Chapter 3
***Ada***
He’d pulled me inside what looked like a giant mud room but I couldn’t exactly focus with the screaming echoing through my brain.
I was supposed to be the one screaming. I looked at the toddler, winced at the state of his beet red face, and then nearly choked on my spit when said toddler was thrust into my arms. I barely caught him before the Carrington brother let him go and backed away.
“You were supposed to arrive tomorrow, but thank god you’re here early. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. We just got in and Matilda said he’s been like this for over an hour. If you can just make him stop, we can talk about everything else.”
I stared from the man to the toddler with my mouth agape. I didn’t know what he was talking about but I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere until the kid stopped screaming. Lucky for me, I’d babysat growing up and loved kids.
Cradling the kid’s head, I smiled down at him and gently bounced him on my hip. “Hey, buddy. Aren’t you a healthy boy with lungs made of steel? What’s your name, huh? Can you tell me your name?”
It was probably confusion over who the hell I was but the boy stopped crying and the house instantly felt too quiet.
My ears rang and I held him a little closer.
Gone were my visions of dancing in my princess dress.
Instead, I was picturing my body being hacked up and hidden in the dense woods surrounding the mansion.
“Oh, holy fuck.” The Carrington brother ran his hands over his face and then stared down at me. “I know you already had the job, but you’re hired. That was magical. I’m Collin Carrington. Like I said, you were supposed to arrive tomorrow. Was there a mix-up?”
I lost track of what I’d shown up for. Collin Carrington was staring at me instead of his phone and the weight of his attention was nearly crushing.
I tried to imagine what he was seeing even as I took in his appearance.
Without his phone hiding most of his face, he was handsome.
Beyond handsome. I wanted the phone back.
“Mi-wo.” The toddler saved me from stuttering out a non-answer. He searched my face while sniffling and pouted. “Mi-wo.”
“Milo. His name’s Milo. He’s starting speech therapy soon.”
I frowned up at Collin because it sounded like he was judging the kid for not being able to say his name perfectly when he was, at most, three-years-old. Milo pressed a suspiciously wet hand to my mouth and giggled.
“How are you doing that?”
I was so confused. “I just came-”
“Look. It doesn’t matter that you’re early. We need you. I was going to look over the paperwork from the agency tonight and learn a bit more about you, but here you are. What’s your name?”
“Ada.” I cleared my throat. “I think-”
“Matilda is packing up her room right now. She’s quitting earlier than we’d planned.
.. She was going to stay on and train you, but that’s not going to happen now.
You’re a professional, though. Once I introduce you to the kids, you’ll know what to do.
” He glanced back through a wide doorway and towards a set of stairs.
“Since I don’t know what state Matilda’s room will be in when she leaves, you can move into one of the guest suites.
It’s just as private as the nanny quarters.
All the amenities remain the same. I have about ten minutes before I need to get to a meeting but I can give you a fast tour. ..”
The mix-up finally made sense and I opened my mouth to tell him that I wasn’t his nanny, but the woman they’d gotten fired less than an hour earlier.
Instead of telling him off, though, I swallowed down my initial reaction and let his words settle.
Guest suite. Amenities. Private. My heart beat faster.
I wasn’t a liar. I was a good girl who’d lost her marbles a bit and who’d driven to their house to yell at them.
Yet... I was jobless, homeless, and while not completely penniless, I was too close for comfort.
Any other day might’ve led to a different decision, but I was there right then, on the day that they’d gotten me fired, and I was desperate. I swallowed down all my rants about them being jerks and smiled sweetly. “A tour would be great.”
He lifted his perfectly cuffed sleeve and looked at his watch.
A heavy sigh preceded him glancing up at me like he was considering rescinding his offer, like he hadn’t thought I’d actually take him up on it.
“I’ll need you to fill out paperwork, as well.
Look, I really don’t have time for this right now.
I have less time than I thought. You can find your way around.
I’ll have Sara show you to your room as soon as I get a chance.
She’ll also give you a binder. You’ll need to read through it and agree to follow all the rules. Until then...good luck.”
I watched his broad back disappear through the doorway and up the stairs in a state of silent shock. Milo giggled in my arms again and I glanced down at him, wondering what the hell had just happened.
“Mi-wo.” He pointed to his chest and then poked me in the chin. “You?”
“I’m Ada.”
“A-ya.” He struggled to get out of my hold and then he took off at a surprisingly fast waddle deeper into the house. “A-ya! A-ya!”
“Shit.” I hesitated for a moment before chasing after Milo. A list of potential dangers flew through my mind. The lake, the bluff on the right side of the house, the stairs, all of the hardwood floors waiting to bust his chin open... “Milo!”