Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
The woman narrowed her eyes, then slowly let her gaze drag over my body. She smirked before she finally decided to speak. “Hello, Emma. I’m Nancy, Marylou’s mother.”
“It’s a pleasure,” I replied, offering my hand.
She simply looked at it, then looked past me to Aiden. “A nanny? You know you could have asked any of us to help you, Aiden. It’s what Lisa would have wanted.”
He frowned. “I need someone on more of a full-time basis—and I know what’s best for my daughter.”
She folded her arms and looked away, giving him a single head bob.
I glanced at the other women, but it was clear they weren’t going to introduce themselves, so I made my way back to Aiden. “Tough crowd,” I whispered as I sat back down.
He scoffed. “Yeah, well, you’re not going to get anywhere with her, so don’t bother trying.”
Turning my head, I gave him a questioning look.
“It’s a long story. Here they come.”
My heart suddenly jumped into my throat.
The moment Hadley saw her father, she made a beeline to him. “Daddy! I learned to twirl!”
Aiden chuckled. “Baby, you already knew how to twirl.”
She shrugged. “I gotted better.” When Hadley turned to me, her eyes lit up. “Who are you?”
Smiling bigger, I reached my hand out to her. “Hi, Hadley. My name is Emma.”
And that was all she wrote. Hadley Bishop immediately started talking and didn’t stop to even take a breath. When Aiden and I exchanged a look, he grinned, and for the first time since I’d met him earlier, it was entirely genuine.
CHAPTER FOUR
EMMA - WE HAVE A MOVE-IN DATE
Hadley giggled as I pushed her on the swing. After the introductions, we went for ice cream and then to the park near the community center. Aiden wanted to make sure I knew where it was, since Hadley enjoyed coming to the playground and would be using the center’s indoor kids’ pool a lot that fall.
Hadley had been glued to my side from the get-go. It was pretty clear she and I wouldn’t have any issues getting along.
“Ms. Emma, are you coming home with us?” she asked when the swing slowed to a stop.
Smiling, I bent down and pushed one of her brown curls behind her ear. It wasn’t going to be hard falling head over heels for this girl. “Not today, but soon.”
“Tomorrows?” Hadley asked in that sweet little five-year-old voice. Her hazel eyes pleaded for me to say yes.
“I’m not really sure. Your daddy and I have to talk about it.”
When I looked up, Aiden was nearby, talking to someone on his phone. Glancing at me, he gestured to it with a frustrated look, and I knew he’d prefer to be present in our conversation.
“Daddy’s always sad.”
My eyes jerked back to Hadley. “Why do you say that?” I asked, trying to give her a smile.
Her little shoulders lifted in a shrug. “He doesn’t laugh a lot anymore, and sometimes when he thinks I’m asleep, he sits on my bed and just stares at me.”
I wanted to scoop her up and hold her in my arms. Erase any pain she felt, and any her father felt as well.
I was momentarily shocked by how I’d instantly felt so protective of them both. Maybe it was a coping mechanism to forget about my own problems. The ones I’d left behind. And I could do that by focusing on theirs.
“I bet he does that because he loves you so much.”
Her face lit up.
“What did I miss?” Aiden asked, looking at us both. I quickly stood and smiled.
“Hadley was asking when I was going to move in.”
Aiden’s brow rose. “Okay, well, when can you move in? The faster the better. Do you need to give notice where you’re at?”
I scoffed. “No, the man I’m renting a cabin from will probably be glad to see me go.”
“Wait…you’re staying at a rental cabin?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, I only got to town a week and a half ago. I was focusing on finding work and then a place to live.”
“That must be costing you a small fortune, Emma. You can’t be doing that.”
“Why not?” I asked, my hands going to my hips. I wasn’t about to let another man start telling me what I could and couldn’t do.
His expression grew contrite, and he cleared his throat. “Well, I mean… I didn’t mean it like that.”
I softened my stance.
“I just meant, um, the room above the garage is ready, and if you wanted, you could move in tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I asked, my voice shaking slightly. It was clear Aiden and Hadley wanted me to start the job as quickly as possible.
“Is that too soon?” he asked.
“No… No, I say we go ahead and start adjusting to the new routine,” I added quickly.
Hadley jumped off the swing and fist pumped, and Aiden looked relieved.
“Do you need help with anything? Moving, I mean?”