Chapter 13
On Monday afternoon I pulled up to a weathered-shingle, cape-style house about a mile farther from downtown Edgartown than Mimi’s house.
The hydrangea bushes lining the front rustled in the light wind and boasted blue flower bulbs so bright they almost didn’t look real—like someone had dipped the flowers in dye, or painted them with a perfectly mixed blue oil paint.
A white truck parked in the driveway said Karas Construction underneath a logo of a cape-style house, not unlike the one in front of me.
I’d seen the same logo on lawn signs around town during my walks.
Luke—the dad interviewing me today—must work for a fairly big construction company here.
I walked up the stone front walkway, pulling down on the short-sleeve blouse I was wearing with a pair of jeans, hoping it was an appropriate outfit for a babysitting interview.
The door opened before I could knock to reveal the tall, dark-haired man I’d awkwardly cornered into a conversation at Morning Glory Farm a few weeks ago.
Oh my god. I could already feel my face heating. Would he remember me, too? He was so handsome, I bet women try to talk to him at the grocery store all the time.
“Hey!” he said. “Morning Glory Girl.” A genuine smile broke across his bearded face.
A matching smile stretched across my own, and my embarrassment faded as I drank in his eye-crinkling grin.
“That’s me.” I raised my arms.
“C’mon in.” He held the black front door open wide.
Right inside the door was a bench with a number of shoes—comically different in size: tiny sneakers and huge boots—kicked off beneath it. To the left there was an open living room with two leather couches, an ornate mantle covered in mismatched photo frames, and a throw pillow on the floor.
“We can talk in the kitchen,” Luke said, gesturing with his arm.
I followed him toward a rectangular wooden dining table on the far side of the room.
But when we turned the corner, my eyes went wide.
The kitchen took up almost the entirety of the back of the house: three windows over the sink looked out into the lush backyard, and a large, butcher-block kitchen island sported a bowl of fruit in the center.
The cabinets were modern, the lower ones a dark gray and the uppers a lighter shade.
A clean and somehow perfect white subway tile backsplash tied it all together.
It was at least five times the size of my tiny galley kitchen in New York and twice as big as Mimi’s.
“Wow, this kitchen is…incredible.”
Luke’s eyes met mine over his shoulder and held for a moment before he said, “Thanks! I built it.”
“You built this? That’s amazing!” I wasn’t sure why I was geeking out over this man’s kitchen. But it really was beautiful. I had a thing for kitchens, I supposed.
“I mean, I ordered the cabinets from a manufacturer, but I designed it and installed everything.” The hint of pride in his expression was endearing.
I’d stopped by the table, and Luke pulled out a chair with both hands.
Looking down at them before I dropped into the seat, my overly curious eyes again noted the lack of wedding ring.
From afar the photos on the mantle looked like they were just of him and a young girl with long, dark brown hair.
Maybe he’s a widower? Or divorcé with sole custody?
He sat down across from me, and I waited for him to ask his first question. After a few seconds, he tucked his chin and chuckled to himself.
I scrunched my brows as the corner of my mouth lifted, confused.
“Sorry, I should have written down some questions or something. I’ve never interviewed a babysitter before.
I’ve always had neighbors and their friends’ teenaged kids to help out, word of mouth recommendations…
” He ran a hand down his face and locked eyes with me again.
“So, you have some experience with kids?”
I nodded, interview nerves dissipating by the second.
Plus, I was ready for this question. Stories about babysitting in my hometown since I was a teenager, and the summer I was a nanny here on the island for a month during college flowed from my lips.
“I mostly just made sure they got to and from camp and playdates on time, watched them when their parents wanted to go out to dinner,” I added with a one-shoulder shrug, not wanting to oversell it.
“Oh! And I just redid my CPR training at the Y.”
He smiled at that last interjection, and I found myself mirroring it.
“Well, that’s great because that’s pretty much what I need, too. Get her to and from her activities, I mean. Hopefully no CPR, although that does put my mind at ease. Will you be on the island the whole summer?”
My smile disappeared. “Um, potentially? I’m off from work right now and my tentative return date is July 15th. I may be able to extend it, though. But there’s a chance I have to go back to New York by mid-July. I totally understand if that won’t work for you,” I said, dread flaring in my belly.
He nodded, training his gaze over my shoulder for a second before asking, “Would you be comfortable helping a second grader with her homework for the next couple of weeks?”
“Of course. I always liked school.”
Luke grinned at that answer. He asked where I went to school and I told him UPenn undergrad and Michigan for law school.
He let out a low whistle. “Damn. Safe to say second grade homework should be a cakewalk for you.”
I bit down a smile. Admiration for my education was my kryptonite.
“You catch any football games while you were out in Michigan? I’m a fan.”
“Me too! And yes—I dragged some of my classmates to a game or two at The Big House every year.” I chuckled to myself.
“Were they bad games?” Luke asked.
“Oh no. They were good. I was thinking about how I became a college football fan in the first place. To my father’s disappointment, my brother was more interested in philosophy than contact sports, so I’d watch games with my dad instead, because I felt bad for him.
But then I wound up liking it, once I understood how it worked. ”
“You’ve given me hope I can turn my daughter into a football fan.”
“If she’s anything like me, she’ll do it just to hang out with you. After that it’s hard not to get sucked into the fandom.”
“Perfect.” Luke leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands and resting his head into them, revealing toned, larger-than-expected biceps and a glimpse of a tattoo on the outside of his shoulder where his sleeve hitched up.
I couldn’t tell what it was from this angle.
“Okay, you seem perfectly well-qualified. Probably more qualified than Mrs. O’Neil across the street who I usually rely on.
She’s moved off-island for the time being to help her daughter with her first baby. ”
“Great for her! But I guess…not great for you.”
“Exactly. Luna is pretty self-sufficient. She’d usually go over there after school for a couple hours and do her homework until I got home from work.”
Luna. That was a pretty name. Luke and Luna.
“What made you decide to seek a nannying job?”
Maybe it was his casual posture, or the laid-back ease he exuded in his home, which was lovely but so cozy and lived-in, the type of place you weren’t overly worried about spilling something.
Or maybe it was that I hadn’t felt nervous or self-conscious since the moment he smiled and called me the Morning Glory girl on his front steps, but I wanted to tell him the truth.
“The break I’m taking from my corporate legal career is actually a leave of absence.
I…” I scanned his expression. Not a hint of judgment.
“I burned out. Needed to reset and reevaluate. My parents suggested I come spend the summer on the island with my grandmother, both to help her out with the house and stuff, but also as an escape for me, I’m realizing.
And…” I glanced up again. He was still looking at me with genuine interest, so I continued.
“And I just want a little income to supplement, so I don’t have to dip into savings for living expenses in case…
” I swallowed. “In case I don’t want to go back. ”
I held my breath and searched his face for any hint that he saw me differently now, but Luke simply nodded.
“Makes sense to me. I have a lot of respect for people in those intense corporate jobs, but I don’t think I could do it.
Plus, I’m sure your parents are happy to have someone with your grandmother. I assume she’s on her own?”
The tightness in my chest loosened with my exhale, and for the first time since I left New York, I wondered if needing this mental health break wasn’t such a big failing, after all. “Yeah, my grandfather died a few years ago.”
“Sorry to hear that.” His deep brown eyes filled with empathy, like he knew a thing or two about loss.
“Thank you.” I meant it. It didn’t matter how long it’d been; every time I thought about hunting for quahogs or boating with my grandfather, it stole my breath.
I probably would never have even been to Martha’s Vineyard if it weren’t for him.
I tried to think of something to ask next, but Luke beat me to it.
“How’s it been so far? Your island escape?” Our conversation had veered off so much that it didn’t feel like an interview anymore. Hopefully that was a good thing.
“It’s been amazing. I love it here. It’s so different from New York.
” I shook my head slightly, picturing the view from the fish pier, and writing at the café, thinking about how my lungs felt bigger, capable of breathing twice as much air here.
“I think my parents knew what I needed better than I did.”
“I love it here, too. Moved here almost twelve years ago and never looked back.”
“That’s awesome. Can you tell me more about Luna?” In case this interview was going as well as it felt like it was, and my possible July expiration date and burnout hadn’t disqualified me, I was curious what she was like.
He looked at the watch on his tanned, also muscular, forearm. “She should be getting back from school any minute now, so you can meet her.”
That’s a good sign!
“She’s determined, spunky, lots of personality.
She gives me a run for my money a lot of the time, but it’s fun.
She’s competitive, but sensitive. Loves the summer because she’s obsessed with her summer sports.
I used to send her to camp, but last year she wore me down and got me to sign her up for tennis and sailing. ”
“A benefit of living on Martha’s Vineyard!”
“Definitely. She’s a little spoiled, but…” He paused. “She deserves it,” he added softly, glancing over my shoulder. His expression was a mix of pride and something else I couldn’t read.
“I can’t wait to meet her.” I smiled at Luke, and he returned it, the light reaching his eyes. It warmed my heart—this burly, dark-haired, bearded and, apparently, tattooed dad was obviously obsessed with his daughter. As it should be.
“I should mention, she’s—” Before he could finish his statement, the front door opened.
“I’m home!” A girl’s voice called into the house. Luke shot out of his seat and closed the distance to the front door in three long strides. I turned around in my chair as he helped her take off her backpack.
“Hey Luns, how was school?” He said it like loons. Paired with his doting expression, it was one of the most adorable things I’d ever witnessed. It was hard to decide who was cuter: her or her dad. Both.
“Okay. The same. Mrs. Coats still hasn’t graded our spelling tests. How long can it take?”
I laughed, and Luna noticed me for the first time.
“Luna, this is Val. She’s interested in hanging out with you this summer when I’m at work since Mrs. O’Neil is away.”
I joined them by the door. “Hi Luna, it’s nice to meet you!” I said in the cheeriest tone I could muster.
“Hi, Val.” She was hesitant but warm.
“When did you take those spelling tests?” I asked. That one statement gave me my opening. She cared about her grades, even as a second grader. Girl after my own heart.
“Last Tuesday!”
“Wow, that is a long time, almost a week. Hopefully she finishes them soon. What were some of the words?”
Luke smirked at me over Luna’s head as she launched into a list. If she remembered what the words were off the top of her head, I had no doubt she knew how to spell them. Luke put her backpack on a kitchen chair, and Luna walked over and sat down.
Luke asked, “You hungry?”
“Yes!” Luna said, a hint of incredulity in her tone.
“Alright, what will it be? Apple and peanut butter? Carrots and ranch?”
“Carrots and hummus? And some crackers too?” Luna asked, her big, brown eyes wide.
“You like hummus?” I asked her.
“Yeah, it’s great. Do you like it?”
“Love it.” I glanced at Luke, and he shrugged as if he knew what I was thinking. What eight-year-olds eat hummus?
“Do you want some too, Val?” Luke raised his eyebrows at me from the kitchen.
“Oh no, I’m good. Thank you.”
Luke got Luna set up with her homework and her snack at the table.
Clearly this was their daily ritual, at least on the days when he was home early.
Once she was situated with a cracker in one hand and her pencil in another, Luke walked me to the door.
“Thanks for coming to meet with us. I’ll call you.
” He held the front door open for me. His tone didn’t give me any indication as to whether he planned to hire me, but it was okay.
He probably needed to think about it. Maybe he planned to interview more people.
I tried to prevent any hint of disappointment from showing on my face.
“Okay!” I forced one more smile and turned to head to my car.
Seated in the driver’s seat, I drummed my fingertips on the armrest and tried to think of things to do to distract myself while I waited to hear from him.
It’s not the end of the world if he doesn’t hire me, I thought, although my gut was unconvinced. He’d be better off with someone who could commit for the entire summer, anyway. I should mentally prepare myself for the letdown.
On my phone there were two missed text messages: one from Max and one from Natalie. As I slid the message from Natalie open, my phone vibrated with an incoming call from a Massachusetts number.
“This is Val.”
“Hey,” Luke’s baritone voice said through the speaker. “You’re hired if you’ll still have us. Wanna come back inside and talk scheduling?”
I looked up. He was standing in the picture window of his living room looking out at my car, phone to his ear.
I didn’t bother concealing my enthusiasm when I said, “Be right in!”