The Unconventional Nanny (Willow Creek #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

GRACIE

I admire the For Rent sign in front of the house like it's the answer to all my prayers.

It most certainly could be.

Would it give me my freedom?

Most definitely.

A place of my own would certainly accomplish the second one, maybe not so much the first considering I'm known for making impulsive decisions that often end badly.

Hence the move here with nothing more than my suitcases of clothes.

And I do mean every stitch of clothing I own.

From inappropriate shirts down to the dozens of matching-bra-and-panty sets, I managed to shove everything into three large purple suitcases that only closed because my ass sat on them.

Not my finest moment. And if anyone saw me trying to wrangle those suckers shut, they would’ve laughed their asses off. But I managed.

Now, I love Owen—my one and only brother.

And I love his girlfriend, Annalee. I moved to Willow Creek because of them.

They are the best, and I mean that wholeheartedly.

Owen is one of those overprotective types who would do anything for me, and not just because I'm the baby of the family.

He's just that kind of guy.He didn't hesitate when I asked if I could move in.

And hey, who wouldn't love free rent for a few weeks while they got their shit together.

Too bad my brother no longer lives alone.

As I said, I love his girlfriend. She's perfect for him.

And despite it taking like five hundred years, I'm glad he found someone.

What I don't love is having to sleep with noise-cancelling headphones on because my soon-to-be sister-in-law is a screamer.

I'm talking scream down-the-neighborhood volumes.

There's no way that woman is shy like she claims. And sure, maybe she acts like it when others are around, but I know better.

Now, I love good sex as much as the next person, and I’m all for people having a robust sex life, but not when it's my brother having it. In the next room. And any thoughts that I might be into voyeurism were quickly dispelled the first night I heard them talking dirty to one another.

Cue gag reflex.

So now I'm here. Staring at the for rent sign that just might be the change I need.

I'm at the apartment—well, in-law suite—that Annalee was originally waiting to become available. And why might my soon-to-be sister-in-law be looking for an apartment, you ask? Well, she isn’t anymore, but a week ago she was before my smooth-talking brother convinced her it was better to stay with him.

When Annalee first moved to Willow Creek, she had every intention of finding her own space.

Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on who you ask—this place wasn’t available yet, so in comes Owen being the gentleman and offering up his place.

Except he didn’t have a second bed at first —that took a few days—and everyone knows how those stories end.

Bing, bang, boom. My brother gets his claws in Annalee, and I get a shot at my own place when Nolen, my brother’s best friend and coworker, is kind enough to inform me this place was ready. Without a second thought, I rushed out of my brother's house and came straight here.

Sorry, not sorry to Annalee, but I need it more than she does. And a town this small won’t have another opportunity like this for weeks, if not months from now. There's no way I’ll make it that long living with the two of them.

It's now or never.

I march straight up the concrete walkway and knock on the bright red door of the two-story, colonial-style house.

The suspected in-law suite looks to have been added within the last few years.

Don't get me wrong, I'm by no means an architect, but even I can tell where the addition was added to the original house.

The work was done to perfection, but the symmetry is all off.

I'm still examining the house when the front door is yanked open, and on the other side stands the most handsome, yet most frazzled man I've ever met.

I guess I should say handsome except for the piece of spaghetti hanging off his ear. That rubbery piece of food knocks him down at least half a peg.

"Can I help you?" he huffs at me.

A small child, possibly two or three years old—fuck if I know since children aren't my thing—sits on the man's foot with big fat crocodile tears racing down her face.

"Umm . . . you've got a little . . ." I point to his ear.

I try desperately to stifle my laugh as his hand flies up to his ear and he yanks off the rubbery bit of saucy food with a cursed grumble. I don't catch the exact expletive, but I imagine it isn't kid friendly.

"I'm here about the place for rent." I thumb my hand to the sign in the yard.

The stranger almost looks relieved. "You must be Annalee. A guy from the new security company called and said you would be coming out to look at it."

"Ah . . . yeah . . . no. Actually, I'm Gracie.

I'm a friend of Annalee's. Well, more soon-to-be sister-in-law than actual friend, but whatever.

I'm here because she's already found a place. One she’s very happy with.

" I glance down at the small child and continue in a whisper.

"If you get my drift. I doubt she's leaving anytime soon, so instead, I'm swooping in to steal the place from her.

" I laugh at my own ridiculous explanation. This sexy beast of a man is probably wondering what the hell is wrong with me. As he should be. I’ve had my crazy moments, now being one of them, but I need this place, Annalee doesn't.

Besides, there's no way my brother is going to let her move in with another man. He's a caveman through and through. He would beat on his chest, or the man in front of me, before he would ever let Annalee move here.

"Oh . . . uh. Okay. Come on in and let me show you the space." The mystery man swoops down to pick up his crying child. It's evident he doesn't have much patience left to spare.

"Just like that?" Huh. For some reason, I thought it would be harder to convince him. "You don't want me to come back at a better time?"

Like maybe when there isn't sauce all down your shirt.

Obviously I don't say that out loud, but my brain is definitely chanting:

Please say no.

Please say no.

Please say no.

"No, it's fine. My nanny asked to come in late today and Little Miss Priss here isn't happy about it."

"I want to go to the park," the little girl says with determination.

At least I think that's what she says. It sounds more like “I wan to go to da parf” and fuck if I know what a parf is. Although I have to give her credit—the tears magically dried up with the statement.

"You can go. Just as soon as Ms. Casey gets here. Daddy has to go to work." The man sighs before turning back to me. "Sorry about the mess. Lunchtime can sometimes be difficult. The mother-in-law suite is right this way."

I follow him through what would be a pristinely remodeled kitchen, with green walls and dark cabinets running throughout, if it weren't for the spaghetti splattered across the space.

The dark color should've made the room less homey, but the green does a nice job of lightening the room up.

Plus, the kitchen has a huge window behind the sink and a sliding glass door to the backyard that brings in plenty of light.

"Here we go."

Just like the kitchen, the mother-in-law suite is gorgeous. The open-concept space includes a large bedroom with a small, attached seating area, and three separate doors leading from it.

I follow my hopefully soon-to-be landlord and his child farther into the room.

"It's not huge, but it has an en suite bathroom.

" He opens the first door to a fairly oversized bathroom with a shower and a claw-foot tub.

"A decent-size closet." The man isn't lying as he leads us to door number two. The closet is huge. I’ll be lucky to fill up half of it with the clothes I own.

"And the third door?" If I remembered correctly from a discussion with Annalee, there isn't a kitchen, but I would be sharing one with the landlord.

"That leads outside, so you have a separate entrance."

"Makes sense." The gentleman, whose name I really need to get sooner or later, wouldn't want someone coming in at all hours of the night while his kid is sleeping. Not that this town has much of a nightlife. "It's beautiful."

And fully furnished. Something I desperately need considering I fit everything I own into the trunk of my car.

Spoiler: It isn't much.

"How soon will it be ready?"

The man laughs. "Today if you want it. This isn't some fancy city apartment. I don't need first and last months’ rent, or, hell, even a security deposit. I just ask that rent is paid on time so I can pay for my girls’ activities."

That's a relief since I don’t have that much money saved up.

"Girls?" I only see the one kid so far.

"I've got three, and they all love to keep me busy."

Well, damn. Three kids is a lot for a single father. Annalee mentioned a little about him when we talked, and the one thing that stuck out was there's no Mrs. in the picture.

Not that I'm interested. I mean, sure, he's attractive, but I don’t do kids. They're messy and leave a person sticky. I could do just about anything but that.

"So how does tomorrow sound for moving in?" I ask.

I mentally go through everything I have and what I would need to buy.

It isn't much, and I didn't get the chance to check the bathroom out, but I thought I saw towels hanging up.

Since there's no security deposit or upfront costs, I could make it about two months before things would get dicey.

That's plenty of time to find a job. I’ve never served food before, but I'm sure the diner could always use some help.

How badly could I fuck that up?

I'm feeling better and better about my decision when Mr. I Don't Know His Name Yet’s phone rings.

With a sigh, he answers. "Please tell me you're on your way."

I move away to give him some privacy and to look around a bit.