Nanny

6

Kate

Mr. Nash's new nanny.

The words broke something in my brain. I think I went into shock for a few moments.

"Kate?" Miranda asked pointedly. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"This is Adam. He's Braxton Nash's personal assistant."

"Adam," she said in a sultry voice. "Such a sexy name. Did Kate tell you about me?"

"Miranda..." I whispered.

"I'm single," she said. "Very single. Do you need a second nanny? I can make my services available. Anything for you and Mr. Nash."

"Miranda. Aren't you late for work?"

She twirled a lock of her hair. "Oh, I think I can be late just this once."

"What about the zoo? The tiger?"

"The tiger isn't going anywhere, Kate," she hissed at me.

I turned to Adam, who smiled politely throughout Miranda's flirting. "I don't understand. Why are you hiring me?"

"You have what Mr. Nash wants," he replied.

"I insulted him."

Adam adjusted his glasses and said, "Mr. Nash never lets personal sleights get in the way of a good hiring move."

"I have no experience," I replied. "I lied to you during the interview."

"I can explain everything on the helicopter ride. If you want to go get dressed..."

I had forgotten I was wearing pajamas and a T-shirt. I must have looked like a mess standing there, hair tussled eyes still crusty from sleep.

"I... I just woke up," I said.

"That's fine," Adam replied. "I can wait."

"Do you want coffee? We have coffee!" Miranda said while ushering him inside.

"Coffee would be lovely."

I rushed into my bedroom and closed the door. I leaned against the wood while my heart raced. Just to be certain, I pinched a flab of skin on my arm. It stung.

What's happening? I wondered.

I jumped in the shower, then quickly ran through my morning routine. Knowing Adam was sitting in the kitchen, waiting on me, added urgency to my movements. When I emerged from the bedroom, I found Adam and Miranda sitting at the kitchen table. Miranda was leaning into him with a big smile on her face.

Adam looked at me and said, "Is that what you're wearing?"

I looked down at my pencil skirt and blouse. "What's wrong? Is it not formal enough?"

He blinked passively behind his glasses, and a smile touched his lips. "You'll be watching children. Playing with them, feeding them. Barry is quite messy."

I smacked my forehead. "Right. Sorry. If you couldn't tell, I'm kind of flustered this morning."

"Take your time," Miranda said. "I can keep Adam company while he waits."

"Pack a bag for the week," Adam called to me. "Clothes, toiletries, whatever you need. We can swing by here next weekend to get anything you missed."

"Right, swing by here in the helicopter," I murmured to myself while changing into jeans. "No big deal. When you have a private helicopter, everything is simple."

I wasn't sure what I would need, so I tossed a few extra pairs of jeans into my bag, some shirts, underwear, socks, and toiletries from the bathroom. It simultaneously felt like too much and not enough.

When I emerged again, Adam gave me a pained look. "Is that what you're wearing?"

"What's wrong now?" I moaned. "I thought jeans and a blouse would be fine..."

Adam stood up and smiled. "Sorry. Bad joke. You look perfect."

"If I have a heart attack this morning," I warned, "I'm blaming you."

"Fair enough."

Miranda followed us to the door and waved. "Bye Adam! Call me any time!"

I chuckled as we walked across the backyard and through the fence. "Sorry about Miranda. She comes on strong."

Adam held up a folded piece of paper. "She gave me her number."

"Oh God."

"She's nice," he said with a laugh. "Not my type, but she's nice."

"Who's your type?" I asked.

"Good question," he replied.

A police car with flashing lights was parked on the soccer field next to the helicopter, and two officers were speaking to the pilot. He gestured at us, and the two officers turned.

"I thought this was an obvious thing," one of the cops said, "but you can't just park a helicopter wherever the hell you want, buddy."

Adam smiled. "I understand. We're terribly sorry for the inconvenience."

"Inconvenience? Buddy, there are laws," the cop said.

Adam handed him a business card. "This should explain everything."

"I don't care if you're the ghost of Princess Diana, you can't just land a chopper in the middle of..."

He trailed off while reading the business card. His eyes grew wide. The other officer gasped when she read the card.

"Listen," the cop said in a completely different tone. "We're real grateful for everything Mr. Nash has done for us, but you still can't land here whenever you want. The world ain't some billionaire's parking lot."

Adam shook his hand. "It won't happen again. I promise."

We boarded the helicopter. The cops stood there, slack-jawed, as we took off.

I put on a pair of giant headphones, which muted the sound of the rotors and allowed me to speak to the others via a microphone. "What was that all about?"

"Nash Capital manages the Norwalk Police pension fund," Adam replied. His voice had a metallic echo in the headphones. "Those officers are going to have a comfortable retirement thanks to our yearly earnings."

The helicopter rose into the air, banked hard to the right, and headed toward the city.

"The shock of everything is wearing off," I said. "Now can you tell me what's going on?"

"Mr. Nash wants to hire you to be the nanny for his twins," Adam replied.

"You already told me that. But why?"

"You made quite an impression on us yesterday."

I shook my head. "I don't understand how. I have no recent nannying skills. Don't get me wrong, I'm great with kids. I just don't understand why you would hire me instead of a real nanny. I'm sure Mr. Nash can afford someone with more experience."

"It's not a matter of money. It's a matter of skills. Your nannying ability is secondary to your other abilities."

"What other abilities?" I asked.

Adam gave me a look like he thought it was obvious. "Your skill with languages."

"What? Why does that matter?"

"Mr. Nash will explain when we arrive. For now, trust that we're confident you're the right person for the job."

I stared out the window, more confused than ever.