Theo
By three o’clock, the birthday party was starting to wind down. Half the tiaras had been abandoned in the grass, frosting stains decorated the picnic table, and Charlotte’s curls were sticking to her forehead like she’d survived a sugar-fueled marathon.
I’d spent most of the last half hour hanging out near the back patio with my friend Drake—the birthday girl’s dad—and another friend, Romeo, whose twin daughters were here.
Between the three of us, we’d probably witnessed more glitter, squealing, and off-key Disney songs than any man should have to endure in one afternoon.
But the girls had loved every second of it, thanks mostly to Nora.
She was at the center of it all, her yellow dress swirling as she led the girls in one last round of musical chairs. Watching her work the crowd was impressive. I didn’t know many people who could keep ten preschoolers that entertained for two hours without breaking a sweat.
At first, I didn’t think Charlotte had recognized her as my sister Lucy’s best friend. She’d been too dazzled by the gown and the princess act to notice. But halfway through a game of tag, she came running over to me, cheeks pink and eyes wide.
“Daddy,” she’d whispered, cupping her little hands to my jaw, “is Princess Belle Aunt Lucy’s friend? The friend who played games with me on the plane?”
I’d hesitated, not sure if I should ruin the magic. But since she was bringing it up, I nodded. “Yeah, that’s Aunt Lucy’s friend, Nora. But don’t tell anyone, okay? She’s supposed to just be Princess Belle at the party.”
“Otay.” Charlotte grinned like I’d let her in on the world’s biggest secret. Then she promptly ran off, pigtails bouncing as she rejoined the game.
I watched her go, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. For all the chaos she caused, my little girl had a knack for brightening my day.
When I finally pulled my phone from my pocket, the real world came crashing back. A few new messages had come in, but none were the answer I was hoping for.
My friend Sloan, who was my last hope for finding a fill-in babysitter after Charlotte’s nanny had quit unexpectedly this morning, was also busy on Monday.
Sloan: Sorry, Theo. I really wish I could help, but I’ll be running a drama camp next week. I could help the week after that if you’re still stuck.
I exhaled through my nose, typing back a quick message.
Me: Thanks for getting back to me. I’ll keep looking.
I’d already texted my parents, Lucy, a few friends… and they were all booked, of course.
Why does everyone in my life have to be so responsible and gainfully employed?
I’d considered asking Alisha’s mom or her sister, Bailee, to help me out. I was sure they’d say yes in a heartbeat since they always jumped at the chance to spend time with Charlotte. But as they both lived an hour away in Manhattan, they really were a last resort.
I had a really big case this week and couldn’t risk getting stuck on a train when I was supposed to be in court.
Maybe I could ask my housekeeper? Jessie was already scheduled to be at my house on Monday, since it was her cleaning and meal-prep day. She had three kids of her own. She could certainly handle my feral three-year-old for a day, right?
Keeping Charlotte alive was definitely more important than getting the laundry washed and floors mopped.
But then, as I glanced back toward the yard, my eyes caught on Nora. She was crouched down to tie a little girl’s shoe, and when the little girl laughed, a new thought crossed my mind.
Maybe she would be up for babysitting?
She wouldn’t have a princess gig on a Monday, right?
I thumbed a quick text to my sister just to make sure it was even a good idea to approach her friend.
Me: Do you know if Nora has work on Monday? And if she’d be the type to babysit a three-year-old last minute?
Lucy replied within seconds.
Lucy: Last I heard, she was still looking for a job. Want me to ask if she’s available?
I stared at the message, debating. Having Lucy ask would save me from a potentially awkward face-to-face conversation.
But I was a grown man. I faced down opposing counsel for a living. I could handle asking my sister’s friend if she was up for babysitting my daughter.
Me: I’m at a birthday party with her right now so I’ll just ask her myself. Thanks!
Lucy: No prob. As long as you pay her a decent wage, I’m sure she’ll be happy to help. She needs the job. Plus, I’m pretty sure she likes Charlotte.
I sure hoped so. So far, they seemed to get along well.
When the rest of the parents arrived to gather their little princesses a while later, I lingered by the back patio with Charlotte, pretending to help her locate her goodie bag while mostly trying to decide if I should go talk to Nora.
She was still in full princess mode, chatting with Cassia near the bouncy castle, so I waited a few minutes, watching her nod and smile, her golden skirt catching the sunlight as if she’d stepped out of the movie.
Then the waiting started to feel awkward. The lawn was clearing out, and I didn’t want to be the weird dad hanging around the birthday party after everyone else had left.
“Hey, Char,” I said, crouching down beside her. “You want to get a picture with just you and Princess Belle before we go?”
“Yes!” Her face lit up instantly.
Good. That gave me a reason to hang around for a few minutes.
When I saw Nora and Cassia wrapping up their conversation, I took Charlotte’s hand and walked over. “Hey, Princess Belle,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound as dumb as I felt. “Would you mind taking one more photo with Princess Jasmine before we head out?”
“I’d love to,” she said, smiling warmly.
They stood side by side, Nora kneeling slightly to get on Charlotte’s level. I snapped the photo, but before I could say thank you, Charlotte turned toward her. “I know that you’re not really Belle,” she whispered conspiratorially. “You’re Aunt Lucy’s friend.”
Nora glanced up, her big brown eyes flicking to mine for half a second before she smiled and said softly, “You’re right. I just wanted to dress up like you did today.”
Charlotte looked thoughtful for a beat, then frowned. “Does that mean your mom didn’t weally die when you was a baby?”
My eyes widened, caught completely off guard. Had they talked about their dead mothers earlier? While I’d been outside with the other dads?
Nora’s cheeks flushed pink as she glanced at me, clearly just as uncertain about how to handle the question.
But then, as if sensing that I had absolutely no clue what to do, she turned her attention back to Charlotte. Her voice softened as she crouched down and took my daughter’s small hands in hers.
“You’re right. She didn’t die,” Nora said gently. “Sorry if that was confusing earlier. I was pretending to be Princess Belle at the time.”
“Oh.” Charlotte’s shoulders slumped, and my heart ached. It wasn’t fair that she had to grow up without her mother. That she’d never have any real memories with her because she’d been barely one when Alisha passed.
Not wanting the sad moment to linger, I forced a smile and ruffled her curls. “Hey, sweetheart, why don’t you go find your shoes so we can get going?”
“Otay.” She took off toward the house.
“Sorry about that.” Nora stood again, smoothing her skirts, looking as uncomfortable as I felt. “When she asked me about my mom while I was reading the story earlier, I was supposed to stay in character, so I wasn’t sure what to do.”
“It’s okay,” I said, meaning it. “You handled it just fine.”
An awkward beat passed. I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my neck. “I, uh, actually had a question for you, though.”
“Oh?” Her brows lifted slightly.
From the flicker in her eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder if she thought I was about to ask her out instead of for her babysitting expertise—and that she was already mentally rehearsing how to let me down gently.
Yeah… my dating skills might be rusty these days, but at least I wasn’t that clueless. Not only was Nora one of my little sister’s good friends, but she had to be… what? Eight years younger than me? Fresh out of college and definitely not looking to date a widowed dad of a three-year-old.
So before she could get any more anxious about a creepy older guy asking her out, I cleared my throat again and said, “I was actually wondering if you might be up for doing me a favor.”
“A favor?” Her shoulders relaxed slightly.
I nodded. “I’m not sure if you know, but I pulled Charlotte out of daycare last month and hired a nanny to watch her at home since she was having a rough time, and I thought one-on-one care might be better for her.”
Nora nodded, her expression soft as she listened.
“It was going well. At least I thought so…” I gave a dry laugh. “Until I got a text this morning from the nanny saying she found another job and wouldn’t be coming back on Monday.”
“Oh no,” she said, her brow furrowing. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah.” I exhaled, shaking my head. “Anyway, I don’t know what your schedule looks like, but after seeing how great you were with all these kids today, I was wondering if you might be available to babysit Charlotte for me on Monday. Possibly all week. Just until I can figure out another plan.”
“Oh, um…” Her eyes widened and surprise flickered across her face. “W-what time would you need me there?”
“I usually leave the house around six in the morning,” I said. “Try to get as much done as I can first thing while Charlotte is sleeping so I can be home for dinner and spend a couple of hours with her before bed.”
During the first few years of my career, it had been normal for me to stay much later at the office, often missing out on time with Alisha and Charlotte in my race to become the youngest junior partner in company history.
But that turned out to be a fool’s errand, because just a few weeks after gaining that junior partnership I’d sacrificed so much to earn, I lost my beautiful wife in a terrible car accident.
And I had to confront the hard truth that in all my hustle, I’d sacrificed what was most important: time with my loved ones.
And while I couldn’t get back any of that missed time with Alisha, I’d learned an important lesson and was determined not to make the same mistake with Charlotte.
Even if it meant taking a much slower track to making senior partner.
“I know that’s a big ask since it’s a long time to be alone with a three-year-old,” I added, knowing not everyone liked to be up before the sun. “But I’d be eternally grateful if you’re up for it.”
She pursed her lips, and I worried it was in fact too much to ask, but then her mouth curved into a small smile.
“I’d love to help. All those years of waking up early for gymnastics practice hasn’t quite worn off in the last two months, so if you’re okay with me filling out job applications during Charlotte’s quiet time, I can still get my to-do list for Monday done while I’m at your house. ”
“Really?” I asked, so relieved I nearly sagged in place. “You can do it?”
“Of course,” she said, her brown eyes smiling. “I’d be happy to.”
For a split second, I wanted to pick her up and hug her. But instead of doing that, I just grinned and said, “Thank you so much. You’re a godsend. Really.”
She laughed softly. “No problem.” Then her eyes glinted mischievously. “But I am curious. Exactly how many people did you call before you asked me? Was I your last resort?”
“Umm… Well…” I cleared my throat, wondering how I was going to get out of this without mud on my face.
“I’m joking!” She chuckled, shaking her head. “I know you’ve got a lot of people in your corner. Even if I was clearly the best choice after Charlotte and I became best buddies on that flight home from Texas.”
The corners of my lips lifted as I thought back to that flight six weeks ago. The two of them giggling over a game on Nora’s phone before Charlotte passed out on Nora’s lap. How Nora had fallen asleep shortly after that, her head resting against my shoulder.
The way I’d held my breath as I realized just how beautiful my sister’s best friend was.
Yeah, plane rides always put me in a different headspace—more appreciative, maybe even a little sentimental toward the human race. Probably had something to do with putting my life in the hands of a stranger thirty-five-thousand feet above the ground.
But really, Nora was beautiful. Her auburn curls always looked a little wild, like they refused to be tamed. Her skin held a warm, sun-kissed glow, and her brown eyes—threaded with gold—caught the light whenever she smiled.
Even now, in that over-the-top yellow ballgown, she somehow made it look elegant instead of gaudy. My gaze drifted along the curve of her collarbones before I realized what I was doing and forced it away.
And this is exactly why you didn’t offer her the nanny job six weeks ago, I reminded myself.
Because even though I’d been wading through applications while we were on the plane, I’d heard enough cautionary tales about men falling for their nannies that I didn’t need that kind of complication in my life.
Still, having her help this week would be a lifesaver.
“You’re really okay to help us out?” I asked again.
“Of course.” She hesitated, like she wanted to ask something but wasn’t sure how.
“And of course, I’ll pay you for your time,” I added quickly, thinking her hesitancy might be about the pay. “The same rate I was paying my last nanny—and a little extra, since you’re saving me in a pinch.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “That’s very generous of you.”
“It’s the least I can do,” I said. “If you hadn’t said yes, I might’ve been forced to bring Charlotte to court with me. And I’m guessing the judge wouldn’t appreciate that.”
“I bet,” she said with a soft laugh.
“Well,” I said, sliding my hands into my pockets. “I guess I’ll see you Monday morning, then?”
“You will.” Her smile was genuine, like she might actually be looking forward to the job. “Bright and early.”
“Great.” I nodded, backing up a step, already hearing Charlotte’s giggles from the direction of the bouncy castle. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I should probably go grab my kid before she stages a coup in there.”
“Good luck,” Nora said, laughter in her voice.
And as I turned toward the backyard, I huffed out a quiet breath of relief because for the first time all day, things felt like they might actually be under control.