by Black, Tasha
“You’re working as his nanny?” the woman asked derisively.
“Only for a couple of days,” Delilah said, looking at the top of Noah’s downy head and wondering if she didn’t wish it was for longer. “It’s actually going pretty well. The baby’s really nice.”
But the Barracuda had already hung up. She’d never really been the maternal type.
6
Delilah
Delilah wandered the aisles of the Co-op grocery store in downtown Tarker’s Hollow, wondering how she would ever manage to even buy the right ingredients, let alone cook dinner.
Every grocery store she had ever visited before this had a section with magazines. On her way here she’d convinced herself that one of the magazines would have an easy recipe. Then all she’d have to do was buy it and the ingredient list and she’d be all set.
But this place was like no grocery store she’d ever seen.
There were bouquets of flowers from nearby gardens, racks of handmade soaps and lip balms, and even a section of woolen hats and mittens made by women in developing countries.
There were no magazines.
There were no TV dinners, which had been her back-up plan.
There was a whole wall of bins of nuts and spices, and there were foods she’d never even heard of.
The section with the meats was patrolled by a pair of actual butchers in white aprons, who seemed to engage every customer in their section in a conversation about what they were cooking.
She wondered briefly if maybe they could suggest something easy to cook.
But there were too many people everywhere. What if someone here knew Axel and told him what she’d been up to?
As if on cue, an older woman with dark hair in a bun approached. “Noah,” she sang out, smiling at the baby.
Noah grinned back at her and kicked his legs inside his little blanket bag.
“You must be the new nanny,” the lady said. “I’m Eva Cortez.”
“I’m Delilah,” she replied. “Nice to meet you.”
“So you’re out shopping?” Eva asked. “Axel’s a lucky man to have a nanny who can cook.”
Eva looked so friendly and her eyes were so kind…
“I was just wondering what to fix him,” Delilah admitted. “It’s my first day.”
“Well, you know he loves the meatloaf from the little restaurant across the street, All Occasions,” Eva confided. “Maybe you could try your own take on it.”
“Great idea,” Delilah said. “I’ll head over and try a piece, so I know what he likes.”
“Well, welcome to town,” Eva said. “I hope to see you again soon.”
Delilah gave Eva a little wave and scurried away before she could mess up what had seemed like a pleasant conversation.
She took the stroller past the Co-op’s patio of picnic benches with umbrellas where a group of moms sat with their own strollers.
Sure enough, there was a tiny restaurant across the street with a sign that said All Occasions.
She headed over and stood in front of the door trying to figure out how she was supposed to get in.
There was an automatic door at the Co-op. But this was just a simple glass door with a handle.
She could reach the handle or push the stroller, not both.
But before she could solve the puzzle, an elderly gentleman inside opened the door.
“Thank you,” she said.
“My pleasure, dear,” said the man. “And hello to you, Mr. Noah.”
Noah squeaked back at him and the man smiled so hard his eyes almost disappeared.
“Are you here for the meatloaf?” the pretty lady behind the counter asked knowingly.
“It’s Axel’s favorite, right?” Delilah asked.
“Sure is,” the lady replied. “I’ll box up enough for both of you.”
“I don’t suppose you’d want to share the recipe?” Delilah asked, figuring it couldn’t hurt.
“Oh, that particular recipe is my livelihood,” the woman laughed. “But I hear there’s a very nice meatloaf recipe on the HomeAtLast website. Lots of good amateur cooking tips there. Not that you need it. Axel has been bragging that his new nanny was an excellent cook.”
“Wow, word travels fast,” Delilah said, wondering where the heck she was supposed to get her hands on a recipe when everyone in this town apparently already thought she was Gordon flipping Ramsay.
“Sure does,” the lady agreed. “We don’t have much else to talk about. Hang on while I get your meal. It’ll be about ten minutes, if there’s anything else you need to get done around town.”
“Oh, maybe I’ll get a coffee at Edible Complex,” Delilah said, remembering Axel’s suggestion.
“Great cappuccino there,” the lady said, nodding.
Delilah headed for the door where the older man was already waiting for her.
“Thank you so much,” Delilah enthused as he opened the door for them.
She couldn’t believe her own cheery behavior.
The little town must be rubbing off on her.
She and Noah headed down the half block toward the little brick Victorian train station.
“Hey, Noah,” called a lady who was sweeping the sidewalk in front of a little real estate office.
Delilah smiled at her.
“Beautiful day,” said a man, coming down the sidewalk in the opposite direction. He actually tipped his hat, like he was on TV or something.
Delilah nodded and kept walking, feeling like she was on the set of some holiday movie.
At last she reached the café. There was a sign on it that identified it as Edible Complex.
A mom with a stroller was just going in as she arrived, and Delilah studied the woman’s backwards door opening technique and copied it when she entered.
The café was larger than it looked from outside. The delicious scents of coffee and fresh cooked bacon dueled for her attention.
The walls were hung with original paintings and framed photographs, all of which had plaques with the artist’s name and a price underneath.
Delilah got in line and looked around at the other patrons.
There were tons of college students working on tablets and laptops. She had almost forgotten this was a college town.
Their relaxed enjoyment made her wonder what it would have been like to go to college herself. Her education had been markedly different.
A couple of women with strollers sat in a sunny corner, eating breakfast.
A man working on a laptop got up and headed to the door with a Unisex Bathroom sign above it.
He just left the laptop right on the table.
Delilah glanced at the screen.
The computer was open and logged in.
Idiot.
She waited for someone to swoop in and snatch the computer.
But no one even looked up.
“What can I get for you?” the barista asked.
The line had cleared without her even noticing.
Delilah blinked at the man. He looked to be in his twenties, with a beret and a handlebar mustache.
“Uh, cappuccino, please,” she managed, handing him a ten.
“Sure thing,” he said, making change for her.
She glanced back at the laptop.
It was still there.
“Here you go,” the barista told her, handing her some change. “Coffee will be over there as soon as we’re done making it.”
She slid the change into her pocket and headed to the other end of the counter to wait.
To her amazement, the laptop was still open on the table.
What kind of person just did that? Didn’t he know what was going to happen?
But the man came out of the bathroom, sat down and began to type again.
“Cappuccino’s up,” the barista sang out.
Delilah grabbed her coffee and headed back out to All Occasions.
A little dress shop on the way had racks of beautiful dresses on display out on the sid
ewalk.
There was not an employee in sight anywhere.
A car pulled up in front of the dress shop and a man jumped out.
Here we go, Delilah thought to herself.
But the man didn’t take the dresses.
He left his car keys on the dash of the car and sprinted to the dry cleaner’s shop across the street.
The windows of the car were open.
Delilah looked at the car for a moment and allowed herself to imagine just jumping in and driving the car away.
“Stop,” someone cried.
She spun around, feeling guilty even though she hadn’t acted on her urges.
The barista from Edible Complex was jogging toward her, handlebars of his mustache bouncing jauntily.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “You gave me a ten and I only gave you change for a five.”
Sheesh. She’d been so busy worrying about the guy’s laptop she hadn’t even noticed being shorted her own change.
“Thanks,” she said, accepting the bills.
The barista nodded and headed back to the café.
Delilah stood for just a moment, looking around the little town with the tall trees and the friendly people.
She figured it probably made sense to stick around as long as she could. This town was ripe for the picking.
But something deep inside her, a voice she hadn’t heard in a long time, was wondering what it would be like to live someplace where she didn’t have to look over her shoulder all the time.
Where she could walk away from her car or laptop and expect it to still be there when she returned.
Where she didn’t have to lock her doors.
7
Axel
Axel found himself eager to close up the shop and head home.
He whistled as he turned off the lights and locked the garage bays.
“Someone’s got a spring in his step,” Bill teased. “I guess you can’t wait to get home to that hot nanny.”
“She’s not hot,” Axel snapped defensively.
But she was hot, and they both knew it.
He tried not to picture her curvy body and those big, dark eyes.
“Uh, she’s hot, dude, wake up,” Bill said. “Doesn’t mean she’s a good nanny though. Keep an eye on her. She’s basically a stranger.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Axel said. “Noah likes her. I’ve got a good feeling about it.”
“See you tomorrow,” Bill said, rolling his eyes.
The short walk from the shop back to the house seemed to stretch out to an eternity. Axel found himself appreciating the sunset over the trees and the warm light in the downstairs windows.
A delicious scent greeted him as soon as he opened the front door.
Then he heard the singing.
Delilah was crooning a Beatles song in a soft contralto while Noah growled and squeaked along delightedly.
Axel closed his eyes, struck by a pang of longing he couldn’t explain.
His inner bear nosed at the boundaries, intrigued by the good smells and happy sounds.
“Axel?” Delilah’s worried voice cut through the fog.
“Hey,” he said, heading into the kitchen.
Her smile of relief was like a rainbow after a storm.
“Sorry,” she said. “I guess I’m just not used to leaving doors unlocked.”
“You don’t have to,” he told her quickly. “If you guys don’t feel safe, I’ll make sure we have keys tomorrow.”
“I know you’re right there at the shop,” she said. “Don’t worry about it.”
His bear preened at her assertion that his presence meant she was safe.
But Axel vowed to himself that he’d get the key situation straightened out in the morning anyway. He wanted Delilah to feel at home here.
“It’s kind of a sleepy town,” he explained. “And I don’t know why, but I just don’t worry about anyone breaking in.”
“I know why,” she said, giving his big body an appreciative once-over.
He tried not to grin and failed.
If she only knew.
“Anyway, I’ll make sure to get you a key,” he said. “And you can always lock the door if you’re here alone with Noah. I’ll ring the bell if I need to come in and I don’t have a key.”
“Everyone here is so trusting,” Delilah observed.
“We’re pretty lucky to live in a small, tight-knit community,” Axel said. “Not too much happens around here.”
What he had said wasn’t quite true for the shifters of Tarker’s Hollow, who had enjoyed a rather adventurous few years.
But as far as the humans in Tarker’s Hollow were concerned, it was completely accurate. And since most of the town was made up of humans, he figured it was a fair statement.
“Something smells amazing,” he said.
“Oh, the meatloaf,” she cried and grabbed a kitchen towel.
“My favorite,” he said, feeling surprised but very pleased.
He watched as she bent to pull a pan out of the oven.
“It’s okay,” she breathed in relief as she pulled out a steaming platter.
Noah chuckled from the doorway and banged on the tray of his jumperoo.
Axel scooped him up and gave him a cuddle, inhaling the sweet scent of him.
“Were you a good boy today?” he asked him between kisses.
“He was a great boy today,” Delilah said. “But I’ll bet he’s getting hungry. I’ll get him a bottle fixed when I’m done with dinner.”
“I’ll get it,” Axel said.
He tucked the baby onto his hip and pulled out the formula and a clean bottle.
Delilah had turned around to watch him.
Maybe she thought he couldn’t fix a bottle because he was a guy. Plenty of women seemed to think it was a miracle he could keep Noah alive on his own.
Well if she thought she was going to find fault with his parenting, she was mistaken. Axel was a great dad, and he made every effort to keep his son well fed and his bottles properly sanitized.
He went through the whole process methodically as she watched him closely, mixing the formula, warming the bottle.
At last he snuggled Noah in close and offered him his meal.
The baby tucked into his dinner enthusiastically.
“I know I don’t have a degree in early childhood education, but I can fix his bottle,” Axel said, looking down at his son who was wolfing down the milk happily.
“Oh,” she said. “I didn’t mean to stare. I just… I haven’t seen many dads preparing bottles, that’s all.”
He looked up at her.
Her dark eyes were stricken.
The bear could scent her shame.
She was telling the truth.
“Sorry,” he said. “I guess I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder. The moms at Noah’s playgroup always look at me like I’m about to drop him or something.”
“Noah is in a playgroup?” she asked.
“Well, he doesn’t really play,” he said. “At least not yet. Some of the toddlers play together. But for the parents of the infants, it’s more of a place for us to hang out.”
“I see,” she said, nodding and opening a cabinet.
“I’m friends with a couple of other single dads and caregivers,” he went on. “And the moms don’t exactly welcome us with open arms.”
“That sucks,” Delilah said, placing two plates on the counter. “Oh. Sorry about my language.”
“He’s heard worse,” Axel laughed. "But thanks. Hey, you’re pretty easy to talk to. You know that?”
She smiled and looked down at the plates.
There was something about her, something so vulnerable in spite of her air of independence.
Mine, his bear said softly.
Axel nearly gasped.
Down boy.
Surely this woman couldn’t be his mate. He had just met her.
Mine.
8
Delilah
Delilah smiled back
at Axel, wondering why she felt so connected to him.
He’s the mark, she reminded herself. You can’t go falling in lust with him.
But it wasn’t lust.
Well, it wasn’t just lust. True, his big body drew her in like a magnet. But there was something deeper between them. Something stronger that pulled and ripped at her heart.
And that didn’t make any sense.
Noah spat the bottle out and began to cry.
“Oh, buddy, you need to burp, don’t you?” Axel crooned.
He held the baby against his shoulder and rubbed between his tiny shoulder blades.
There was silence for a moment and then a burp so gigantic it seemed impossible that it could have been contained in such a tiny package.
“Wow,” Delilah murmured.
“Yeah, he’s a good burper,” Axel said.
She had to smile at the pride in his voice.
But a second later Noah began wailing again.
“It’s okay, buddy, I’ve got you,” Axel told him, rubbing that tiny back again.
But Noah didn’t burp. He just screamed louder. His whole little face went red.
“What’s wrong?” Delilah asked, feeling a little frantic.
“He can be a little colicky,” Axel told her. “Sometimes I just walk with him for a while until he falls asleep.”
“Oh,” Delilah said, stunned that a cry like that could be solved by walking.
“I’m really sorry about dinner,” Axel said. “You don’t have to wait for me. Go ahead and enjoy yours while it’s warm.”
She realized he had misunderstood her dismay.
“Oh no, I don’t care about dinner,” she said. “Why don’t I help with the baby?”
“You don’t have to do that,” Axel said. “It’s after hours.”
“I want to learn to comfort him,” Delilah said. “And he should know I’m here for him.”
“Okay,” he told her with another warm smile. “I’ll just be pacing with him. Want to come out on the back porch with us?”
She nodded and followed him to the back door.
The covered porch had a painted blue floor and finished wood ceiling that made it feel cozy in spite of the sweeping view over the wooded hillside behind the small fenced backyard.
