by Marisa Logan
From: [email protected]
Subject: Starting Fresh
Dear Mom,
I know we haven't spoken in awhile. I think I needed some time to figure things out.
I wanted to let you know that I'm doing well. I've got a job, and Jeremy and I are living together. I know you didn't approve of him, and you probably don't think much of your daughter living with a man outside of wedlock. But hopefully you can realize that I'm happy. I'm finally starting a life of my own, and I think it's going to be a good life. I'm starting to look at colleges, and I feel like I've got a good future ahead of me.
I hope one day we can work through the issues between us. I've had a lot of time to think about what happened, and why our relationship has been the way it is. And I think we have a lot of work to do, but we can fix things. If you're willing to lay down your judgments, accept me for who I am, and try.
Please give my love to the kids. Tell them I miss them and I promise I'll visit.
Love,
Jen
She included a postscript with her new address, and added an attachment with a selfie, showing her mother how much she'd changed since she moved out. She sent the email and leaned back in the chair, feeling like she was finally closing the final chapter of her old life. She was a new person, a brand new Jen Campbell. City girl.
She didn't need the Crimson Star to make herself feel confident anymore. She'd found out who she really was, and she was beginning to love this new girl, this new life, her new home, and the bright new path that was laid out before her.
THE END
Bonus Book 4 – The Summer Nanny
An Alaska Romance Novella
RENEE HART
Copyright © 2016 by Renee Hart
All rights reserved, worldwide.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Book Description
Third grade teacher, Mandy Hastings, is more than ready for the school year to end. She's almost certain that Brian, her boyfriend of 2 years, is about ready to pop the question. When he drops a bomb instead, Mandy wants to get as far away from her disappointment as possible. On a whim she applies for a summer job as a nanny in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Darren is raising his 12 year old daughter alone except for the help of his housekeeper, Mrs. Wilson, who has to take the summer off to settle her mother's estate. Since Darren's job on the North Slope keeps him away for days at a time there's no other solution except to send Katie to stay with Ms. Lipton in Massachusetts.
Katie desperately wants to stay in Fairbanks with her father so she takes matters into her own hands. She can only hope that the new nanny she secretly hired will meet with her father's approval.
This is a 20,000 word sweet and clean romantic novella with HEA ending and no cliffhanger.
Chapter 1
“Ms. Hastings! Ms. Hastings, Billy is eating my crayons!”
The anxious voice broke into Mandy’s thoughts as she was drawn back to her surroundings. Giving Billy a stern look, she soothed the anxious girl and helped her to gather up the remaining crayons from the table. She’d thought by the third grade these children would have moved beyond eating crayons, but there were always the ones that were a bit more challenged than the others.
She sighed and gathered the class to move to the next lesson. It was at times like these that the end of the school year couldn’t come fast enough for her. They were all just counting down the final days until summer break signaled freedom.
As the children settled into their recitation of the multiplication tables, she sat down at her desk to check the messages on her cell phone. It wasn’t her usual habit to engage in such activity during lessons, but Mandy was feeling the strain of the daily grind as much as her students. She paused as she noted a new message from Brian had just popped up. She quickly checked the text.
‘Meet me for dinner tonight at Tandoori’s?’
Mandy quickly texted him back, ‘What time?’
‘Eight o’clock. I really need to talk to you.’
Mandy affirmed the time and added her own tag, ‘I love you.’
‘Ditto’, was the terse response she got in return…after a long pause.
***
Juggling the pile of schoolwork with the dress she’d retrieved from the dry cleaners on her way home, Mandy jabbed her door key at the lock trying to get it open before everything in her hands cascaded to the front porch. The door jerked open in that moment, unbalancing her load as her housemate attempted to come to her rescue. The two women groaned in harmony as papers went flying in every direction.
“I’m sorry,” Tina said, as she knelt to the porch and hurried to gather the scatter homework. “I guess I was about ten seconds too late to avoid disaster.”
Mandy rescued her dress from the dampness of the porch and went inside. Tina followed with the messy pile and Mandy’s bag in hand.
“You’re late,” she said. “I thought you had gotten lost or something.”
“No, the principal caught me on the way out and invited me to his office. He’s got plans to make some changes next year and he wanted to run them by me. I think he’s talking promotion!” Mandy said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing his new ideas implemented!”
“I hope so,” Tina moaned. “These split schedules are killing me. It’s hard to keep the students on track when no one’s ever sure what track we’re supposed to be on.”
“I hear you,” Mandy replied as she hurriedly checked her dress for any damage from their little mishap.
“What’s with the dress,” Tina asked.
“Brian texted me today. He wants to meet for dinner at Tandoori’s. Says we need to have the talk.”
Mandy’s eyes grew wide at her sudden thought. ‘The talk…..’
“Do you think he means the talk,” she turned to Tina with a wondering look on her face.
Both women stared at each other for a moment as they considered his meaning. As if their thoughts were synchronized, both of them reached for the other and they began to jump around and squeal with joy.
“This must mean that he’s finally ready to make a commitment,” Tina said gleefully.
Mandy was quick to agree with this idea. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t dropped enough hints as to his intentions. She ran from the living room to the kitchen and back again as her mind tried to process the moment.
It had been two years since their first date at Tandoori’s and her relationship with Brian seemed perfect in everyone’s eyes. He was a junior executive at a major corporation and had his feet firmly planted on the corporate ladder. His boss was so enamored with Brian’s work that he’d taken a personal interest in the young man’s career path. Brian was even invited to several social events that took place at the CEO’s summer house in North Carolina. Very few of the employees at the corporate offices here in Atlanta could make that claim for themselves.
Mandy grabbed her dress and started towards her bedroom. She needed a shower and a long soak in the tub with that new bath milk she’d bought the other day. She wanted to look her very best for this occasion.
“Before you go,” Tina asked. “Could you take a quick look at something for me? I’ve been trying to decide between these two summer job options and I’d like your opinion.”
Tina pulled up the two ads and placed them side by side on her computer screen.
“This one’s from a large hotel chain in the Cayman Islands for someone to work with the staff to improve their English skills. They’re not paying a lot, but I’d have full use of the facilities and all of the amenities while I was there.
“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Mandy agreed. “What’s the other one?”
“Well, t
his one’s a little more complicated, but I think it pays a lot more.”
“So, where do you have to go and what do you have to do for this more,” Mandy asked with a grin.
“Fairbanks, Alaska, and it’s a nanny position for a twelve year old girl.”
“Wow, let me see. You can go to the Cayman’s for three months and enjoy the sun, surf and sand while doing the easy job of improving the English of some hotel staff or you could go to Alaska and freeze your tail off while dealing with a prepubescent girl….”
“I don’t think it’s actually freezing in Alaska during the summer,” Tina interrupted, “but you’re right. If money’s not the objective, the Cayman’s sounds like way more fun. Thanks! I knew you’d be able to clear up my decision. I’m going to apply right now!”
Mandy laughed at her friend’s quick decision and admired her willingness to toss caution to the wind and go off on an adventure. She sometimes wished that she could be that easygoing, but it just wasn’t her style. Besides, if what they’d suspected was right, she’d be busy all summer with her wedding plans. With that thought, she hurried to her room to begin her beauty preparations.
***
Mandy arrived at the restaurant fifteen minutes early and carefully checked her appearance in the plate glass window of the store next door. She wasn’t known for being late and rarely showed up early for anything. She was more along the lines of a ‘just in time’ sort of person. Her mother always credited her with being punctual if nothing else. Mother was always more about being ‘fashionably late’ for everything, including her own wedding, Mandy reminded herself. Pushing away unhappy thoughts, Mandy slipped inside the restaurant.
She was surprised to find Brian already seated at a table towards the back of the dining room. He wasn’t known for his punctuality unless it was directly related to work. She’d gotten used to going into restaurants and waiting at the table for his arrival, so used to it in fact that she carried a book in her purse to pass the time while she waited. She hurried over to join him. It was clear from his glass and the look on his face that he’d started the evening without her.
He half stood as she approached and then quickly sat back down to empty his glass without pulling out her chair. She attributed this to his nervousness about the importance of this dinner. They’d never stood on formalities anyway.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said, “I’ve already ordered for the both of us.”
“No, of course not,” she said with a smile. “That’s very thoughtful of you.”
She started to say more when the waiter showed up with two steaming plates of Tandoori Chicken Curry and a large bowl of rice. Forcing a smile, she thanked the waiter and watched in surprise as Brian dived into his plate with his fork and knife. He waved to the waiter to refill his glass and to bring her whatever she wanted to drink. She ordered an iced tea, sweet, and asked for some extra napkins. There was no way she wanted curry on her light blue silk dress. No dry cleaner in the world would be able to salvage a mess like that.
Brian had made a serious dent in his meal before he took his napkin and wiped his mouth. Taking a large swallow of his drink, he sat back and looked at her picking at the food on her plate cautiously. He watched her for several minutes before she realized he’d stopped eating.
“Is there something wrong with your food,” he asked.
“Oh, no. I’m just not very hungry,” she said.
“I thought you liked the curry here.”
“Hmm,” was all she said in response.
“I suppose you’re wondering why I asked you to meet me here tonight,” Brian began with a slight tremor in his voice.
Mandy noticed his hand reaching for his pocket, but she was disappointed to see that he’d only withdrawn a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow.
“Early spring and it’s already steamy in Atlanta,” he joked as he shoved the cloth back into his pocket with a half-grin.
She stayed quiet and waited.
“I’ve been promoted,” he announced, “to head of the Dallas sales office. I wanted you to be the first to know. You’ve been a good friend and very supportive during the past two years.”
Mandy’s thoughts reeled at the word, ‘friend’ as it clearly presented a lesser view of their relationship than her perspective. Even the simple addition of ‘girl’ to the front of that word would have sounded a lot better. Her women’s intuition went into high alert.
“I also wanted you to be the first to know, well, the second,” he scoffed, “that I’m marrying Vanessa Remington.”
“Vanessa, the CEO’s daughter, Remington,” Mandy asked in shock. “You’re marrying the boss’s daughter?”
She couldn’t stop her voice from rising at the end of her question. Her mind reeled with shock and anger at this unexpected public announcement of betrayal. A few diners sitting nearby tuned in to catch the drama playing out at their table.
How I could have been so taken with this man’s charm to have missed this little twist, she thought to herself.
Brian was still talking, still trying to explain the full measure of his reasoning, but her ears were no longer listening. She managed to clear her thoughts just in time to hear his final sentence.
“I know that you love and care for me and would want the best for my life,” he said without pausing, “and I think this is the best thing that could ever happen to me.”
That was the apex of ignorance and deception.
All of Mandy’s prim and proper upbringing snapped in that single moment and she gave in to the basest instinct she’d ever seen on TV or in a movie. Rising to her feet, she raised her plate of chicken curry from the table and dumped it over Brian’s head. In her most sarcastic voice, she asked him if he’d like a little rice with that curry before dumping the entire bowl of rice over him also.
He sat there in utter shock and horror as red curry dripped over his white shirt and light blue tie and bits of rice stuck to him everywhere. He looked like the worst version of a B-movie zombie in his new attire.
A few of the nearby diners had the audacity to applaud her briefly and none of the nearby waiters seemed inclined to hurry over to the scene to lend any assistance. Brian was too stunned to even move.
Gathering her wits and her purse, Mandy turned to deliver a final shot before making a quick exit.
“I never liked chicken curry, you fool!”
Storming out of the restaurant and leaving him in such a mess was the only real satisfaction to my whole evening, she thought back later.
Chapter 2
By the time Mandy got back to the house, tears were streaming freely down her face. She made no effort to contain them as her heart protested this sudden change in direction. She’d gone from being a blushing bride to a rejected old maid in the space of one dinner. Thankfully, it was dark and there was no one to see her undoing. She noted that Tina’s car wasn’t in the driveway as she pulled up.
Good thing, she thought. I’m not ready to give any explanations yet.
She went inside and hurried to her room to change. This was her favorite dress and she’d carefully saved it for this special occasion. Now she only wanted to get out of it and hide it in the back of her closet. She wondered if she’d ever have a reason or the desire to wear it again.
Her first thought was to crawl into bed and pull the covers over her head, but then she realized she’d had nothing to eat since lunch time and not even a broken heart was going to cover the emptiness in her stomach. One thing for sure, she’d never eat chicken curry again as long as she lived.
She walked to the kitchen hoping there was some ice cream lurking in the back of the freezer. She found a half-empty container of fudge ripple long past its prime, but the liberal application of some chocolate syrup and a few sprinkles perked it up to par. Eating it right out of the container while ignoring her mother’s voice in her head, Really Darling! That’s not a proper way to eat ice cream, she wandered over to look at the screen of Tina’s compu
ter.
The screen was still open to the job site where Tina had applied for the position in the Cayman’s. Using the BACK arrow, Mandy clicked to the screen with the two jobs side by side. Considering the depth of her humiliation, all she wanted to do at this moment was to get as far away from Atlanta as her situation would allow her to go. Fairbanks, Alaska, in comparison, was a reasonable destination in her mind at that moment. She sat down to read the job description carefully.
“WANTED: Temporary Nanny for summer position in Fairbanks, Alaska. Job responsibilities include the care and feeding of a 12-year old with some light housekeeping and entertainment duties. All travel expenses will be covered round-trip first class and a monthly salary based on your qualifications. Please e-mail for further information.”
In a fit of retaliation, Mandy entered the information required to apply for the job. Before her good sense could take hold of her, she hit the ENTER key and watched the screen change. It was done and whatever happened next would determine her direction for the summer. Maybe North to Alaska wasn’t such a bad idea, she thought.
***
Darren Covington was fearless in the face of raging winter storms on the North Slope, hungry polar bears and the occasional defiant workman, but he trembled at the thought of dealing with his twelve year old daughter, Katie, when she was in a rage. The old adage, comparing the fury of hell with the scorned woman came to mind when he thought of such moments. He could only imagine what she would be like when she came of age with the head start she already had on this kind of behavior.
“I don’t want to go back to Massachusetts and stay with Ms. Lipton for the summer,” she shouted loudly enough for the neighbors to hear. “I want to stay here, in my home, with you! I spend the entire school year down in the lower ’48. Alaska is my home. You’ve got no right to make me go back!!”
“But Katie,” he said, trying for a reasonable tone, “I’ve already explained to you. Mrs. Wilson’s mother died and she needs to go down and take care of the funeral and settle the estate. She’s going to be gone all summer. There’s no one here to take care of you when I’m out on the Slope. I can’t leave you here alone.”
