Well, to be honest, little was an exaggeration. She had no idea what she might be getting herself into. After a week, she still hadn’t heard from anyone about the job, and her hopes dashed, she assumed she’d been passed over. Then she received an email this morning while brushing her teeth in the women’s bathroom at Walmart.
She’d been invited to come for an interview. This afternoon. No further details provided. Thrilled with the prospect of finding work, she confirmed her availability in about one-point-three seconds flat, and directions had immediately popped up on her phone.
Weird. But whatever. She was here now. Here being—
Holy wow.
Under a canopy of evergreen branches, the muted light of the lane she’d been driving on gave way to the hundred-watt glare of sunshine bouncing off diamond-crusted snow as she came into a clearing.
Blind but unable to pry her hands off the wheel, she bopped her head, and her dollar ninety-nine sunglasses fell onto her nose. And double holy wow. The log house in the distance was huge. She drove ahead, taking in the covered wrap-around deck, the two porch swings, and the extra wide entry door.
Straight out of a luxury magazine, this house had to be the most beautiful place she’d ever seen, and her heart gave a little lurch as she rolled to a stop close to the steps. The family who lived here had to be rich.
A celebrity couple? The owner of a multi-billion-dollar corporation? Someone with a wealthy granny? Please, whoever they were, let them be nice because if all went well, maybe this could be her home for a while.
Oh man, how great would it be if they hired her on the spot! Unlikely to happen, but the thought of ringing in the New Year asleep in a bed, in her own room, snuggled under fresh blankets with a roof over her head, made her spirits soar.
Jeez, she wanted this so bad, her nerves kicked into hyperdrive, her insides massing into a ball of knots as she released her death grip and stretched her stiff fingers. Okay. Deep breath. She could do this.
With a twist of the key, the clunking motor sputtered and died with a final wheezing gasp, and shrugging out of her seatbelt, she tossed her shades onto the dash before shouldering open her door.
Her boots crunched on snow as she exited the vehicle, and using more force than she’d meant to, she slammed things back up again, the resulting bang reverberating through the crisp air.
Embarrassed, she looked around. Hopefully, nobody paid any attention to her decrepit ride. Or noticed she lived in her car until after the interview.
With an optimism she hadn’t felt in a while, she scooted up the four steps, and bouncing on her toes, she raised her fist to knock on the heavy wood door. Surprise had her squealing when she pitched forward, her knuckles having landed on nothing but empty air.
About to make a spectacular first impression by way of falling face-first to the floor, her stomach rolled over and then righted itself again when strong hands caught her. Her nose pressed to a stranger’s chest; her cheeks flamed red as she took a quick step back.
“You must be Summer,” the vaguely familiar man said, holding out his palm. “I’m Jay. Thanks for coming on such short notice.”
“Uh, hi,” she replied, shaking his hand and tripping over her own tongue thanks to his rockstar good looks. “I’m happy to be here. For the interview, I mean.”
“Great. Come on in.” He waved her inside, and Summer would have choked on her spit if her mouth hadn’t been completely dry. The main entrance was stunning. The ceiling in the light-filled space soared past the second floor and featured what had to be a ten-by-ten antler chandelier hung on a heavy metal chain. Already worried about her boots making a mess of the expensive-looking area rug, she took them off and placed them on a rubber mat off to the side with a bunch of others.
“No need to be nervous,” Jay said, his smile friendly as he hitched his head for her to follow him past the grand staircase and down the hall. “This will be an easy interview. More of a formality, really. And an opportunity for you to decide if you want the job.”
“Oh, I want the job!” she sputtered, sounding as desperate as she felt, and before her brain could overrule her mouth, she continued, “I mean…I’m looking forward to meeting the children and getting to know your family.”
“One baby, just a couple of weeks old,” he corrected, leading her into a kitchen large enough to host a party of fifty and have room to spare. “Can you wait here a second? I’m going to pop out and get Adam.”
She nodded, and he left her standing by a massive table while he disappeared through a door at the back of the room. A second turned into a minute as she tried to decipher where she’d seen him before. Then awkwardness set in, and she began to wonder…should she sit? Should she remove her coat? Should she—
“Hello?”
Summer turned toward the feminine voice and immediately decided she’d been named wrong because the woman approaching looked like summer encapsulated in curve-hugging yoga pants and a matching top.
She had her strawberry blond hair piled high in a messy bun, bluer than blue cobalt-colored eyes, and when she smiled, she radiated warmth.
“Hi, I’m Summer Summers.” She held out her hand.
“Eve,” she replied, her confusion evident in her expression as they shook.
“I’m here about the nanny position,” she blurted. “Jay asked me to wait while he went to get Adam.”
“Ah.” Eve nodded. “That makes sense. You’ll have to forgive my surprise. We haven’t done any in-person interviews. Can I take your coat?”
“Thanks.” She shucked her puff coat and handed it to Eve, who draped it over the back of a chair.
