His Amish Nanny

by Samantha Price

  Leo was busy playing in the living room when Olive knocked on the door. Blake turned around and said to Leo, “I’ll bet that’s Olive.”

  Leo turned his head and looked upward.

  “Olive’s at the door. Do you want to come and see?”

  Leo was off running to the door.

  “Don’t run too fast.” Blake’s warning fell on deaf ears as always. He managed to get there before Leo and after he scooped Leo up in his arms, he opened the door and fixed a smile on his face. He was determined to be nice to Olive today and show her he wasn’t the ogre he'd seemed the day before.

  The young woman’s face broke out into a delighted grin when she saw Leo with his outstretched arms.

  “Good morning, Leo.”

  “What do you say, Leo?” his father asked him. “You say, 'Good morning, Miss Olive.'“

  “Good morning, Miss Oliff.”

  “G'morning, Leo, Blake,” Olive said as she stepped in through the doorway.

  Blake put Leo down on the floor and Leo hurried to stand by Olive.

  “I just made a pot of coffee; would you like some?”

  He noticed that Olive appeared reluctant, and then she said, “Yes, that would be nice, thank you.”

  “I thought we could have a quick talk about things over coffee.” He looked down at Leo. “Go back and play with your toys for a minute. Daddy wants to talk to Miss Olive.”

  “I want to play.” He grasped a handful of Olive’s skirt and attempted to pull her into the living room.

  “I’ll come soon, Leo, but first I have to talk to your dad.”

  “I don’t think he’ll go play by himself now with you here.”

  “Should I bring some toys in, so he can sit by us while we talk?” Olive asked.

  “That sounds like a good idea.”

  “I’ll fetch some. Do you want to come with me, Leo?”

  “Yes.”

  * * *

  Olive took hold of Leo’s hand and headed to the living room to choose a few toys. Her heart pounded wondering what Blake wanted to talk to her about. He was smiling, so she guessed he wasn’t going to terminate her employment just yet. Perhaps he was simply going tell her some guidelines, but then again, he had his list of those. When she gathered up some toys and Leo had a toy truck in each hand, they headed back to the kitchen.

  “Here’s your coffee. How do you have it?”

  “Just black is fine thank you.”

  “Really?” He pulled a face, even though he usually drank his the same way.

  “I don’t have it black all the time. Sometimes I have a latte with caramel in it if I go to a café.” Olive giggled nervously when she realized what she’d just said. “I mean, a latte with caramel in it.” After she had put Leo’s toys on the floor and he was occupied, she took her seat up at the countertop opposite Blake. “Can I make you some breakfast?”

  He shook his head. “I have breakfast at a café while I’m reading the newspaper. I like to know what’s going on in the world before I start my day.” He took a mouthful of coffee. “I suppose it’s irrelevant to you what’s going on in the world?”

  “Only if it affects me. Otherwise, I don’t care about celebrities changing their hairstyles.”

  Blake gave a low chuckle. “Is that what you think’s in the newspapers?”

  “That’s what I see in the magazines at the coffee shop.”

  “That’s very different from what’s in the newspaper.”

  “I’ve seen they write about what celebrity is marrying or divorcing in the newspapers. I suppose there’s news on politics and crimes; are you talking about things of that nature?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Then you’re right, things like that don’t interest me.” She hoped that answer was okay because she wasn’t there to tutor Leo, just to look after him. She remained silent waiting for Blake to speak.

  “I want to apologize for being harsh to you yesterday. I was rude and said a few things that I wished I could take back.”

  “You apologized yesterday, and that’s fine. Everyone has a hard day now and again. Or an off-day.”

  He slowly nodded. “That’s very generous of you, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m not nasty, I just want what’s best for my son.”

  “I totally understand. Children are the most important things … Oh, I don’t mean that children are things.” She giggled, and then cleared her throat. “Let me try that again; I know if I had a child, that child would be everything to me.”

  He nodded again. “Leo is everything to me.” He studied her for a moment. “I’m glad you understand.”

  “I do. I’ll look after Leo very well.”

  “I’ve got no doubt you will. I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” He took another mouthful of coffee. “More than say I’m sorry. I just wanted to let you know that I’m not a horrible person.”

  She nodded. “That’s fine.”

  He drained the last of his coffee and stared into the mug.

  “Leo needs to eat. He hasn’t had his breakfast yet and the list of instructions is on the fridge where it always is.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  * * *

  Blake couldn’t stop himself from giving her more instructions even though he had told her everything the day before. He got in his car, opened the automatic garage door, and backed out of the garage. As he made his way down the drive, he considered Olive. She was quite unlike any woman he had ever met. She was so sweet and she clearly loved children. If only the women he usually dated had those qualities. All they cared about was looking good and wearing the latest fashions. He’d only begun to date again in the last few months and so far he'd found no one he could see himself with; certainly, no one he’d let become close to Leo. He stopped the car and pulled out his iPhone and opened the app so he could observe the new nanny. She was wiping down the kitchen countertops and was talking to Leo as he ate his cereal. He had no sound on the app, but he didn’t need sound to make sure his son was okay. Satisfied Leo was safe for now, he continued down the driveway.

  Blake’s mind drifted to the kind of women he’d been dating. Perhaps he’d been looking for companionship in the wrong places. If he went back to church, he might meet a different kind of woman; a woman kind and gentle, just like Olive except older. Yes, he could see himself fully committing to a woman like that.

  * * *

  Olive was relieved that he had apologized—again—for his behavior. She could understand it. With no mother around it was only natural he would be worried about Leo while he was at work. She had been blessed with a mother and a father and many siblings, but poor little Leo only had a father, and with his father’s unfortunate personality there was little chance Leo would have siblings anytime soon.

  It became a habit of Blake's to look on his phone every spare minute of the day to check on his son. All he saw was his son lovingly cared for and, when need be, ‘guided’ rather than punished when he’d done something wrong. He’d never admit it to her face, but his mother had done a fantastic job of finding Olive. All the same, he had to keep Olive on her toes. He knew if he gave any of his employees an inch, they’d take a mile and this nanny, as nice as she was, would undoubtedly be no different.

  Chapter 6

  A few days along, Olive thought Blake would’ve gotten used to her looking after Leo. He had apologized for his rudeness several times, but he hadn't changed his attitude.

  Every morning followed the same routine; Blake greeted her with a list of things from the day before that she could’ve or should’ve done better. She did not understand why he was so hard on her. Blake always found some reason to complain.

  After another early morning reprimand, she heard the screeching tires of his car as it sped away. Sometimes Blake was so frustrating, she wanted to shout at him, but she loved looking after Leo and appreciated the wages.

  She had walked up to Leo’s upstairs bedroom, tears welling in her eyes, to get Leo out of his pa
jamas and change him into his day clothes, when she heard a key jiggling in the front door.

  “Olive, it’s me. I need to talk to you, dear.” It was Sonia Worthington. Sonia had called in nearly every day to see how she was getting along with Blake, and Olive had found out she was not the only one who thought Blake was hard to get along with.

  “I’m just dressing Leo; I’ll be right there.” Olive tried her best to control her shaking voice. She wiped her tears and checked herself in the mirror; Mrs. Worthington should not see she had been crying. She came downstairs with Leo to see Sonia sitting at the kitchen table.

  “Come here, my dear, sit down with me,” Mrs. Worthington said.

  “Nana, Nana,” Leo shouted as he ran toward his grandmother, and then climbed on her lap.

  “What is it you wanted to talk about, Mrs. Worthington. Sorry, I mean, Sonia?” Olive took a seat.

  “Oh, nothing so important, dear. Tell me, how are you doing? Have you settled in well? Are things getting any easier?”

  Olive studied Sonia and wondered how Blake could be her son considering how nice and polite she was. I rarely see a glimpse of her in him. I know that deep down he might be nice too, but I can’t comprehend why he’s so rude and aggressive toward me. “I’m fine, Sonia. Thank you for asking. I’m fine, nothing’s wrong. I like it here.”

  “I just called in to apologize, my dear,” Sonia said.

  “Apologize for what?”

  “I know it’s already tough for you to come here and work for a man who’s ungrateful. I’ve heard the way he speaks to you. I’m afraid what happened with his wife was very hard on him. I doubt he’ll ever recover. The wounds are too deep. There are some things in life from which one simply can’t recover.”

  Olive nodded knowing it would be hard to lose a loved one. Her grossmammi and grossdaddi were still alive on both sides of the family, but she knew that one day she’d lose someone close and that would be painful.

  Sonia continued, “Please forgive him; he’s become aggressive toward everyone. I’ve given it some thought; I think he gets upset when he sees you taking care of Leo so well. It reminds him of her, and he lashes out in frustration.”

  “That makes sense. I appreciate you telling me this, Sonia. I thought he scolded me because I wasn’t doing my job properly, seeing as I’ve no experience or training. I know I do have trouble concentrating. My head’s in the clouds, my mother always tells me.”

  Sonia leaned forward. “I’m afraid you aren’t in a winning position. No matter how well you look after Leo, Blake will never be happy. It’ll just remind him of Mona, his late wife. He’ll most likely come around in time, but please don’t leave over his bad moods. Leo needs you.”

  “Thank you, that makes things easier for me. My mother often tells me to look at the other person’s point of view. There are two sides to everything and we only know our side, she says all the time.”

  “Your mother’s a wise woman.”

  Olive would not normally ask questions, but since Sonia offered information she was curious to know more. “Did his wife die a long time ago?”

  “Just about a year ago.”

  “Oh, that’s so sad. And, he’s not met another woman since? I mean he is rich and handsome.” Olive knew that comfort and wealth were important to Englischers, as well as outer beauty.

  “Sounds like you have a crush on my son.” Sonia raised an eyebrow.

  Olive put her hand to her mouth as she giggled. “It’s nothing like that. I mean, anyone would find him attractive. He’s a handsome man, but I was just making an observation.” Sonia continued to look at her, which caused Olive to add, “He wouldn’t suit me since he’s not an Amish man.”

  Sonia tossed her head back and laughed.

  Olive felt heat rise in her cheeks. Sonia hadn’t been serious and here she was explaining herself. Sonia would know she could not consider a relationship with an Englischer. “I feel silly. I have a habit of blurting things out.”

  “Come on now, Olive, don’t try to fool an old lady. I’m much older than I look. My natural hair color is white and, thanks to various technologies, my wrinkles are kept at bay. I didn’t get to be this age without learning a thing or two about love.” Sonia shook her head. “All women fall in love with my son and, the annoying thing is, he knows it. He could have any woman he wants. I’m sure of it. Leo will be just the same. He has that same determined streak along with the looks.” Sonia stared at Olive. “Blake would do well to find a nice woman like you; that’s what he needs.”

  “No, it’s not like that really. He was a little nice the morning after the first day and from then on, he’s not been nice. Oh, I’m not complaining, just trying to point out that I couldn’t possibly have a crush on someone like that. No offense, or anything, since he’s your son.”

  “That simply won’t do. I’ll talk with him. He’s got no right to be rude after you’ve been so good to work for us.”

  Olive gasped. She didn’t want to make trouble. “Please don’t do that. Things will work themselves out I’m sure. If you were right about him being upset about his wife he needs to work things out in his own time.”

  “Very well, but if it continues for much longer you must let me know.”

  “I will,” Olive said. “It’s only natural he’d take a long time to get over his wife’s death.”

  “Life can throw some strange things our way, but we have to keep moving.”

  Olive nodded thinking of the Scripture that the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. Bad things happen to good people.

  “Just remember, dear, let me know if you need anything. You already take such good care of Leo. I’m sure you’ll eventually smooth things out with Blake too.” Sonia patted Olive’s hand. “I’ve some errands to run today. I’ll call by again this afternoon and spend some time with Leo.”

  “Yes, Leo would love that.” Olive and Leo said goodbye to Sonia and closed the door. Blake must have some good in him since his mother’s so lovely, Olive thought as she walked up the stairs with Leo.

  Driving like a reckless teenager, putting one hand on the horn and increasing his speed, Blake thought back to what happened at the breakfast table that first day. He’d written the note telling Olive not to feed Leo berries, and she hadn't taken time to read it. She was a risk to his son’s health. A properly trained and qualified nanny would have a way of remembering something as important as allergies. Then she tried to make him feel it was his fault. He couldn’t allow her to endanger her son’s health, no matter how attractive and pleasant Olive was.

  Olive goes along thinking she can do as she pleases just because she’s the only one who can make Leo behave. She has to learn things have consequences. Maybe she doesn’t realize the importance of her position as Leo’s nanny. Mother doesn’t understand what kind of people are in the world. Just because Olive’s Amish doesn’t mean she’s perfect. I need to find someone who can look after Leo properly. Despite what my mother thinks, a mere girl can’t be expected to take on the responsibility of Leo for any length of time.

  Blake’s bad mood wasn’t helped when the lights of a police car flashed in his rear-view mirror. He pulled over and sat seeking patience with the engine turned off. He pulled out his driver's license and the registration papers for his car. After a few moments, the police officer got out of his car and sauntered toward him. Blake smiled at him when he reached his window. “Was I speeding, officer?”

  “License and registration.” He took Blake’s license and papers from him. “You were over the speed limit.”

  “I’m sorry, I’ve got a problem at home. A new nanny and I’m worried about my son.”

  The officer looked at the name on the license. “Are you the Worthington from Worthington Industries?”

  Blake smiled. The man recognized him, which meant he’d let him off. “Yes, I am.”

  The officer’s lips turned down, and he slowly shook his head. “People like you always think you're above the law.”
>
  “Now hang on a minute, I’m under a great deal of stress.”

  “Stress? They're not renewing your country club membership?”

  Blake clutched the steering wheel and looked ahead. Then the officer proceeded to walk around the car, and Blake knew he was looking for something else he could cite him for. Blake called out, “There's nothing wrong with the car. I had new tires put on only last week, and it's also been serviced. It’s barely a year old.”

  The officer walked back to the window. “New tires and it's less than a year old? What sort of driving do you do?”

  Blake scratched his cheek. “I just wanted different ones.”

  “Ah, the factory fitted ones not good enough, eh?” The officer shook his head.

  From his comments, it seemed the officer was struggling to make ends meet. He probably had two ex-wives to support and lived in a ramshackle house in a bad neighborhood. It was clear he hated people with wealth. Blake stayed quiet fearing he’d enrage the officer further.

  “Stay there; we’re not done yet.” The officer took another look around the car.

  Blake was considering slipping him a couple of hundred-dollar bills to forget the whole thing. Then again, that could get him into even more trouble seeing as the officer had a grudge against him.

  After what seemed an eternity later, the officer reappeared, handed him a ticket, and returned his license and registration papers. “Watch your speed,” he snarled. “You’re just as accountable as the rest of us.”

  Blake gave a polite nod as he put away his license and registration, and then he took hold of the ticket. Without looking at the dollar amount of the fine, he shoved the ticket in his glove box. He’d have one of his personal assistants look after it tomorrow.

  This could be a sign that I have to do something about that woman. Enough is enough; I need to talk to Mom. Maybe she can find Olive a job somewhere with one of her friends. I know Mom will have every excuse under the sun to keep Olive on, but it makes no sense. Leo needs a proper nanny to look after him. He pulled away from the curb making sure he signaled, and drove at a moderate speed. A couple of miles down the road, his phone rang on the Bluetooth connection. “Hello.”