Package Deal

by Jess Bentley

  My jaw drops and I turn back around. “How in God’s name did you know I rolled my eyes?”

  “I know everything,” she says as she disconnects from the video chat. I shake my head and hand Chloe a cup of apple juice. I may not have been given a stay of execution on the nanny interviews, but at least I have a reprieve, and it will give me time to get things done today. I pick Chloe up out of her high chair and am just about to make my way to her bedroom when there is a buzz from the phone that connects the penthouse to the doorman. I walk to the phone with Chloe on my hip and answer with an awkward shoulder balance move.

  “Morning, Thomas,” I manage to croak out to the day guy as Chloe tries to pull the phone away from me.

  “Good morning, Mr. Cochran. I have a young woman down here, says she has an appointment with you. Something about being a nanny for Miss Chloe.” His voice is impatient — people just dropping by don’t go over well with the older gentleman, as it makes his job of screening guests more difficult. I can’t say I’m any more thrilled about it than he is.

  “My mother was canceling all of those appointments. Can you let her know that Carol Cochran will be calling her to reschedule, please?” I bounce Chloe on my hip and listen as Thomas relays my message. When he returns, his voice is exasperated.

  “She says she’s come a long way for the interview and it’s very important she see you today, Mr. Cochran. Would you like me to send her away?”

  I look at my watch and grumble to myself. I have exactly enough time for a twenty-minute interview, but that is it. “Never mind, Thomas. You can send her up. What is her name?” I hear him ask, and then shout in his gruff manner, “I can’t understand you when you mumble, young lady! Oh, forget it… Mr. Cochran, I will send her up.”

  I laugh and hang up the phone, then take Chloe to her playpen, where I give her a few toys to fiddle with before putting on a t-shirt. I’m still in nothing but my pajama pants since it’s already been “one of those mornings,” and the last thing I need is some snotty au pair thinking that selling pictures of me is a quick way to fame and fortune.

  The elevator from the lobby leads right up to my apartment, but only with a special key, so when I hear the door ding in the foyer, I assume that Thomas has let the woman straight up into the penthouse. Once I’m sure Chloe is safe, I pad toward the entryway, stifling a yawn, and trying to plaster on my best fake smile.

  “Good morning, and thanks so much for…”

  And then, my voice catches in my throat. The whole room goes hazy, as if a thick San Francisco fog has somehow rolled into my apartment. Standing in the elevator, looking just as shocked and terrified as I’m sure I do, is Arie.

  Her once-curly black hair has been cropped short into a very becoming straight ear-length structural cut, and she looks thinner than I have ever seen her. Her emerald green eyes don’t seem to be sparkling the way they used to, as if she has seen as much in the years since our parting as I have. She clutches an over-sized messenger bag close to her side that seems to be on the verge of overflowing, and she is practically swimming in an oversized pink sweater that drapes over a pair of dark skinny jeans. She looks tired, but to be fair, I’m sure I do too.

  “Aaa… Arie? Is that you? Is that really you?”

  She shrugs with a sad smile. “In the flesh! Jesus, Pierce. You look exactly the same. I can’t believe it.”

  “I doubt that’s true,” I say quietly, instinctively reaching down and touching my thigh. “What are you doing here? Thomas said there was a woman here to apply to be my nanny? You can’t be here for a job.”

  Arie bites her lip as she steps out of the elevator and pulls her bag closer to her side. “As a matter of fact…”

  I slap my forehead and gesture for her to come in. “I’m such an asshole. Where are my manners? Please, come in. Can I get you something to drink? Juice? Coffee? A Bloody Mary?”

  She laughs as she follows me through the foyer and into the kitchen. “You know, in all the years we were a couple, I don’t think you once offered to get me anything. I’m starting to wonder if I’m in the right place.”

  “A lot has changed, Arie. More than you can imagine.” I see a flash of something cross her face — something different than sadness. It’s more like deep melancholy. But she forces a smile.

  “Coffee would be nice, but don’t go too far on that Bloody Mary. How have you been, Pierce? I heard a little bit about what happened in the Navy, but not much. You were injured?”

  I hand her a cup from my instant-brew machine, and slide over the cream and sugar, which were still on the counter from earlier. “You could say that. A raid went bad, and I took the brunt of it. Now I work for the firm, and walk a little slower on my way to the office. What have you been up to? I looked you up on social media a few times over the years but never found anything. Are you one of those rare sorts that actually keeps their private life private?”

  She laughs and starts to say something when I look over her shoulder and notice that Chloe is trying to crawl out of her playpen. She is smiling from ear-to-ear, and waving her hands around, as if she wants to meet this new person in our apartment. Arie turns around, and then spins back around just as quickly.

  “Oh, you know. This and that. I’ve been around. I take it that is your little girl? I can’t believe you’re someone’s daddy, Pierce.” Her voice sounds wistful, and it makes me sad for reasons I can’t pinpoint.

  “I can’t believe it either most days.”

  “How did you end up a father? What happened to her mother, if I may ask?” she inquires with her eyebrow raised. I sigh and lean back against the counter.

  “It’s a long story. For another time. But it’s just Chloe and me at the moment. Arie, I’m going to be blunt. What the hell are you doing here? It’s not that I’m not thrilled to see you. I am. But are you really here applying for a job? Why in the world would you want to work for me?”

  Arie hoists herself into a bar stool with a little more effort than seems appropriate given how small she is, and she gives me another sad smile. “Things have been rough for me, money-wise. Life-wise. I’ve been working at Uncle Sal’s shop when I can, but they are having trouble paying me, and I am in… debt. Loan debt. I was never able to finish school and I’ve had an impossible time finding a job. Then I heard from a friend of a friend that you were looking for a nanny for your daughter and I thought, well, you know I’m trustworthy. And I know I will make a great caretaker for your little girl. It seemed liked the perfect solution for both of us I guess.”

  I watch her talk, and it feels like she’s been practicing this speech for a while. I may have been an inconsiderate jerk when we were together, but I know her well enough to know when she’s in a state over something. And she’s definitely in a state now.

  “I don’t hate the idea. But I can’t pretend I don’t feel a little weird about you working for me. You being my employee… it feels odd, I guess?” I glance over at Chloe again and she’s still smiling, waving to try and get Arie’s attention. “But it looks like the squirt likes you and I’m not going to argue with her judgment. If she wants you to stay, you’ll stay. How does $4000 a week sound to start?”

  Arie’s cheeks go red. “That’s a lot of money, Pierce. Maybe you could pay me a little less and… let me stay here with you?”

  I choke on my coffee. “You want to stay in my apartment? Here? With me? Like… live with me? Together?”

  “I don’t want to get married, Pierce,” she says with a laugh. “Lots of people have live-in nannies. Don’t they? I assume you have more than two bedrooms in this palatial top-floor penthouse?”

  “Well, yeah. Of course. But I wasn’t exactly expecting to have someone else living here. I’m not averse to it. I guess the idea of us living together, after all our years as couple, is a little…”

  “Weird?” she says with a smile, finishing my sentence. “Seriously, Pierce. If I have my own room, you will barely know I’m here. I’m just in the middle of a bit of a tra
nsitional period, and if I could stay here, it would save me the stress of having to find an apartment. You can pay me half of what you were planning, and I will be on hand to watch Chloe day and night. If you think about it, it works out best for everyone.”

  I can’t argue with her logic. “All right, you have a deal. When can you move in?”

  She holds up her bag. “Yesterday.”

  “Wait, that’s it? That’s all of your stuff? No boxes? No suitcases?”

  “I travel light these days. Now, why don’t you get dressed and go to work and let me get acquainted with this little beauty?”

  I finish off the last of my coffee in a long slug and nod. “That sounds like a plan. And Arie?”

  “Yes?”

  “It’s good to see you again.”

  I don’t think I’ve ever meant a sentence more in my life.

  Arie

  As soon as Pierce is out of the apartment and I see him leave the building entrance via the security camera, I run over and grab Chloe out of the playpen. When I pick her up and squeeze her to my chest, I burst out crying, unable to hold back the wellspring of emotion that has bubbled over at the sight of my baby girl. I never imagined I would ever get to see her again, so the fact that I am holding her in my arms is almost too much for me to process. When Chloe reaches up and touches my face, as if she is surprised she is seeing me again too, I think I may never recover from the pain of the love I am feeling.

  I spend the rest of the morning in the living room with Chloe, just watching her play, making her snacks, and pretending that I hadn’t just missed the last six months of her life. But she looks so different, almost like she’s grown up into a whole new little girl. Her white-blonde hair is sandier now, and her green eyes sparkle even more emerald, with the same air of mischief that Pierce’s have always had. I am so enamored just watching her, I have no idea how much time has passed when my phone rings and startles me.

  I look at the screen and see it’s Bailey.

  “So? What happened? I’ve been on pins and needles all day!” he shouts into the phone. I can hear the cigar moving around between his teeth, and it almost makes me laugh.

  “I’m working here. He hired me.”

  “That’s fabulous! And did you tell him you needed an upfront on your next fifty paychecks?”

  I sigh, and look over at Chloe, who is happily watching a TV bigger than our old apartment. “I can’t do it, Roger. I just can’t. I’m going to work here for the next four weeks. Pierce said he’d pay me $2000 a week, so that’s $8000 by the time Danny comes calling again. Maybe if I show them I’m making a good faith effort to get them their money back, they will see some repayment is better than no repayment at all?”

  I can hear the gentle hum of Bailey thinking to himself. “That’s certainly an idea. But just in case. I’m going to get you that expedited passport. Stay in touch, you hear?”

  I agree to call him as soon as I have any new information, and hang up just as Pierce comes walking back in. He has his suit jacket draped over his arm, and he looks exhausted. I realize I still have no idea what time it is.

  Pierce sits down on the floor next to Chloe and twirls a lock of her hair around his finger, then gives her a kiss on the cheek. I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach that gnaws at me uncomfortably. It pangs of guilt.

  “So, what have you ladies been up to all day today?” he asks as he tries to draw Chloe’s attention away from the TV. But she doesn’t bite, more interested in the dancing pastel-colored ponies on screen than either of the adults in the room.

  “Nothing too exciting. Just getting to know each other, really.” Suddenly, Chloe turns and looks at me with a smile, almost as if she’s in on our secret. It’s disarming. “How was work? Anything exciting happen?”

  Pierce lays back on the floor with a groan, then stretches out his leg. His pant leg creeps up just a bit, and I can see intense scarring around his ankle. It makes my heart ache.

  “Just the usual day at a high-priced security firm. Trying to send people to help prevent the destruction of innocent civilian populations in faraway countries. Finding bodyguards for overpaid actors. Stocking understaffed militaries with equipment they can’t afford otherwise at massive discounts. You know. Those old chestnuts.”

  I raise my eyebrow at the last thing but suspect he’s messing with me. “Do you ever have to go overseas yourself?”

  Pierce sneaks up behind Chloe and pulls her into his lap, tickling her as she squirms to get away with a smile. “Occasionally, but never anywhere dangerous. I mostly just train people here, organize units, and sign new clients when I can. It’s nothing like what I used to do.”

  I see a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Do you miss it?”

  “Well, that’s a complicated question for another time. Speaking of complicated questions, Chloe and I are supposed to go to my parents’ house for dinner tonight. Do you want to join us?”

  I flinch and he catches it, and he laughs. “You don’t have to!”

  The last time I saw James and Carol Cochran was on the night of Pierce’s graduation party, and it remains the most humiliating night of my life. I hadn’t even considered the prospect of having to face them again when I agreed to this insanity, and now that it’s on the table, I feel panic setting in. But there’s also no way I can possibly avoid them for however long this goes on. If for some reason the Cannizzo family agrees to my payment plan, I may be able to stay in Chloe’s life forever. That means telling the Cochrans the truth. Better they know I’m here now if that’s even a possibility.

  “No, I’ll go. I guess I owe them an apology, huh?”

  Pierce turns back to me, his face deadly serious. “Arie, you don’t owe them anything. Not a goddamned thing. If anything, I owe you an apology. For how I treated you, for the horrible way I behaved that night, for not standing up for you to my family… The list could go on and on. You deserved so much better, and I was the asshole that didn’t realize it until it was too late. Don’t ever apologize. To my parents, to me, to anyone.”

  I tilt my head away so Pierce can’t see the tears forming in my eyes, and I nod. “I guess I should change for dinner,” I say trying to change the subject. “I don’t think your parents would appreciate me showing up in a Van Halen t-shirt and jeans.” I look down at the outfit I changed into after Pierce left and remember when he gave me the shirt a million years ago. It’s a lot baggier now than it was when we were kids. Pierce just laughs.

  “If you change, I’ll leave you here. Besides, Logan will get a kick out of knowing you still have that shirt. I think I stole it from him first.”

  Pierce gets up from the floor with a chuckle and heads for his bedroom to get out of his work clothes, leaving me to imagine what it will be like to have dinner with the Cochrans for the first time in years.

  Pierce

  “What in God’s name is the matter with you, son?” my father whisper-shouts at me from behind the desk in his study.

  We’d been in my parents’ brownstone for approximately five minutes when my dad informed me there was urgent company business we needed to attend to in the other room. As soon as he shut the door, he was on me like a giant grizzly all over its prey.

  “I know you have a lingering… affection for Arie. Hell, we all do. But damn it all to hell, Pierce. The girl has a pretty negative history with our family. Did it ever occur to you that she might be back for some sort of revenge for the way you treated her when you were kids?”

  I have to bite back a snotty comment, and a snort laugh, both of which would sent my father into a rage. “It wasn’t that long ago. I was pretty horrible to her as an adult. Let’s not blame it on us being kids. Besides, Arie isn’t like that, dad. She would never do that. I think she’s just fallen on some hard times, and she knew I’d never turn her away.”

  “We both know that’s not true. You absolutely would have turned her away five years ago.”

  I am unable to stifle an eye roll, and dad gives me a look that
makes it clear I get only one of them before he’ll have me on my ass. “You’re right, of course. But here we are. And I want to help her now if I can.”

  “You just don’t think the timing is a little suspicious? I mean, this is part of your job, Pierce. To question everything, to assume everyone is hiding something.” I can tell my father has probably already started running background checks on her, which is his second favorite pastime after playing golf. But I wave him off.

  “You can be suspicious of whoever you want. But not Arie. Anyway, Chloe loves her, and right now, that’s all that matters. I can focus on work, Chloe will have someone with her during the day to help her adjust to a normal schedule. It’s time.”

  Dad can tell the conversation is over, at least as far as I’m concerned, so he hands me a glass of single-malt scotch and opens the door to the study, allowing me to leave. When we get to the living room, we find Logan playing on the floor with Chloe, and Arie sitting on the couch with my mother. They are both crying, and Logan is just shaking his head.

  “It’s like some sort of maudlin women’s meeting in here. Please save me,” Logan says as he hits himself in the head with Chloe’s toy hammer. Our mother throws a needlepoint pillow him.

  “We aren’t maudlin! We just haven’t seen in each other in years, and there was a lot to catch up on. And isn’t her haircut beautiful? Have you told her how beautiful her hair looks yet, Pierce?”

  Arie’s cheeks turn red and she gently pats my mom on the leg. “You’re too sweet to me, Carol. You always were.”

  My dad gives a gruff cough, indicating that he is done with the sentimentality. “Shall we adjourn to the dining room for supper? It’s getting late and we don’t want to keep our precious Chloe up past her bedtime, now do we?”

  Dinner goes fast, and consists mostly of Logan talking about his next deployment, as much as he’s able to anyway. Chloe plays with her food, my mom plays with Chloe, and my father watches Arie like a hawk, as if she’s going to give away some sort of secret if he stares at her hard enough. For a moment, I regret bringing her, thinking that it was a mistake to reintroduce her to my family so soon after she reappeared in my life. But from the look on Arie’s face, you’d never know anything was wrong.