Nanny

2

Kate

The drone of the helicopter rotor was a muted hum thanks to the headphones covering my ears. The view out the window was spectacular: the East River was directly below us, with the sprawling skyline of New York City directly ahead. The buildings stretched up from the ground like fingers trying to claw at the blue summer sky.

But I wasn't able to enjoy the view because I was busy Googling: How much does a private helicopter ride cost?

I couldn't believe what was happening. A helicopter had landed next to my friend's house and picked me up, and now we were flying into the city. It was just me, the pilot, and the suited man who had waved at me. I got the impression he was a bodyguard of some kind, because he didn't talk at all.

Why would someone send a private helicopter for me?

We approached Midtown Manhattan, just south of the sprawling green rectangle of Central Park. The pilot spoke to someone on the receiver, and then the helicopter banked in a wide turn. For a few seconds the angle allowed me to see straight down between the buildings beneath us. Cars moved like ants in straight lines. I couldn't look away. I was too fascinated, too in awe.

The angle of the turn also gave me a view of the building we were preparing to land on. It was the tallest skyscraper for several blocks in any direction, with a round helicopter pad on the roof. As we circled around I saw a sign on the side of the building:

NASH CAPITAL

I quickly Googled the company. It was an investment firm, one of the largest in the country. It was founded by a man named Braxton Nash, a billionaire who lived here in New York.

Adam must be an executive at the company, I thought as we descended to the helipad. Only an executive would have been able to send a helicopter for someone like me.

Before I could Google his name, we touched down and the suited man opened the door for me. I ducked my head and followed him across the roof to the elevator door. Another man was waiting just inside.

"Kate Renfroe? I'm Adam Sizemore. We spoke on the phone."

Adam was handsome in a sexy-librarian kind of way. He had a chiseled jawline and a sharp nose, and his cheeks were lightly freckled. Piercing green eyes gazed from behind small, rectangular eyeglasses. His wavy red hair fluttered gently in the wind. He couldn't have been older than thirty.

"Pleased to meet you," I said while shaking his hand. His fingers were as warm as his smile.

"Right this way," he said, gesturing to the elevator door. I walked inside and immediately glanced at the wall of buttons. Even though the building was at least sixty stories tall, there were only ten buttons. It looked like it was a private elevator that only visited the top floors, the roof, and the garage level.

Adam pressed the second button from the top and turned to me. "We were glad to find you, Kate. We think you're the perfect nanny for the job."

"I hope so," I said carefully. My profile had almost no information. What made them think I was perfect?

The elevator stopped on the next floor and Adam led the way into a long office hallway. My heels clicked on the marble floors, and rows of oil paintings were ensconced in the walls. It felt like I was walking through a museum. A nice museum.

Yet as nice as the surroundings were, my eyes were drawn to the man in front of me. Adam was tall and I suspected there was muscle on his lean frame. His suit pants were well-tailored to the point that I had to rip my eyes away from his butt. He wasn't wearing his suit jacket, and the sleeves of his blue dress shirt were rolled up to the elbows. His hair was the color of a smoldering flame, and he walked with a confident stride.