Six of Hearts

Chapter 1

One

Aria

My hands were shaking on the steering wheel as I drove through one of the nicer neighbourhoods in Silverake, Texas.

Not from nerves—well, not just from nerves—but from the three cups of gas station coffee I'd downed that morning because I couldn't afford anything else.

My bank account had $47.23 in it. $47.23 between me and complete disaster.

I caught a glimpse of the house that was my intended destination and let out a hollow whistle. It was gorgeous.

It wasn't a mansion by any stretch of the imagination, but from the white picket fence that sat in front of it, the pristine white paint that covered the moulding on the outside, and the manicured lawn, it still had a bit of money behind it.

The kind of money that could save me.

I pulled up to park in front of it and took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

It was about a quarter till 10 o'clock in the morning, and I was due for a job interview in ten minutes.

I was a recent graduate with my degree in early childhood development, drowning in student loan debt and desperately needing to get some experience working with kids under my belt—experience that actually paid enough to live on.

I'd posted my credentials and desires to a job board three weeks ago, right after my landlord had taped an eviction notice to my door. A man named Noah Blake called me shortly thereafter—a single father who needed a nanny and was willing to pay well above market rate.

This job could change everything. It had to.

But it wasn't just about the money. I'd spent four years studying child development because I genuinely loved this work.

I'd volunteered at after-school programs, worked summer camps for barely minimum wage, tutored kids whose parents could barely afford to pay me.

Every time I'd considered switching to a more lucrative field, I'd remember the way a child's face lit up when they finally understood something, or how they'd run to hug me at pickup time.

That was what I wanted to do with my life—even if it meant struggling financially.

At least, that's what I'd told myself. Now, staring at this beautiful house with $47.23 to my name, I had to admit the salary mattered too.

Fall was just settling in and I was determined to finally put my new skills to good use.

I flipped down the visor and popped the cover off the mirror to check, for the fifteenth time that morning, that I looked okay. I had my dark-blond hair pulled back into a high ponytail, which really allowed my shimmering, blue-green eyes to be the crown jewel of my pale face.

I had on a cyan-coloured blouse and a black pencil skirt, with a pair of my favourite black pumps.

Professional but approachable. Competent but warm. Exactly the image I wanted to project.

Confident I looked the part, I stepped out of the car and made my way towards the front door.

The closer I got to the house, the larger it seemed to get.

It was designed to not disturb the cookie-cutter image of the suburban neighbourhood it resided in, but it definitely boasted a larger square footage.

It was probably two stories from the outside and looked like something fresh out of a Homes and Garden magazine.

I rang the doorbell and gave my outfit one final smoothing down, just in time for the door to open.

The man who answered was striking—tall, with tanned skin, dark eyes, and medium-length hair swept back from his face.

He had a neatly trimmed goatee and wore a button-up shirt that suggested both professionalism and the kind of casual confidence that came with working from home.

I could see the edge of a tattoo peeking out from under his sleeve.

"You must be Aria," he said, his voice warm and deep.

"I'm Noah."

He stuck out his hand, and I shook it, trying to ignore the flutter in my stomach. He was attractive—very attractive—but I was here for a job interview, not to get flustered by a handsome single dad.

"Yes. Aria Kent," I managed, pleased that my voice came out steady.

Noah chuckled, as if he'd noticed my momentary hesitation. "It's lovely to meet you. Come on in.”

Entering the house, it was even more clear that it was larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside.

I was greeted by a huge foyer, with a gorgeous chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and a marvellous curving staircase leading to the second floor.

Despite the home's upper-class feel, Noah kicked aside a ball as he entered, and I took immediate note of the photos of two adorable blond-haired boys hanging on all the walls and one of the pair of them and Noah in front of a Christmas tree.

The holidays weren't too far away, and it was good to see that Noah was a dad that cared for his kids.

This was what I'd been hoping to see—evidence that this wasn't just a wealthy man looking for glorified childcare. The photos were everywhere, the toys scattered despite the pristine décor. This was a home where children were loved and prioritised.

He grabbed the frame and handed it to me.

"These are my boys, Oliver and Theo." Seeing the photo up close, it was clear the boys were twins. They had dark eyes just like their father, but didn't bear much resemblance to him otherwise. They must take after their mother.

"You'll learn the difference between them soon enough. Oliver is more adventurous than Theo, but they're both athletic, sweet boys. I'm sure you'll love them.”

The way he talked about them—the pride and affection in his voice—made me relax slightly. Whatever this job turned out to be, at least I'd be working for someone who genuinely cared about his children.

"Follow me.”

I set the photo back down in its place and followed Noah as he led me up the staircase. We passed a pair of bedrooms that clearly belonged to the boys, and then turned into an office.

It was decadent and clearly a place Noah spent a lot of his time. It had papers all over the place, though they were well stacked and organised, and had huge, mahogany bookshelves that were filled with thick and thin books, and even more pictures of his kids.

Even sweeter were the brightly coloured children's books that were lined in alongside the thick, academic tomes.

Noah's kids were never far from his reach.

"Have a seat," Noah said, motioning to one of the plush chairs facing the massive desk.

"Thank you," I replied, settling into the chair and trying to project confidence despite my nerves.

Noah walked up to one spot on the bookshelf and pulled it aside, briefly shocking me. I watched as he opened a small camouflaged door that covered a couple of the shelves. He reached in and pulled out a couple of water bottles and shut it again.

He handed one over to me, and still recovering from the surprise of the hidden compartment, I just shook my head.

"Not thirsty?" he said, setting the bottle down in front of me, and then settling into his leather desk chair.

I felt like an idiot. To make matters worse, I was actually really thirsty.

"I'm just too nervous to drink, I think."

Noah smiled, and the warmth of it helped ease some of my tension.

"There's no need to be nervous. Your credentials speak for themselves. I guess I'd just love to know a little bit more about how you came to want to do this as opposed to working in a school or counsellor's office?”

I was prepared for that question.

"I've actually always loved kids. I never had any siblings, so I always wanted to go hang out with my friends that had little kids in the home and jumped at the opportunity to work with younger grades when I was in high school. I just think I do a good job of speaking their language, which is why I went to school for early childhood development.”

I paused, considering how honest to be. “

The truth is, I could probably make more money in a school system with benefits and a pension. But right now, I want to be immersed in this work. I want to see the day-to-day growth, be there for the small moments, not just the structured learning time.

Maybe at some point I'll want the stability of an institution, but right now I want to be able to work with kids all day, every day. To really make a difference in their lives."

Noah nodded, his expression thoughtful. "Very good, well, I've got great news for you then."

"Oh yeah?" I replied.

Noah nodded. "It wasn't entirely clear from the job description, by design, but this position isn't just to look after my kids, it's to become the official nanny of, what I call, The Dad Squad."

Everything Noah said and did was surprising, but this caught me completely off guard. "The Dad Squad?”

"I'm not sure what it is, but single fathers tend to gravitate towards one another.

In my life, I have crossed paths with five other gentlemen who are all in positions similar to myself.

We've all found ourselves raising our children alone, and we all have very successful careers that demand a lot of our attention.

We had been finding nannies on our own, but we found that a lot of our nannies were doing similar things at similar times, and that there were always a few of us who were struggling to find a nanny we could trust."

Noah took a drink of his water.

"We were also spending a lot of money. So, we decided to switch it up. We pooled our resources and made sure our kids' schedules were conducive to one another, and decided to vet one really good nanny to take care of all of them.”

My mind was racing, trying to process what he was telling me. Multiple families? That was significantly more complex than I'd anticipated.

"Am I the first one to try it?" I asked.

"No," Noah said.

"There were two before you, but they weren't great. They were glorified babysitters, and we like your education and passion for children.”

I took a deep breath. It sounded intense. Six families as opposed to one was way more than I signed up for.

"How many kids in total?"

"Seven," Noah responded.

"My two boys, aged six, another six-year-old boy, a five-year-old boy, and two six-year-old girls."

"Wow," I responded breathlessly.

"I know it's a lot of work for one person, but they all go to the same school, and we've done a pretty good job of aligning their after-school activities so that they're manageable.

You'll rarely have all seven kids all at once, but rather about half of them from day to day.

" He raised an eyebrow. "Before you make a decision, I'll tell you, we respect the size of the job, and need someone we can trust, so we each pool in $1250 a month for your payment.”

My jaw dropped. "You pool together $1250?" Surely, that's what he meant to say.

He chuckled. "No. We each contribute $1250. The total monthly pay for this position is $7500.”

I sat in silence for a moment, trying to keep my expression professional even as my heart raced. That was more than double what I'd expected. More than triple, actually. That was life-changing money.

"One of us owns an accounting firm, so if you need it, he can add you as an employee to his company so that you'll be eligible for benefits as well. Obviously, if you're going to be caring for our kids, we want you healthy.”

$7,500 and benefits? I could pay off my credit cards. Get ahead on my student loans. Actually have savings.

"There will also be bonuses and incentives along the way, and we'll pay you overtime for nights and weekends.”

I finally released the breath I didn't realise I'd been holding.

"Well, I'm not going to lie to you, that's an incredibly generous offer. Almost suspiciously generous.”

Noah let out a laugh. "I understand why you might think that, but I promise, this operation is completely legitimate.

You see, we all have very high-profile jobs.

We're CEOs, we own financial institutions, I work for the entire city of Dallas.

These aren't just anyone's children. We want the very best for our children, and we expect that the person caring for them is of the highest quality and is willing to do anything to make them happy. To that end, we offer a very generous salary, but make no mistake, we will make you work for it.”

There was a hint of something in his tone when he said the last sentence that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but even with that, his explanation made sense.

Celebrities and athletes had nannies to care for their children too; certainly they made more than the run-of-the-mill nanny. These men weren't famous, but they were wealthy enough, and Noah wasn't lying when he said that their jobs were high-profile.

"Certainly we don't want you taking the position just because it pays well, but we wanted you to know that we're willing to pay handsomely for the right person," Noah said.

I nodded my head. They'd done that certainly. "I assume it's an all-day position?" I asked.

Noah smiled broadly. "You would think, but no, actually. Your shift will begin once the kids get out of school, which is at 3:00, and you'll have them until their activities are done for the day, usually around 7:00."

My eyes widened. That salary for four hours a day?

"Don't worry. We'll put you to good use on extended hours and weekends when you can."

"Well, that's where I draw the line," I said sarcastically, then I covered my mouth. “Sorry."

Noah smiled. "Don't be. I'm glad to see a little spark out of you." He leaned forward on his desk, his expression warm and genuine.

"So, do you think you're up to the task?"