Chapter Six – Liam #2
I instantly disliked this guy, Gary, and the fact that he had asked Aurora out, and she had said yes.
Of course, Aurora had no idea of my feelings for her, and I doubted I would ever tell her or act on them.
I valued our friendship too much and I wasn’t about to fuck that up again.
A question popped into my head, and I decided to ask Aurora.
“I don’t remember you mentioning you date very often.
When was the last time you had a serious boyfriend, if you don’t mind me asking? ”
She let out a humorless laugh. “I’ve dated but have never been able to find the right guy.” She shrugged. “The Book Nook has been such a huge part of my life for so long, I put that in the forefront. I did date this one guy, Todd Merchant, for about four or five months.”
“Todd Merchant? Is he from Moose Village?”
“Oh gosh, no. He lived in Lake Placid,” she said, reaching over and picking up her glass of wine. “For a hot second, I thought he might be the one until I decided to do something crazy one day.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I closed the bookstore early, got all dolled up, and packed us a basket for a picnic. I drove to Lake Placid and decided to surprise him at home. He worked as a freelance journalist and his office was at his house. I rang the doorbell and knocked, but he never answered. I knew he was home because his car was in the driveway. I reached for the door, and it was unlocked, so I let myself in. I figured he might have gone for a run or to the gym. It didn’t take me long to figure out he wasn’t alone when I heard moans coming from his bedroom. ”
“Oh, Aurora, I’m so sorry.”
She shrugged. “It’s okay now. Back then, I thought my entire world was imploding on me.
I’ve always been guarded with my heart; I’m not sure why.
I wasn’t wounded in high school by my first love or anything.
My parents have a happy and loving relationship, and all my friends have found love, so I believe in the power of love.
It’s just always seemed to elude me. A few guys I’ve dated made it pretty clear the only reason I was on their arm was because of my looks.
Doesn’t really boost a girl’s confidence in finding Prince Charming. ”
“Those guys were assholes. Did you confront him? The old boyfriend?”
Looking at me, she smiled. “No. I left the basket on the kitchen island with a note that…well…let’s just say it wasn’t one of my finer moments. I let my anger get the best of me.”
“Did he ever contact you?”
With a wicked smile, she shook her head. “I told him if he ever tried to contact me I’d rip his balls off and shove them up his ass before I had my brother Nathan pay him a visit and make sure he’d never be able to sire kids.”
My brows shot up.
“Like I said, not one of my finer moments.”
“Remind me not to ever make you mad.”
Aurora laughed. “I’d love to find someone and settle down someday.
The bookstore has been my love for so long, and I’m proud of it, but I have to admit that seeing all my friends settle down has got me thinking about my own love life.
Or lack thereof. But then I think about how happy I am, and I’m not worried about it.
It will happen when it’s supposed to happen.
I guess deep down inside I might be a bit worried because of what happened before, but I know not all guys are cheats. ”
I nodded before I took a drink of my wine. If she only knew the thoughts circling my mind. If she were mine, no fucking way I’d let her get away.
Aurora cleared her throat. “Okay, I think we have a good idea of the schedule for the nanny. Now we just have to find someone.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind helping with the interview? Since you will be interacting with them as well.”
“I don’t mind helping you interview. Is Mary back in New York City for good?” Aurora asked.
“I think so. She did say she would like to come back and visit and see Winnie, and of course, her father lives here. I’m sure we’ll see her often.”
Aurora smiled. “I’m sure she’ll be able to find a balance.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Yeah, I owe her a lot for coming and staying with me after Hope passed. It was hard for her as well, losing her older sister.”
We sat in silence for a few moments before Aurora spoke. “You said Opal mentioned she knew someone in Lake Placid you could talk to about interviewing some nannies? Would you like to call and talk to them about what you’re looking for, or would you like me to?”
Everything in me screamed to ask Aurora to do it, but I needed to act like a grown-up. “I’ll call and set up the interviews. If you have any dates or times that won’t work, will you send those to me as soon as you can?”
“Of course,” Aurora said, setting the notebook on the table. “I should get going.”
I stood. “Thank you for stopping by, Aurora. Winnie loved seeing you, and it was good to clear things up between us. I do value your friendship.”
Something passed over her face before it was gone, and she smiled. “I know, and I’m sorry I waited so long. It was a childish way to behave. I think we’re all trying to deal with the loss of Hope in the only way we know how.”
“Yeah,” I replied. “Just leave that stuff there, I’ll get it.”
“You sure?” she asked.
“Positive. Thanks again, and I’ll let you know when I talk to whoever I need to talk to about the nanny interviews.”
She chuckled. “Okay, sounds good.”
I motioned for her to proceed through the house. She grabbed her purse and walked out onto the front porch. Aurora turned and looked at me. “I hope you’ll bring Winnie to our next storytime.”
“Trust me, she won’t let me forget about storytime at the bookstore. We’ll be there, no more hiding from me.”
A brilliant smile broke out on her face. “Good. I’ll talk to you soon, then.”
I watched as Aurora headed to her car. She gave a quick wave before slipping in and backing out. I glanced across the street to find Mrs. Randall sitting on her porch with her husband sitting next to her. I gave a quick wave and headed back into the house.
Dropping my head back against the chair, I let out a groan. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Aurora stood and stretched. “Don’t give up hope! We’ll find someone.”
I looked at her. “Oh, I gave up after the fourth lady when she walked in and could barely get herself into the seat. What is this place thinking, sending over a woman that old to take care of a two-year-old? She had to be at least ninety!”
“But she did nanny for the royal family in England,” Harper added, looking through the information on Katherine Jones. Who was, in fact, eighty-seven years old. She had an impressive resume, for sure. But there was no way she could ever keep up with Winnie.
Aurora covered her mouth and tried not to laugh.
“I don’t care if it was the queen herself, she was too old. And what about the woman before her? Did she scare you guys like she did me?”
Harper nodded. “What about when she said she believed in spanking. I thought you would come out of your chair, Liam.”
“I nearly did!”
Aurora sat back down and said, “Okay, we haven’t had a great selection yet, but let’s not let that get us down. Liam, what did you tell the agency?”
“I wanted someone with experience in nannying young kids.”
“And you told them how old Winnie was, right?” Harper asked.
Liam shot Harper a look of disdain. “Of course I did. I told them she was two-and-a-half.”
Aurora shuffled through the paperwork and found what she was looking for. “I see the problem.”
“What? What’s the problem?” I asked, leaning forward to see what she was reading.
“They have Winnie being twelve, not two.”
Stunned, I asked, “How in the hell did that happen?”
“We’re back!” Cadie called out as Winnie entered the room with a pink stain around her mouth. I laughed as she crawled up onto my lap.
“What in the world is on your mouth?” I asked before giving her a kiss on the forehead.
Laughing, Cadie replied, “That would be the evidence of a pink donut from the bakery.”
“Getting my daughter high on sugar, I see,” I laughed.
“Just be glad I stopped at the one donut,” Cadie warned me. “You should have seen what your child was picking out to eat.”
I laughed. “I bet. She has a sweet tooth, just like her mommy did.”
“How is the search for a nanny going?” Cadie asked as she sat down on the sofa next to Harper.
“Not good. So far, the agency has sent over an elderly English woman who was unhappy we didn’t have tea for her. A middle-aged grumpy woman who believes in spanking, and a grandmother who informed us she would have to bring her six grandkids over to watch them while she watched Winnie.”
Cadie’s eyes went wide. “What?”
I sighed again. “Yeah, that one really threw me for a loop.”
“That one did?” Aurora asked. “The English royal nanny was the one who did it for me. She could hardly walk, Cadie. Had a cane and I was waiting for her to tap it on the floor and grow a mole.”
“A mole?” I asked.
All three women looked at me. “You’ve never seen that movie? Nanny McPhee?” Aurora asked.
“Nope, never heard of it.”
Harper and Aurora both gasped.
“I haven’t seen it either,” Cadie added.
Aurora blinked at us, then turned to Harper. “Winnie is way too young to watch it, don’t you agree?”
She nodded. “Agreed.”
Aurora said, facing me, “We should do a movie night! Maybe one night you’re not at The Muddled Moose. A friend movie night!”
“And watch a kids’ movie?” Cadie asked. “Hard pass.”
“Oh, come on,” Aurora stated as she stood back up. “It’s such a cute movie. I think it would be fun. I can plan everything, Liam, so you don’t have to worry about it. Once Winnie goes to bed, we can all watch it. I’ll make sure there is booze there for the guys.”
“I’m down for a movie night,” I said, liking the idea of having people back in the house and not for mourning, but for something fun. Like movie night.
“What would be a good night for you?” Aurora asked, the excitement filling her voice.
“We could do it Sunday night if it works for everyone.”
“I can order some pizzas from Slice, Slice, Baby,” Harper said.
“I’ll bring dessert,” Cadie added.
Aurora looked at her. “I thought you said hard pass on a kids’ movie.”
“I don’t want to miss out on movie night!” Cadie stated. “Besides, Kian would love to hang out with Liam.”
The doorbell rang and I looked at Aurora. “The last interview of the day. I’m still confused why there isn’t a name.”
“Last-minute work in, maybe?” Harper said.
“Winnie, how would you like to go take a bath?” Cadie asked, scooping Winnie up and off my lap.
“Pwease!” Winnie replied. If there was one thing my daughter loved, it was bath time.
I watched as Cadie headed out of the room and upstairs while Harper went to get the door.
“I honestly don’t know what I would do without you all,” I said, turning to look at Aurora.
She winked, then said, “That’s what friends are for.”
I nodded, suddenly overwhelmed with emotions I wasn’t familiar with. Gratitude for the friends I had and something more substantial for the woman sitting across from me. For the briefest moment, I almost wanted to tell Aurora what being near her did to me, but I stopped myself.
Friends only, Liam. Friends only.
I heard Haper’s voice as she made her way to my office with the next person to interview.
“I’m not holding out much hope,” I whispered as Aurora tossed a balled-up piece of paper at me.
“Hush!”
Harper’s voice filled the room. “Thank you so much for coming.”
Since my back was toward the door, I couldn’t see who was coming in. When Aurora’s face lit up, a spark of hope did the same. I stood and faced the door. My spark of hope quickly faded to something else.
Shock.
“Kim?”
“Liam! Oh my gosh! It’s so good to see you!”
Kim made her way over and hugged me. It took me a few moments to awkwardly hug her back.
When no one said anything, Aurora cleared her throat. “I take it you two know one another?”
Snapping out of my shock, I let out a nervous laugh. “Yes, um, Harper, Aurora, this is Kim Thompson, we, um…we…ah…”
“We dated in high school,” Kim stated with a laugh.
“High school?” Harper asked. “I’m so sorry, Kim, I don’t remember you at all.”
Kim laughed. “I didn’t live in Moose Village. I’m from Lake Placid, and Liam and I met through friends and dated for a few years.”
“Wow,” Aurora said with a laugh. “What a small world. And you are a nanny now?”
Kim pulled her eyes off me to look at Aurora. Her smile slipped for some reason when she saw Aurora, but then she recovered. “Yes. I’ve been nannying since I got out of college.”
“You never married?” I asked.
She gave me a soft smile. “No. I think I always regretted letting the one get away.”
I could see Harper and Aurora exchange a look from the corner of my eye.
Motioning for her to sit, I said, “Please, have a seat. I’m so sorry…your name wasn’t on the list.”
Kim sat on the sofa and set her bag next to her. “I was a last-minute addition.”
“You didn’t recognize Liam’s name?” Aurora asked.
Without looking at Aurora, Kim adjusted her purse to be just right on the floor as she said, “They called and gave me the address last night.”
She glanced around the room and let out a nervous laugh. “Is this like a throuple thing?”
Aurora let out a cough as Harper laughed.
“A throuple?” I asked, confused.
“Yeah,” Kim stated as she pointed to Harper and Aurora. “You’re in a relationship with two women. It’s the three of you. A throuple. I mean, no judgment from me at all.”
I was positive my eyes went as wide as saucers. “No! God, no. Harper and Aurora are good friends of mine. My wife, Hope, passed away last February from cancer, and my friends have been there for me and my daughter, Winnie.”
A look of pity crossed Kim’s face. That was one reason I hated telling people about Hope. They would give me that look of pity.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Kim quickly said. “I’m also sorry for the misunderstanding.”
Aurora laughed. “No worries. So it sounds like you’ve been a nanny for a while now. Are you currently working for anyone?”
With a quizzical look in Aurora’s direction, Kim replied, “No, I’m not.
The family I worked for the last ten years moved to Italy.
They offered for me to come along, but their daughter is getting older, and honestly, they no longer need a nanny at this point.
Plus, I wasn’t willing to leave the country.
My parents are in Lake Placid, and I enjoy the area. ”
I nodded. “Well, let me tell you a bit about the position. First thing you need to know is that my daughter is two-and-a-half. Not twelve as the information packet mentions.”
Kim smiled. “That’s even better! Longevity in the job.”
Harper chuckled.
“I, um, I guess. I’m not honestly sure how long I will need a nanny.”
Kim grinned. “Fair enough.”
“Okay. So, should we talk details, then?”
Kim motioned for me to go on. “I can’t wait to hear all about your precious daughter.”