3. Savannah
The trip from New York to Savannah took two very long days. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I could have driven my black Ford Shelby GT500, but Ethan outfitted me with a Honda Civic from circa 1980 for my cover.
“I don’t know of any nanny that drives an $80,000 car, do you?” Ethan asked me when handing over the keys.
“There might be one out there. I can just tell Aiden or his parents that I saved up for it should they ask,” I suggested.
Ethan didn’t agree, so I was forced to drive a car without air conditioning unless you count the 2x70 system that comes installed—two windows down at 70 miles per hour. Thankfully, it’s the end of March, and the temperatures haven’t reached unbearable levels. Depending on how long this assignment lasts, it could become a real problem. I don’t “glisten” like most Georgia socialites. I straight-up sweat, ugly armpit stains and all. It isn’t pretty.
As I drove through Savannah to get to Whitemarsh Island, where Aiden’s estate is located, I couldn’t control the shivers that racked my body. Everything seemed different, yet familiar at the same time. The place where I once grew up was no longer stricken by poverty but has been gentrified and is now full of gift shops and hoity-toity restaurants. I wonder if my mother still lives in the same house or if she was forced to move to make way for a condo or parking lot.
I haven’t seen Gretchen Jones since she attended my last beauty pageant while I was finishing up college. She scolded me for coming in second to an 18-year-old bombshell and was upset that I wasn’t able to win the cash prize for first place. She went home without a cent and without a goodbye. Despite not winning the prize money, I still received a scholarship that paid my final tuition balance. To this day, she has no idea that I wanted to come in second for the scholarship, knowing she wouldn’t be able to touch it. It’s been ten years since she turned her back on me, and I haven’t talked to her since.
It was at that same competition that I met Roger, who recruited me for the FBI. I took his card and dialed his number the day I graduated. It was the best decision I ever made, leaving behind a life that I never wanted.
But here I am, back where it all started, heading to Aiden Shaw’s house to care for and protect his little girl. It’s time to put on my smile and meet one of the best centers in hockey history. He’s a man at the top of his game and extremely pleasing to the eye.
Everything I’ve read about Aiden says he’s a man of integrity, down-to-earth, and an all-around nice guy. Now it’s time to see if the reporters’ claims are true. After passing through security—which is abysmal at best—I leave my bags in the car and take a second to admire his home.
The house itself looks small from the front and appears to be nothing more than a normal four-bedroom home. But I’ve seen enough aerial views in some of the magazine articles to know that looks can be deceiving. The rest of the house is hidden by a wall of trees on both sides and enclosed by an eight-foot wrought iron fence that angles outward. There’s a guest house, pool, and a full-size inline hockey rink on the property. If I recall correctly, he has at least ten acres butted up against the Wilmington River.
My excitement gets the better of me, and my hands shake as I ring the doorbell. I hear the chiming of bells and the electric motor of a camera moving. Aware that I’m being watched but not letting on, I simply stare at the front door while I wait for someone to answer it. I hear, “I call dibs!” just before the door opens, and I’m greeted by a beautiful specimen of a man. Unfortunately, it’s not the one I was expecting to see. It’s Swanson Kristofferson, one of the leading right-wing scorers in the league—both on and off the ice. Ugh!
“Hello, Beautiful! What can I do for you?” Swanson asks in a smarmy tone.
I decide it’s best to play dumb. “Um. I don’t know. Is this the residence of Aiden…Aiden…I know I have his name on a piece of paper somewhere.” I rifle through my purse, pretending to look for a note that doesn’t exist.
“Shaw? Why yes, it is. Are you his new nanny?” he asks. “Please say ‘yes’ because I need a good spanking.”
I narrow my eyes, having dealt with men like this before. I lower my voice, “Move aside, pretty boy, if you want to keep all your fingers and your face intact. Talk to me like that again, and you’ll be eating through a straw.” His eyes widen, but then I pat his cheeks, smile sweetly and quote Will Smith from the movie Hitch, “Mmkay, Pumpkin?”
Moving past him, I hear the sound of laughter and head toward the back of the house, ignoring the man following me. “Hello?” I call out.
“We’re in the kitchen!” a woman yells.
“Follow me,” Swanson says. “By the way, I’m Swanson Kristofferson, but all my friends call me Swank. I’m sorry about what I said back there. It was out of line.”
“It was, but thank you for apologizing. I’m Anna Blackwood.” I don’t bother to stop and shake his hand as I walk through the living room. When I get to the other side, there is a beautiful and spacious kitchen with granite countertops and large bay windows that allow a person to view the backyard and river. I can’t help but smile when I see who is sitting at the table.
Penny Shaw is munching on a biscuit in all her creative glory. She looks like a cross between a punk rocker from the 80s and a character from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
“Well, don’t you look pretty. You must be Penny.” Wanting to see what her manners are like, I offer my hand for her to shake. She sets her biscuit down and uses a napkin to wipe away the butter from her fingers before sliding off her chair. She grasps my hand in a firm grip and eyes me up and down, taking my full measure. When she smiles back at me, she looks like the Joker from Batman.
“You’re the prettiest person I’ve ever seen. Are you smart, too?” she asks me.
“I’d like to think so, but I hear I might have some competition in that area.”
Penny giggles. “Yeah, but Uncle Stanky says I’m ‘only book smart, not street smart.’ Can you teach me to be ‘street smart,’ Anna?”
I glance over at the offending person, and Swank gives me a one-shoulder shrug. “What? It’s true. She’s privately tutored and doesn’t go out except to our home games. Angela took her to the park a few times, but she just played by herself.”
“That’s because kids my age are in school. Dad says if I go to school with kids my age, I’ll be bored. If I go to school and have classes that challenge me, I’ll be like a fish out of water. Did you know that freshwater fish can live up to ten minutes without being in the water, while saltwater fish can live three times that?” she asks.
I cross my arms and nod, accepting the challenge presented before me. “That’s correct. However, several species of fish can live in both environments. Did you know that lungfish can breathe oxygen from the air and the water?”
Penny bobs her head in approval. “You’ll do.” This time, I can’t help the laugh that escapes me.
Martha dries her hands on a dishtowel and comes to stand beside me. “I’m Martha Shaw. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person. I appreciate you coming on such short notice.” She surprises me with a motherly hug instead of a handshake.
I return the gesture and give her a genuine smile. “Anna Blackwood. And the pleasure is all mine, especially since I get to take care of Penny. Something tells me she’ll keep me on my toes.”
Martha and Swank both laugh.
“She’ll do more than that! She’ll have you wrapped around her little finger in no time,” Martha jests.
As I look around the room, I notice one person is absent. “Where’s Mr. Shaw? I assumed he would want to be here to set his expectations.”
Martha grins, and there’s an impish twinkle in her eye. “He’s in his suite changing. The boys have practice in an hour.”
After their game yesterday, which I managed to listen to while driving down the highway, they’ll need it to win the next two games and clinch a spot in the playoffs.
Swank grabs another biscuit and tosses it in the air. “I doubt he wanted to greet the new nanny wearing fuzzy slippers and his robe. What kind of impression would that have made?”
I imagine Aiden in pink bunny slippers and a flannel robe, and I have to admit the picture in my head is quite appealing. Not wanting my thoughts to show, I fire back, “Why would it matter? Didn’t you already call ‘dibs,’ Swank?”
He blushes, having been unaware that I heard him. “Uhhh.”
“There will be no calling dibs on anyone in this house,” Aiden says with a deep, rich voice that sounds smooth as silk. Then he goes and ruins it by opening his mouth further.
“Swank, you keep your hands off the help. She’s here to do a job, not date the likes of you,” he says, raising my hackles. Martha notices and asks Penny to go play in her room. I wait until she’s gone before I say anything. I’m sure I’ll be out of a job by the time I’m done.
“Mr. Shaw, no one tells me who I can or cannot date, especially my employer. I am not ‘the help.’ I am the nanny and my own person, free to do what I please. Do we have an understanding?”
“This one’s got teeth. I like her!” Swank adds unhelpfully.
“Son…” Martha begins to say when Aiden raises a hand to stop her. His gaze meets mine, and his eyes are cold as ice.
“No. We do not have an understanding, Anna. It’s important to me that Penny is your primary focus. I have certain rules in this house, and they will be followed. My team is off-limits.”
“Mr. Shaw…”
“You can call me Aiden,”
“Mr. Shaw, Penny is my priority. I don’t date athletes, so you won’t have to worry about that from me. It isn’t any of your business anyway what I do in my free time. However, I will be respectful of your rules on the condition that you show me the same respect in return. If you can’t manage that, then I suggest you start looking for another nanny with my skills.” The last line was meant more for Martha, the one person in this room who knows exactly what I mean when I say the word “skills.”
Swank nudges Aiden, “I guess that takes us both out of the running. Grab your bag, and let’s go. We’ve got an example to set!”
Aiden grabs his duffle bag that’s sitting by the stairs before turning to me, “I can agree to your terms, Anna. My mom will be here today to go over your job duties. I should be home no later than six tonight. We can talk more then.”
I watch as the two men leave. It’s not until I hear the sounds of their engines revving that I turn to Martha. “Well, that didn’t go as I expected.”