Chapter 2
Winnie
“Karen?” I answer the phone as I reach under my bed, looking for my other shoe.
“Hey, Winnie. I know we gave you bad news yesterday, but I have a friend who nannied for a single dad. She’s moving to Texas and leaving him high and dry on short notice. I recommended you and gave her your number. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Oh, uh, not at all. I guess I'll have to find another job anyway, huh?”
“Probably.” She chuckles. “I still hate knowing you won't be with us anymore. It killed us to make this decision. I hope you don’t hate us for it.” The sorrow in her voice is clear as day. I know exactly what she means, I was so sad to leave them too.
“I know and I understand. I’ll miss your entire family, but I can't work for you forever… Do you know anything about this new job? I’d like to not go in blind.”
“I don’t blame you one bit.” I can hear the smile in her voice and it makes a smile spread across my own lips. “Martha gushes about the little girl constantly. She’s around two years old and the sweetest thing ever.”
“What about the dad?”
“I don’t know much about him. Martha’s a grandmom. She only cares about the little babies.”
My phone dings with another call coming through. I debate on ignoring the unknown caller, but decide against it.
“Hey, Karen? I have another call. Can I call you back later?”
“Of course, sweetie. Have a good day and let me know what happens.”
“Bye!” I quickly accept the new call as my hand connects with my shoe I was looking for. “Hello?”
“Hey… uhh… I'm looking for Winnie,” a deep voice rumbles through the line.
“This is her.” I fist pump the air as I tug my shoe out and struggle to get to my feet. It’s not easy with only one heel on.
“Ok. This is Jamie. I got your number from Martha and Martha got it from… Karen… I think?” The nervousness in his tone makes me chuckle. He seems really sweet and innocent.
“Yes. I was actually just on the phone with Karen and she let me know I’d probably be hearing from you.”
“Oh, ok. Good.” I imagine he’s nodding his head, trying to figure out what to say next. He’s so awkward, but I love it. That means he won't be flirting with me or making things weird in that sort of way.
“Hey, Jamie?”
“Yeah?”
“Why don’t you give me your address and let me know a good time for us to meet? I think this would be easier and less awkward if we could talk in person.”
“Thanks, Winnie,” he breathes out a sigh of relief before rattling off his address. “I'm free all day if that works for your schedule.”
“I can be there in twenty minutes.”
I eye the large brick home as I climb out of my car. It’s fairly similar to Wheeler’s house, but somehow this seems quieter and more peaceful than Wheeler’s place. I hope that means Jamie’s calmer than Wheeler and more of a grown up.
My heels click against the concrete driveway as I head towards the door and climb the slate stairs. I raise my hand to knock, but the door is tugged open before I can.
“Hey, I'm Jamie. It’s nice to meet you.” He thrusts his hand in my direction and I eye him carefully. He looks familiar, but I can't place where I know him from.
His black hair is tussled, looking like he’s run his hands through it a million times.
He looks tired, but he’s a single dad, so that’s not surprising.
His t-shirt clings to his body, showing off lean muscles and a body he has to work hard to maintain.
I'm surprised he finds the time to work out when he has a young child.
“I'm Winnie. It’s nice to meet you too.”
A shriek comes from the other room, pulling both of our attentions with it. Jamie sighs and scrubs a hand down his face.
“C’mon in. Let me go get the little princess. She barely slept last night and doesn’t seem to want to take a nap today.”
I follow him through the house and into a large living room. There’s a little girl sitting in a big sectioned off area of the room. She’s surrounded by toys and screaming like her life depends on it.
“Tali, it’s ok, baby girl.” Jamie scoops her up and cradles her against his chest. He murmurs something softly to her as he sways her side to side.
She’s so tired. I can see it in her face and in the way her eyes keep closing slowly before popping open again. She’s adorable with her hair pulled into a pony at the top of her hair. It makes the strands look like a fountain and probably the most adorable hairstyle on a little girl.
Jamie ignores me as he continues rocking his daughter in his arms. He rubs a hand up and down her back as he moves her onto his shoulder and bounces a little. He’s a good dad and he truly loves his daughter, you can see it in how he’s taking care of her right now.
“Sorry. Give me a second and I’ll have her asleep, then we can talk,” he says softly. “I think she’s finally giving in to the nap.”
“No problem. Take your time.” I wave off his concern and watch the little girl. She looks so much like her daddy with her dark hair and bright blue eyes. It’s sweet to see the two of them together. To see her so comfortable in his arms.
Within a few minutes, we’re settled on the couch and Jamie smiles at me.
“Ok. I guess I’ll ask you some questions if that’s ok?”
I nod my head, more than ready to do this. If he doesn’t want to hire me, I’ll have to find someone else to work for. Though I think I’d enjoy working for him. He seems laidback and easygoing. I like that.
“What makes you want to be a nanny?”
“I love kids. I love when they’re this age especially. She’s starting to find her own personality, but she’s still in the cuddly age. A kiss to a boo-boo and a big hug is enough to make their entire day better.” I toy with the curls at the base of Tali’s neck.
“Do you have any kids of your own?” He watches me carefully. It’s like he’s trying to see down into my soul, yet I don’t feel uncomfortable. He has a way of making you feel at home.
“Nah, I haven’t found anyone I’d like to spend my life with and I'm not holding out hope of that happening.” I flash him a sad smile.
“Dang, Winnie, that’s depressing.”
“Maybe, but I'm living the life I want and getting paid to do it. Why would I want to do anything else?”
“I guess that’s true. I'm getting paid to do what I love and I know I'm lucky… If this works out, I’d need you to live here. Are you ok with that?”
“Yes. I'm assuming I’ll have my own space?”
“Of course. There’s an in-law’s quarters with its own entrance. You’ll have a little kitchen, a living room, and your own bathroom in there.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“But I also travel a lot for work.” He runs a hand through his hair and looks uncomfortable. “I can be gone for a week sometimes.”
“I'm ok with that, though it has to be difficult to leave her for that long. How does she do with it?”
“Well, Martha’s been with me since she was born. She’s like a grandmom to Tali. I don’t know what’s going to happen now. I'm terrified she won't do well.” He drops his gaze to his little girl and presses a soft kiss to the top of her head.
“Can I ask what happened to her mom?” I ask slowly, knowing this could be a sore topic for him.
“She died while giving birth to Tali,” he whispers.
“I'm so sorry, Jamie. That’s got to be difficult.”
“It is, but we’re making it work. I'm glad I at least have a piece of Ellie left in my life. Tali looks just like her.”
“Really? I thought she looked just like you.” I brush Tali’s hairs away from her face that fell out of her ponytail.
“Nah, she has Ellie’s soft features. She only has my hair color and eyes.”
I watch them for a few seconds before I say anything else. They’re adorable together. He loves her so much and is trying to be both mother and father to her.
“Do you want to ask me anything? I feel like I’ve been interviewing you and that seems weird.” I drop my gaze to my hands before lifting my chin to meet his eyes, giving him a small smile.
“All I care about is if you’ll love my little girl like your own, take care of her, and protect her fiercely.”
“Is there something specific I need to protect her from?” I arch a brow, feeling like that’s a little strange.
“I’ve worked hard to keep her away from the media. I don’t think anyone knows she exists and I’d rather keep it that way.”
“Jamie… What do you do for a living?” I ask slowly, almost afraid to ask.
The Marshalls were wealthy and in the media quite often. I have no problem working for someone with a spotlight on them, but I want to know what I'm dealing with. I don’t want any surprises at all.
“I play center field for the Pit Bulls. I guess you’re not a fan of baseball, huh?” He grins shyly at me.
I blink once, then twice as my mouth opens and closes several times. The lean muscles and amazing body make more sense now. So does the traveling and media attention. I search for something to say, but I keep coming up empty.
“Did I break you?”
“Schmidt plays center field on the Pit Bulls. I’ve spent so much time with the team, but I don’t think I’ve ever met you at anything.”
“You’ve spent time with the team?” He asks slowly. “How?”
“I'm best friends with Liliana Sweets… And I dated Wheeler throughout college. I go out with Lils, Smithy, and Wheeler a lot… How have I never met you?”
“Because I'm normally home with this one.” He nods down to his sleeping daughter.
“But the guys never said anything about you being a dad.”
“Because they don’t know.” Jamie swallows hard and squeezes his eyes shut.
“My wife died only a few months before I was traded to the Pit Bulls. I didn’t want to deal with the questions, so I didn’t tell anyone about her or Tali.
It wasn’t because I'm ashamed of them, it was just too difficult to talk about. As time went on, it felt weird to all of a sudden tell them.”
“Jamie, I'm so sorry.” I place my hand on his knee. He’s so broken, but he’s trying so hard to provide his little girl with a good life.
“I didn’t want anyone to know about Tali either. I knew if someone knew about my daughter, she’d be the center of media attention. I didn’t want to see articles about Ellie or Tali splashed across the gossip rags or anything, so I’ve kept her a secret.” He lifts his shoulder in a shrug.
“You know eventually she’ll get too old to hide, right?” I keep my voice soft, hoping to ease any anxiety he might have.
“I know… I just don’t know how to tell the guys. They’re all so close and I’ve been on the outside looking in since I joined the team. I know it’s not their fault, it’s mine. They’ve tried to include me in things, but I normally decline to spend time with Tali.”
“I understand that. They’d love her though.
Wheeler loves kids. He has a bunch of little sisters and he lights up when a kid is in the room.
They’d be happy to come here to hang out or they’d buy stuff to keep at their house to make sure Tali had toys or a place to nap when you’re over.
They want you to spend time with them, Jamie.
They’ve been taking bets on what you’re hiding for years.
You should let them in. Let them be your support system. ”
“I don’t know if I can do that… They’ll ask questions.”
“Then you tell them to shut up and mind their business.” As soon as I speak, I cringe. That definitely doesn’t sound professional.
“Are you going to talk like that in front of Tali?” He smirks.
“No, I know how to be a good girl when I need to be.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them and my eyes widen, making Jamie chuckle.
“Wow, I wasn’t expecting that.”
“You’ll learn to get used to it.” I crinkle up my nose. “If you even want me to nanny this precious princess.” I toy with the ends of her curls again.
“This is going to sound weird, but do you have any photos of you with the guys or Liliana?” He winces.
“Of course, why?”
“I don’t exactly want to call them and ask for a reference, but I don’t think Liliana’s hanging out with anyone who isn't good. But if you have a bunch of photos of you with them, then at least I know you’re not lying.”
“Do you really think I’d lie about being friends with Wheeler?” I ask with amusement in my tone.
“I don’t know.” He runs his hand through his hair again. “I just want to make sure my little girl is safe.”
“I’ll take care of her, Jamie. I’ll act like she’s my own daughter and make sure she has fun.
She’ll be safer with me than anyone else, I promise.
” I open the photos app on my phone and hand it over to Jamie.
“I have nothing to hide. Feel free to look through all of my photos. I have a bunch of the Marshall’s kids with me too. ”
He scrolls for a few minutes before his eyes widen and his cheeks heat. My brows tug together as I try to figure out why he would respond like that to one of my photos.
“Um… Winnie, I don’t think you meant for this to be mixed in with the rest.” He slowly hands the phone back to me, but I don’t miss the way his eyes linger on the photo.
“Oh, wow… Yeah, no. I didn’t plan on showing a potential new employer a photo of me in a bikini. Can we pretend you didn’t see that?”
I tilt my head to the side as I stare down at the image of myself. I look good in this photo. I put effort into curling my hair and doing my makeup before taking this. If he was going to see a compromising photo of me, at least I look nice in it.
“I can try, but I'm not sure I can unsee that,” he mumbles under his breath.
“Jamie!” I chuckle, shaking my head at him.
I don’t really care about him seeing the photo, but it’s a little embarrassing to have him view me that way when I'm trying to convince him to give me a job taking care of his daughter.
“I promise I will always put Tali first, even if that photo makes you think otherwise.”
“I don’t think you taking a sexy photo means you won't take care of her, Winnie. You’re not her parent, you’re free to have a social life… But when I'm gone-”
“You wouldn’t need to worry. Everyone I hang out with works for the Pit Bulls.
Even Liliana goes to the games now that she’s reporting for the team.
And when she's in different cities for games, she’s able to meet with athletes around whatever city she’s visiting and interview them for the podcast. It’s working out great for her.
I'm extremely lonely during baseball season, but I'm used to it. Honestly, having Tali with me will make it easier.”
“Then I think I just have one more question for you.”
“What is it?”
“When can you start?”