5. Emmy
FIVE
Emmy
You know when you have really good sex, and it’s like you have random flashbacks in the days to come?
Like you’re doing dishes or cooking breakfast and all of a sudden you can feel the sensation of the person between your thighs?
That’s how I’ve felt for days now. It was so stupid of me not to exchange names or at least a phone number with that beautiful woman.
The sex was indescribable, and I definitely want to do it again.
But the only thing I know is a foggy description of how to get there.
And it isn’t like I’m going to show up at her front door and ask for the exact opposite of what she asked for.
She and I agreed not to exchange information, and I should respect that, no matter how much I want her thighs wrapped around me again.
My phone dings, knocking me out of my sex daydream with a new email. I dry off my wet hands from the dishes and click on it. I’m waiting to hear back from the lawyer and the real estate agent, but this email is from a different address.
It’s a reply to the nanny application I’d submitted. I sort of forgot about it; I’m not the most qualified in terms of nannying experience. I read over the email anyway and realize it’s not a rejection, it’s an invitation to come for an interview.
Harriett, but she goes by Hattie, thinks I’d be a good fit for her son and wants me to come over.
I immediately email back and offer to come by whenever works for her.
She replies almost as quickly, asking if I can make it by five tonight.
It’s just after three, so I have enough time to shower and make myself presentable.
I spent the day packing boxes, and I’m a sweaty mess.
I reply back and then race upstairs to look for an appropriate outfit.
Thankfully, I have enough professional clothes from my last internship.
I take a thorough shower, making sure I don’t smell and there’s no knots in my hair before getting dressed.
I only do a bit of makeup with my lip gloss and decide to head over early.
I’m not sure where this address is; I am still new to town and have to rely heavily on the GPS app.
If that suddenly stops working, I’ll get lost for sure.
I make sure I have enough time and follow the directions.
I’m only confused when it starts directing me onto the orchard.
I have to explain to the gate attendant that I’m here for a nanny interview, not the pumpkins.
They direct me down the road that leads to Hattie’s house.
I pull past three other houses, but when I pull up to the brown house, it looks eerily familiar. Like I’ve been here before, but that isn’t possible, is it?
It hits me all at once. Is this the house I had the one-night stand at?
No. This can’t be. But then again, I don’t know anything about that woman.
And how many houses are on the orchard? A little dark-haired boy is sitting on the steps to the house as I mentally freak out.
I stare at him, trying to figure out if this is the son of my one-night stand.
His dark eyes catch the light, and I see her in them. Oh, shit. I should probably get out of here, but he starts walking toward the car, and I’m not sure what to do next. I roll down the window, and he smiles at me.
“Are you here for the nanny interviews?” he asks.
“I…am. Should you be out here alone?” I raise an eyebrow.
“My mom said you were coming.” He shrugs.
“Didn’t she teach you not to talk to strangers? Especially so close to their cars?” I ask.
“That was the first test. You passed,” he jokes. I like this kid—that’s good. “You can come in; my mom had to make a phone call, but she said to bring you in if I saw you.”
“Gotcha.” I nod. He retreats back toward the house, and I realize I don’t have much of a choice anymore. I can’t just leave him standing here alone. He’s already seen me.
So, I turn off the car’s engine and decide to follow him. It can’t be that bad anyway; she’ll make up some excuse when she sees me, and I’ll be free to go. It’s not like I want the job anyway. I take a deep breath before I reach the porch and the kid lets me in.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“Oliver, but everyone calls me Ollie. There was a time when I got called O, but I don’t really like that.” He shrugs.
“Ollie, got it.” I nod. “I’m Emmy, short for nothing, so I don’t have to worry about nicknames.”
“Do you like animals?” he asks.
“I do. Growing up, I had four dogs. Do you have any pets?” I ask.
“No, my mom keeps saying soon, but she hasn’t gotten me one yet.
I think it’s because she works with animals all day long.
She’s a vet; she mostly takes care of the pets on the orchard, but sometimes she takes care of other things.
One time we took care of a snake, another time it was a chinchilla,” he says proudly.
“That’s super cool, do you usually help your mom?”
“Sometimes. I’m homeschooled, so sometimes she takes me with her and teaches me things, but sometimes she doesn’t if there’s going to be blood. I’m not afraid or anything, but it’s just gross,” he explains.
“Got it, yeah, blood is pretty gross,” I agree. “Does your mom know I’m here?” I look around the living room. Yep, this is without a doubt the space I was in. I ate his mother out on the couch where he’s sitting. Oh my God, that’s not what I need to be thinking about right now.
“Oh. I don’t know. MOM! THE NANNY PERSON IS HERE! SHE’S SITTING IN THE LIVING ROOM!” he yells up the stairs. I try not to laugh; I mean, I could’ve done that.
“Thanks, Ollie!” she calls down, and I feel the nerves kicking in. I shouldn’t have come in; she’s going to come downstairs, and this is going to blow up in my face.
But as I stand, I already hear her walking down the steps.
As she turns the corner, her face changes from neutral to pure surprise.
Her eyes flutter from me to Ollie and back to me.
This probably looks way worse than it is.
It’s only a moment that passes, but it feels like a lifetime as she tries to collect her thoughts.
It’s not obvious to Ollie, but I can tell Hattie’s freaking out. So I do my best to give her an out.
“Hi, I’m Emmy, the nanny applicant you invited over. Your son Ollie just let me in; you must be Hattie?” I hold out my hand and force a smile. Hattie takes only a second to catch on and shakes my hand.
“Yes, it’s great to meet you.” She smiles, then turns to Ollie. “Can you give us a few minutes? I’d like to ask her some questions.”
“Sure.” Ollie nods and heads upstairs.
Once he’s out of hearing range, Hattie grabs my arm and leads me to the kitchen. “What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?” she whisper-yells.
“I swear I had no idea this was for your son. We never exchanged names; how exactly would I be stalking you?” I whisper back.
“Oh yeah.” She lets go of my arm. “I’m sorry, this just caught me off guard.”
“Same here. When I pulled up, I was going to leave, but Ollie came out to meet me, and I didn’t know how to leave without making it weird. I swear I wasn’t trying to disturb you or your family,” I explain.
“I know, I’m sorry. This sucks; you were the most qualified applicant I’ve had apply. Everyone else is a thousand years old or fourteen; there’s no in between.” Hattie sighs.
“I mean, you could still interview me.”
“What?” Hattie’s head snaps up and looks at me like I’m insane.
“If I fit what you’re looking for, you could still hire me. It’s not like I’m stalking you, and it was a one-night thing. Your son seems great,” I offer.
“You’d still want the job?” she asks hesitantly.
“Yeah, I wasn’t lying when I said I needed a reason to stay in town.” I shrug.
“Can I ask what brought you to town in the first place?”
“My dad died about a month ago. I came here to sell his place and figure out my next steps. I’m trying to get my master’s degree in childhood education, but it’s a boatload of money I don’t have,” I admit.
“Ollie and I both lost someone close to us too; she was like the mother I actually wanted. Her death has been a little hard on both of us,” Hattie says.
“I understand. And you’re not looking for someone to live in, right?” I clarify.
“No, just someone part-time to help out with homeschooling so I can focus a bit more on work right now. I’ve been trying to balance both things, but this is the busiest time of year for the orchard, and I don’t want his education taking a backseat.”
“I get that, so tell me, are you looking for someone to do school at home, or homeschooling that’s more like learning in life experiences?” I ask.
“We do some work from books, but a lot of the time he learns better with museums and experiences,” Hattie says. “It would be maybe taking him to the library, working on things in the home. He’s taking an ASL course online, which I usually monitor in case he needs any help.”
“What about meals and cleaning or anything like that?”
“Cooking would be fantastic. I think we’ve both been living off frozen chicken fingers and French fries for the last few months.
Cleaning is more like picking up after him and maybe the dishes?
I don’t need anything crazy, but it would be nice to not come home to a messier house than I left it,” Hattie says solemnly.
“Got it, and does he have any allergies or medical conditions I should be aware of?”
“Nope, he’s a picky eater, so good luck getting him to eat anything new. His bedtime is eight-thirty, and I usually read to him before…” Hattie pauses, studying my face. “You really don’t think it would be an issue hiring you?”
“Don’t get me wrong, you’re a beautiful woman.
But you made it clear you weren’t yourself that night, and it was a one-time thing.
I can put it in the past, if that’s what you want.
I think this job sounds perfect for me, and I’d love the chance to be considered. But I understand either way,” I say.
“Okay, I’ll have to think it over. But I’ll let you know by tomorrow night.” Hattie offers a half smile.
“Sounds good.” I shake her hand, and she blushes at my touch. Maybe it wouldn’t be as easy as I thought for us to do this.
“Bye, Emmy!” Ollie calls from the top of the stairs when he sees me leaving.
“Bye, Ollie!” I say as Hattie scolds him for eavesdropping.
I just laugh, knowing he was probably listening the whole time.
He seems like a curious kid. I’ll have my hands full taking care of Ollie, but it seems like it would be a fun time too.
I’m already thinking of places we could go together to learn.