Page 7 of Falling for the Nanny

“What time does she get home?”

“Four.”

“I’ll call at four-thirty.”

I managed not to ask of what day? and we got off the phone without fighting. A success story in the book of Chloe and David’s divorce.

The afternoon passed quickly, and before I knew it, I saw Mrs. Barnes’ blue Subaru coming down the street. She pulled into the driveway, and Lily popped out of the back.

As always, love and pride puffed up in my chest at the sight of my daughter, making it hard to breathe for a moment. She might have had her mother’s white-blonde hair, pert nose, and wide mouth, but she was all mine. Not for the first time, I wondered how Chloe could be such an idiot. I wasn’t even going to tell Lily that Chloe was planning to call. It would save me the trouble of explaining why she inevitably didn’t.

I met them at the door, and Lily jumped into my arms. “Snack time,” she told me happily.

“Snack time,” I agreed. We ate dinner at six, so as soon as Lily got home, Mrs. Barnes made her a snack. I didn’t usually join them, but now I carried Lily back to the kitchen while Mrs. Barnes hung up her small backpack on the peg.

Mrs. Barnes gave me a look of approval when she saw that I was planning to stay in the kitchen with them.

“I have good news,” she said as she laid out celery and cut up bell peppers.

“It’s not good news,” Lily told me, her mood instantly going from sunny to gloomy.

“I’ve found my replacement.”

Lily’s lower lip thrust out and she wandered away to look out the window that overlooked the pool. It was filled in anticipation of the summer, but it wasn’t warm enough to swim yet. Not that the frigid temperatures would stop Lily from trying.

“Her name is–”

“I want to go swimming,” Lily interrupted, as if derailing this conversation would stop Mrs. Barnes from leaving.

“Too bad,” I said as Mrs. Barnes said soothingly, “Soon, Lily.”

“Her name is Catherine Bowen. She goes by Cat.”

I waited for Mrs. Barnes to tell me more, but she got out the peanut butter and began spreading it onto the celery with a small knife as though the conversation were over.

“Great, when can she start?” I asked, managing to keep the sarcasm down to a trace amount.

Mrs. Barnes heard it anyway and sent me an arch look over her shoulder. “I’ve asked her to come by at four-thirty tomorrow to see if it’s a good fit.” Then she added, almost absently, “Which it will be.”

Reassured by Mrs. Barnes’ confidence that she must have found someone exactly like her to take her place, I wandered over to stand beside Lily who was still gazing at the pool. Like her, I couldn’t wait for the water to get warm enough to swim. I checked the phone on my app that connected to the pool’s thermometer. “Sixty-five,” I told her.

Lily’s lip pushed out further. “That’s practically seventy-seven.”

I snorted and hugged her to my side. “Not really, kid. What are they teaching you at this fancy school?”

Mrs. Barnes finished laying out the board of fruits and vegetables, and we joined her at the breakfast table in the bay window to eat.

“David,” she said thoughtfully.

I put down my slice of bell pepper. “Yes, Mrs. Barnes?”

“I hope you’ll keep an open mind tomorrow.”

“I will, Mrs. Barnes. So long as she’s exactly like you, she’s hired.”

CHAPTER 5

CAT