”
“The one and only,” Trish replied, leaning against the cool brick wall. Nobody called her Miss Holcut except her mother and half a dozen bill collectors… and her mother never sounded this happy in her life .
“Great! We wanted to see if you could come in today for an interview .”
“An interview ?”
“For the nanny position you applied for.” The woman’s voice held steady, its sing-song tones pouring over the line. Trisha could almost hear her smiling. “You sent in the application yesterday morning .”
Now Trisha was confused. Sure, she’d looked at the listing yesterday, but it was closed before she could apply .
Samantha.
The little witch had gone behind Trisha’s back and applied for her! Trisha told her she wasn’t interested !
She couldn’t be mad about it… she had wanted to apply for the job, even if it took her awhile to make up her mind. It certainly explained why Sam hadn’t mentioned anything about the job last night .
“Yes, excellent. When would you like me to come interview ?”
“Are you free this afternoon ?”
“Sure! Absolutely !”
Trish took deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. The last thing she wanted was to seem too eager .
“Perfect. Can you come in around two ?”
Trisha finalized the meeting with the woman on the phone and even managed to wait until they’d hung up before jumping up and down. She owed Samantha a hug and a smack upside the head when she saw her later .
Sam was still in class when Trisha went back to the apartment to change. She must’ve gone through a dozen outfits before she settled on one she liked. What were you supposed to wear to interview for a nanny job ?
She finally settled on a black blouse and a mid-length black skirt to match. It was normally an outfit she reserved for events that warranted a professional look and was probably the fanciest thing she owned …
If I get this job, the first thing I’m doing is going clothes shopping… Trish thought as she walked to the office the woman had directed her to. Thankfully, it wasn’t far from her apartment. By the time she sat down in the reception area, her heart had begun thundering. What if she wasn’t dressed nice enough? What if they wanted someone with more experience ?
An endless stream of doubt flashed through her mind until the secretary’s phone rang. When she set the receiver down, she grinned widely at Trisha .
“Mr. Ashcourt is ready for you .”
She stood and opened the office door. The moment Trisha was inside, the door shut behind her, making her jump slightly. She took a deep breath, then crossed the small room to the desk at the other end, freezing in place as she made eye contact with the man behind it .
Fucking hell .
Of all the ways she could have screwed up this interview, this had to take the cake. Staring her down was Mr. Sexy-as-hell himself… minus one coffee stained jacket .
4
Jonathan
J onathan smiled up at the woman, waving toward one of the seats. “Please, sit .”
Whatever confidence she seemed to have when she walked in had all but evaporated. He watched as she nodded and moved on shaking legs to sit in front of him, taking a moment to glance up to her unforgettable eyes .
“Thank you for coming in on such short notice, Miss Holcut .”
“Trisha, please!” The woman squeaked out .
Jonathan smiled at her, trying to put her at ease. “Trisha then. Are you here to ruin another suit ?”
“That’s… I… I …”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” Jonathan laughed. “Don’t worry, I managed to get the stain out .”
“Should I… go?” Trisha asked quietly .
“Seems like that’d be a waste of a job interview, don’t you think? I loved reading over your application. It was quite… creative . Tell me Trisha… have you ever been a nanny before ?”
She shook her head, a look of worry flashing across her face. “I babysat through middle and high school. I’ve never had a formal nanny position, but I work with kids all the time. I interned with the Family Crisis Center and helped run an early education program with Montgomery Elementary …”
He’d known that from her resume, of course. Babysitting experience would be helpful when chasing around the boys, and her experience in an educational environment would be great when the kids brought home schoolwork to finish. He also particularly liked her college emphasis in child psychology. She wasn’t a fully qualified psychologist, but she knew more than the average nanny might …
That might come in handy when dealing with Declan, and it put her a step above several of the other nannies he’d interviewed. Besides that, his gut was telling him to hire her. If this had been a job at his company, that alone would have been enough to pull the trigger… but he needed to be a bit more thorough when his children were involved .
“Tell me about your hobbies,” Jonathan said .
Trisha blinked at him, the question seeming to surprise her. She thought about it for a moment before responding. “Nothing exciting. I spend most of my free time reading and studying. I’m trying to maintain my 4.0 average .”
“Well, the boys could certainly learn a thing or two about good study habits,” he grinned at her and Trisha smiled back. “Will you have time for this job with your school schedule? I’m offering a generous salary, but my expectations are very high. I require more than a babysitter. You’ll be a full time live-in nanny, and as one of the many benefits, I will be providing you free room and board for the duration of your work contract. I will provide you with a large guest suite, and you’ll be responsible for getting my two boys off to school and for picking them up every day. You will be taking care of all after-school activities up to and including bed-time, and I’ll be expecting you to enrich my children’s lives… not to watch them .”
Jonathan sighed and leaned back in his chair. “It’s not an easy job. I’m always stuck at the office well past dinnertime. On the days I’m not, I’m probably on a red-eye flight taking care of business out-of-state. I’ll need you to care for the children when I’m traveling for a few days at a time. You won’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning. I’ve hired someone to take care of that for the time being. You’d be purely responsible for the kids, but if you get settled in, we can discuss promoting you to a larger role in the household .”
“A larger role?” Trisha asked .
“My former nanny handled all household duties… and I can assure you she was incredibly well compensated for her efforts .”
Trisha seemed a little taken aback by all of this. “So… you’re asking me to move in with you ?”
“You might be getting a little ahead of yourself Trisha. I haven’t offered you the job yet,” Jonathan replied, grinning wide .
“M
y college classes won’t be a problem. I’m not taking a full load this semester, and I can schedule them during school hours which gives me plenty of time to drop off and pick up the children. I can finish up any extra projects or coursework after they’ve gone to bed .”
Jonathan nodded. That seemed reasonable .
She wasn’t as qualified as the other two nannies he’d already interviewed, but she was unique. The others had been older than he was, and after dealing with one retirement he wasn’t ready for another. He’d gotten lucky with Grace, since she’d been there for the boys since they were babies… but now that they were growing up, it seemed like he should hire someone who could stick around a little longer .
He knew Trisha probably had bigger plans for the future. She would finish college and expect to go into her field of study. That was, of course, a problem money could solve. He could offer her a salary that would outpace anything available in the world of psychology. When the time came, he was confident he could keep her around… if the children liked her .
“Would you mind coming to the house for dinner tonight?” Jonathan flinched. That sounded like he was propositioning her! Hastily, he added “I’d like you to meet the boys and see how they react before I make any hiring decisions .”
Trisha nodded, grinning at him. “That would be fine! I’ve got some homework to catch up on, but it won’t be an issue .”
Jonathan stood and extended his hand. Trisha stood almost instantly clasping hands with him. “It’s settled then. I’ll send a car to come pick you up .”
“Try not to spill any coffee on your way out,” he added with a smirk and a wink .
Trisha practically ran from the room. Jonathan chuckled as the door shut behind her, then dropped back into his chair .
Even with her gone, he could still see those deep brown eyes in his mind. With a sigh, he pushed those thoughts away. She was stunningly beautiful in every single way, but he was looking for a nanny… not a date .
5
Trisha
T risha skipped on her way back to the apartment. She couldn’t believe she was actually getting a shot at the job. There had to have been more qualified applicants for a job like this, especially in a city the size of Atlanta. She wondered if he’d invited anyone else to dinner …
That would make things uncomfortable .
The moment she was in the apartment, she ran to her room and began tearing her wardrobe apart. This outfit had been good for an interview, but she needed something a bit more… personal. She wanted the boys to like her, and if she looked like she was dressing for a funeral, that might not happen .
It took almost an hour, but she finally settled on a light business casual outfit with pastel colors. It would be formal enough that Mr. Ashcourt wouldn’t toss her out, but casual enough that it would make her seem inviting to the kids .
As she stood in front of the mirror, she froze. She didn’t even know how old the kids were, or their names. They could be anything from pre-schoolers to high schoolers! Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why hadn’t she thought to ask while she was in the interview? She’d been so shocked to see him again that her brain had gone haywire .
She held the outfit up to her body and looked at it in the mirror again before tossing the top aside and choosing another. This one would be a little more conservative. The last thing she wanted was for Mr. Ashcourt to think she was trying to flash her breasts at him to get the job .
She wasn’t going to be that kind of nanny …
She was still fretting when Sam came back from her last class. Storming out of the room, she found Sam standing in the foyer, flipping through her mail. Sam looked up in surprise when Trisha walked in .
“Something you want to tell me?” Trisha put her hands on her hips and glared at Sam. “I got a phone call today .”
Sam was smart enough to look abashed as Trisha stared her down .
“They called me today while I was in class .”
Sam’s face lit up and she practically started bouncing up and down. “And? What’d they say? Come on, Trisha, you’ve gotta tell me !”
Trisha couldn’t hold back her smile any more. She beamed at Sam and joined her in the bouncing excitement. “I had an interview after class! He wants me to come to dinner tonight and meet the kids. I think he’s going to hire me …”
“Oh my god, that’s amazing!” Sam threw herself at Trisha, hugging the bigger girl tight. Trisha wrapped her arms around Sam’s waist, lifted her into the air, and spun her around until Sam squealed .
She never could stay mad at Sam for very long. They’d been best friends for longer than she could remember .
“I can’t believe you sent in an application for me. I tried to apply after dinner, but the listing was closed. I thought I’d missed out on it .”
Sam smirked, her head cocked slightly. This was what Trisha had been dreading; the ‘I told you so’ look that Sam had perfected over the years. “Do I even need to say it ?”
“Go ahead.” Trisha sighed and rolled her eyes. She’d known it was coming the moment she’d gotten off the phone this morning. Might as well get it over with now .
“I told you so!” Sam stuck her tongue, then hugged Trisha. “You’re going to get the job; I just know it .”
The two celebrated a bit longer, then Trisha went to get ready. She spent extra time on her make-up and even had Sam braid her curly hair to help keep it in check. She wanted to make a good third impression …
She really wanted this job, even if she’d been hesitant before .
When her phone rang, her heart began to thunder again. Over and over she told herself she could do this. Now if only she could make herself believe it .
6
Jonathan
“Y ou two be on your best behavior.” He stared at both boys, locking eyes until they looked away. “Nothing is decided yet, so if you don’t like her, I can keep searching, okay ?”
Both of them nodded, but they didn’t look very happy about any of this. “Why do we even need a babysitter? We’re not babies anymore!” Declan said, looking up at his father and pouting .
“We can take care of ourselves,” Alexander added. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. Jonathan had expected a bit of push-back from him. He was twelve but it was clear he saw himself as much too old to need someone to watch over him .
“First of all, she’d be your nanny, not your babysitter, just like Miss Grace. And I know you’re not babies anymore, but you’re still not old enough to be on your own, especially if I’m traveling .”
The boys grumbled, but marched off toward the game room without much more complaint. Jonathan sighed, shaking his head as he watched them leave .
He hated having to replace Grace, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He couldn’t raise two growing boys and run a company without some help. He was already getting behind in his work, and he needed to get back on schedule soon. They had major projects going on at work, the kind that would determine the future of the company. This was probably the worst time for Grace to retire, but wasn’t that just his luck? When it rains, it pours ….
Jonathan was looking over some things on his laptop when the doorbell chimed, signaling the arrival of his guest. When he opened the door, Trisha was standing there looking slightly dazed, her dark eyes darting all over the place .
He stepped aside. “Please, come in,” he said, waving his arm toward the foyer .
Trisha nodded and stepped in, still looking like a fish out of water. He took a moment to run his eyes up and down her body. She’d changed into a new outfit, choosing a deep purple blouse and a pair of black slacks that showed off her assets. She definitely had a sense of style. Another positive in his book !
Once again, Jonathan chastised himself. She wasn’t here for him. This was a business dinner and nothing more. Strictly business .
“Do you like the place?” he asked, desperate for conversation to help get his mind out of the gutter. Talking about anything would help get h
im back on track, he hoped .
Trisha nodded enthusiastically. “It’s gorgeous! I’ve never been inside a house like this .”
“I’m glad you like it.” He led her into the sitting room. “Dinner should be ready soon. Can I get you a glass of wine ?”
When Trisha nodded, he excused himself to the kitchen. Dinner smelled heavenly and made his stomach grumble as he poured the glasses. When he returned to the sitting room, he found Trisha standing by the bookshelves, her eyes running over each title .
“You said you enjoy reading,” he said, handing her a glass .
“My mother used to read to me all the time when I was little. It was my favorite past-time growing up. The lady at the library near my house knew me on sight and would always put aside books she thought I might enjoy.” She smiled fondly at the memory. “I used to love babysitting because it gave me plenty of time to read after the kids went to bed. The parents were always surprised when they’d come home and find me with my nose in a book instead of watching television .”
Jonathan chuckled. As she spoke, he was more sure of his decision to choose her over the other candidates. He hoped her enthusiasm for books might rub off on the boys. God knew they could use less time in front of a screen and more time lost in a book! Then again, he wasn’t going to get his hopes up. He’d need a miracle, not a nanny, to drag them away from their games .
“Would you like to meet the boys before we eat?” Jonathan asked. “They’re in the game room right now, no doubt blowing things up again .”
Trish smiled and nodded. “I’d love to .”
Just as he’d expected, Declan and Alexander were on the couch, their clothes wrinkled as they played some shooter game. Jonathan had given up trying to keep track of all the different games the boys played beyond checking the age recommendations .
“Boys, I’d like to introduce you to Miss Holcut .”
