Whisper Sweet Nothings (Rosewood River #6)

Chapter 1

one

. . .

Archer

“I cannot stress how important it is to make education the number one priority, and that needs to start at home, Mr. Chadwick,” Mrs. Groucher said, and it took everything I had in me not to roll my eyes. “College is getting more and more competitive with each passing year.”

Was she fucking kidding me?

My daughter was five years old, and this was kindergarten.

Mrs. Groucher had been my teacher back in the day, so this wasn’t her first rodeo, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to argue with her.

But did I agree with her?

Hell no.

“I do understand the importance of academics.” I cleared my throat. “However, we’ll be in Paris for my cousin Rafe’s wedding, so it’s a long way to travel, and we’ll be staying for the week to do some exploring.”

“Tsk.” She pursed her lips and made no attempt to hide her judgment. “Leave it to Rafe to get married abroad. That one always was a bit over the top.”

Mrs. Groucher had taught all of my cousins, Bridger, Rafe, Easton, Emerson, and Clark, as well as my younger brother Axel and me. I was fairly certain she had come with the building here at Rosewood River Elementary, because the woman had been a part of this school since it opened.

I chuckled. “Yes. He does enjoy a production, and Paris has special meaning to him and Lulu. And Melody is their flower girl, so it’s important that we have this time with family.”

“It’s all about choices, and Melody is a bit of a—whimsical girl.

A daydreamer, if you will.” She tapped her finger against her chin as she thought over her next words, and I fought the urge to bite back because this wasn’t the first time she’d insinuated that my daughter had her head in the clouds.

“It will be up to you to keep her focused.”

“I’m not concerned,” I said, my voice coming out harsher than I meant it to. “She’s five years old, and I wouldn’t change a thing about her.”

Mrs. Groucher sighed. “This is where Melody having two parents would come in handy. You’re going to have to be both good cop and bad cop.” She shrugged.

Clearly there were no boundaries to the advice that my daughter’s kindergarten teacher felt inclined to give me.

“Daddy, are you staying at school all day today?” Melody came running over to me, her lips turned up in the corners as she blinked at me with those big brown eyes of hers.

The kids were allowed to be dropped off for free play on the playground before school started. Today they were playing inside the classroom because it had just started raining outside, and I’d come to speak to her teacher about our trip to Paris in two weeks.

Welcome to fall in Rosewood River.

“Nope. I’ve got to get going in a little bit, but I was just telling Mrs. Groucher about our trip to Paris.” I scooped my baby girl up and settled her on my hip.

“You’re going to miss three days of school, so I’ll send the work home with you, and I’ll expect it back after Thanksgiving break,” her teacher said, crossing her arms over her chest as the words left her mouth.

“Hey, you could come with us to Paris, Mrs. Groucher. Mrs. Dowden can’t nannies for me no more, because she’s too tired. Daddy’s finding a new lady to come live with us today.” Melody spoke with the slightest twang, which was fucking adorable.

But her teacher seemed far from impressed with this new information.

“I won’t be coming to Paris with you because I’m your teacher, Melody.” The older woman’s tone was harsh, but my daughter wasn’t even remotely fazed.

“Well, that’s just sad, because we love each other, right? Right, Mrs. Groucher?” she asked, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as she stared at the strict woman in front of her.

“Teachers love all their students.” She looked between us. “A new lady is moving into your home?”

“Oh, it’s not like that,” I said, shaking my head at the insinuation. “Oscar and Edith’s niece has moved to town, and she’s looking for part-time work, since she does some sort of remote work as well, apparently. I actually have an interview set up with her in an hour.”

Thankfully, Josh Barker started yelling about Tommy Jordan stealing his markers, and Mrs. Groucher left to torture someone else for a little bit.

“Do you think my teacher is sad that she can’t come with us to Paris, Daddy?” Melody placed a hand on my cheek. “Are you sad she can’t come?”

Fuck, no.

“No, angel face. I think she’s fine, and she’ll be here with her family for Thanksgiving, and we’ll be in Paris with ours.”

“Yeps. And I’ll be the flower girl. And my Beefcake will carry the rings and walk with me.”

My nephew Cutler liked to go by his handle, “Beefcake,” which Melody seemed convinced was his real name.

“Yep,” I said, kissing her cheek and setting her down on the floor. “I’ve got to go meet the new nanny and see if we like her.”

“I like her, Daddy.”

I laughed. “You’ve never met her, so how do you know?”

“’Cause Uncle Bridger told me she’s a big provement.” She shrugged.

Fucking Bridger.

My brother and cousins had all given me shit for keeping Mrs. Dowden employed for as long as I had.

But they weren’t wrong. It was time for a change.

“We’ll see. If it works out, I’ll have her come back and meet you today, all right? If not, I’ve got my feelers out to find someone else.”

“Melody, why is your daddy so tall?” Bernice Warner asked as she tipped her head all the way back and pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose as she looked at me.

“He said he was born this way,” Melody said.

“Wow,” Bernice gasped. “Your daddy must have been a very big baby.”

I chuckled. “Hey, Bernice.”

“God doesn’t create us all equally, does he, Archer?

” Sarah Lynn Schwartz walked over, and I tried not to wince.

The woman was relentless, and her daughter Justine was in Melody’s class, so there was no escaping her.

She tweaked Melody’s nose, her voice a little too sugary sweet for me.

“He shined his light a little brighter on your daddy.”

“Daddy, you’ve got the lights shining all over you?” Melody asked.

I sighed. “Hi, Sarah Lynn. How are you?”

I tried to avoid her most mornings at drop-off, but she always seemed to be there when we’d arrive.

“Well, I’m still single and waiting for that phone call.” She laughed a little too loudly. “Hey, I’m free right now for coffee, if you want to go?”

“Aren’t you a shameless flirt,” Bethany Jordan said. Her son Tommy was also in kindergarten and a friend of Melody’s. “You’re supposed to have coffee with me this morning.”

Thankfully the bell rang, and I gave Melody one last kiss on the cheek and told her to get to her seat before turning to the two women standing in front of me. “I’ve got a meeting to get to. You ladies enjoy your coffee.”

Sarah Lynn shouted out for me to call her as I hustled out of there.

Once I was in my truck, I turned on the wipers to clear off my windshield just as my phone rang, and Bluetooth announced an incoming call from my mother.

“Hey, Mama,” I said.

Her voice came through the speaker. “Hi, honey. Are you meeting with the new nanny this morning?”

My family had been urging me to get more help for months. My business was taking off, and balancing work and being a single dad didn’t leave time for much else.

I wasn’t complaining. I loved being with my daughter, but the reality was that I couldn’t be in two places at the same time, and I needed help.

“Yes. I’m meeting her at the office now.”

“Why didn’t you meet her at the house? Doesn’t she need a place to live?

I thought you were going to offer up your casita?

It wouldn’t be a bad thing to have someone at the house if you get called out to a meeting,” she said.

“Dad and I feel terrible when we travel that we aren’t there to help you. ”

“Mom, you do plenty. It’s all good.”

“But I know you’re expanding the office and growing your business, and you can’t do it all, Archer. You need help.”

“And I’m getting it. But I need to meet her first. I know nothing about this woman, other than she graduated from college two years ago, which means she’s young.

She could be a party girl. I can’t just move some stranger into the house until I know she’s a good fit.

It’s always harder to get someone out once they’re in. ”

Loud laughter echoed through the cabin of my truck. “You don’t say? I mean, you kept Mrs. Dowden for far too long, and she wasn’t even living there.”

“Agreed. I’m being more cautious now. I’ll get a read on her and go from there.”

“If she’s a good fit, you should bring her to Paris with us. It would be good for you to have some adult time and get out a little. Who knows, you might meet a nice Frenchwoman,” she teased.

Nothing like having your mother tell you that you need to get out and date.

It had been a while.

“Let’s first see if it’s going to work out before we move her into my home and travel with her,” I said as I pulled into the parking lot at my office. I glanced through my windshield to see the rain coming down harder now. “All right, I’m at work. I’ll call you later.”

“Love you, honey,” she said, and I replied with the same sentiment before ending the call.

I walked into the office, noting that a few people had beaten me here this morning. I was a commercial broker, and land was a hot commodity out here. I’d opened my own brokerage a few years back. Business was booming, and I’d just brought on a few new brokers.

“Hey, boss,” Lucy said. “The rain is really coming down this morning.”

“Yes, it is.” I nodded. “Are we set for the staff meeting?”

“Yep. I’ve got bagels and coffee ordered. Do you need anything else?”

I glanced down at my watch. I was meeting the potential new nanny in five minutes, and then I had our weekly company meeting in an hour.

“Nope. That sounds good. I have an appointment in a few minutes, so just send her back when she gets here.”

“The new nanny, right?” she asked as she followed me to the staff lounge. I poured myself a cup of coffee, and then she tagged along as I made my way to my office.

Lucy was the best personal assistant one could ask for, but she was nosy as shit most of the time. Her husband Marcus was a good friend of mine, and we joked about it often.

“Yes. We’ll see how it goes.”

“And she’s Oscar and Edith’s niece?” She crossed her arms.

“Correct.”

“Well, I noticed on your calendar that her last name is Smith. Winnie Smith. But I could have sworn Edith said her name was Winnie Wilson. How could she have two last names?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I don’t know their family tree, Lucy.”

“Hmmm… Maybe she used her maiden name when she booked the appointment, but she’s actually married. But why would a married woman need a place to live? I wonder if she’s single?” She waggled her eyebrows.

“How the hell would I know?” I groaned. “All Edith told me is that she graduated from college two years ago. That means she’s young, so get your mind out of the gutter. I’m looking for a nanny, not a date.”

“That would probably make her twenty-four years old. Hardly too young.”

I blew out a breath. Why did everyone feel the need to try to set me up? I was doing just fine on my own.

“That would make her a decade younger than me. In my book, that’s too young.” I glanced at the door, an invitation for her to find her way out.

“Fine. I’ll send her in when she arrives.”

“Appreciate it,” I said as I opened my email.

And I spent the next hour catching up on admin and taking a few phone calls.

My nanny turned out to be a no-show.

I knew it wouldn’t be easy to find a replacement for Mrs. Dowden, but I’d expected her to show the fuck up for an interview.

Or at the very least to have the decency to cancel the interview.

I made my way to the staff lounge, and Lucy threw her arms in the air. “Did she at least call to say she wasn’t coming?”

“Nope.”

“What should I do if she shows up now?” she asked.

“Tell her the position is no longer available. I can’t hire a nanny who can’t show up for the initial meeting. I’m going to need someone I can count on to pick Melody up from school.”

“Should I check those job boards I was telling you about on the Rosewood River Review website? There are plenty of people looking for work in town.”

“Sure. I need to find someone quickly,” I said. “My family is covering for now, but I can’t keep asking everyone for favors.”

My life was far too busy to waste time on an employee who didn’t have the decency to make a phone call to say she wasn’t going to make it.

Time to find a new nanny.