Nora
I bent down just in time to catch her as she barreled toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck with all the enthusiasm only a three-year-old could muster.
“Hey there!” I laughed, pulling her up onto my lap as I sat back down on the stool.
“I missed you!”
“I missed you, too,” I said, giving her a squeeze.
As Charlotte settled against me, I heard the sound of heels clicking on the wooden floor. And when I looked up, my heart jumped into my throat because I was suddenly face to face with Charlotte’s grandmother.
“Oh,” Mrs. Vanderbilt said, stopping a couple of feet from me. “I didn’t realize Theo had company.”
“Uh, yeah,” I said, swallowing. “We were just hanging out.”
The middle-aged woman’s gaze moved slowly over my face, taking in my hair before drifting down the rest of me. As she took in my purple tank top, jean shorts, and very non-designer sandals, it felt less like being looked at and more like being inspected.
Assessed.
And while I’d been around plenty of wealthy and well-connected people through the years, thanks to my brother Ky’s career, I’d never quite felt as small as I did under this intimidating woman’s quiet scrutiny.
“I don’t think we’ve officially met,” Mrs. Vanderbilt said finally, “but aren’t you the girl we saw leaving here when we picked up Charlotte?”
“Yes, that’s me,” I said, though my voice came out a little less confident than I would’ve liked. “I’m Nora. Charlotte’s nanny.”
“Oh, that’s right,” she said. “Theo did mention that…” But instead of finishing the thought, her attention shifted toward the island.
More specifically, to the takeout containers sitting on the counter between us.
Her eyes lingered there for a moment, and I could practically see the gears turning in her head. Which meant she was probably doing the same mental math I would’ve been doing in her place.
She knew Charlotte hadn’t been home all weekend so she was probably wondering why I—a woman whose job description revolved around the cute three-year-old—would be here on a Sunday evening, eating dinner with her granddaughter’s single father?
“You’re probably wondering why I’m here, aren’t you?” I said, a faint sheen of nervous sweat prickling along the back of my neck.
“Just slightly curious,” Mrs. Vanderbilt replied, her brown eyes judging. “I recall Theo mentioned you being friends with his sister, but I didn’t realize the two of you were so close.”
“Oh, we’re not,” I said quickly. “I mean, we’re friends, but we don’t hang out a ton.” I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and took a breath. “I mean, I don’t usually hang out here on Sundays.” I cleared my throat. “This is probably the first Sunday I’ve ever been here.”
Mrs. Vanderbilt said nothing. She just waited.
“But, um… my house caught fire on Friday,” I continued, my heart racing faster with each sentence I spit out.
“And I ended up losing everything. But Theo was really kind and offered to let me stay here while I figure things out.” I gestured vaguely down the hallway toward the stairs. “Just in his guest room, of course.”
The moment that last sentence left my mouth, Mrs. Vanderbilt’s eyes narrowed slightly.
And I immediately wanted to crawl under the island and disappear.
Because of course I was staying in the guest room.
Where else would I be staying?
But the fact that I’d even felt the need to clarify that suddenly made it seem like there was another possibility—like there was some sort of monkey business happening while Charlotte was out for the weekend.
Which there absolutely was not.
I sighed softly and decided it might be safest to stop talking now.
Charlotte, however, had clearly picked up on the important part of the conversation because a second later, her head popped up from my shoulder and she asked, “You’re having a sleepover with me and Daddy?” her eyes lighting up.
“Kind of, I guess.” I laughed nervously.
“Yay!” Charlotte said, bouncing in my lap.
Just then, Theo stepped into the kitchen. His eyes moved quickly from Charlotte to me, then to his mother-in-law.
For the briefest moment, something that resembled panic crossed his face.
Well… at least I wasn’t the only one intimidated by his mother-in-law.
Mrs. Vanderbilt turned toward the hallway where her husband had just stepped inside behind Theo.
“John, you should come meet Charlotte’s nanny,” she said. Then, with just the faintest hint of emphasis, she added, “The poor girl’s house burned down over the weekend, and Theo was kind enough to offer her his guest room.”
My gaze slid toward Mr. Vanderbilt who, while looking momentarily surprised by the news, was able to smooth his expression quickly.
“It’s great to officially meet you, Nora,” he said, offering me his hand. “I’m Charlotte’s grandpa, John.”
I shifted Charlotte slightly on my lap so I could reach out and shake his hand. “Nice to meet you, John.”
“Theo mentioned that you were friends with his sister. How long have you known Lucy?” Mrs. Vanderbilt asked me next, seeming to decide that it was time to move into the interview portion of the evening.
“About four years,” I said. “Lucy and I met our freshman year through the gymnastics program.”
“Oh, so you’re a gymnast, too.” She lifted her brows slightly, looking mildly impressed. “That’s such a demanding sport.”
“It is,” I said with a small nod. “I loved it, though.”
“So, if you met Lucy four years ago,” she continued, “does that mean you just graduated?”
“I did.”
“And what made you interested in nannying?” she asked. “Is that something you’ve always wanted to do?”
“Not exactly,” I said honestly. “My degree was in exercise science, so I initially expected to find a job in that field. But my minor was in early childhood development. And since I especially loved my rotations in the preschool program, nannying for Charlotte just seemed like the perfect fit when Theo had the job open up.”
“How serendipitous,” Mrs. Vanderbilt said. And while her smile looked pleasant enough, something about it felt calculated. Like she had already reached some sort of conclusion about me.
“So…” she continued, tilting her head slightly. “If you just graduated from college, what does that make you? Twenty-two? Twenty-three?”
“I’m twenty-two,” I said.
“How nice,” she said, though the thinness of her smile made it pretty clear my age had not done her opinion of me any favors.
And for a moment, I remembered the conversation I’d overheard on Friday. The comment she’d made to Theo about me being young. And beautiful.
I suppose I should feel flattered that a woman as elegant as Mrs. Vanderbilt thought I was beautiful. But something told me she hadn’t meant it as a compliment then.
And she definitely didn’t seem thrilled about it now.
Charlotte shifted happily on my lap, clearly oblivious to the strange undercurrent floating around the room.
So, ready to make my exit before the questioning could continue, I glanced over at Theo.
He was standing frozen near the kitchen entry with Charlotte’s bags still in his hands.
“Would you like me to take those bags upstairs for you, Theo?” I offered. “I’m sure you’d love to chat with your in-laws for a bit.”
“Oh, um…” Theo hesitated for a second. Then, seeming to decide it was a good idea, he held the bags out toward me. “Sure. Thank you.”
“No problem.”
I took the bags from him and turned back to the Vanderbilts.
“It was really nice to officially meet you both.”
“Nice to meet you as well,” Mrs. Vanderbilt said. “It’s always good to meet the woman Theo is trusting to take care of our granddaughter.” There was a pause before she added, “And living with them.”
And though her smile remained perfectly pleasant, something about the look in her eyes as she said it made my stomach tighten.