Sunny
She pressed the call button on the shiny intercom system.
Get it together, Thompson. You can do this.
He appraised her with a sweeping glance.
“Of course, come in, please.”
Sunny stepped inside, feeling both eager and nervous.
The grand foyer’s vaulted ceilings and artistic sconces took her breath away, but she tried to act unfazed, focusing on Liam as he walked ahead of her.
His posture was slightly stooped, as if burdened by strain and sorrow.
Who could blame him after what he had endured?
He led her to the vast living room, where she sank onto the immense couch, which seemed bigger than her own entire front room.
Liam took a seat opposite her, saying nothing as he scrutinized her coolly.
Compelled to break the awkward silence, she said: “Thank you for considering me for the position. I know this is a… unique situation.”
She cringed inwardly at how feeble that sounded. ‘Unique’ was an understatement. Liam’s beloved wife, Kate, had passed away only months prior, leaving her grieving husband seeking help.
“Experience with recent loss is one reason you made the shortlist,” he replied gruffly.
Sunny’s stomach dropped — she hadn’t expected that. It was a personal detail, and the ache over her father’s passing was still fresh.
Liam seemed to read her mind.
“I did my homework, too,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
An awkward silence stretched between them as Sunny felt his heavy gaze appraising her.
“I’ll make this simple,” Liam finally said. “This isn’t really my forte. So just tell me, why should I hire you?”
Taking a grounding breath, Sunny launched into her background, emphasizing her child psychology training and dedication to creating structured yet nurturing environments.
Liam’s face remained impassive as she spoke, those intense blue eyes watchful and evaluating. When she finished, he leaned forward.
“You’ve got an impressive resume, no doubt. Early childhood education, multilingual skills, references that check out. All great on paper. But you’re a twenty-five-year-old kid yourself, still wet behind the ears. How can I have faith in leaving my daughters in your hands?”
Her mouth hung open, stung by his bluntness. It was a valid point, but he could have phrased it more delicately. Sunny lifted her chin, refusing to be intimidated.
“With all due respect, Mr Anderson, my passion and experience transcend any number on an application. I may be young, but I’m ready for this.”
She glanced around the living room, noting the top-of-the-line furniture but also the scuffs, pen marks, and drink stains.
“I wouldn’t consider myself ‘wet behind the ears,’” she added, meeting his gaze directly.
Something flickered across his chiseled face — sympathy, curiosity, anger, surprise? She couldn’t quite read him.
After a pregnant pause, he seemed to come to a decision.
“Fair enough,” Liam said, rocking back in his seat and tapping his palms on his knees. “I think it’s time you met the little hell-raisers.”
He rose, and Sunny quickly followed. They navigated a long hallway adorned with expensive modern art until shrieks of childish laughter reached her ears.
Liam swung open a set of French doors to reveal a playroom filled with every toy imaginable.
In the center of the chaos were two cherubic blond-haired girls engaged in a rowdy tussle on a plush rug.
“Maddie! Hailey! Listen up!”
Liam’s stern bellow brought the wrestling match to a halt.
The slightly taller girl — Maddie, Sunny guessed — looked up with mischievous blue eyes.
“Who’s that?” she asked bluntly, pointing at Sunny.
“This is Miss Sunny,” Liam replied. “She’s interviewing to be your new nanny. Why don’t you introduce yourselves?”
Hailey, the younger daughter with pigtails, hopped up off the floor.
“Hi Sunny, I’m Hailey, and I’m five!”
“And I’m Maddie, I’m six years old,” chimed her older sister. “Are you gonna be our new bossy babysitter?”
“Girls…” Liam’s tone carried a warning.
Sunny laughed lightly.
“It’s nice to meet you both. I’d love to be more of a fun friend than a bossy babysitter, if you’ll have me.”
She gave them a conspiratorial wink, watching as their distrustful expressions softened. Moving with easy grace, she joined them on the floor amid their scattered dolls, books, and blocks.
“Looks like I interrupted an intense battle. Mind if I pick a side?”
Immediately, the sisters began arguing over which team Sunny should join. She let them negotiate adorably, all too aware of Liam’s assessing presence in the background.
“As fun as this looks…” Liam’s deep voice cut through the squabbling. “I need you girls to be on your best behavior while I finish up with Miss Sunny.”
There were pouts and protests until Sunny smoothly redirected their attention with a made-up word game.
Liam watched intently, that furrow etched between his brows.
Sunny stole occasional glances at him, sensing his longing to connect more deeply with his girls, but grief seemed to trip him up.
He appeared distant and unsure, almost like he didn’t belong here.
After a while, they left the playroom, and Liam paused in the hallway, seeming to come to a decision.
“I must admit, you handled that better than most,” he said.
“They’re sweethearts,” Sunny replied honestly.
Feeling slightly emotional after meeting the two motherless girls, she voiced her feelings.
“Just two little girls who lost their mom way too soon. I can only imagine how much they’re hurting… and how much you are, too,” she ventured.
Liam’s jaw tensed, and he folded his arms across his wide chest.
“Don’t get the wrong idea, Miss Thompson,” he stated flatly. “My priority is making sure my kids have the care they need, not finding a replacement for their mother or anything else. This is strictly a formal arrangement.”
Sunny felt slapped by his words, heat rising to her cheeks. What had she done? From Liam’s frosty reaction, it was clear she had overstepped. He had taken her words the wrong way, and she had probably blown her chances at the position.
“Mr Anderson…” She leveled her gaze firmly, though she was quaking inside. “I don’t have any agenda besides providing those little girls with a safe and positive environment.”
She had to think quickly to salvage her chances. Still feeling raw, it colored her words.
“I have no intention of replacing their mother,” she continued. “You can hire me or not; that’s entirely your prerogative. But when it comes to children, I don’t do things halfway. There are no formal arrangements in caring for kids. In my experience, that’s not how human relationships work.”
Now it was Liam’s turn to look taken aback. He studied her for a long moment with those smoldering eyes, and some of the wariness in their depths seemed to recede before he exhaled.
“Alright then,” he said. “Let’s give this a trial and see how it goes. We’ll evaluate in a month’s time whether it’s a good fit.”
Sunny beamed, unable to contain her excitement after meeting Maddie and Hailey.
“Thank you, sir. I promise you won’t regret this,” she replied.
She had no idea why she had just called him ‘sir,’ but at this point, she didn’t care.
“Then don’t make me regret it,” he said simply, adding a half-smile to show he wasn’t entirely serious.
“Your room will be upstairs. The family quarters are down here.”
Sunny nodded.
It was a lot to take in. One part of her was wary of Liam’s terseness and icy exterior, but another part wondered if she could bring some light back into this broken family.