Page 9 of Wishing for Love

“You’d be in the house with him?” Taylor asked. “And he’s single you said? You might want to look into him some.”

“I know, but I’ve got a good vibe from him,” she said. “He owns some business. I didn’t ask and he didn’t volunteer it. He works a lot and needs someone to drive Elsie to and from school daily and any activities she is in. Most nights he’s home by six. Once he’s home I can go do my own thing. When Elsie is in school I just need to be available for any emergencies. Obviously during the summers and school breaks, it’d be full time.”

“That sounds like a great deal between the living quarters, since you wanted to get out of your current situation, and the free time. Do you have to work weekends? It seems to me he’s paying a lot for getting very little.”

“I would have to cover on the weekends if need be, but he said he’d make sure that I had one solid day off each weekend for sure to make plans. Most times he might be able to take Elsie with him if he had to go into the office or he’d work from home.”

“That all sounds great,” Taylor said. “I’m happy for you. I hope you get it.”

“Me too,” she said. “It couldn’t be any more perfect. I literally could put my paycheck away. He even said he’d pay for my gas bringing Elsie back and forth. He asked if I was okay using my car. I told him it’s only two years old and very safe and reliable.”

“You are sounding like such an adult,” Taylor said.

“I hear the sarcasm in your voice,” she said. “And I don’t care. I went in there like I would any other interview. I kept it as professional as I could, but I thought I slipped at one point.”

“What did you say?”

“I said it was neat his and his mother’s names were cities. But his mother laughed and said Phoenix was the oldest of nine kids. Nine! Can you imagine? And they have city names. I didn’t ask what they were, but she did say Phoenix’s father’s name is Austin.”

“That sounds pretty fun to me,” Taylor said. “Something you’d get a kick out of.”

“Wish me luck,” she said. “I hope I hear something soon. He said he’d like to get this squared away as soon as possible. I told him I’d have to give one week’s notice. I left early today so I didn’t use a full day off, but it took me thirty minutes to drive to his house.”

“What do you think of the property and the neighborhood?”

“It’s really pretty. It’s a development, but the houses aren’t on top of each other. His is in a cul-de-sac. I always thought of the American Dream home like that and not sure why. It’s silly, I know.”

“Not silly,” Taylor said. “We had anything but the American Dream growing up. We were all crammed into bedrooms and in rented houses. Living with Reed now and the life I’ve got, I can understand why you feel that way.”

“Thanks for that,” she said. “His house seems pretty big, but I only went in the front door and to his office. It looks like it’s one story from the front, but he did say the guest suite is overthe garage. It has outside access from a deck and stairs and then inside by the kitchen. He said there is a bedroom, a bathroom with a shower, a little seating area, and a small galley kitchen. That’s more privacy and space than I’ve got now. And it’s free so beggars can’t be choosers.”

“It all sounds wonderful to me,” Taylor said.

“They asked for references too,” she said. “I took that as a really good sign.”

She’d had them all ready to go and handed over the piece of paper. Good thing she had all the names of people she’d watched on the site alone in the past year. She wasn’t sure she wanted her current job contacted and asked that he didn’t unless he was considering her. She didn’t want to deal with that mess if they worried she’d be looking for a job if she didn’t get this one.

“It all sounds it to me too,” Taylor said. “I never ask people for references unless they are going to get the offer in my mind.”

“Then I’m going to go on that assumption too. I’ll keep you posted.”

Taylor hung up after that and Crystal cranked the music up. She was all but bouncing in her seat and singing along when there was a call coming in on her dashboard the minute she pulled into her apartment complex.

She answered quickly when she recognized the number. “Hello,” she said.

“Hi, Crystal. This is Phoenix Westerly. I am calling to offer you the nanny position if you’re interested.”

“Yes!” she shouted, louder than she meant. “Sorry. I’m in my car and tend to talk louder.”

He laughed and there was a heat that sizzled in her belly and dropped between her legs. Oh no. That wasn’t good.

She had to put a cap on that and twist it tight.

“Not a problem. I’ll take that as excitement. I know you’ve got to give a week’s notice and then need time to move.”

“I could give notice tomorrow and start next Tuesday,” she said. “If it’s okay with you, I could be packed up and move in this weekend. I’d love to meet Elsie before too. Would that be possible?”

“You see,” he said, “that’s the thing that sold me right away. My mother pointed out that I should have you meet Elsie before I make the offer, but I’m in a bind.”