Chapter Six
EMMA
MORNINGS AND PANCAKES
Hadley stood patiently on a chair as I mixed the pancake batter in a bowl while she watched every move.
“Can we add strawberries?” Hadley asked, her eyes full of hope.
“Of course, we can! Grab some of those berries I cut up for your lunch and toss them in.”
She did as I asked and giggled as she watched me fold them into the pancake mix.
“Now, I’ll spray the griddle and pour the batter on.”
Climbing carefully off the chair, Hadley announced, “I’ll get the butter out!”
I chuckled at how excited she was. She’d been a bundle of energy since jumping out of bed this morning, even though Mrs. Bishop had warned me she was hard to wake up.
I hadn’t officially met Aiden’s parents yet, but his mother sent me a text last night, saying she couldn’t wait to meet me, apologizing for not being here when I arrived, and giving me a few tips on mornings in the Bishop household.
The gist was, neither Aiden nor Hadley were morning people.
It turned out Hadley wasn’t a fan of baths before bedtime either.
But when I’d promised Hadley over dinner that she could help me with pancakes and making her lunch this morning, she couldn’t get into her bath fast enough last night.
Aiden had barely made it home in time to put her to bed. Hadley wasn’t upset there was no game night though, since she and I had found plenty of things to do. He didn’t say a word to me as he walked into her room, read her a story, tucked her in, then shut her bedroom door.
Finally, he faced me with a furrowed brow. “I always get her ready for bed unless something comes up at work.”
I nodded. I wasn’t sure who he was upset with. Me or himself for cutting it so short to his daughter’s bedtime.
When I excused myself and said I was going to finish cleaning up the kitchen before I headed to my apartment, he’d stared at me with that blank expression again, before offering a nod and walking down the steps and into his office.
He did warn me that it would be hard for him to have another woman in his home, and I was willing to be patient with him. I said a quick prayer while I cleaned the kitchen that God would help Aiden adjust to the new change of me being there.
And also asked if He could make Aiden stop looking at me the way he did occasionally. It didn’t creep me out; it was quite the opposite. My body warmed under his gaze, even as my heart broke for him at the same time.
Despite that, it was hard not to notice how cold he was toward me when he got home last night, and I wasn’t sure why. I made a mental note to ask him this morning if I’d done something he wasn’t happy about, so I knew not to do it again.
After flipping two small pancakes, I placed them onto a plate. Cutting a small pat of butter, I spread it over each one and then handed Hadley a few more strawberries to sprinkle onto each pancake.
“There, now it’s ready for syrup. Want me to pour it?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes, please.”
Hadley seemed very mature for her age, and I could tell Aiden had done a great job teaching her manners. Every now and then, she would pronounce her Rs and Ls like a W, and it was utterly adorable. I noticed Aiden would correct her most of the time, but not always.
With a bit of syrup poured onto each pancake, I let Hadley eat while I finished packing her lunch, and also one for Aiden, though I’d yet to see—
“Good morning, pumpkin.”
Aiden’s voice caused me to jump…and Hadley to laugh at my reaction.
“Morning, Daddy!”
I smiled as Aiden kissed his daughter on the forehead then glanced at her pancakes.
“Would you like me to make you some?” I asked.
He looked at me, confused. “How did you get her up so early?”
“I just woke her up when I was told to. Your mother sent me a text letting me know Hadley’s morning schedule and what time she needed to be at school.”
A look of guilt washed over his face. “I guess that should have been me telling you that last night. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“No worries. We got it sorted out,” I replied with another friendly smile and a one-shoulder shrug.
My smile faded when he frowned at me. What in the world was I doing wrong this time?
“Pancake?” I asked again, pointing to the batter.
He looked at it and frowned harder. “No, thank you. I need to get going.”
Hadley stood on the island stool and wrapped her arms around her father. “I love you to the moon and back, Daddy! Be careful.”
Oh dear…melt my heart, would you?
Aiden hugged her close, then kissed her on the cheek. “I love you to the moon and back too, pumpkin. You have a good day today, and I’ll see you when I get home from work.”
“Okay. Emma and I are going to make you a surprise dinner!”
He smiled at her warmly, his gaze flicking my way. “Is that so?”
I nodded. “Hadley got to pick the dinner for tonight.”
Aiden quickly looked away from me and back down to his daughter. “I can’t wait to find out what it is.”
Hadley giggled as he placed her back on the stool. “Eat up, pumpkin. Have a good day at school.”
“Bye, Daddy!”
Aiden grabbed his keys and turned to me, offering an awkward smile. “Have a good day, Emma.” Then he quickly made his way out the door.
I looked at the counter—and immediately spotted his lunch.
“Oh! He forgot his lunch. Be right back, Hadley.”
The little girl was shoving pancakes in her mouth and completely ignored me.
“Aiden! Wait! You forgot your lunch.”
Walking at a pace that bordered on running, Aiden jumped into his truck. He shut the door and started the vehicle. Before he could drive off, I knocked on the window and held up the lunch bag.
For a moment, I wasn’t sure if he was going to roll down the window, but he finally did.
“You forgot your lunch,” I said with a slight chuckle.
“My lunch?” he asked, his face contorted in confusion. My, oh, my, even looking bewildered, the man was cute as all get out.
Nodding, I replied, “Yeah. I packed you and Hadley both a lunch.”
He looked from the lunch to me, then back to the lunch. “A lunch? You packed me a lunch.”
Laughing, I pushed it into the truck. “You do eat lunch, right?”
Aiden’s eyes met mine, and he nodded. “You don’t have to make me a lunch, Emma.”
I shrugged. “I wanted to make you one. I was already making Hadley’s, so it was no problem. I also wondered if you had any errands you needed me to do today. You didn’t mention anything.”
Shaking his head, he replied, “No. Just…take care of anything that has to do with Hadley.”
My teeth dug into my lip as I nodded absently, wondering how I’d fill my days while Hadley was in school. “Okay. Um…a mom I met at the grocery store yesterday invited me to coffee after morning drop-off. Is that okay? I thought it might be important to get to know some of the other parents.”
He raked a hand through his hair in clear frustration. “Who?”
“Tammy Miller?”
A look of relief washed over his face. “Tammy is a great person. Her husband’s a biologist who works for the park.”
“Good. So it’s okay if I go? I won’t be there long.”
Aiden looked away from me and answered, “Sure. You should do whatever you want while Hadley’s in school.”
He put the truck in gear, and I reached in. When I touched his shoulder, he jerked away.
I quickly pulled my hand back. “Aiden, did I do something wrong? Something you’re not happy with?
I only got Hadley ready for bed last night because you weren’t home, and if you wanted to wake her up this morning, I’m so sorry.
It’s just, your mother said sometimes you leave early, before she’s even up, and I wasn’t sure if you were even still home.
It’s…I…” I sighed. “I get the feeling I’ve done something that’s made you unhappy. ”
He looked at me, his jaw clenched tight before he finally spoke. “I’m sorry I stayed out so late last night and wasn’t here to let you know how things go in the morning. It was a crap thing for me to do, and I’m just mad at myself for it.”
The corners of my mouth rose. “It’s okay, I only wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing anything wrong. You seem…upset, for lack of a better word.”
He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Then he looked down and back up at me. “I’m sorry. I think getting used to another woman in the house is going to be more difficult than I thought. I’ve got to go.”
Stepping back from the truck, I watched as he rolled up the window and drove off. I turned and headed back into the house to Hadley, unable to shake the strange feeling that washed over me.
Despite his explanation, Aiden was bothered by something, and that something was definitely me. If he couldn’t get used to me in his home, this job was never going to work.
***
I parked the car and walked Hadley up to the door of her school. It was the protocol Mrs. Bishop said she and Aiden had followed since school started a few weeks back.
Leaning down, I grinned and handed her the lunch we’d made together. “Have an amazing day in school, Hadley. I’ll be here to pick you up afterward.”
A huge smile grew over her face. She hugged me quickly, then turned and ran into the school.
I watched her until I could no longer see her, swallowing hard. Making my way back to my Pilot, I headed over to Starbucks. I had to admit, I was relieved I didn’t run into Nancy again. I wasn’t sure I was ready for a showdown on school property.
The moment I walked into Starbucks, Tammy stood up and waved.
“Grab your order and come on over!”
After ordering a hot chocolate and a slice of banana nut bread, I made my way over to her table.
“I’m so glad you made it. How was your first day of drop-off?”
Sitting, I smiled politely and replied, “It was good…I think. I feel like the morning went well for the most part.”
I wasn’t sure if I should tell her it was my first time being a nanny. She also didn’t need to know that every time Hadley reached for my hand, an ache I’d long ago buried deep inside threatened to resurface.
And she certainly didn’t need to know that Hadley’s father could hardly stand to look at me all of a sudden.