Chapter Three – Emma
EMMA
THE MEETING
Mrs. Piper had wasted no time in setting up a meeting with me and Mr. Bishop. It had only taken three days, and I was on my way to meeting my potential future boss at a local café.
NotchTop Café was located in a plaza that held a few stores, and the town’s only large grocery store, Safeway. The second I walked into the restaurant, I was hit in the face with a case full of pies, cookies, and muffins that were the size of my head. The hostess sat me in a booth, and I told her I was waiting on another person to join me.
With a quick look at my watch, I saw that Aiden was ten minutes late. When the waitress made her way back, she gave me a sweet grin.
“Would you still like to wait to order?”
“Yes, please, I’m sure he won’t be much longer.”
She nodded and pointed to my water. “Something other than water?”
“A Diet Coke if you have it.”
“One Diet Coke, coming up.”
The restaurant was beginning to clear out, since the Saturday lunch rush was pretty much over. I noticed a man walk into the restaurant. He looked around, spotted me sitting in the back corner all alone, and made his way toward me. My mouth nearly dropped open when I got a better look.
If Ryan Paevey had a twin, this man was him.
Dark hair, a body that screamed he worked out every day, and currently dressed in a Rocky Mountain National Park ranger uniform, and eyes that were light in color. At least from what I could tell. His gaze caught mine and he smiled politely. I returned the gesture.
My stomach did a little flop, and I silently chastised myself for letting a man make me feel butterflies. It had been a number of years since that had happened, and I guess my poor neglected body could no longer handle the sight of a handsome man.
Were they filming a Hallmark movie in town? If wishes were fishes!
He stopped at my table and pointed to the empty seat.
“I’m sorry, I’m waiting to meet someone,” I said before he could speak.
He chuckled. “Emma?”
Oh. My.
The man’s voice was deep. I squinted to study him closely.
Was this Ryan Paevey? No. No way.
“Ryan?” I asked, daring to hope that God was on my side today.
He frowned. “Um, no, Aiden. Aiden Bishop.”
I nearly choked on my own tongue.
Trying to stand, I remembered I was in a booth when my thighs knocked into the table. I made an embarrassing grunt sound, then slid out of the booth, all while trying to act like I didn’t just make a complete fool out of myself.
I managed to speak. “Aiden. It’s an, um…it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Extending my hand, I waited for him to shake it. Instead, he stared at me for the longest time, taking me in like I was a bug under a microscope. It made me feel a bit uneasy, like he was judging me. But then, I couldn’t blame him. I was the person he’d be entrusting with his child.
He tried not to act like he was looking me over, but he was, indeed, looking me over. My skin felt hot, and I was starting to sweat.
“Oh, sorry! I didn’t answer you. Yes, I’m Emma.”
He reached his hand out finally and asked, “Why did you ask if my name was Ryan?”
A nervous laugh slipped from my lips. “Oh, gosh, it’s sort of embarrassing, so…maybe we could back up three minutes and start all over?”
He smiled, and it was genuine.
“Okay, let’s try again. Is anyone sitting here?” he asked, pointing to the empty side of the booth.
Relief swept over me. Maybe I hadn’t ruined the interview after all.
“Are you Aiden Bishop?”
“Are you Emma Middleton?”
“I am, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
We shook hands, and I couldn’t ignore how his eyes seemed to sparkle in amusement. But not enough to outshine the lost look in his eyes that seemed to cloud over any potential happiness. I knew those eyes. I looked at them every day in the mirror.
“Well, then, Emma, mind if I sit?”
“No, please do,” I replied, motioning for him to take a seat.
We both slid into the booth and then the waitress was back at the table.
“Hey, Aiden, the usual?” she asked. She almost had a dreamy look in her eyes. I couldn’t blame her; the guy was good-looking. Beyond good-looking. Handsome. Yes…he was very handsome. Ryan Paevey, Hallmark Channel-dreamy kind of handsome.
Okay. Stow it away, Emma Middleton; this is your potential future boss.
“Yeah, thanks, Annie.”
Annie set my Diet Coke down and said she’d give me a few minutes to look over the menu.
“I’m really sorry I’m late. Hadley insisted on wearing hot pink wings with her ballet uniform. It was an argument I decided wasn’t worth having, so I let her wear them. I’ll have to deal with Mrs. Jones, her ballet teacher, after class.”
I smiled and took a sip of my drink.
“So, Rose told me a little about you, and mentioned she was highly impressed. That speaks volumes for me.”
“Thank you, I appreciate her kind words.”
“What made you move to Estes Park from Dallas?”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, trying to decide how much information I wanted to pass along.
“Well, I needed to start my life over, and I wanted to do it somewhere far away from Dallas. I’ve always loved the mountains. I remember a few yearly summer trips to Estes Park fondly. When I was trying to decide where I wanted to start over, this town came to mind.”
Annie came back with a water and an iced tea for Aiden. “Ready to order?”
Aiden nodded and replied, “I am. Emma, are you?”
I grabbed the menu and quickly glanced at it. “I’ll take the patty melt, please.”
“Fries or fruit?”
“Fruit.”
She turned to Aiden. “The usual?”
“Yep.”
Annie took our menus and headed off to another table.
“You must come here often,” I said.
“My cousin Lou owns the place.”
“Oh! Well, that makes sense now. It’s a cute place.”
Aiden looked around the café. “Yeah, she’s worked really hard on it. From the time I could remember, she loved to bake and cook things. It’s in her blood. Her daddy was a chef from France.”
“Wow. Did she go to culinary school?”
“Nah, her father taught her everything she knows. She’d like to open a second restaurant but is afraid to take that jump into owning two places.”
With a nod, I smiled and looked around the small restaurant with fresh eyes. “It would be easier than she thinks. Everything is doable with a well-thought-out plan.”
Aiden stared at me, an expression on his face that screamed he was trying to figure me out. I cleared my throat and stared at the bubbles in my soda.
Eventually, he broke the silence. “So, have you ever done any nanny jobs before?”
“No, but I’m very familiar with being around kids,” I replied. “I was a high school teacher for a few years, and while in college I worked at a preschool. I also volunteered at our church with Bible school and such. I adore kids, though.”
“None of your own?”
I tried to keep a neutral expression on my face, but I was sure a hint of pain flashed over it. “No, not yet. I’d love to have at least one. Someday, if I’m blessed enough.”
He nodded. “Rose only mentioned you were around my age. Do you mind if I ask how old you are, Emma?”
Leaning back in the booth, I tilted my head and smirked. “Only if you mind if I ask you how old you are.”
“Fair enough. I’m about to turn thirty-four.”
“I turned thirty-three yesterday.”
“Well, happy belated birthday.”
“Thank you.”
Aiden stared at me again before looking away. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, as if he were suddenly uncomfortable. Then he turned back to me and looked directly into my eyes.
“Hadley is missing a female figure in her life. She’s a wonderful little girl, and I want what’s best for her. I realized trying to play the role of both mom and dad was starting to take its toll on both of us.” He paused. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking you to step in as her mother. She had a wonderful mother, and my goal is to make sure she never forgets Lisa.”
I nodded and replied, “Of course, I understand.”
“I’ve never lived with another woman besides my wife, so it may be a bit uncomfortable for me to see you in my house. But I don’t want you to think it has anything to do with you. I need you to understand that going in.”
“Yes, I could totally see how that would be a bit awkward for you.”
He rolled his neck and let out a sigh.
“Aiden, may I ask you a question?”
“Yes. Yes, of course, you can ask as many as you want.”
“What exactly do you see as my role in Hadley’s life, and yours? Do you want me to make breakfast for you both? Dinner? Do you want me present for family game night, those sorts of things? I guess what I’m asking is…how involved do you want me to be? Mrs. Piper didn’t give me a detailed job description, and since I’ve never done this before, I’m in new territory as well. The last thing I want to do is step over any lines that you definitely don’t want crossed.”
His hands rested on the table and he started to rub them together in a nervous manner. “I…I don’t know. How involved do you want to be?”
With a gentle smile, I fought the urge to take his hands in mine to comfort him. I wasn’t his therapist; I was the woman he was hiring to look after his daughter.
“Well, I think we should play it by ear, since neither of us really know what to expect. Let me start off slowly. For instance, maybe I could come in and take care of Hadley on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Would your parents be able to help you still on Tuesday and Thursday?”
“I take Friday afternoons off.”
“Okay, well, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I’ll be with Hadley, if your parents can manage Tuesday. You can pick her up from school on Fridays. We could work my presence into both of your worlds slowly. Make sure that Hadley is okay with me being her nanny as well.”
He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. “That sounds like a good plan, and I’m sure my folks will be on board. Right now, they’re helping me pretty much full time. Hadley knows I’m hiring someone, and that they’ll be living in the guesthouse. I’d like for you to not only be her nanny, but a friend as well. Someone she’ll feel comfortable talking to. And of course, I’m sure she’d love to have you do her hair up pretty, pick out school outfits…girl stuff that I have no idea how to do. I’m not going to lie, she’s already pretty excited about having another girl in the house.”
“I’m excited as well. When can I meet her?”
Annie walked over and set our food down. “What else can I get you both?”
I glanced over to Aiden’s plate—and grinned when I saw he had the patty melt as well.
“I’m good. Emma, do you need anything else?”
My eyes jerked up from his plate to Annie. “I’m good as well, thank you.”
Once Annie walked off, Aiden started speaking again.
“Well, I say there’s no time like the present.”