Page 18 of Kiss Me Again
Franny says, “Mom told us you are a chef. What do you like to cook?”
“I cook an array of cuisines, from mac and cheese to chicken nuggets.”
Aiden sighs. “I’m allergic to wheat. I can’t have any of that.”
But Lily winks. “I know how to make all of that without wheat.”
“Really?” he asks excitedly.
“Mm, hmm. And I like to experiment with vegetables—
“Ew,” Franny gripes.
I explain, “Franny is strictly into meatballs.”
But Lily giggles with her. “I promise I can make veggies taste good. Do you like beets or carrots?”
“Neither!”
“Cabbage or Kale?”
“I have a friend named Kale,” she says curiously, bunching her little eyebrows together.
“No, silly, I mean the vegetable.”
“There’s a vegetable named for my friend?”
“There is.” Lily smirks. “I have a whole world of vegetables I can show you. Trust me, when I get through with you, you’ll love them.”
But my daughter is skeptical of her. “Mom says the same thing, but I never do. Then she sneaks them into my food, and I don’t like that.”
“Vegetables should be front and center on your plate. I promise not to sneak them into your food. When I give you vegetables, I want you to know what you’re eating, so you know what you like.”
Franny smiles. “Okay.”
They share a smile between them before Aiden grabs her hand. “I know a cool rock. Come on.”
“No, we should show her the tree where Kale peed.”
Their teacher, Aria, whines, “Again?”
We leave the gated playground area and head toward another green space right in front of the parking lot. My kids lead her into the area they call the forest, despite only a few trees in the meadow, and I’m left beside myself. This is what happens when I can’t make time for my children. Instead of ensuring that the woman I spent a tawdry night with in a hotel is not their nanny, I had to spend it coddling a billionaire baby man. Now, I get to spend six awkward weeks trying to be a professional at work and at home. Certainly can’t be a cliché and sleep with the nanny. Not that she seems to realize who I am to her.
Maybe she doesn’t recognize me. She did not appear that drunk.
Aria had asked, “Do you want me to add her to the pick-up roster?”
This made it official. I’ll be working alongside my one-night stand if I say yes. If I had said no, then we have to start the process all over again, and I don’t think any of us can take that. Neither of those is a good reason to hire someone to take care of my kids, though.
It’s the way she is effortless with them, like she’s been waiting to meet them forever. The other nannies acted as though it put them out to learn how to cook for Aiden’s needs, and all of them tried to force vegetables onto Franny instead of coaxing her into them. Sure, there’s more to it than cooking, but that’s been a huge point of contention for the others.
Franny takes Lily’s other hand and leads her behind a tree. All I can see is Lily laughing along with my kids, and it’s heartwarming. Every other nanny had a different approach on our first meeting. Strict, avoidant, aloof, petrified, or trying to kiss my ass. Lily is the first to show an interest inthemover me. I can’t turn that down.
I nod and tell Aria, “Yes, please.”
“Will do.”
When they return, Lily looks at me as though I’m a stranger. The kids ramble a mile a minute about their adventure to the tree and the cool rock, but I can hardly hear it over the blood rushing to my ears. It shouldn’t be this way. I shouldn’t have her around. This is dangerous. But as long as we’re playing at strangers, I should go along with it. Once there’s a break in the pair’s ramble, I thrust my hand out. “Cormac,” I blurt. We weren’t supposed to know last names, but that seems inevitable now. “Cormac MacMillan.”