Adapted by Lexi Ryals
Based on the series created by Pamela Eells O’Connell
Part One is based on the episode “New York, New Nanny,” written by Pamela Eells O’Connell
Part Two is based on the episode “Make New Friends But Hide the Old,” written by Sally Lapiduss & Erin Dunlap
Copyright © 2013 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved. Published by Disney Press, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address Disney Press, 125 West End Avenue, New York, New York 10023.
ISBN 978-1-4231-8741-7
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Contents
Part 1
Part 1: Chapter 1
Part 1: Chapter 2
Part 1: Chapter 3
Part 1: Chapter 4
Part 1: Chapter 5
Part 1: Chapter 6
Part 2
Part 2: Chapter 1
Part 2: Chapter 2
Part 2: Chapter 3
Part 2: Chapter 4
Part 2: Chapter 5
Part 2: Chapter 6
Babysitting Tips from Jessie
Preview of Crush Crazy
Photos from the Show
Jessie stared out the window of the cab at the skyscrapers, hot dog stands, and subway entrances of New York City, which all whizzed by at an alarming speed as she chatted with her cab driver. She was so excited she thought she might hurl—or maybe that was just due to the way the cab kept making sharp turns and screeching to a stop at red lights.
“…So then, my dad, who’s in the Marine Corps, practically blew his flattop when I said I was moving to New York, but he chilled when I told him I had a great job,” Jessie explained. The cabbie had just asked her where she wanted to go, but somehow she’d ended up telling him her entire life story.
Hey! Jessie thought. Maybe he knows someone who’s hiring. He did meet people all day every day, right?
“Do you know where I could find a great job?” Jessie asked eagerly.
But instead of answering her, the cab driver rolled his eyes and slammed shut the plastic divider that separated the front and back seats.
“All righty, someone needs some alone time,” Jessie muttered, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder and taking a sip of her coffee. Back in Texas, that sort of rejection would have hurt her feelings, but nothing could get her down today.
Suddenly the cab swerved around a corner, nearly taking out an old lady crossing the street with her six dogs. Jessie slid down the bench seat and her coffee was knocked right out of her hand. She watched in horror as it landed in her purse.
“Oh, no!” she wailed, grabbing it. But it was too late; there was coffee everywhere. Jessie snatched up her phone, lip gloss, and map and hurried to dry them off on her T-shirt. Then she groped in her purse for her wallet. The last thing she needed right now was soggy money. But after a moment of searching, she realized that her wallet wasn’t there. How could her wallet not be there? She’d just had it at the airport! How was she going to pay for her hotel? Or food? Or…the cab ride!
Jessie glanced up at the meter. She already owed twenty-two dollars and fifty cents. She took a deep breath and tried not to panic. She was a New Yorker now—she could totally handle this. This must happen a lot. The cab driver would understand, right?
She knocked on the plastic divider and then pulled the little door open.
“Um, I’m having a little problem. My wallet is missing, so I don’t have any money for the cab ride. I don’t suppose I could pay you in lip gloss and breath mints?” Jessie asked hopefully. “They’re wintergreen.”
The driver turned and glared at her and then slammed on the brakes. Jessie pitched forward as the cab came to a halt, her cheek pressed against the plastic divider.
“Get out of my cab!” the driver roared at her.
“Okay, just give me a second to gather my things,” Jessie said meekly, trying to wipe her cheek print from the divider.
“Now!” the driver yelled.
Before Jessie knew what was happening, he’d yanked her out of the car and left her standing on the sidewalk in front of a fancy apartment building. “Ow! That was rude!” Jessie exclaimed. The cab driver definitely did not understand her predicament.
Suddenly, Jessie’s suitcase came flying through the air. It landed on the sidewalk next to her and popped open. Jessie’s clothes were scattered everywhere. There was even a cardigan draped over a nearby fire hydrant.
“Hey!” Jessie yelled, her brown eyes wide. She was really angry now. Then she immediately ducked as the driver chucked her purse at her. It slammed into the building behind her and slid to the ground.
“Ha ha, you missed me!” Jessie taunted. But as she bent to pick up her purse, the driver threw her coffee cup at her, and it hit her right in the head. She fell to the ground and lay there groaning. A sidewalk full of people had just seen her get thrown out of a cab and knocked down by her own coffee cup. And now she was blocking the door of a seriously upscale apartment building. She’d been in New York for a grand total of twenty minutes, and she was already feeling like a total failure.
Luckily, there was nowhere to go but up.
As Jessie stood and started to gather her things, a handsome doorman about her age rushed over to help her. He was wearing a green and gold uniform that matched the awning above the fancy apartment building’s door.
“Whoa, you must be a really bad tipper,” the boy said. “I’m Tony.”
“I’m Jessie,” she replied as she shook his hand. He was kind of cute with his dark, messy hair, blue eyes, and soft tan.
A pretty little girl wearing a pink skirt and a sparkly T-shirt walked out the door of the building. She picked up one of Jessie’s bras from the ground and brought it over to Jessie and Tony.
“I’m guessing this is yours?” the girl asked, handing the bra to Jessie.
“Yes, thank you,” Jessie said, blushing. “That’s just my…um…slingshot.” She wasn’t about to tell an innocent little girl what it really was.
“She doesn’t know it’s a bra,” the girl said to Tony, giggling.
Jessie turned red and muttered, “Well, aren’t you precocious!”
“Jessie, this is Zuri Ross. She lives in the building,” Tony said.
Jessie bent down to shake the girl’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Zuri.”
Just then, a frazzled-looking woman carrying a suitcase came out of the building screaming and ran down the street.
“Bye, Nanny…whatever your name was!” Zuri said cheerfully, waving at the screaming woman’s back.
Tony shook his head and turned to Zuri. “Looks like you need a new nanny. Again.”
“That was your nanny?” Jessie asked.
“Yep. She was cuckoo-cuckoo,” Zuri nodded. “Hey, Jessie, you want the gig?”
“Thank you, but I didn’t come all the way from Twitty, Texas, to be a babysitter,” Jessie explained. She shoved her stuff back into her suitcase and zipped it closed. “I came to New York to follow my dreams, ’cause this is where dreams come true!”
“Riiight,” Zuri replied, dragging Jessie into the lobby behind her. “Until then, I like my grilled cheese cut in triangles and my tutus starched.”
Zuri pulled Jessie straight into the elevator. Jessie barely managed to pull her suitcase inside before the doors closed on it
. Zuri pressed a button marked P, and the elevator zoomed up to the penthouse of the high-rise.
When the doors swung open, Jessie’s mouth dropped open in awe. Zuri’s penthouse was the coolest thing she’d ever seen. It was huge, with marble floors, sweeping views of Central Park, and an elegant staircase leading up to a second story—and that was just the living room!
“OMG! And I thought Texas was big!” Jessie exclaimed. “This is huge! And beautiful.”
Zuri let go of Jessie’s hand and ran over to a portly man in a stuffy suit. He was dusting a vase on a pedestal. “Look, Bertram! I found a new nanny in the street. Can we keep her?” Zuri asked pleadingly.
“If she doesn’t poop on the floor, it’s fine with me,” Bertram answered in a monotone voice.
“Wait, don’t you want to ask me any questions?” Jessie asked.
“Do you poop on the floor?” he asked Jessie in the same monotone voice.
“No,” Jessie said. “Of course not.”
“Congratulations. You’ve made the first cut. Wait here, and the parents will be home soon to interview you,” Bertram said.
“Wait, you aren’t the parent?” Jessie asked.
“No. I’m Bertram, the formal butler,” he responded.
“You have a formal butler?” Jessie asked Zuri in disbelief. “Your life is awesome!”
Zuri just nodded. “Duh. As the nanny, you’ll live here with us, you know.”
“All this, and all I have to do is take care of one cute little girl!” Jessie said happily, sitting down on a plush sofa and putting her feet up on the marble coffee table. It was a pretty sweet deal—an awesome penthouse apartment to live in plus a paycheck, and she could always work on finding her dream job in her spare time.
But her relaxation was short-lived. Almost as soon as she sat down, three other children ran into the living room, yelling and chasing one another. The oldest was a pretty blond girl with big blue eyes and a seriously chic outfit. She was chasing a dark-haired boy with freckles and big brown eyes who was holding a gray ball. A shorter boy was following them, egging them on.
“Luke, give me my moon!” the girl shouted at the dark-haired boy. “I need it for my solar system!”
“I’ll show you a moon, Emma!” Luke shouted back and then turned and began to pull down his pants to show her his boxer-clad behind.
“Try it, and I’ll kick it into orbit!” Emma screamed. Then she grabbed a throw pillow from a nearby chair and hit him with it, knocking him to the ground.
Luke grabbed another pillow and fought back. Pretty soon, down feathers from the pillows were flying around the room as the two tried to knock each other silly.
Jessie turned to Zuri with a frightened look on her face. “Please tell me those kids are in the wrong apartment,” she begged.
“Those are my brothers and sister,” Zuri replied.
“Or, as I call them, the nanny killers,” Bertram added.
The shorter boy suddenly stepped forward and pushed his way between Emma and Luke. “Luke, Emma, please! Violence is never the solution,” he said calmly.
“Shut up, Ravi!” Emma and Luke yelled in unison and started hitting Ravi with the pillows.
Ravi tried to protect his face with his hands, but finally he grabbed a pillow and started yelling, “To heck with the nonviolence! I am on you like stripes on a tiger!”
Jessie looked at the yelling kids and flying pillows in disbelief. How was she supposed to handle all of these kids? Zuri tugged on Jessie’s shirt, pulling her attention away from the others.
“I’m the good child. Make me brownies,” Zuri demanded.
Jessie sighed, rolled up her sleeves, and stepped in to break up the fight. If she let them kill one another, she definitely wouldn’t get the job. She picked Luke up by his belt, but he wouldn’t let go of his death grip on Emma. “Release! Release!” Jessie shouted, but it didn’t make any difference. The kids ignored her and continued to hit one another with the pillows. “Huh, that always works with the dogs back home,” Jessie muttered.
That got Luke’s attention. He looked up at Jessie and stepped away from the fight, looking her up and down with admiration.
“Hello, I’m Luke. And you are?” he asked flirtatiously.
“Way too old for you,” Jessie replied. “Do you guys fight like this in front of your parents?”
Before anyone could answer her, the elevator dinged and its doors opened. The kids’ parents were standing inside. Their mom was a beautiful, tall blond, and their dad had wavy dark hair.
“Sometimes, but they never seem to notice,” Zuri said.
The kids gave their parents another second before they all ran cheering toward the elevator for kisses and hugs. Jessie realized that she recognized them.
“Your parents are Morgan and Christina Ross? The famous movie director and supermodel-turned-business-mogul?” Jessie asked of no one in particular. She was beyond excited.
“No, they’re sheep farmers,” Bertram sneered sarcastically.
“Hey, guys. We missed you so much!” Christina said, scooping Zuri up with one arm and hugging Luke with the other.
“We brought presents!” Morgan added after hugging Emma and Ravi.
The kids whooped and hollered as they followed their dad into the living room to claim their presents. Caught up in the excitement, Jessie clapped and started to follow them, too. Bertram put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. “Not for you. This isn’t Oprah,” he said quietly.
“Dad, this is Jessie. I want her to be our new nanny,” Zuri said matter-of-factly.
“So do I,” Luke added eagerly.
“Nanny Kay quit? Did she say anything before she left?” Christina asked with concern.
“She said you’d be hearing from her lawyers,” Emma answered.
“And then she said, ‘Aaaaahhh!’” Zuri screamed.
“Hiring the nannies is Mommy’s job,” Morgan said, giving his wife a significant look. He turned to the kids. “Now, who wants to play with the cool toy George Lucas gave me?”
“Me! Me! Me!” the kids yelled.
Morgan pulled a Lightsaber out of his bag and flicked the power on. A jet of purple light popped out of the handle, and a low hum filled the room. It looked just like the ones in the movies.
“Whoa! Is that a real Lightsaber?” Jessie asked.
“Of course not,” Morgan laughed. “It’s just a prop.” He swung the Lightsaber through the air like a Jedi knight. But as the purple light hit a chair, it cut the chair in half with one clean slice.
“Awesome!” Morgan exclaimed. Then his brow creased with concern. “Maybe we should go let that Ewok out of the toy chest.”
He picked up Zuri and Ravi, flipped them both upside down, and ran off toward the playroom with Luke chasing him.
As the sound of giggles and shrieks faded, Christina sat down on the sofa between Jessie and Emma and turned to her daughter. “So, Emma, how’s your science-fair project going? No matter what the judges said last year, I loved your glitter volcano.”
“Mount Fabulous? Thanks, Mom, but this year’s gonna be even better,” Emma explained. “I got a clipboard and everything. I’m gonna be super science-y.” She held up a hot-pink glitter clipboard decorated with feathers and rhinestones.
Christina nodded and said, “Well, Daddy and I have to fly to the set of Galactopus Two—”
“Ooh, I loved the original Galactopus,” Jessie interrupted. “It’s the best giant radioactive space octopus movie of all time.”
“The critics gave it eight tentacles up!” Emma added.
“Well, we’ll be back for the science fair,” Christina said. “And afterward, we’ll get you ‘yay’ ice cream, or ‘awww’ ice cream.”
“What’s the difference?” Jessie asked.
“Sprinkles!” Emma and Christina exclaimed together, and Christina wrapped her daughter in an encouraging hug.
After the kids were settled and working on their homework, Christina sat down
with Jessie to discuss the nanny position over steaming mugs of tea.
Christina had her smartphone out and was scrolling through the background check she’d pulled up on Jessie while they chatted. “Okay, according to our security team, you’re a straight-A student, a universal blood donor—which could come in handy with our kids—and your record is squeaky clean,” Christina said warmly. Then her eyebrows arched as she read something unexpected. “Uh! Except once in third grade, you went to the bathroom without a hall pass.”
“If you tasted that cafeteria food, you’d understand,” Jessie explained, laughing. “Armadillo does not go down easy. And your security team is scary good.”
Christina leaned forward and locked eyes with Jessie. She was uncomfortably close, and Jessie really hoped that her breath didn’t smell too bad.
“Ummm…whatcha doin’?” Jessie asked nervously.
“Getting a read on you,” Christina replied, as if her stare were completely normal. “I’ve made a fortune by trusting my instincts—and slapping my name on everything from sunglasses to cat food. You’re hired.”
“Really?” Jessie squealed. “Thank you! I promise I won’t let you down.” She jumped up and hugged Christina.
Luke walked into the kitchen and pulled a few cookies from the cookie jar. “Mom, can I date the new nanny?” he asked.
“The same rule applies to you that applies to Daddy. So no,” Christina answered, ruffling his hair. “I’m going to go let Morgan know. Jessie, feel free to unpack and get settled.”
As Christina walked out, Luke walked over and hugged Jessie. “I’m so glad you’re staying,” he said, and then began to slide one of his hands down Jessie’s back. “Ours will be a forbidden love.”
“If that hand moves one inch lower, you’re gonna pull back a stump,” Jessie snapped at him.
Luke’s hand immediately froze on her lower back.
“Did you hear me?” Jessie asked sternly.
“Yeah. I’m just weighing my options,” he admitted sheepishly.
Jessie spent the afternoon getting settled in her new room. It had a king-size bed, a flat-screen TV, and a huge walk-in closet the size of her bedroom back home in Texas. It was awesome. She was seeing how many cartwheels she could complete inside of the closet (four) when a knock on the door interrupted her.
Jessie: New Nanny (Jessie Junior Novel Book 2) Page 1
