Chapter 4 - Ethan
Ethan
“For the love of God, don’t go.” Miles looked and sounded the way I felt.
Luckily, I fared better when it came to keeping up appearances. Even with the bar for dignity on the floor, this woman was still a stranger and I still wanted her to think there was some semblance of control here. However delusional that made me.
The noise from inside ricocheted down the hall like merry explosions.
Something that sounded like a shoe hit the wall, followed by Adrian’s muttering about manners in enclosed spaces.
In the middle of it all, Maren stood in the doorway with myself on one side of it and Miles on the other.
I noticed the way he tried to look composed while discreetly yanking at the sucker in his hair.
He had a way about him in the presence of a beautiful woman.
Like a switch would get flipped. I’d seen it in action and more often than not, he left me impressed.
Now though, the result was more tragic than anything else.
Maren’s gaze shifted between us. Calculating. “I, uh, I wasn’t expecting to start right away in the literal sense.”
“It’s often the things we least expect that end up surprising us in the most incredible ways.” Ever the charmer, Miles flashed a grin that was meant to be disarming. With that sucker bumping into his forehead, he just looked insane.
Maren took it in her stride. “Great line. Sounds like you’ve been working on that one for a while.”
I stifled a laugh. She had balls, that was for sure. Miles feigned offense, but that grin didn’t move, which told me he was particularly delighted with her attention too.
“Listen, I get this might seem a little sudden and—”
“Desperate?” She quirked one perfect brow, and my heart stuttered in place.
I swallowed back the urge to make a fool of myself. Any more than I had been, anyway. “Why don’t we talk about it some more over coffee? I just brought in the most amazing dark roast from Algeria.”
“Seriously, Ethan,” Miles spoke before she could. “Can’t you see she’s a woman of finer tastes?”
There was nothing I could do to stop the hard eye-roll. It would’ve happened if I were brain-dead in a coma. He was so full of it, and I half-expected to find the same look on Maren’s face. Except… I was quickly learning hard lessons about that wily temptress called ‘expectation’.
She smiled at him. Her gaze soft as she considered him with careful curiosity. Maybe a dash of reluctant amusement. Taken in, is what she was. Miles lapped it up, and I watched the exchange with a little twist in my gut.
Who was this woman? She didn’t seem fazed at all. By any of it. Not the kids, the noise, or the grown man with a half-eaten sucker stuck in his hair. Maren Calloway had a calm, patient energy, the kind that probably worked well in a classroom.
“My tastes aside,” she said, taking a step toward her final exit. I fought the urge to physically hold her back. “As much as I want to help you guys out, there are logistics to this I can’t overlook.”
Then, when I thought she’d breeze out the door and out of my life, she did something else I didn’t expect.
Instead of pushing past Miles to leave, she moved into his space completely.
He wasn’t ready for it either, and his whole body tensed as she lifted her hands to the sucker dangling on the side of his head.
Gentle but confident, she untangled the sucker with the kind of skill that said she’d done this a thousand times before.
I couldn’t tell whether he was breathing, but I didn’t miss the deep red flush creeping up the back of his neck.
The hard swallow when his gaze dropped to meet hers, and she locked in.
That twist in my gut intensified, but I couldn’t look away if I tried.
One last tug and Maren took a step back with a smirk, pressing the sucker into Miles’ open palm.
“There,” she said, laughing softly. “Now you only look half-crazy.”
He laughed too. Still dumbstruck, but warming up fast. “I’m Miles, by the way.”
“Maren.”
Something eased in the air after that. The knot in my stomach, Miles’ shoulders, probably. I wasn’t sure what the fuck just happened, but would leave figuring it out until the deal was sealed.
“You’re already fitting in perfectly,” I said, more brightly than I planned. I cleared my throat to bring down the manic vibe, and added, “Let me show you to your room.”
Maren shook her head with a laugh, and this time she did leave, moving down the hall with purpose. “You guys are relentless.”
Miles and I shared a look, then hurried after her, walking and talking, the three of us looking like one of those mismatched trios in a stupid sitcom.
Maren shot down every attempt to convince her to stay, and by the time we got to the living room I was about ready to give up on it and just let her go.
But then her steps slowed. And she stopped.
Once I realized why, I did the same. Miles’ deliberate stride was a split second slower, and he bumped into me. He was about to let me have it, when my finger shot up to quiet him down.
And the three of us just stood there. In the quiet.
“Is this really happening?” I mumbled under my breath.
Miles shook his head. “I’m not buying it. It’s the calm before the storm.”
“Or… they’re just watching TV,” Maren said.
I was afraid to move in case it broke the spell. Emma and Sadie were sprawled on one couch, and even Will had turned off that damn video game to watch the show.
Adrian came over with the flourish of a magician revealing his final jaw-dropping act. “You’re welcome.”
“You couldn’t think of this five hours ago?”
He shrugged. “I don’t tell inspiration when to strike, but I’m always grateful that she does.”
“You know, screens aren’t exactly the best childminders,” Maren said, arms folded across her chest. “But good job.”
“You must be the new nanny.” Adrian studied her with a fiery curiosity that I recognized all too well. Can’t say I liked it too much. “Adrian Monroe… also known as Ace.”
“Maren,” she said, taking his hand. “I don’t have a cool nickname, but yes, I’m the new nanny.”
“Who isn’t about to leave, because she’s starting right away.” Miles stared hard into her eyes, giving his hypnotic tone even more weight.
“I told you, I don’t have any of my stuff,” she protested yet again.
I had no choice but to pull out the big guns. With the lightest of touches to her elbow, I guided her to the entrance hall. My intentions were to speak to her alone, but I should’ve known Miles and Adrian would follow.
“I know you’re great at what you do,” I started, trying to ignore how accidentally close we were.
I had to keep my focus, in case she caught me stealing glances of her mouth the way I’d been doing when she wasn’t looking. But telling myself not to look only made me want to do it even more, and when she smiled at me, I was forced to take a step back.
“I’d like to think I’m a good teacher, yes.”
Good. This was good. She was giving me the floor.
“I’m sure you are,” I said, taking the opportunity with both hands. “You have that classic energy about you.”
“Classic energy?”
“You care about kids,” Miles ventured, backing me up just in time.
“Yes, that. Kids,” I said. “You care, and that’s what makes you great. Do you really want to play a role in the cognitive decline of my nephew and nieces? Too much screen time does that, as you know.”
Her eyes sparked with something, and slowly, gradually, her face broke into a reluctant smile.
“Fine,” she said with a sigh, then extended her hand toward me. “Give me your credit card.”
Miles gasped out loud and clapped Adrian hard on the back.
“Abort, abort.” He barely moved his lips but wasn’t stealthy about it at all.
“Excuse me?” I was too invested to take anything back. Too intrigued.
Maren fixed me with a challenging stare that I felt all the way in my pants. “You’re gonna give me your credit card, and then you’re going to arrange for movers to get my things.”
Flabbergasted into silence, I handed over my credit card and watched as she marched into the living room to turn off the TV. The kids groaned and yelled at her, but Maren stood in front of them, unshakeable.
“My name’s Maren, and I’m going to be your nanny while you’re staying with Uncle Ethan. Wanna go to the mall with me?”
I didn’t know Will had it in him, but he popped off the couch and scrambled for his shoes. Emma and Sadie quickly followed their big brother’s lead, and in under five minutes, they were out the door.
The three of us were rooted in the hallway.
“How sure are we she’s not gonna take off with the money and the kids,” Miles said, staring at the closed front door.
“She’s too hot for a life of crime.”
We turned to Adrian, who once again simply shrugged in that matter-of-fact way of his. “Don’t give me that look. I know you’re both thinking it too. Especially you.”
“Me? Why me?” I was suddenly defensive. “Miles was the one fawning over her in my office.”
“Because she’s your type,” Adrian smirked. “Filled out those jeans like it was nobody’s business. Sweet girl next door, but with a sparkle in her eye that lets you know she’s a freak behind closed doors.”
“She’s a kindergarten teacher.”
“The hair,” Miles jumped in. “Don’t forget the hair. He has a thing for long hair.”
The two of them kept going, and I kept buffeting the shots. It didn’t matter what I thought of Maren; she was officially my employee.
“Right. The nanny. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Adrian asked Miles, quirking his brows suggestively.
A sly grin spread across Miles’ face. “It’s like we’re sharing a brain.”
“A brain cell, you mean,” I cut in. “Do I need to remind you two about how things ended with Sylvie? Sharing a girlfriend always looks good on paper, until it gets so good it spontaneously implodes.”
That brought everything to an abrupt end, thankfully.
“Good point,” Miles said, shaking his head as if to rid himself of the future he was busy planning with Maren. “We should probably just get back to work.”
“Buzzkill.” But Adrian was already making his way to the dining room to salvage his sketches.
We launched straight into it without another word about Maren.
For all of our sakes. Miles and Adrian talked non-stop about installation playlists, swapped mockups, and fell into a mindmap saga that ran in circles.
I kept up, reining in the rush of ideas so we’d have a cohesive strategy to present to Cara later.
Somewhere between talks about ice sculpture rentals and the gallery’s no-glitter policy, the day slipped by.
Afternoon sun caught the windows and spilled over the work we had splayed out on the dining room table.
Scrapped ideas were stained with coffee rings like blueprints to the sense we were making, and just when I was about to call it a day and get ready for the meeting, the front door opened.
A gust of cold air rushed in, but that was about it. I looked to the guys, who looked back at me. Where was the buffalo herd? The sibling warzone in motion?
“She killed them and now she’s come back to finish us off,” Adrian whispered.
Miles slapped his arm and told him to zip it. That’s when Emma’s head popped into view, with Maren coming in behind her.
“Is it okay if I sit here?” Emma asked.
A request for permission. All I could do was nod.
Only then did she enter fully, her arms laden with art supplies.
She got comfortable at the other end of the dining room table and set out markers, paints and brushes, a shocking assortment of artistic tools, and some colorful paper.
Then she got to work, humming softly to herself.
I looked at Maren, my surprise written all over my face, and she just smiled.
Totally pleased with herself. Curiosity got the better of me, and I moved into the hall to catch a glimpse of Will back in his favorite armchair.
Playing video games. But the difference this time was that he wore a brand new set of headphones.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath.
“The best solutions are often the simplest,” she said, and handed my credit card back with a flick of her wrist. “Don’t worry. We didn’t go too crazy.”
“I would’ve let you max the damn thing if it meant we’d get them to settle down.”
Her laugh thawed the last of the outside chill from the house, settling deep in my chest. Sylvie popped into my head, and I pushed her right back out again.
“Where’s Sadie?” She was the only one unaccounted for.
Maren smiled and pointed to the middle of the living room. I had to move closer to see over the couch, and found Sadie criss-cross applesauce at the coffee table, talking to—
“A goldfish?”
Sadie whipped around at the sound of my voice, her face wide open in unbridled glee. She jumped up and practically dragged me over to sit with her.
“His name’s Mr. Scallywag and he’s only a baby,” she said, tapping on the side of the bowl. “But Maren said he’ll grow bigger like me. Then we’ll get him a bigger bowl.”
“Mr. Scallywag, huh?” I’d never had a pet growing up and never developed a need for one in adulthood. But I knew Sadie was obsessed with everything in the animal kingdom, and just seeing her little face light up made my day.
She pulled out a book of nursery rhymes—also new—and started reading to the fish.
Part of me wanted to grab my phone and record it for her parents, but I was more content to just be in the moment with her.
That was way better. Watching the frown that formed each time she came across a harder word, her chubby pointer finger jabbing at the letters as she sounded it out.
When I looked up, Maren was where I left her, a soft expression on her face. I mouthed a silent thank you, and the smile I got back hit me straight in the chest.
Talk about unexpected surprises.