by Alicia Banks
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, I’ve been out for two days now. I want to get home and check on the family, see the wife.”
Antonio agreed that it made sense and he knew that Tommy would stay if he wanted him to, but it wasn’t right for him to ask. He deserved time with his family, even if Antonio was scared of the woman he brought. The castle was situated in the clouds, and he was still trying to get over the fact that an unknowing human was in his midst. It felt hard to imagine and, in a way, it felt wrong. It wasn’t like he could just leave her, at least not until she woke up and got a rundown of the rules.
That meant that Antonio was just going to have to wait her out. He picked up a book from one of the many shelves full of them and sat down. It was apparently going to be a long day.
She slept for hours and it gave him plenty of time to study her. She was short for even a woman, but her heels made her appear taller than she’d been. She was in a get-up that wasn’t like her when he’d done the interview. She looked much more at home in tennis shoes and jeans.
The jeans were probably what caught his attention more than anything else. He couldn’t help but admire the way they covered her legs so tightly and let him see how long her legs were. It seemed that Josselin was half legs and he spent probably too much time admiring them. It was the last thing he should be doing, but it was far more entertaining than anything else.
When she started to move, instead of trying to help her along to wake up, he found himself being as still and quiet as possible. She went back to sleep twice and the third time, he was eager to keep her sleeping still, if only so that Antonio could check her out uninhibited as he had been doing. It wasn’t like him, but the circumstances seemed unique, never to be repeated.
Her eyes came open, though, meeting his and she jumped up. He wasn’t supposed to be there. He was not too close, but as Josselin sat up straight, she looked around. She’d been drugged to get her to the castle. Tommy had to fly her up and it wouldn’t have worked if she had been awake. Now that she was there in front of him, awake, Antonio didn’t know what to say, except good morning.
She responded in kind, quickly asking him how she had gotten there.
“Well, it seems that you were really tired, and you slept the whole way. Tommy said he couldn’t get you up, so he just carried you in. I hope you don’t mind. He didn’t want to leave you in the car. He said it would have left you disoriented.”
Josselin agreed, though it was clear that she still wasn’t sold on it all. She was rubbing her eyes and moving her tongue around her mouth like it was dry. He asked her if she wanted a drink and Josselin agreed. Antonio went to get it for her, not sure how he felt. He still kind of wanted her to go back to sleep. Then he wouldn’t be on the spot, even when he had no idea what he was doing.
“I’m okay, really. It’s just weird, waking up in a place like this and not knowing how you got here, you in front of me. I hope you didn’t have to wait long for me to get up.”
Antonio told her that it had been a few hours and she seemed alarmed. She straightened up and apologized, saying something about how she had been unable to get any sleep the night before.
“Nervous about today?”
She agreed, though not wholeheartedly. “Something like that.”
“Well, don’t worry, Josselin. There is nothing to worry about. You’re here now and I have a good feeling about all of this. You must have really charmed Tommy, because he is convinced that you’re the perfect one for the job. I tend to trust his judgment, so I know that it is all going to work out.”
“I hope you’re right.”
He assured her that he was and offered her a tour when she was more with it. He was going to talk to Tommy about drugging her and the doses used. One never knew when that knowledge would come in handy and Antonio was just keeping his options open. If he did it, though, he would use less, to leave her less groggy.
Josselin got up and followed him around. The place was huge, even taking into account the west wing that she was forbidden to enter, as well as the entries in and out. There was an atrium and several other places where the outdoors was brought in, but he couldn’t take her to the grounds around it, because there weren’t any.
“What about the yard. Am I allowed to go out there?”
“I wouldn’t go to the front or back. I would go where there are balconies or the inside out rooms, where I showed you.”
“What about grass?”
Antonio was perplexed. What did it matter about grass?
“Grass?”
“Yeah, you know, grass. There is nothing better than bare feet and grass.”
He must have scowled at her, because Josselin averted her eyes and told him that she was just messing around. He knew that she wasn’t, but it was a question he wasn’t prepared for. Humans were strange. What a thing to ask for.
“I can’t say that I know what that is about, but I will look into it.”
Josselin agreed, but she was suspicious, and he couldn’t blame her. When the rules and forbidden places were laid out in such a short amount of time, it just seemed like a lot. She was probably wondering what it was she had gotten herself into. Antonio knew that he would be thinking along those lines if he was her.
“It’s time to see your room. I hope that you like it. I got it refitted for your purposes last night. If you need anything added or anything else, just let me know.”
Josselin smiled when the door was opened, and what time was spent having a few renovations done, fresh paint on the walls, was worth it. She smiled ear to ear and it was the most innocent of moments. He liked doing good and with Josselin, there was no wondering how she really felt. It was all written on her face and she seemed touched. He knew that she had a rough home life, but the way she acted, it was like she’d never had her own space before in her life.
“Do you like it?”
When she turned to him, it was clear that she was emotional. “It’s lovely, really, Antonio. Just lovely.”
Antonio was a little disconcerted by her actions and the way she looked at him. Why was she getting so emotional over the room? He chose not to ask the question because Antonio did not do well with emotions. He had been told on more than one occasion that he sucked at it.
When she finally pulled herself together, he asked her if she remembered the rules. “Yeah, no grass, no open sky, and I can't leave for two weeks.”
Antonio agreed and he thought that she would be upset about it, but she actually had a smile on her face. He couldn't for the life of him understand what it was about. There was a lot that he didn't understand about Josselin. It looked like he was going to have time to find out, though. He would be gone for a few days, but promised himself real soon, that he would get to know the nanny better. She would be worth it; Antonio was sure of it.
***
A bit later, he suggested that they get some dinner, and she mentioned that she was actually pretty hungry. Josselin said she hadn't even realized it, but she was starving. She said as much to him and Antonio just smiled at her. Why was she so different from other women who would not even admit that they were ever hungry? She didn't have any guile to her. That was probably the thing he liked most about Josselin. Her words were honest and open. There was no decoding necessary and that was practically impossible from his own experience.
He took her down to the kitchen and asked her what she wanted for dinner.
Josselin didn't even know what to say. She couldn't even remember the last time that she was able to make such a decision. It sounded ridiculous really, being excited about something so small. It was a bit overwhelming, though, because since she had never done it before, she really didn't have an idea what to say.
“Come on, anything you want. There has to be something that sounds good.”
Josselin shrugged. “I don't know. I usually just have whatever is made.”
Antonio finally just grabbed some stuff out of the fridge for sandwiches. Apparently, he
couldn’t think of anything good, either.
“There is a chef on staff if you ever do think of anything you want. He is a great cook. All you have to do is ring the bell over there and he will get you whatever you want. Literally, whatever you can think of. If we don't have the ingredients on hand, which would be hard to believe, then they can be sent out for. I want you to know that we will do everything in our power to make sure that you're happy here.”
Josselin smiled and thanked him, and he couldn't help but enjoy the nature of her. He had been skeptical at first, but maybe Tommy was right. Maybe she was just as perfect as she seemed to be. What that actually meant, though, he really didn't have any idea.
There was also the whole idea that she was not even there for that. He wasn't looking for a girlfriend. He had said that part clearly. What he was looking for was a nanny. That was it. He still didn't even know if his daughter was going to like her. It all rested on that now. His opinion of her didn't matter.
Chapter 7
Josselin was nervous about what came the next morning. She had thoroughly enjoyed her time with Antonio, something that she hadn't thought possible, considering how different they were and how different their backgrounds were. But it was most certainly the case. He was a breath of fresh air and they had sat and talked about a little bit of everything. It was one of the first times that she had a full day without someone jeering at her. Her uncle had caught her early that morning, but the idea that maybe it was finally going to be over, spurred her on. It almost made it easy.
The real test, though, was going to be how it worked out with his daughter. She knew that it wasn't Antonio that was the job, it was the daughter that brought her there, so no matter what, she really wanted to make sure that she and the daughter were able to really hit it off. It wasn't like it was something that could go wrong and still be okay. Everything hinged on the two of them getting along. Considering that she felt better than she had in a long time, the idea of having to go back home with her tail between her legs wasn't even an option. Josselin knew that if she didn't get the job or if something went wrong, she was never going back. No matter what had to happen, even if she had to sleep on the side of the road, Josselin knew that it would be better than the alternative. The alternative was something that she had lived with for far too long, and she didn't think that she could do it any longer.
More importantly, Josselin didn't want to do it anymore. It was ridiculously impossible to live that kind of life and never be happy. That was probably the point and the reason her uncle treated her that way, but Josselin didn't feel like she deserved it. She never did understand why he hated her so much. It didn't matter. She figured that she was some kind of burden that he didn't want, and a part of Josselin had always wished that he would have just let her go into foster care or something like that. He hated her truly, so why would he keep her around?
All of that was to say that being in Antonio's company for a few hours made her realize how untenable it was for her to go back. She couldn't even imagine it and didn't want to. She wanted to feel the way she had felt the night before, free and unjudged for the first time. It felt good to be able to talk without worrying about every little thing making the other person mad. She never realized how strange it all was. How she had to act and what she had to do. Her uncle had made her socially inept in some ways because she didn't know how to respond to kindness. Something so simple completely eluded her now.
There was no more time to waste. Josselin knew that she was supposed to be down in the kitchen by eight o'clock in the morning. She was supposed to cook breakfast and that would be the time that she was going to meet his daughter for the first time. Ophelia sounded like a young precocious 3-year-old. Josselin usually did well with children, but she also knew that sometimes they were fickle. If the little girl felt like not having a babysitter would keep her father at home more, she very well could do anything in her power to make sure that the babysitter was impossible to employ. He had mentioned that she had been through several babysitters.
It was a lot to have it all resting on a child’s whims, but that’s what it was. If it all went badly, Josselin had decided that she wouldn't go back home.
When she got downstairs, the kitchen was empty, and she breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't last very long, though, because she heard a small voice behind her and nearly jumped.
“Are you going to be my new nanny?”
Josselin turned to the girl and smiled. She was adorable and Josselin immediately felt her heart melting. Josselin had to wonder why she had gone through so many babysitters. How can this little girl with an angelic face be so bad?
Josselin knelt down and told her that it was nice to meet her.
“That all depends on you, Ophelia. Do you want me to be?”
The little girl kind of shrugged. She wasn't quite sure about it yet and it was hard for Josselin not to wonder what that was going to mean for her. She stood back up and put her hand out.
“Well, I'll tell you what. Why don't we make some pancakes while you decide?”
Josselin remembered that Antonio had told her it was his daughter's favorite breakfast. She was hoping that it might get her a little bit of goodwill with the little girl. She was not above securing her place with breakfast food. Josselin's job to make breakfast every morning for the whole family and extended family and whoever decided to pop up at the time was normal. It was definitely in her wheelhouse. She might as well have worked at a breakfast diner that was twenty-four hours a day, as much as she found herself in front of the stove.
She got the step stool out and let the little girl help with the mixing and the adding of ingredients. Ophelia made quite a mess, but she seemed to be having fun with it and the laughter only stopped when another voice came from behind. Josselin grabbed her chest, trying to settle her nerves.
“Gosh you scared me. You two are really quite good at that.”
“Well, Josselin, maybe you're just a little jumpy.”
Antonio looked over at his daughter and asked her how she had gotten out of her bed.
The little girl just giggled, and Josselin could actually hear her mischief dripping off of the sound. She started to see the reality of it. The little girl probably was just as precocious as she’d heard.
“Well, maybe we should put something in the pancakes.”
“You can put stuff in them?”
Her voice was in awe and Josselin couldn't help but laugh.
“Yeah, you know as a special treat, maybe we can even put candy in them one day soon.”
The little girl's eyes got as big as saucers and she said that she would very much like that. When Josselin got a disapproving look from Antonio, she just loudly whispered to the little girl that they would have to wait until her dad was traveling.
Antonio said something about how Ophelia didn't like him to travel, but his daughter was quick to make a liar out of him and said something along the lines of, if she got candy pancakes, then Ophelia was perfectly okay with it. Josselin could see that he was actually a little hurt by it, and she tried to smooth it over.
“How about, Ophelia, we will have candy pancakes when he gets back too, as a celebration?”
Ophelia thought about it and had a very serious question to ask. “What if he comes back at night?”
Josselin told her that they would then, of course, have candy pancakes for dinner. Ophelia was happy with that compromise and even though Antonio didn't say anything, Josselin could tell that he didn't seem so pushed aside. It was going to take Josselin time to get used to the dynamic of the house, but something that she was very good at since she’d lived with such volatile people for so long, was gauging people and the atmosphere. Everything that she got from Antonio made her feel good about her decision. The ease in which he was with his daughter told her that not only was he a single parent, but he had been one for quite a while. He was just too comfortable with it for it to be something that had been sprung on him.
She w
ondered how he had come to be a single father. Josselin would never ask such questions, though. She knew that they were probably rife with painful memories that she did not want to bring up. The last thing she wanted to do was bring up painful memories for anyone.
After pancakes were made, they all sat down to breakfast and again, Josselin was amazed at how differently the family acted. There was no arguing and fighting. Nobody was putting anybody down and it was actually an encouragement. They talked about what they were going to do that day and anything of interest that seemed to come up. It was all so natural and nice. Josselin could see herself there for a time, happy even.
Why did that thought scare her more than all the rest? Was happiness so foreign to her that she didn’t even know how to properly respond to it anymore?
Chapter 8
Antonio was the type of guy that actually liked what he did for a living. He was the boss, which was pretty important, and he liked the art of the deal and the chase. There wasn't much about it that he didn't like, so every day he went to work, looking forward to what would come next. It was new and exciting, always something to look forward to.
The problem was though that morning, Antonio wasn't as eager to go to work as he usually was. He wanted to spend more time with the nanny and that was pretty hard for him to say out loud. It was impossible, really. It made absolutely no sense and, of course, he couldn't shy away from his work for something as trivial as his own curiosity and desire. He kept telling himself that it was curiosity, but it felt more like desire.
Antonio did his best to get out of there without completely fumbling around with his words. Something else that he was not used to was feeling the way he was right then. His words were stuck and before he could say or do much of anything else, he was at the door and lost in his thoughts on his way to work. He wasn't thinking about the next great deal like he would usually be doing. Instead, he was thinking impossible thoughts about a young woman, a young human.
