Love Me Now

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  Both were intensely independent. Johanna was extremely selective and Jonathan was fiercely protective. It had taken weeks for Trey to get on Johanna’s good side. Every time he picked her up, she’d scream. But he was persistent, and she finally accepted him.

  So, he assessed, if her references checked out, he’d offer her the position. But in actuality, he had little choice. It wasn’t like he had a dozen more nannies lined up outside his door. She was the one. The twins accepted her, so that was that.

  Yes, she would be perfect, he decided. Granted, she seemed completely inept earlier, but obviously she’d got herself together. Also, she was a bit younger than he expected, but maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. He panned in closer to get a better look at her profile.

  She was definitely attractive, just his type. But then, some would infer that most women were. He knew he had a reputation. But he was at least honest about it. He loved women and women loved him. He was always up-front and honest with them. He made sure they always knew that he wasn’t interested in marriage or a long-term relationship.

  Of course, some of the women didn’t believe him. They foolishly assumed they could change him, make him fall in love with them. They were wrong. They wound up getting hurt and blaming him. Not his fault. As far he was concerned, he’d warned them. They didn’t listen.

  An attraction had to be immediate for him to even bother. After that it only took a few hours, usually one date, to know if they were compatible. Anything more was a waste of time, his and theirs. Why fault him for knowing his mind? But some did. Rumor had it that he’d even been mentioned on one of those “ihatehim.com” Web sites.

  He focused on the nanny again. She had a nice body, he noticed…or rather his body noticed. It had been a long time since his body reacted so strongly so quickly. While she was checking him out in the doorway, he was checking her out, too. Now, he watched her lips move. They were full and luscious, and he wondered what kissing her would be like. He smiled, considering the possibility of making love to the nanny.

  It was obviously too clichéd. He’d always followed his own rules and did exactly as he pleased, within reason. So the whole idea of being with the nanny seemed too predictable. He decided to pass. She turned around. Her eyes brightened. Trey felt a lustful twinge. Or maybe he’d reconsider.

  But all that had to be put on the back burner. Now, he needed to focus on the care of Jonathan and Johanna. The twins seemed to like her. That was a definite plus. So the only thing left to do was complete negotiations.

  Satisfied, he turned off the television. All his worries had been taken care of thanks to Kelly. He knew she wouldn’t let him down. She was truly amazing. He had no idea how she was able to get someone so quickly, but he was delighted that she had. Her connections never ceased to amaze him. Whatever he needed, whenever he needed it, she was able to deliver. He made a mental note to give her a nice bonus when she got back.

  Just as he turned to go to the kitchen, his cell rang. He answered. There was a problem at the office. An important client was having a problem and needed him. He talked through the situation with his associates, but it still required his personal attention. He had to go in. He made arrangements to meet the client later that afternoon. But first, he had to get the twins situated.

  Like a man in total control of the situation, Trey strolled into the kitchen with assured ease. As soon as he entered he stopped and smiled. The nanny was still sitting in the middle of the floor with a twin on each knee.

  It was a touching scene. She was a natural. The twins had laid their heads on her shoulder. Perfect. She was exactly what he needed. They were quietly sitting there. What more could he ask?

  He stood in the doorway as she hummed and rocked softly. Unnoticed, he spared a moment to really observe her. She was definitely attractive, but also understated. Her hair, thick and full, was pulled back in a ponytail making her look like she was a teenager, but he could see she wasn’t. She had soft brown skin the color of cinnamon. She sat perfectly erect and had a dignified quality that he found appealing.

  They obviously hadn’t said much to each other so he could only go by what he saw. He remembered her eyes sparked when she looked at him. There was a fire in her. He liked that in particular. Okay, still, he needed to get a few things straight with his new nanny. “All right, let’s get a few things straight. I have to go into the office this afternoon and I need—” he began.

  “Shh, quiet,” she whispered over her shoulder. “They’re asleep.”

  Trey walked over and looked down. Both kids had fallen asleep on her lap. He picked Jonathan up, and then held out his hand to help the woman stand. Each with a baby in their arms, they went into the dining room. Trey prepared to lay Jonathan down in the toy-crowded playpen.

  “Wait, don’t you have a crib or something for them?” she whispered.

  Trey nodded then led her upstairs to his bedroom. Two large toddler beds had been set up side by side in a large alcove sitting room. He laid Jonathan down, then took Johanna and laid her in her bed. Kenya removed their sneakers, socks and jeans, and then covered them with a sheet. She looked around. There was a toddler seesaw, a larger slide and several other large toys in the bedroom. The whole room looked like a play yard.

  “What?” Trey whispered, seeing her questioning expression.

  “Don’t you have a baby monitor?”

  Trey pointed across the room to his bed. There were a few dozen gadgets and more toys lying there. Kenya picked up the monitor and turned it on. She handed it to him. He placed the unit on the table by the beds. Trey looked at her for approval. She nodded. He grabbed a shirt and put it on and they crept out quietly.

  “Good job. Okay, as I was saying, I need to go into the office this afternoon,” Trey began again.

  “Wait,” Kenya said, hurrying to catch up with his long strides.

  “We need to get a few things straight if I’m going to hire you.”

  “Hire me?” she questioned, still following him.

  “Yes, you’ve got the job. Now first of all, the twins, Jonathan and Johanna, are sixteen months old. You need to be in control every second because they’re fast—”

  “No, wait, there’s been a mistake,” Kenya interrupted.

  “You’ll need to keep them quiet, particularly when I’m working. I’ll be here at home most of the time this week,” Trey continued as he headed downstairs back to the kitchen. She followed. He opened the refrigerator door and grabbed two bottles of water, handing her one. “I’ll obviously need you here the rest of the afternoon. You can go later to get whatever personal things you’ll need to move in.”

  “Personal things to move in? You mean here, live here? No, you’ve got it wrong,” Kenya stammered.

  “Yeah, clothes, shoes, whatever. Pack for the week.”

  “Pack for a week?” she repeated.

  “Yes, I presume Kelly told you that your services will be required this afternoon, plus the rest of the week, of course. I’m sure Kelly already has your references, but I’ll also need a copy.”

  “References?”

  “References, yes, what’s the problem? You’re repeating everything I say. Are you not grasping this arrangement?”

  “Are you crazy?” she asked.

  “Excuse me?” he asked, completely stunned by the turn of events.

  “You heard me. Are you crazy? First of all, you left your toddlers in the kitchen alone. Do you have any idea what could have happened to them? You’ve got things hanging down off the counters, chairs that could topple over, a broom just leaning against the wall, not to mention nothing in here is childproof. So the question remains, are you or is the woman who left you with these babies crazy, because you’re a complete incompetent. I should seriously call child services.”

  “Listen, Ms.—” Trey began.

  “No, you listen. I didn’t come here for this and what possible excuse could you have?”

  “Okay, I fell asleep. They got out of the playpen and
then—”

  “You what? You can’t just decide to take a nap when you have toddlers in the house. You don’t have a clue, do you? And you don’t just walk off and leave toddlers in the kitchen, alone with a complete stranger. Do you have any idea what could have happened while you were on the phone chatting with your girlfriend?”

  Trey looked at the chastising nanny, then nodded. “You’re absolutely right. I’m a complete incompetent when it comes to child care. That’s why you’re here.”

  “No, that’s not why I’m here.”

  “Here’s the deal, I need a nanny for the week. The twins already accepted you, that’s half the battle, believe me. So I’d like to hire you.”

  “You want to hire me as a nanny?” she asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “No thanks. I didn’t come here to be a nanny. I came here to—”

  “I don’t see the problem. You’re already here.”

  “The problem is that I’m not a nanny-for-hire.” She handed him back the bottle of water.

  “Look, I get that you’re not Mary Poppins, fine. That doesn’t negate the fact that I’m strapped. I obviously need your help. You’re qualified, you’re a woman and you have the job—take it.”

  “I don’t want the job, and being a woman has nothing to do with taking care of children.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” he muttered. “But be that as it may, I still need help.”

  “You need help, all right,” she affirmed, “but you have the wrong person.”

  “Look, you’re here now. I’ll draw up a temporary contract this afternoon.” He walked over to the cooler, which was still on the counter. There was a piece of paper with instructions on top. “Here, these are instructions.” The doorbell rang. He looked at his watch. “It’s naptime now. Afterward they’ll need lunch. I’m sure whatever you need is in the cooler. If you need to contact me, I’ll be in my office. The numbers are on speed dial.” He handed her the monitor’s receiver then walked out. She followed.

  “Wait,” she called after him. “I didn’t come here for this.”

  Trey continued walking. “I’m expecting a delivery from the office. I need you today and the rest of the week. We can discuss your pay when I get back.” The doorbell rang again.

  “Wait. You’re not listening.”

  “I presume a flat fee for the week would be acceptable,” he said.

  “No,” she said.

  “Fine, we can negotiate later.”

  “Would you please just shut up and listen,” she said, raising her voice. He finally stopped. “I didn’t come here to be your nanny. I need to talk to you about my father.”

  “We can talk about your father later.”

  “No, we need to talk about him now,” she insisted. They both heard one of the twins starting to whimper. They looked at the receiver then at each other. Trey already had his hand on the doorknob.

  “Do you mind?” he said.

  “Yes, I do mind. I didn’t come here to play nanny.”

  “Okay, fine, whatever it is you need to talk about we will, later.”

  “Fine, but this isn’t over,” she said, turning to go back upstairs.

  Expecting the hard-copy confirmations from the office, Trey opened the front door and froze.

  Chapter 3

  Louise Gates and Colonel Wheeler stood smiling. Trey was uncharacteristically speechless. “Well, good morning, Trey,” Louise said joyfully.

  “Mamma Lou,” Trey stammered.

  “We weren’t sure you were home. It took you a while to answer the door.”

  “Mamma Lou,” Trey repeated as his eyes glazed over.

  With two massive teddy bears in his arms, Colonel Wheeler stood just behind her. “Colonel Wheeler, Mamma Lou.”

  “Yes, dear,” she said, “you said that already.”

  “What are you doing here? I thought you were back on Crescent Island.”

  “Not just yet. We had a few things to take care of first,” she said. Trey, usually the epitome of calm, just stood there with his mouth open. “This is for you. A nice young lady left it and I promised to hand-deliver it to you.”

  “Thanks,” Trey said, taking the envelope.

  “Well, dear, aren’t you going to invite us in?” Louise asked.

  “Uh, yeah, sure, come on in, sorry. It’s just that I’m surprised to see you. You’ve never been here before. I thought you were home. Come in. Colonel Wheeler, how are you, sir? Let me help you with those,” Trey babbled, grabbing a bear as he watched Louise leisurely walk into the house.

  “Fine, fine, just fine,” Otis Wheeler said, smiling as he relinquished one of the huge teddy bears to Trey. Colonel Wheeler shook his head and chuckled. The panicked fear in Trey’s eyes was priceless.

  The effect Louise Gates had on the young men around her was astonishing. As soon as she showed her face they all shut down mentally. Successful businessmen and intellectual powerhouses, they hemmed and hawed, stammered and stuttered and practically ran for their lives. He’d seen it over and over again.

  “I received a concerned phone call this morning. Apparently, I hear that my great-grandchildren are a bit too much for you. I was asked to stop by since they knew we were still in the area.”

  Trey made a mental note to have a nice long talk with his cousin and her husband. “Not to worry, Mamma Lou. I’ve got everything under control. The twins just went down for a nap.” He ushered them into the living room.

  “Oh, what a shame,” she said, “I was looking forward to seeing them. Well, I won’t disturb them now. I’ll stop by again later.”

  “Later?” Trey repeated.

  “I guess Kelly must have just overreacted a bit.”

  “Kelly? She called you? When?”

  “About thirty minutes ago,” Louise said as she sat down next to Otis. “She’s on a plane over the Atlantic. The reception was terrible, but she said something about you needing help with the twins. I promised I’d stop by. But it looks like you have everything under control.”

  “Thirty minutes ago,” Trey said. How was that possible? Unless the woman upstairs wasn’t who he thought she was. “Mamma Lou, Colonel Wheeler, I’ll be right back,” Trey said.

  “And who is this lovely lady, Trey?” Louise asked as Kenya walked into the living room.

  Trey turned to see the nanny staring at him. “If you’ll excuse us a moment, we’ll be right back.” Trey walked over to Kenya and then guided her back to the foyer.

  “You’re not a nanny and Kelly didn’t call you. One question, who are you and what are you doing in my house?” The deep bristle in his voice imparted the seriousness of his irritation.

  “That’s two questions,” she joked, falling back on her usual coping mechanism. Trey wasn’t amused. He glared at her. His green eyes darkened, then focused like daggers. “Look, I just came here to talk to you about my father. You insisted I come into your house.”

  “Trey?” Louise called out. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, I’ll be right there, Mamma Lou,” Trey said over his shoulder. “Come on,” he said, and marched them through the dining room to the kitchen.

  “Look, I get that you’re in the middle of something right now,” Kenya said. “So fine, I’ll stop back later.”

  “No,” Trey said, suddenly blocking her retreat. “Damn, okay, this is how this is going to work. You’re gonna go back in there, smile pretty and agree with everything I say. No questions asked.”

  “Uh, excuse me, I don’t think so. I’m leaving.”

  “I do, and you’re not leaving, at least not now,” he said, sharply, quickly. “You will nod and smile and do whatever else I say, understand?”

  “No,” she said plainly.

  “No,” he repeated, amazed at her reply.

  “No. Exactly who do you think you are?” she asked in all seriousness. Trey looked at her, stunned by her impertinence. People didn’t usually say no to him, particularly women. “Contrary to w
hat you assume, I’m not one of your little playthings, someone you can order around and manipulate. I’m a grown woman. I don’t work for you, nor need anything from you. That includes a date, a relationship or anything else. The only reason I’m even still here is because of the two babies upstairs. They’re innocent, and there’s no way in good conscience I would leave them alone here with you. But now that your grandmother is here—”

  “Lady, I’ve had women try to sneak into my house before, but you take the cake.”

  “You think I snuck into your house to get with you? You arrogant son of a…” She paused for control. “You are truly unbelievable. And if I remember correctly, you insisted I come in.”

  “Because I thought you were the nanny my assistant hired.”

  “I came here for my father. I told you that, repeatedly,” she said, raising her voice slightly.

  “Trey?” Louise called out.

  “Shh. Okay, listen, whatever it is with your father, I’ll take care of it. Right now, I need you to do this favor.”

  “What favor?”

  “I need you to pretend we’re together, a couple.”

  “What? No way,” she said.

  “Look, whatever you want for your father, a job, investment analysis, tickets to the opera, whatever, I’ll take care of it. Just do this.”

  “How do you know I don’t already have a man in my life? I might be married or engaged for all you know.”

  “You’re not and you don’t,” he said assuredly, and then leveled his gaze at her. “Believe me, I know. Besides, this is only for right now, it needn’t go beyond the next few minutes. As soon as she leaves, you can drop the act.”

  Kenya paused a moment, considering her response. She could lie and call him on it or she could take advantage of the situation, exactly like he took advantage of her father. The terms right now implied that he was desperate. The advantage had shifted in her favor. “Put it in writing, a favor for a favor,” she said plainly.