Chapter 6
Henley
Parental Pressure and Job Duties
“That bus from the elementary school will be here in ten minutes, boss,” Jessica calls out as she blows right past me, headed to the lodge restaurant with a pot of coffee in her hands.
If she weren’t so damn fast, I’d ask her to come back and refill my coffee mug for the third time this morning, which is better than the five cups I’ve been averaging for the past few days.
My body hurts all over this morning, but I can’t tell if that’s from the yoga or falling asleep on the couch in an awkward position last night. All I know is I got the best rest I have in the past week, and it was all because of my new nanny.
God, her voice.
I thought only angels could sing like that.
Elodie is talented, which makes me question what the hell she’s doing here. With a voice like that, she should be singing on stages all across the world. But watching her walk around and soothe Remy last night with that song only made me realize how little I know about the woman.
She’s right. We don’t know each other, and even though every part of me is fighting the idea of broaching that issue, the rational part of me knows that I should be more familiar with the woman I entrusted with my daughter. I mean, hell…I knew her for all of twenty minutes before I hired her.
Is that the type of shit that gets CPS called on you?
“Henley Clark!” I can count on one hand how many times I’ve heard that voice at that volume, but all I know is when she gets that loud, that means I’ve done something terribly wrong.
Spinning around, I come face-to-face with Carol Vance, my foster mother and the closest thing to a real mom I’ve ever had, her husband Nick hot on her heels.
“Carol? Wh—what are you doing here and why are you yelling?”
She waves her finger in my face, or as close to my face as she can because the woman is barely five feet tall, yet still terrifying. “Don’t act all coy with me. How come I had to find out from Carolina down at the bakery that you had a baby?”
Fuck.
“Well, uh…”
“I’m sorry, but is now a bad time, Henley?” Spinning around, I find Elodie standing to my right, Remy on her hip with her hand outstretched toward me.
Wait. Is that my wallet?
I pat the back pocket of my jeans and realize that I did, in fact, leave my house this morning without my wallet.
“Henley!” Carol forces my attention back to her.
Dragging a hand down my face, I groan. “Carol, look. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about Remy, but…”
She turns to Elodie, and her face instantly softens as she takes in my daughter. “Is this her?”
“Yes,” I reply.
“And you must be the mother,” Carol says to Elodie.
Elodie’s eyes widen as I reach out and place my hand on Carol’s shoulder.
“No, Carol. This is Elodie, my nanny.” Sighing, I guide her over to a booth. “Here, take a seat and I’ll get us some coffee, okay? I’ll explain everything.”
Nick clears his throat and leans over to mutter in my ear before taking a seat. “I tried to tell her not to bombard you at work, but…”
“Telling her anything is impossible, I know.”
He nods. “Take your time. It’s not like we have anything else to do today.”
Carol and Nicholas Vance were foster parents for many children over many years until they took in me and my sister.
Dilynne was nine when my parents started disappearing, leaving us home alone at all hours, two kids under the age of eleven left to fend for themselves.
When the food started disappearing and the electricity and water got turned off, I knew I needed to find a way to keep us safe.
Finally, after a few months of barely surviving and stealing anything I could, one of my teachers reported suspected child abandonment, and CPS picked us up and put us in foster care.
We went through three families before landing in Blossom Peak with Carol and Nick, the closest thing to actual parents that we’ve ever had and the best thing that ever happened to us.
We were the last siblings Carol and Nick helped raise before closing that chapter on their lives. Now as retirees, they spend their days kayaking on the lake, driving around the state going to antique shows, and keeping an eye on me and my sister, even though they don’t have to anymore.
They’re the closest thing I have to parents, but it still doesn’t occur to me to keep them in the loop about my life. My instinct to lean on others left my body long before Carol and Nick took me and Dilynne in. I respect them, but I’ve always kept to myself.
I would have thought to tell them eventually, but after how chaotic the past week has been, it’s no wonder it slipped my mind.
I stride back over to Elodie, taking Remy from her arms and planting a kiss on my daughter’s cheek. “Sorry about that.”
She pushes the few strands of hair that have fallen from her ponytail away from her face. Wearing denim shorts and a plain white tank top, she looks far too tempting, like the girl-next-door a guy like me doesn’t deserve.
But I push that thought away as fast as I can.
“That’s all right. I feel bad for just showing up here, but I figured you’d probably need your wallet.”
She holds it out to me again, and this time I take it and shove it in my back pocket. “Thank you. I appreciate it, even though that’s not in your job description.”
“Yeah, well since you never really provided me with one, I’ve taken the liberty of fulfilling any tasks that need to be done. Speaking of which, your fridge is pretty bare, so I was thinking of going grocery shopping today. Is there anything in particular you want?”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
She laughs. “I do if we want to eat anything besides Hot Pockets and plain noodles.”
Shaking my head, I pull my wallet back out and hand her my credit card. “Fine. Take my card. I’ll eat pretty much anything.”
“Are you sure? No allergies I should know about?”
“Nope. Strong as an ox.”
Her eyes dip down my torso before glancing away, heat flaming her cheeks.
Fuck, she’s adorable when she blushes.
“So, I take it those are your parents?” she asks, brushing past her embarrassment.
“Uh, well…” Now’s not the time to get into my relationship with Carol and Nick, so instead, I clear my throat and then gesture toward the restaurant. “Have you eaten?”
Her eyes slide to where Carol and Nick are seated, but thankfully, she doesn’t push for more information. “I—I haven’t. I’m not a big breakfast person.”
“Well, at least have Jessica pour you a cup of coffee to go. I’m going to take Remy over to see Carol and Nick really quick, and then I’ll meet you back over here.”
She nods curtly. “Okay.” Reaching out to smooth Remy’s hair back, she says, “I’ll be right back, baby bear.”
Remy and I both watch her walk away before I snap myself out of staring and brace myself for Carol’s reaction when she meets my daughter. “This is Remington,” I announce when I arrive back at the booth I left my foster parents in. “I’ve been calling her Remy for short.”
Carol practically launches out of her seat. “Oh my gosh, she is just too precious,” she says, reaching to take Remy from me, arranging her in her arms while she gazes down at her. “And that nanny of yours is pretty cute too.” Her eyes lift with that knowing glint in them, making Nick laugh.
“Not sure Henley hooking up with his nanny would improve his situation, hun.”
“Oh, hush. We don’t know the whole story yet,” she fires back.
So, as Carol coos and gushes over Remy, I fill them in on the past few months—the phone calls from Meghan, her dropping the baby off, and how I ended up with Elodie as my nanny.
“She’s awfully beautiful, Henley. I mean, if it were me…”
Nick clears his throat. “Are you alluding to you becoming a lesbian, hun?”
She bats at him. “You know what I mean.” Turning back to me, she continues, “Having a baby changes things, Henley. Nick and I can’t speak from experience, but the first time we fostered, we knew our lives would never be the same, and now yours won’t be either.
Parenting is a full-time job, even when you sleep you’ll be worrying.
Having someone else to lean on makes it a bit easier though.
Maybe it’s time to consider settling down and finding someone to be with. ”
“Look, I appreciate your concern, but the last thing I need right now is a relationship. Besides, she’s technically my employee, she’s only here until Christmas, and she’s seven years younger than me. So what you’re suggesting is just batshit crazy.”
“First of all, never tell a woman that she’s crazy,” Carol snaps, pointing a finger in my face as soon as I’m finished recalling the reasons why I need to continue to think with my head, and not the one in my pants. “And second, what are you gonna do when she leaves?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”
“Well, you know you can count on us if you need extra help, but Elodie—that’s her name, right?”
“Yeah…”
A throat clearing behind me makes me pause.
“Oh, hello dear,” Carol says brightly.
“Hi. I was just, uh…” Elodie stammers. “I got my coffee, so if you’re ready for me to take Remy again…”
Heat crawls up the back of my neck. God, how much of that did she hear?
Luckily, Carol speaks before I can embarrass myself further.
“I hope you weren’t offended by my little interrogation.
” She kisses Remy on the cheek before handing her back to Elodie.
“I can’t help but want what’s best for my kids, even if they’re too stubborn to see a good thing when it’s right in front of their face. ”
“Thank you for not making this worse,” I mutter under my breath through clenched teeth.
Elodie doesn’t seem fazed, though. “Oh, trust me, I understand parents wanting what’s best. But as Henley said, this is just temporary.” Smiling, she peers up at me. “I’ll see you when you get home?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Leaning forward, I kiss Remy on the cheek. “Be good, little one.”
Elodie picks Remy’s hand up and waves to us before leaving the lodge, my eyes trailing her the entire time.