Page 10 of The Sacrifice
Chapter Six
Mia
After the door slams shut, I grind my teeth together. How did the pain in the ass that couldn’t get off my brother’s video gaming system long enough to take a shower turn into that walking wall of muscles that took up all the air in the place?
Lord, he may have a lot of faults but being good-looking is not one of them. Men wearing backward baseball caps, sporting dimples, and wielding biceps that could crack walnuts, while single should be excluded from applying for nannies.
At least, I think he’s single. Maybe he has a girlfriend.
I stare at the innocent baby in my arms, and my heart pangs with sorrow. No matter how often I hold a baby, it never gets any easier. I’m twenty-six years old with no man and a womb that’s fighting against me. And here comes some woman who doesn’t want a kid, popping one out like aPEZ Candy Dispenser.
Hadley’s lips move as if she’s dreaming about sucking on a bottle. She’s perfect. I trace the dimple along her cheek. “You’re going to break hearts when you grow up. You look just like your daddy.” I shake my head and inhale.
Instead of a sweet baby scent, I’m greeted with soured formula and the faint hint of Jackson’s musky aftershave.
The living room is large with oversized leather furniture, and the television is secured to the wall, taking up all the space. My previous employers were well off, but not like this. Playing football has paid off for him.
Why am I so down on him? He’s famous. At least in the football world. He’s a multi-millionaire with sponsorships making that number higher than his player salary. Yes, he got a woman pregnant, and she was not a stellar choice for a hook-up, but he’s taking on the responsibility of caring for his daughter.
My cellphone vibrates in my pocket, drawing my attention from her. I glance around the room. Where do I lay her down? I settle her closer to my chest and draw out my phone without waking her up. A crib must be on his list of purchases if he wants to keep her safe.
“Hello?”
“Hey girl, how’s the Midwest treating you?” Olivia’s lyrical voice radiates warmth and sunshine. She’s another of the nannies employed by my company. How I ended up phone buddies with her, I’ll never know. We couldn’t be less alike.
“It’s….” Jackson’s photos line the walls, and in a display case are his trophies and the other distinguished awards he’s received over the years. “It’s fine. I have a new job. Or at least, I will when the application goes through.”
“Yeah?”
As I tell her the story of Hadley being dropped off this morning, my friend gasps with the same shock I felt earlier today at Andrew’s house. “I don’t think this is a good idea. You know what the nanny rules say about getting your feelings involved.”
“How would my feelings get involved?”
“He’s your brother’s best friend.”
“Please.” I kiss Hadley’s forehead and wrinkle my nose. “I’m not going to get my feelings involved. This is Jackson. My brother’s best friend. My younger brother’s best friend. The kid who caused so much trouble in school, I’m shocked he graduated without being kicked out for good.”
“Your emotions are already involved. You don’t like him. That will cloud your judgment on providing a professional service.”
My shoulders bristle. “No, it won’t. I can remain impartial.”
“Can you?”
“Yes.”Can’t I? Of course, I can.I brace the phone between my shoulder and ear while holding Hadley and rifling through a bag of supplies. When she wakes up, she needs a bath and fresh clothing.
“Fine. But remember I told you it was a bad idea. You remember when Natalie nannied for Raymond.”
“Yes. But how did that turn out bad? They got married and had a new baby? And that has nothing to do with this situation.”
Natalie ended up working for a man she met at a hotel during a medical conference. They had a hot one-night stand that ended in no shared names, but she was hired to work for him three months later. And had to break the news that she was pregnant with his baby.
“Because it almost ruined her life. She was miserable and almost moved to Montana.” She makes a gagging sound. “Can you imagine the hopelessness of Montana? All that space and open skies. There isn’t aStarbucksfor miles.”
Of all three of us, Olivia is the only one that grew up in New York City. If she came to Missouri, she wouldn’t see much difference between here and the wide-open spaces of Montana.
“But everything worked out for them, and this only for a couple of weeks. Two months at the most.” I stack the supplies I need in a pile. “He’ll get things figured out, and I’ll be on to my next gig.”
I can handle being professional to him for two months. Unless she’s living somewhere else before then. He might decide this isn’t for him. Or the mom might show up and say she was drugged by someone and would never intentionally give up her child to strip in Vegas.