4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
IZZY
“Eighteen, nineteen, twenty. Ready or not, here I come.” I removed my hands from my eyes and started my search for two little girls who were scarily good at this game. The last round I got a little worried when I couldn't find Nikki.
“Oh no. I think I finally lost them.” This time I was catching on to what worked. I walked slowly, listening for the telltale giggles. “What should I do?”
I made my way through the great room and froze when I thought I heard something. Then jumped when the front door suddenly swung open.
“Daddy!” Both girls jumped up from behind the sofa, squirming their way out and rushing to the big man who stepped into the room.
He wasn't super tall, around six feet, but he was muscular, seeming to take up a room with his size. Validating the impression of power and strength, he scooped a girl up in each arm.
“Hey girlies.” He greeted each with a kiss on their foreheads, and I nearly melted when they each tucked their heads into the crook of his shoulders. His gaze met mine, and the wide smile he wore a moment ago morphed into confusion before quickly turning into a scowl.
What was his problem with me? I couldn't imagine he was surprised by my presence. Surely Maggie told him I was starting tonight.
He focused back on his daughters, looking from one to the other. “You've had your showers?”
Alice nodded. “Yep, and brushed our teeth too.”
“I made sure any homework I could see in their backpacks was done and made them dinner as well.” Why did I feel the need to explain my worth to him? To make this grumpy man happy with me?
His gaze met mine again, and he gave me a clipped nod. “Thank you.” Setting the girls down on the floor, he lowered his head between them and loudly whispered, “Why don't you go ahead up and pick out a book for me to read? I'll be up in a minute.”
“Okay.” They both replied in that same adorable tone, then turned and bounded toward me, almost knocking me over as they hugged me.
“You're the best, Izzy,” Nikki said.
They called, “Goodnight,” as they took off out of the room and up the stairs. Once the sound of their footsteps stopped, Logan turned his glare back on me and I fought the urge to shift on my feet.
“Did Maggie go over the schedule for the rest of the week with you?”
“Yes.” I swallowed hard. “Tomorrow morning I'll be here at six thirty, drop off at school by eight thirty, and pick them up at three thirty. Then I’ll take them to Maggie’s. I’ll be back here Thursday after school.”
“Right.” His jaw locked. “There's always a chance I get held up on a call, even after my shift is supposed to end, so I could be late.” He crossed his arms across his wide chest. “That won't be a problem, will it?”
“No. Not at all.” I attempted a smile, although I was sure the idea was foreign to him. “Whatever you need.”
The tic was back in his jaw as he looked away and shoved his hands in his pockets. Apparently, that wasn’t the right answer.
“You're welcome to use the SUV for drop off and pick up if you want.”
I nodded. That would be a little easier than my two-door Hyundai. “Okay. Thanks.” I started toward the door but froze suddenly, spinning to him once again. “Oh. The girls mentioned really wanting to do soccer. They said they usually couldn't do stuff like that, and I know it's a couple of weeks into the season, but I really don't think it'll be a big deal. They seem to have the basics.”
His body sagged, and he let out a sigh. “The previous nanny wasn't very reliable, so that made it hard to commit.”
That made sense. “Well, I'm happy to do whatever you need.”
He shifted his weight, and I swore he groaned, but his lips were still pressed together tightly.
“Well, I'd better go.” I turned slightly back toward the door. “See you tomorrow.”
I took a deep breath once I was out on the sidewalk. The whole exchange was confusing. Angry wasn't right. More annoyed. But I couldn't understand why. Like our other exchanges, I struggled to pinpoint what made him so frustrated with me.
Maggie was beyond excited. Exuberant, really, that she’d found someone. She loved that I was someone she and Logan already knew and who the twins had actually met before. Someone who could drive and do all the things they needed. I assumed Logan would feel the same. I guess he just needed time to come around.
Whatever. Maybe whatever crawled up his ass would eventually crawl back out. His attitude wasn't my problem, and I would only need to deal with him a few times a week, since he and Maggie shared custody.
The schedule was a bit chaotic, but it made sense. It gave one parent a five-day stretch and then the following week, the other parent would have the longer stretch of time. But that meant some weeks I’d likely have to deal with him for five days straight.
Maybe I jumped into this too quickly and didn’t completely think it through. My initial gut instincts rarely led me wrong, but this time I wasn’t so sure.
LOGAN
The dirty fucking thoughts that flew through my mind when she said she'd do whatever I needed was shameful. What the fuck was wrong with me?
I'd hoped her being the nanny would fix my issue. Apparently not. It was like the minute I laid eyes on her long blonde curls, green eyes, and glistening lips, all the blood rushed south.
How the hell was this going to work? I couldn't go around sporting a semi the whole time she was here. Talk about a fucking cliche.
I had to hope it would get better. Because I didn't know how to get out of this arrangement. What could I possibly say? Even if I came up with a dozen reasons she wasn't a good fit, Jay would be pissed if I fired his baby sister.
I trudged up the stairs and down the hallway before turning into the girls’ room. They were sitting together on Nikki's bed, a book between the two of them. I chuckled, picking the book up and sitting down in its place. Both girls scooted closer, cuddling against me on each side. “Pete the Cat again?”
“You sing it good,” Nikki said and scooted closer.
“Yeah, you do the bestest voices,” Alice added. “Well, not as good as Izzy. She did so many voices.”
I flinched at the mention of her name and swallowed uncomfortably before clearing my throat. “So you girls like Izzy?”
Both of their heads nodded.
“She was so much fun.” Alice smiled up at me. “She let us listen to all the Taylor Swift songs in the car.”
“Not the ones with bad words.” Nikki shook her head. “So don't worry, Daddy.”
“That's good.” I needed more than that, though. I would give my girls whatever they wanted if I knew at the end of the day it was good for them. And I needed to know that Izzy would be good for them.
“We played soccer,” Alice said, almost like she could read my mind.
“And she made spaghetti for dinner.” Nikki bounced on the bed. “Like you make it. Not out of a can.”
One of our many nannies we'd gone through in the last two years never cooked. The only meals she ever fed them was food she could warm up. Maggie and I had to pre-make meals and leave them for her to microwave.
“Was it good?” I asked, looking between them.
Their heads bobbed again. “So good.”
I relaxed a bit.
Alice lowered her gaze to her lap. “We tried to be good, too, so we don't scare her away.”
Tensing up all over again, I squeezed her shoulder. “Hey, that's not something you need to worry about, okay?”
“But if we're really good, she can be our nanny forever, right?” Nikki prodded next.
This was my fault. We'd gone through too many nannies over the last few years. But neither of them remembered the one who started with them and lasted almost three years. She was wonderful. But then she moved to Maryland to be closer to her grandkids. I couldn't blame her. Unfortunately, since then, it'd been one bad situation after another.
“Look, girls…” I hesitated, trying to find the right words. “Sometimes things don't last forever. You know, as you get older, you won't need nannies.” I took a breath before continuing. “And I know you both really like Izzy, but if for some reason she can't be your nanny any longer, it has nothing to do with you or your behavior.” They were fairly well behaved, so I could say that with confidence. But I wanted them to understand. “Okay?”
They shrugged like they were still convinced if they were really good, Izzy would stay. At that moment, I was determined to make this work. These girls deserved a reliable nanny who was good with them. Good for them. And if that was Izzy, then whatever issue I had would just need to shut the fuck up.
Because I wasn't messing this up.