3. Natalie
Chapter Three
NATALIE
I've survived. For ten days.
The kids are alive.
The house is still standing.
I'm not sure why the transition from reluctant barista to nanny has been such a shock, but I'm worn out by the evening. I thought standing on my feet all day at the Gingerbread Palace was hard...but running around after two very active kids is a whole other level.
The kids have a schedule that's planned out and emailed to me the night before by Mr. Slate's PA.
His ex-wife has ideas of what the kids should be doing, and what time they should do it, which involves regularly sitting in front of a screen to learn Mandarin, or practise a musical instrument or some other task that they really don't want to do on a hot day in the middle of summer.
I've tried to keep to the schedule as best I can but I admit I've let it slide on a few occasions and we've gone out for a swim in the pool or on a nature trail.
Zoe, despite a couple of tantrums about not wanting to do lessons, has been a joy. She's a bright, funny little girl who has a real affinity with animals and would do well with a pet of some kind, although for some unexplained reason that's off the cards.
Logan is wild. He's living in a world with rigid schedules and alpha parents when he would do well to be running free on a farm or something.
I don't know, I'm no expert, but he has so much energy that it seems almost cruel to keep forcing him to sit in front of screens for hours at a time and then punishing him for playing pranks when he rebels.
He's not a bad kid, he's just frustrated.
He idolizes his Dad, but doesn't know how to get his attention, except by acting up.
And Mr. Slate.
He's asked me to call him Lucas but I still think of him as Mr. Slate in my head.
My boss.
I didn't realize how hard it would be to work for someone who I have such an obvious, overwhelming physical attraction to. It's distracting and puts me at a disadvantage, when I should just be doing my job.
I have no idea what he thinks of me. We started off with the whole eco-cup debacle and now I'm here every day it's given our relationship a strange edge. Like, do we like each other, or not?
The whole interaction is strangely formal.
On his side as well.
Maybe he's just tolerating me until the end of the vacation and he can get back to his normal routine.
But he seems to want to come and sit with me and the kids when he's around. And he's a good Dad, especially when he lets himself goof around. You can see how much he loves Logan and Zoe.
It's really sweet.
I put my pencil down. I've been using my sketchpad as a diary since the beginning of the summer, now I know what my next big sculpture will be. I want to feed in the experiences I'm having into my next piece - maybe with text carved into the wood or the metal.
There's a fresh breeze blowing in through the open terrace door.
As the sun starts to go down, I can't get over how beautiful the view is, and Snowflake is renowned for its amazing views.
For once, it's quiet as Mr. Slate - Lucas - is putting the kids to bed.
He's asked me to wait and poured me a glass of wine.
So, for once, I'm not rushing about concentrating on making sure Logan doesn't step on a bee or making sure Zoe isn’t throwing herself into the pool without supervision.
He walks back into the room, tall and handsome in the suit he was wearing for today's meeting. He's definitely Mr. Slate in that well-cut suit, which emphasizes his broad shoulders and strong, muscular frame.
I repeat under my breath. "Mr. Slate. He's great. But… he's my boss."
"What's that, Natalie?" He raises an eyebrow and comes to sit next to me on the enormous sofa.
Oh crap, he heard something.
"Nothing. Just thinking about some art stuff." There's a blush creeping up my neck as I reply.
I'm not a good liar.
He looks at me quizzically. "What's your next art piece going to be?"
"I'm inspired by this landscape. I want to use the wood from fallen trees to recreate the view and then give it a personal spin.
Hard to explain but easier to create. I'm going to see if I can walk back home.
I think there's a trail that leads through the forest nearly all the way to my house.
If you don't mind me traipsing through the back of your garden, that is. " I draw breath.
He's looking at me curiously again.
"Would you mind if I walked with you? Mrs. Klass should be okay for an hour or so now the kids are in bed." There's that formality again, but my heart leaps at the idea of him coming with me.
"No. I mean yes, that's fine. I'll try not to get us lost." I smile up at him and stand, putting my glass down on the table.
"I wouldn't mind." He gazes back at me.
Oh. Is he flirting with me?
I try to remember my little chant as we walk to the edge of the huge back garden, which is carefully tended with huge rhododendron bushes hugging a perfectly manicured lawn.
I'm not a hundred percent sure of the route back, but now I guess I have to pretend I know what I'm doing since my boss is with me.
Lucas seems to lighten up as we start our way down the rough path that leads down the mountain into the forest.
"This is far more preferable than sitting in a stuffy boardroom.
When I came up with the original idea for Cedracoin, I thought I'd spend most of my time checking out what we put back into the environment, so I’d be surrounded by green and nature.
Instead, it seems everyone wants to meet in city skyscrapers, with strip lighting. " He looks over at me.
He’s an incongruous sight in this leafy setting. Even without his suit jacket on, he could be on the cover of a magazine with some kind of headline like Top 100 Hottest Billionaires. I can’t help but wonder what his chest would look like if he unbuttoned his shirt.
"You're the boss, Mr - Lucas. You could get those people to come to you. Or - even better - Pine Lodge is a carbon-neutral business space. Meet them there, show them how it’s done." I shut my mouth in a tight line. I'm full of ideas, as usual, but maybe he doesn't want to hear them.
"That's an interesting thought. Get some of the people I meet to have a look around for a change. Snowflake Falls is so incredible, maybe they'd rethink their skyscrapers." He reaches out a hand to brush away a branch which is covering the path, just before I head straight into it.
"I think that's the deal for a lot of people.
They forget how incredible it is to be surrounded by nature.
So they sort of need to be confronted by it somehow.
I mean, not everyone likes to be in the middle of a forest. Some people like the big city.
But flowers, trees, wildlife - surely everyone can appreciate that? "
There's a huge fallen tree blocking the path further up. I start to go around the side and then hop over the top once I can get a foothold. When I'm at the top I look back and Lucas is laughing.
"You're definitely a pixie." He shakes his head.
"A what?" I'm surprised he's joking with me like this.
"Okay, maybe a woodland sprite then. You jumped over that tree like you do it all the time." He starts to scramble over. He's going to ruin his expensive suit pants.
Somehow he makes it over the other side without damaging the suit or himself. He has a carefree light in his eyes that I've only seen when he's played with his kids, and it makes me relax. He feels like he’s definitely my friend, not my enemy, when he lightens up like this.
"I'd love to use that tree in my next sculpture." I'm eyeing up the smooth curve of the bark, which would complement the salvaged metal I have in my garage.
“I'll get the tree cut up for you to use in your work - how many pieces do you want? Or would you prefer the whole thing delivered to your door as it is, in one piece?" He smiles.
"Wait - this is your land too? I thought we were in the forest." I squint my eyes to get a better view of where we are.
"I bought the forest so that it couldn't be redeveloped.
There was some talk of an out of town developer buying it and cutting down all the pines.
When I built the house I realized how crucial the whole ecosystem was to the local environment and that it should stay as it is.
Magnus is a great advocate for the unique landscape of Snowflake Falls.
And so are you, Natalie." Lucas reaches his hand out again to brush another branch out of the way, but my hair gets snagged in it because I'm walking without looking.
I stop, not wanting to tangle it up any further.
"Stay still." Lucas orders as he untangles my hair from the branch.
He's so close to me that I smell his fresh, lemony aftershave.
He smoothes my hair back into place and looks down at me.
He's standing very close and I can feel the heat from his body.
I swallow and lick my lips, my throat suddenly dry. He comes even closer.
His hand travels across to cup my cheek as his gray eyes gaze into mine. All I can hear is the sound of the wind, the birds in the trees and my own breathing. My heart is thumping in my ears as he leans down and presses his lips against mine.
Slowly, like he has all the time in the world, he parts my lips with his tongue and explores my mouth.
His breath is hot, and he tastes fresh and minty.
I can't help but moan and press my body into his as his other hand presses the small of my back to hold me steady.
His shirt is soft as I run my hands over it, but his muscles are hard beneath it.
Again I can't help but wonder what it would be like to see him carefully unbutton it, one button at a time, revealing his perfect tanned chest.
All I can feel is his body against mine, even though my head wants to repeat my stupid rhyme about him being my boss, and it feels so good I want to get even closer.
I run my hands up his neck to stroke his thick dark hair, which is short at the back and longer on the top. His stubble presses against my cheek as my breathing gets faster. An owl hoots and I step on a twig that suddenly cracks in half in my eagerness to push myself against him.
He draws back. I’m breathing hard.
We stare at each other. I don’t know what to say.
He’s my boss. I’m the nanny. I need to get a grip.
Maybe he does this all the time?
“Wow. Okay, Lucas. Mr. Slate. I’m going to go now, uh, I need to get back. You have to climb back up, anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I set off quickly along the path, glancing quickly over my shoulder.
He’s standing there watching me.
What have I done?