“Hello, Blake. I’m on my way. Haven’t you left yet?”
With her excellent hearing, Olive could hear the conversation.
“Remember our deal, Mother?” Blake glanced up at Olive, smiled and moved away. “Mother, how far away are you?”
“Not far. You go now and I’ll be there soon … in a couple of minutes.”
“Promise?”
“Of course. We made a deal.”
Blake ended the call and shoved his phone back into his pocket, then swung around to face Olive.
“She’s not far away and I have to go now. I’ve got a meeting to get to and I can’t be late.”
“We’ll be fine.”
“I hope so.”
Chapter 5
Against his better judgement, Blake headed to his car and jumped in. The girl seemed harmless enough; even though she was a little vague, she did seem to care for Leo. When Blake was well clear of the house, he called his mother determined to deliver some stern words. What did she think she was doing saddling him with a mere girl, an Amish girl at that? How could this girl possibly be capable of looking after his son? And, where the hell was she? Finally, his mother answered the phone. “Mom, I hope you’re not far away.”
“Just a couple of minutes.”
He sighed. “You said that a couple of minutes ago. Please hurry.”
“I’m not far. Trust me.”
He rolled his eyes. “Trust you? You didn’t tell me she was Amish.”
“I didn’t think it relevant. If anything, it makes her more trustworthy. The Amish have big families and she’s come from a large family; she told me so herself.”
“You could have warned me, that’s all. When I saw her walk through the door I thought she was looking for converts.”
Sonia laughed, and then quickly said, “I hope you weren’t rude.”
“Of course not.” Blake ended the conversation and then turned his attention back to the road. What did he think he would achieve by speaking to his mother? She had never listened to him in the past. She thought she knew what was best for him and his life. If only she could be a proper grandmother, but she was too concerned with her social life to be bothered with boring things such as changing diapers. Maybe things would’ve been different if he’d had siblings, then her attention would have been more focused on her children and therefore her grandchildren.
That morning, he had hoped to turn the new nanny away politely and pay her for the trouble of coming there. But since she was there and Leo seemed pleased to see her, he had relented. When he'd watched how Olive thwarted one of Leo’s tantrums, he thought she deserved a trial period. Now, he was annoyed with himself. It was just another win for his mother.
Leo needed more than a young nanny; he needed someone to guide him before his behavior became unmanageable. Blake knew his work kept him away too often to provide the structure Leo needed. Olive’s a pretty girl; it’s a shame she’s hidden away from the world living with the Amish. She’s got a natural warmth and friendliness. I hope she did not take offence at my reaction to her. It’s not her fault that she was swept up into my mother’s scheming ways. I should apologize to the poor girl.
Olive picked up Blake’s list of instructions for Leo, sorting through what was important and what was not. There were far too many things on the list to remember by heart and Olive wanted to follow the most essential.
It was eleven o’clock when Olive heard a key jiggling in the lock of the front door. It opened to reveal Sonia.
“Hello, Sonia.”
“Hello, how are you both getting along?”
“Nanna, Nanna.” Leo ran to her with outstretched arms.
Sonia’s face contorted as she took a step back. “Oh, you don’t have dirty hands do you, Leo?”
Leo stopped still.
“Show me,” she ordered.
Leo put up his hands, so his palms faced his grandmother. “Okay, now you can hug me.” He wrapped his arms around her legs. “How are you, Olive?”
“Great. Leo and I are getting along fine.”
“What about that son of mine?”
“Good. I think.”
“Oh, don’t concern yourself with him. He’s just worried about Leo.” She looked down at her grandson. “Go back and play with Olive. Nanna’s going out to lunch.” Sonia walked further into the room and Olive stood up from where she’d been playing with Leo.
“Blake said you were staying here for the whole day. For my entire first day.”
“Just tell him I did.” Sonia sat down on the couch.
Olive shook her head and sat next to her. “I can’t do that. If he found out I wasn’t telling him the truth he’d never trust me with Leo. Something tells me he’s got a problem with trust.”
“Well, you’ve got that right. I totally understand what you’re saying. I won’t make you lie for me.”
Olive was relieved. “I feel like I’m squashed in the middle.” Olive leaned forward and whispered, so Leo wouldn’t hear, “Blake doesn’t want me to look after Leo.” The beep of the house phone ringing interrupted them. “Shall I get it?” Olive asked.
“Just let it go to message.”
When the message kicked in, they both heard a woman’s voice. “Blake, why aren’t you taking my calls? Blake, Blake? Pick up. Since you’re not answering your cell phone you must be home. Answer me!” The woman gave an angry grunt and then ended the call.
“You’ll get used to that. Women chase my son ever since his wife … well, for quite some time. He has one woman he’s interested in at the moment, but she’s a cow. Blake knows how I feel about her.”
“You said you’re not staying all day?” A change of subject was sorely needed. Her boss’ personal life was none of her business and neither did she want to hear about it.
“I’ve got a luncheon with friends. Blake will huff and puff, but then he’ll calm down. I’ll call him and clear it with him.” She pulled out her cell phone and pressed a number. “Blake, everything’s going fine. I’ve been here for hours. Don’t have another panic attack.” She hung up and looked over at Olive. “It went to message.”
Sonia had lied and Olive hoped she wouldn’t be questioned by Blake or it would come back on her somehow. “It’s such a nice day that I thought Leo and I might take a walk to the park later. Would that be okay?”
“Yes. You’ve got the alarm codes of the house?”
“No. I don’t.”
“I’ll show you how to set the alarm when you’re going out and turn it back on when you come back.”
“Oh, no, it’s okay we’ll stay here.”
“No need. It’s easy.”
“I don’t know.”
“Olive, don’t be so fearful. You only press some buttons and then lock the door. When you come home, you enter that same code. That’s all.”
“Thank you. Will it be okay with Blake for me to have the code?”
“Yes, staff normally have security codes. Don’t worry so much, Olive. I’m sure my son tried to intimidate you. That’s what he does to everyone. Don’t be scared of him.”
Olive nodded and when she saw Sonia glance at her diamond-encrusted wristwatch, she guessed Leo and she would soon be left alone. “Could you show me how to set the alarm now?”
“Sure. Follow me. I'll also show you what to do if you accidentally trigger the alarm.”
Leo and Olive waved Sonia goodbye, and then Olive prepared peanut butter sandwiches and carrot sticks, and loaded them and some bottles of water into a small cooler she had found in the laundry room. She packed a small tote bag with a few toys and books, adding a small box of wet-wipes for cleaning their hands. Along with an oversized picnic blanket, Olive found a small ball and placed both in Leo’s old stroller she had found in the garage. They were going outdoors into the fresh air, and the park just down the road was the perfect place. Leo insisted he wanted to walk, that he didn't want to get into the stroller. Olive decided that was a good idea; she would set the cooler and th
e bag inside it rather than carry everything, and let Leo get the added exercise.
She tapped in the alarm code and heard the correct beeps, and then she locked the door behind them hoping she wouldn’t accidently set off the alarm when they got back.
* * *
Once they finally reached the park after walking at toddler speed, Olive spread out the blanket and they ate under the warmth of the sun. After lunch, she pushed the little boy on the toddler swing and then chased him around the park until he exhausted himself. They sat down and Leo happily settled into her lap.
Olive pulled out one of his books and read aloud. After a while, Olive realized it didn’t matter what the story was, it was all about the tone of her voice. Leo moved off her lap and laid down beside her. Olive kept on reading until his breathing slowed and he drifted off to sleep.
They stayed while Leo had a nap. Olive couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this happy or this at peace. Her mind wandered as she felt Leo’s warm breath fan across her skin. Her thoughts turned to Blake; he was a mystery to her. He seemed so angry, but why? She remembered the look on his face that morning as he watched her make the breakfast. It had broken her heart that he showed his anger in front of his young son.
Her eyes drifted to the little boy beside her. Leo looked so much like his dad except for the light hair. They were both so handsome, so … Olive shook that thought right out of her head. She had no business thinking about Blake being attractive. She was the nanny and Blake was in no way a suitable match for her, him being an Englischer and all. Just in age alone ... Blake must have had over a decade on her.
A chilly wind started up, so Olive shut down all thoughts of Blake and gathered their belongings. Once everything was packed away, Olive picked up the still sleeping boy into her arms and placed him in the stroller. Even though he was too big for it, she was especially thankful she had brought it; she would never have been able to carry him home. She covered Leo with the blanket and quickly walked back to the house.
When they arrived home, Leo woke just as she’d switched off the alarm. He helped her unload the stroller, and they enjoyed the rest of the afternoon while they waited for Blake’s return. Olive felt a sense of satisfaction that she had made it through the first day without any help from Sonia.
It was ten minutes past six when Olive heard Blake’s car in the driveway. She had no idea what hours she was supposed to work and was glad that her mother had offered to keep her dinner aside for her. Leo and Olive were playing with a train-set at one side of the living room when Blake walked in the door of the room from the adjoining garage.
Leo sprang to his feet. “Daddy, Daddy!”
Blake picked him up.
Olive stood up and smoothed down her dress. “Hello, we’ve had a lovely day.”
“Well, I haven’t; I’m tired and I’m not in the best of moods.” He put Leo down, walked a few steps and threw his keys down on a side-table. “My mother let me down today. Look, I’m sorry about this morning. I had no idea that my mother would employ a nanny.”
“I’m sorry, I thought …”
“She said she could look after Leo herself. I told her it would be too much for her, but she had insisted. We had some conversations about a nanny, but you can understand my shock when she came here yesterday to tell me she'd hired a nanny. And today … don’t even get me started on what she did to me today.”
Olive scratched her neck. What did he want her to say? They had discussed all that earlier in the day. Whenever she got nervous, she broke out into a rash, and she did not like to have confrontations with people. “I understand it might frustrate you, but I’m here to help.”
Blake nodded. “I appreciate it.” He sat down on the couch and Leo climbed onto his lap. “What did you do today, Leo?”
“We wen to da park,” Leo said.
“You did?” He looked over at Olive. “It’s far too cold for the park in this weather.”
“It was warm when we started out, and we came directly back when it began to turn cold. Before that though, we had a picnic, played on the swings and then Leo fell asleep.”
“Fell asleep? He never has naps in the middle of the day. Miss Hesh, that simply won’t do; you must try to keep him awake. Now, he won’t go to sleep until past midnight. Neither of us will get any sleep. That was on the list—no naps. Didn’t you read it? I handed it to you.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “I’m so sorry.” She hadn’t given one thought to his sleep routine and neither did she recall seeing it on the list.
“If I knew you wouldn’t have read the list, I would not have bothered writing it. You can read, can’t you?”
“Yes, I can read.” She worked hard to contain her reaction to the insult. “I’m so sorry; I was distracted. I read it through once, but just quickly.”
His dark eyes seemed to bore through her. “A proper nanny would realize that you have to keep children to a strict routine.”
Olive looked away. She couldn’t disagree with what he said, but why did he have to speak so harshly?
“Has he had his bath, at least?” Blake’s face was hard, like stone.
“Yes, he’s had his dinner and his bath.”
As Blake looked back at Leo, he said, “That’s something, I suppose.”
Olive was annoyed with herself. He’d given her the list, why hadn’t she taken more notice of it? “I’ll take the instructions home and read them through.”
“Home? You mean you’re not live-in?”
“No; your mother said nothing about being live-in.” Olive frowned; she was not sure how the bishop would react to her living in the house of a single Englisch man. Nee, it would not be approved of. “I can’t do that; I’m sorry.”
“I assumed you would, I mean that’s what a nanny does, I thought. Anyway, it’s late, how will you get home?”
“I’ve got my bike outside.”
He looked her up and down. “Amish may ride bikes but not drive cars?”
Olive nodded. “It’s a pedal bike. No motor. What time do you want me to start and finish each day? That is, if you still want me to work here.”
Blake scratched his head. “I’m prepared to give it the one week, as we agreed this morning, and see how things go. Be here by eight. I vary the times I finish, so can you be here until I come home?”
Olive nodded again. “Yes, I can do that.” Leo gave a big yawn. “Looks like you might get some sleep,” Olive said, smiling at Leo’s tired face.
Blake looked down at his son. “He does look a little sleepy.”
“Good night, Leo. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Leo looked up at her and smiled sweetly.
“Good night, Blake.”
“I hope I didn’t make things too difficult for you. My mother keeps telling me my temper is getting worse. I couldn’t believe she didn’t stay the day, like she said she would. Thank you for today, Olive.”
Olive tingled inside on hearing Blake say her name. “Not at all,” she said speaking in the most business-like tone she could muster.
“I also must apologize again for my reaction to you being Amish. It was just that I thought my mother would have told me.”
“She most likely considered that it wasn’t a factor as it wouldn’t affect my looking after Leo.”
Blake frowned a little and avoided eye contact with Olive. “Yes, that would be it.”
Olive left the house and walked to her bike, relieved to be getting away from Blake and his temper. She reminded herself that it was just the first day, and it was natural that it would be a difficult one. Her mother had taught her to look at the other person’s point of view in every situation. As she rode her bike down the street, she considered things from Blake’s point of view. He was a grown man, and forced by his mother into having a nanny and it wasn’t even a nanny he had chosen. No wonder he was cranky especially after Sonia telling him she’d stay the whole day, when clearly, she’d never had any intention of doing so.
&nbs
p; Blake felt bad over the way he’d treated Olive just now. He knew she hadn't been expecting to be a live-in nanny. He was just trying to make her feel more inadequate than he knew she already felt. Lashing out like that was a flaw that he knew he had, born out of frustration. He looked at his watch. A security firm technician was coming any minute to install cameras in and around the house. Then he’d be able to observe Olive and Leo from his computer or his iPhone at any given moment of the day. With his mother out of the picture, this option would give him peace of mind.
From Olive’s demeanor, he knew she was doing her best. He also knew the Amish had a reputation of being trustworthy people and loving children, and that must have been why his mother felt confident in choosing her for a nanny. If he’d had his way, he would have gotten someone both reliable and experienced, but he seldom had his way with his mother around.
He’d have to make up for his bad temper and make Olive feel more welcome. Maybe she would work out and be an answer to his problems. After he had poured himself a drink and sat down on the couch, he continued to mull over the situation. Would he ever stop worrying about Leo? He’d worried about Leo every day when he was with his grandmother, and now he had a nanny and he was still worried about him.
Blake slowly savored his first sip of gin and tonic, took a deep breath and let it out slowly, and tried to let his body relax. He decided that no matter if the best trained nanny in the world were looking after his son, he’d still find reason to worry. He glanced at his wristwatch again.
The security people were late.
The next morning, with his new camera system raising his confidence about Olive looking after Leo, Blake was determined to be a much nicer person. He put the coffee machine on just before Olive was due to arrive. Perhaps if they sat down and had a talk over a cup of coffee they could get to know one another better and that way she might understand that his abrupt manner was partly from his personality and partly derived from stress.
His Amish Nanny Page 5
