Sunny
Get it together, Thompson.
Just focus on your duties and responsibilities. Do your job.
“Good morning.” Liam’s gruff baritone sent her pulse racing as he glanced up. “Dig in before it gets cold. I promised the girls waffles, but…” He gestured vaguely at the stove with a self-deprecating chuckle. “My breakfast skills are limited to burning eggs and microwaving bacon.”
“Don’t sell yourself short; this looks great,” she replied brightly. “Thanks for handling the first shift this morning.”
“Yeah, well…enjoy it in peace before I call the girls in.”
Liam scratched at the scruff on his chiseled jaw, and the simple motion made Sunny’s mouth go dry as she imagined how that rough texture might feel against her…
Down, girl.
To distract herself, she scooped up a forkful of eggs and shoveled it into her mouth.
“So what’s on the agenda today?” she asked after swallowing the slightly overcooked eggs. “I figured we could finally tackle straightening the playroom out this afternoon, but if the weather is…”
“Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” he interrupted.
Liam’s brow furrowed as he studied her over the rim of his coffee mug.
“Oh…yes,” she replied, lowering her fork and meeting his earnest gaze.
Liam straightened in his seat.
“Your resume mentioned prior childcare experience, right?”
Sunny raised her eyebrows, unsure where this was going.
“But the agency didn’t specify if you had any kind of certification in one-on-one unsupervised childcare,” Liam continued when she didn’t respond.
Sunny blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected shift in tone. But she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. These were his daughters, after all.
“Oh! Well, no. I don’t have any specialized nanny certifications, if that’s what you mean,” she replied, finally finding her voice.
“But I have my Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education, which includes two years of training with preschool-aged children, plus countless hours logged in the classroom. ”
“Sure, sure, I get that part.” Liam waved a dismissive hand, setting down his mug. “But actual hands-on caregiving for little ones? You’re not board certified, so to speak. Beyond those bachelor modules, there’s been no real experience?”
The condescending undertone immediately put Sunny’s back up. As if her years of intensive training and countless hours of study meant nothing. She dry swallowed and willed herself to remain calm.
“Mr Anderson,” she began, adopting a formal tone.
She felt as though she were in a witness box.
“There isn’t a formal nanny qualification.
There’s no such thing as a board-certified nanny.
CPR and first aid certification, plus a background check, are the baseline requirements.
The agency wouldn’t have taken me on if I didn’t have the ability and aptitude for the job. ”
Sunny could feel her resentment rising. She was blindsided by this discussion. Just days ago, Liam had entrusted her with the girls overnight. She recalled his exact words when he returned: ‘Looks like you had things handled just fine… the girls think the world of you.’
And now this? An interrogation about her qualifications and, by extension, her competency. It was unbelievable. Confusion morphed into humiliation, which began to boil over into anger.
“I’ve spent years gaining practical experience caring for toddlers and young children,” she said, feeling hot tears prick her eyes. “For you to suddenly…”
Liam’s gaze narrowed, cutting her off again.
“Hey now, no need to get bent out of shape,” he said, adopting a sterner tone. “It was just a simple question.”
“It was more than a question,” Sunny shot back. “It was an insinuation.”
Now it was Liam’s turn to get defensive.
“Look, it’s not an attack on your schooling or anything,” he said. “But my girls need more than a glorified tutor as a nanny, you get me? They need structured care, discipline, and childhood development know-how appropriate for their formative years.”
Sunny gaped at him, her eyes wide and mouth agape. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Glorified tutor?!” she hissed. “I can’t believe you just dismissed my entire career, my training, who I am as a person like that.”
Liam’s eyes flashed defensively. “Just cool down for a second. I’m saying there’s a difference between book smarts and actual experience.”
Sunny slammed her palm on the counter, making the plates and silverware rattle.
“How dare you reduce everything I’ve accomplished to just having ‘book smarts’? You arrogant, presumptuous ass!”
Liam recoiled from her heated outburst, his jaw clenched.
“Well, excuse me for vetting the person I’ve entrusted with the most important part of my life,” he countered. “You think I’m just going to hand my daughters off to some babysitter without making sure…”
“I am not SOME BABYSITTER!” Sunny shouted, leaping off the stool as her fury finally boiled over.
“I am a childcare professional. Those degrees and certifications you sneer at? They were hard-earned through years of work. But I guess the great Liam Anderson wouldn’t understand that kind of dedication, since you’re so busy beating goons on the ice. ”
That struck a nerve. Liam’s nostrils flared as he shot to his feet.
“Don’t you dare lecture me about priorities,” he spat. “Being a dad is the only thing that matters in my life anymore! Which is why I need someone with legitimate skills. If you think…”
“Daddy?”
The tiny, timid voice made them both freeze.
Maddie and Hailey stood in the kitchen doorway, wide-eyed and brimming with unshed tears. Hailey’s lip trembled as she clutched her stuffed bunny closer.
“Is…is Sunny going away?”
The fear and vulnerability in those words pierced Sunny’s heart.
Without thinking, she rushed over to kneel before the frightened girls, cupping their now tear-stained cheeks.
“Oh, sweeties,” she soothed. “Everything’s okay.”
But Maddie shook her head adamantly, her face crumbling.
“No! We heard Daddy yelling…and now you have to leave!”
Sunny glanced back at Liam. The ball was out of her court.
He stood there stoically, arms crossed over his broad chest in an intimidating, walled-off manner. Animosity still radiated off him in waves.
This simply wasn’t fair. Not to Sunny, and certainly not to these innocent little girls.
Hailey flung her small arms around Sunny’s neck, sniffling into her hair.
“Please don’t go, Sunny.”
A lump constricted Sunny’s throat as she hugged the distraught child protectively.
These two little angels were desperate for stability and unconditional love after an unfathomable loss.
How could she turn her back on them in their time of need?
How could she become yet another heartbreaking absence in these girls’ lives? But that was no longer in her control.
Maddie’s hiccuping sobs twisted the knife deeper.
Sunny set her jaw and turned to face Liam.
“You can question my credentials all you like, Mr Anderson,” she said. “But I refuse to abandon these children. Unless you plan on physically removing me yourself, I’m not going anywhere.”
He had accused her of being unprofessional, so why not show him what unprofessional really was? What did she have to lose at this point?
Liam stared her down, his blue eyes glittering like shards of ice. She could practically see the muscles pulsing in his clenched jaw as the internal conflict played out on his face.
Finally, he squeezed his eyes shut and released a gruff sigh, some of the tension seeping from his broad shoulders. When his gaze met hers again, it was softer — still guarded, but tinged with the barest hint of…shame?
“That won’t be necessary,” Liam said gruffly, looking troubled as he uncrossed his arms.
Sunny’s throat unclenched. She could finally breathe again.
Liam met her gaze, that penetrating stare laden with unspoken feelings.
“I reacted rashly, and for that, I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low and faltering in a way Sunny had not heard before. “Your commitment to the girls is beyond question, Sunny…as is your place in this home. If you’ll still have us.”
She could only nod mutely, rendered speechless by the entire saga.
Gathering the girls back into her arms, Sunny hugged them tightly as they clung to her with desperate relief.
“You hear that, sweetpeas?” she managed in a soft tone. “Everything’s okay. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”
Maddie sniffled against Sunny’s neck. “Not ever?”
“Not if I can help it,” Sunny vowed.
A fragile truce had been brokered between the adults, yet Sunny still wasn’t entirely sure what had driven Liam’s outburst.
She would maintain her distance from him while honoring her commitment to this family. After this morning, keeping her distance from Liam seemed like a decidedly easier prospect. Though fate always had a way of upending everyone’s carefully laid plans.