Chapter 3
three
CAL
“This is getting ridiculous, Callahan,” my sister grumbles as she shuts the front door of my house. The latest candidate wasn’t the right fit. Just like the previous forty weren’t. “You need to find someone soon. We can’t take Cora to the studio with us, and we need to record soon.”
I roll my eyes. “That woman was at least eighty and kept talking to the plant behind you because she couldn’t see us.”
“Yeah, and what about all the other people we’ve interviewed? You’ve found something wrong with each one of them.” My sister gives me a look like she’s exhausted. And she probably is. Cora has been grumpy lately and not sleeping well at night, so Belle has been helping me overnight. Kai isn’t too thrilled with me for stealing his girlfriend, even though she’s my damn sister.
“I just want the best for Cora. I can’t leave her with just anyone. Hell, I trust you more than I trust anyone, and I still get stressed when you watch her without me.” I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. “Maybe I can get those headphones you see on kids at car races that block out the noise and just strap her to me.”
Belle slaps her hand to her face and groans. “Absolutely not. No. You know that won’t work and even if it did, it won’t long term.”
“But —” My rebuttal is cut off by my front door opening and Willa stomping in.
“I have the solution and she should be here in . . .” Willa looks at her watch while I grumble about her letting herself in under my breath. “Seven minutes.”
I glare at Willa, but she just flicks her lilac hair over her shoulder and sits next to my sister on the couch. Willa has helped just as much as Belle when it comes to Cora. So, as much as I want to complain and tease her, I keep my mouth shut.
The doorbell rings and Willa pops right up from the couch with a smile on her face. Now I’m suspicious. She’s far too happy. Even Belle is giving her a confused look.
“Five minutes early!” Willa says, walking past me to answer the door. She looks over her shoulder and winks at me. Fucking winks. What the fuck? Willa and I argue like siblings. We don’t do winks.
“Are we being pranked?” I whisper to my sister. Belle just shrugs. If I was confused before, now I’m terrified.
“I’m so happy you said yes to the interview!” Willa says to the red-haired bombshell she’s leading into my home. The woman’s hair is a deep red, not the more orange color you usually see, yet something tells me it’s her natural color. Her body has curves in all the right places and the moment her green eyes lock on mine, I’m done for. Something about her is familiar, but I couldn’t have met her before. I would remember someone that looks like her. Fuck, she’s beautiful.
“Cal!” Belle shouts. I swing my attention to my sister. She’s trying to hide a smirk as she raises her eyebrow at me.
“What?”
“I asked if you remembered Harlow. She graduated with Willa and me,” Belle says, apparently not for the first time. I look over to find Willa looking smug, like she knew exactly what my reaction to this woman would be.
The beauty standing in front of me, Harlow, is looking at me with a strange expression, almost disappointed. Have I met her? No. That’s not possible. She saves me from an awkward question by shaking her head and forcing a smile.
“He wouldn’t remember me. We’ve never met.”
I hold out my hand to her, and she takes it. Her hand is much smaller than mine and so damn soft. “Callahan Griffin,” I say, introducing myself. Even though I’m sure she knows who I am if she knows my sister.
“Harlow Ray.”
My eyebrows shoot up, recognizing the last name. “Harrison’s daughter?”
This time, her smile is genuine. “Yup!”
Harrison has been working on Ezra’s case with us. He’s also the former sheriff who was on the case when Ezra initially went missing. He quit when it was clear Ezra’s case was being mishandled. Kai and Belle recently hired him to hopefully find out what really happened. None of that explains why his daughter is currently in my living room.
Willa clears her throat and looks between Harlow and me. I follow her gaze and realize I still have Harlow’s hand in mine. I drop it quickly and let out an awkward laugh.
“So, uh, what can I do for you, Harlow?” I ask, running my hand through my hair, probably making it look messier than it already was.
Harlow cocks her head to the side and studies me. “Hire me,” she says with a confident smile.
I’m so distracted by how her smile lights up her beautiful face that it takes a moment to process her words. “Hire you?”
“As the nanny, Callahan,” Belle says, bumping my shoulder as she comes to stand next to me.
“You want to be my nanny?”
“Well, I was kind of hoping to be your daughter’s nanny. I’m not really qualified to watch adults,” Harlow teases.
Willa snickers, not even trying to hide her amusement.
“Do you have childcare experience?” Belle asks. Thank fuck for my sister. Since I can’t seem to get my brain to function right now, I need someone to ask the important questions.
“I do!” Harlow says, happily handing over a sheet of paper. I take it and look down. It’s her resume. I read through it three times, fully aware that the silence is awkward, but when it comes to Cora, I’m not willing to just hire anyone. Even if that person took my breath and every brain cell away the moment I laid eyes on her.
Belle snatches the paper from my hand and starts asking the standard questions she’s asked everyone that’s come to interview. I hang on to every word Harlow says. She babysat through high school, was a nanny in college. She took a child growth and development class one summer between semesters. The only reason she’s unemployed is because the radio station she was working for just shut down.
Everything she says seems genuine and impressive. Which immediately makes me wary. It shouldn’t. She’s done nothing to earn my distrust, but when you’re in the spotlight like I am, it’s hard to trust anyone.
“What’s your plan?” I blurt. Three sets of eyes turn to me. Three sets of eyebrows are scrunched in confusion. This is why I let Belle ask the questions.
“I mean, what’s your plan career wise? You can’t be planning to be a nanny forever if you were a producer on a radio talk show, right? Are you going to get a job in a week and leave?” I ask.
Harlow blows out a breath and shifts on her feet. I haven’t even offered to let her sit. I’m such an asshole.
“Honestly?” she asks, and I nod. “I’m not sure. I think I need a break from all that. I loved my job, but it took up all my time, and not in a good way. I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner at my desk. I took my phone to the bathroom so I could respond to emails as I peed. I would get calls in the middle of the night from the executive producer about the latest celebrity bullshit that broke and needed to be added to the morning show.”
“We totally get that,” Willa says. “Our last label worked us to the point of burnout and then told us to keep going.”
“I need something different. I love working with kids. Do I think I’ll be here until your daughter turns eighteen? No, but I think I can at least help you for now. I want to spend time with my dad until I figure out my next step.”
That could be anywhere from a month to several years. I chew the inside of my lip, thinking. I trust Harrison, which makes me want to trust Harlow. Just from instinct alone, I don’t feel like she’s someone that would sell stories to the media to make a few bucks. But that’s only half of it. She needs to be good with Cora too. What if Cora loves her, and she doesn’t stay? Shit, this is hard. As if she knows I’m thinking about her, Cora’s cries echo loudly through the baby monitor.
“The star of the show is awake from her nap,” Belle jokes, making her way up the stairs to get my daughter.
I look over at Willa. Her expression is soft and understanding. I know there must be a look of panic on my face because I can feel how rapidly my heart is beating against my chest. I haven’t let anyone that’s interviewed even lay eyes on Cora, and now Harlow is about to meet her. Belle didn’t ask, but I know she wouldn’t be getting Cora if she didn’t feel comfortable with Harlow. Next to me, my sister is the most protective of my daughter.
Harlow must read my expression. “I can leave if you want.”
My eyes flick to hers, and I can see the indecision there. She wants to stay, probably needs the job, but she doesn’t want to make me uncomfortable. And that alone is what has me shaking my head.
“No. Stay and meet her. She just hasn’t met anyone outside of family, and it makes me nervous,” I admit. Harlow smiles softly and nods. “Willa is family,” I add, even though she didn’t ask. “Maverick and Kai too.”
Harlow laughs and fuck does that laugh do something to me.
“Family isn’t always blood. I get it.”
I look over at Willa to see her smiling smugly. I roll my eyes and flip her off, which just makes both women start laughing at me. Great. There’s two of them now.
“Cal?”
I look over my shoulder to see my sister holding Cora. I immediately take my girl into my arms and snuggle her, smelling that baby smell you always hear people talking about. It’s a real thing, like a fucking drug I need a hit of. It calms me, just like holding her close so I know she’s okay does.
“Hi baby girl. How was your nap?” I whisper softly into her hair. Cora just makes a bubbly gurgle and snuggles into my neck. “There’s someone Daddy wants you to meet.” Cora lifts her head and manages to hold it for a few seconds before crashing back down onto my shoulder. My girl is practically made of Jell-O when she first wakes up. She’s almost six months old now and it feels like time is just flying by.
“Hi sweet girl. My name is Harlow.” I can hear Harlow’s voice from behind me where she moved so she could see Cora, but I swear I can feel her presence. Like I’d know where she was no matter where she stood in the room. “Can I?” I hold Cora tighter for a moment and then let out a slow breath. I hand her over to Harlow with less reluctance than I thought I would have.
Cora immediately grabs Harlow’s curls and drools on her shirt.
“Shit,” I mutter, trying to pry tiny baby hands off Harlow’s hair. Babies are superhuman levels of strong, and I’m not having a ton of success. Harlow just laughs and shrugs me off.
“Don’t worry about it. Babies love to grab, and my hair was right there for the taking. Wasn’t it sweet girl?” Harlow coos, and Cora smiles a gummy smile at her. My girl is smiling, and my heart fucking shatters.
Belle hands Harlow a bottle and a burp cloth. “Want to come sit with her on the couch so we can fill you in on the details of the job?”
Harlow nods and follows my sister. I look at Willa, who is smiling a genuine smile. She loves Cora, too, so I know seeing that smile made her happy too.
I watch as Harlow sits and starts feeding Cora, a small smile playing on my lips at the sight. But only for a moment. Then shock hits me, and I freeze in place. My baby girl has bright red hair, and it looks like it’s a shade or two lighter than Harlow’s. They look like mother and daughter sitting there right now. Where Harlow’s eyes are green, Cora’s seem to be turning the same shade of brown as mine. But other than that, they look so similar. It’s like a punch to the gut, and I can’t move or look away.
“We’ll be right back!” Willa yells and grabs me by the elbow, dragging me to the kitchen. “What the hell happened?” she whispers.
“Cora and Harlow, they look . . .” I can’t even get the damn words out.
“Yeah, I noticed that too. Is that going to be a problem?”
I bite my lip and think about it. “No,” I say eventually. “It just threw me. Reminded me that Cora doesn’t have a mom. That she’ll never know Bailey.”
Willa nods. She knows how broken up I was about Cora’s mom. I was sad Bailey died, but I was destroyed knowing Cora would have to grow up without her.
“Cora has so many people that love her. So many people to support her as she grows. Maybe Harlow can be one of those people too,” Willa says. “Just don’t fuck her and ruin everything.”
“I’m not going to fuck the nanny! Jesus, Willa.” I make sure to sound offended even though I definitely wanted to fuck the nanny the minute I saw her. I can’t though. I won’t risk ruining things for Cora by having someone to look out for her while I’m at the studio.
Willa just snorts and makes her way back to the living room. I follow to see Belle and Harlow laughing at something as Harlow burps Cora. She’s a natural. There’s no doubt about that.
“What have you explained?” I ask Belle, taking a seat in the chair across from the couch.
“Just what our recording schedule will probably look like, and that Dad is here on the weekends, so she’ll have those to herself.”
“It’s a live-in position. I need help at night. To be completely honest, that’s been the worst for me. Cora has never been great at sleeping and now that she’s getting older, it seems to be getting worse. I think she might be getting a tooth.” I leave off that I’ve been in tears with her every night the past two weeks.
Harlow smiles down at Cora. “Does your mouth hurt, sweet girl? I bet it does. Don’t worry. We can do all the snuggles until it feels better. And then, guess what? Once you have all your big girl teeth, you can start having yummy food!” Cora gives her that big gummy smile again and makes a cute noise that sounds like agreement. My heart can barely handle watching them.
“Since you’ll probably be stuck with a lot of night shifts until that tooth comes in, my dad is going to work remotely so he can be here to help during the day. He lives close by, but not in this neighborhood. He’ll come over in the morning or whenever you need him. You guys can work that out yourselves. He’s super flexible and loves having Cora, so don’t ever feel like you’re bothering him if you need his help or want a day off,” Belle explains. Apparently, it’s a forgone conclusion that I’m hiring Harlow. I mean, I am, but it would be nice if they checked with me first.
Belle explains the salary and then leads Harlow on a tour of my house, pointing out where everything and anything she would need is. I follow along and watch them. Cora’s tiny hand is holding on tightly to Harlow’s finger, and her wide brown eyes are staring at the beautiful woman with something that looks like admiration.
“When can you start?” I ask the moment the tour is over and we’re back in the living room. Belle’s eyebrows raise in surprise. I’m sure she thought I was going to come up with an excuse for why Harlow wouldn’t work out at the last minute, and I bet I could if I wanted to. But with the way my little girl is looking at Harlow right now, I know she’s picked her nanny for me.
“Tomorrow? My lease on my apartment was up last week, and I moved in with my dad temporarily. As much as I love him, I don’t love moving back home.”
“Tomorrow it is. I need to run a background check, but that will be back by the time you’d be alone with Cora. We can help you move anything you want into one of the guest rooms later this week, and then you can shadow me for the day. That way you can learn Cora’s routine,” I say, reaching to take my baby girl back into my arms. As much as I love the way Cora took to Harlow, I still want her with me. It feels like my heart is outside of my body, and I have trouble being away from her for more than a few minutes. Willa keeps making fun of me for it, but I won’t apologize. Especially if I’ll soon have to be away from her for hours at a time.
Cora snuggles right into my neck, which is her favorite spot, and my heart slows back down to a normal rhythm.
“What time does your day start?” Harlow asks.
“Usually around six in the morning. Sometimes she lets me sleep until seven, but not recently. You don’t have to be here that early on your first day, though.”
“No. I’d like to learn her full routine, and I can’t do that if I miss some of it.”
I nod. “I’ll call down to Gary at the gate and have him put your name on the list, so you’re always allowed in. I’ll have a key made for you by tomorrow and a credit card by the end of the week to put any expenses related to Cora on. If you have any questions before the morning, you can always shoot any of us a text.”
“You will have to sign an NDA,” Willa adds. “We can’t afford to trust anyone with how public our lives tend to be. Please don’t take it personally.”
Harlow nods but looks pale. “No, I get it. You don’t want the press getting their noses in your lives, especially with a child involved. And what better way than to pay off the nanny to get all the juicy gossip?”
Belle laughs. “I forgot you still had to deal with all that in radio. It’s usually print we have to worry about, but I suppose gossip travels via all channels.”
“It’s the stations that play all the trendy stuff you really have to worry about. Those DJs love to break a celebrity story. They’re bigger gossips than old ladies in hair salons.” Harlow is still pale, even though she seems to understand better than most people what our lives are like.
I reach out with the hand that isn’t holding my daughter and grab hers. I don’t even think about it. It’s like some inner part of me needs to comfort her. “You’re safe and out of the spotlight here. The community is gated as you know, and I’ve kept the knowledge of Cora’s existence out of the media so far.” Harlow squeezes my hand as she listens. “I understand if you’ve changed your mind and don’t want to work for someone in the spotlight.”
Harlow smiles before dropping my hand. I instantly feel the loss of her warm skin against mine. “I didn’t change my mind. I just panicked for a minute. I don’t want to accidentally tell my dad or my best friend something when I’m just talking to them about my day.”
I nod at her explanation. “The NDA is to protect Cora. Your dad is going to know you’re working for me. Especially since he’s working with us on Ezra’s case, which I’m sure you know. He’s also signed an NDA because of that. I don’t know about your friend, though. We can talk about that more.”
“Do you have anyone that needs an assistant?” she asks with a laugh, like she’s joking.
Willa raises her eyebrows. “Actually, yeah. Can you send me her info? Is she actually qualified, or was that a joke?”
“She worked with me at the station. She was the vice president’s personal assistant,” Harlow says with a small shrug. “I was just joking, but if you actually know someone, I’m sure she would really appreciate it.”
Harlow agrees to send Willa her friend’s information and then reminds me that she’ll be here at six the next morning before taking her leave.
“Holy shit, you hired a nanny,” Belle says with a giant smile on her face. She pats my arm before heading for the door. “I have to get going. Kai bought a car seat for Cora to put in his car and wants to take it to the fire station to have it installed properly.” She rolls her eyes as she leaves, but I smile. It’s nice having friends that are as insane about your daughter’s safety as you are.
“You’re welcome,” Willa singsongs as she follows Belle out.
I roll my eyes are her back and snuggle my daughter. All I can do is hope I made the right choice for her.