After Goodbye

Chapter 2.

3 hours earlier:

Rosie pressed small circles against her forehead as she absorbed the new information, her eyes trained on the little girl, frozen in a picture frame, on her desk.

"How long did this one last?" She asked, unsure about whether she wanted to hear the answer.

"Three days." Simone grimaced, taking a seat atop of her desk. "Chachi mentioned on the phone that she played another prank; it was probably spiders again,"

Rosie could only shake her head in disbelief. "I don't understand," She exhaled deeply, tucking a loose strand behind her ear in thought. "Anni has never been difficult, she's always been such a good, well-mannered girl, and it's like she's been replaced with a clone of her opposite."

"I know," Simone nodded in agreement, chewing her lip in thought. "She's an absolute pleasure when I'm with her. You don't think it has to do with..." Rosie met her gaze, her heart faltering as she read her secretary's mind.

"It...no," She shook her head before releasing a sigh tainted by stress. "She's been acting up ever since Rani left." The first nanny had been excellent but had decided to resign and opt for a life in travelling instead. She was in Croatia the last time Rosie had seen her post on Instagram. It was a dream life for some but left Rosie to deal with a harsh reality as a result.

"Do you mind watching over her...or, you know, taking on the job?" Rosie pleaded as the brunette laughed in response.

"Well, I may be her God-mother but I don't think nanny-ing is quite for me; I much prefer dealing with the paperwork." Simone responded apologetically gaining a knowing chuckle in response. "I can keep an eye on her until we get someone new. I only posted the job an hour ago, and we already have an applicant; he seems eager.

"He?" Rosie repeated as Simone bobbed her head in once more.

"Yes, he. His name is Grayson Colby; a qualified paediatric nurse," She highlighted, flicking through the papers in her hand. "It seems he's been unemployed for a while, though," she noted, presenting the application when Rosie raised her hand for it.

"Does he have any experience minding children outside of nursing?" Rosie asked, turning over the page to investigate his employment and experience history. "I can't see anything," she frowned. "According to this, he's been out of work for four months, and during the last two years...his employment has been varied."

"He can work across a range of areas, it could suggest he's flexible," Simone inferred as the raven-haired woman frowned.

"We don't need flexible; we need reliable. Someone up for a challenge."

"I'd say a past in nursing would suggest he's quite open to a challenge," Simone commented, a small fact Rosie couldn't deny.

"There is another thing, he's a...man," She pondered aloud. "Now I'm all for gender equality," She highlighted, meeting her friend's gaze. "But he'll be with Anni for quite some time, alone,"

"He has to be DBS checked before employment, and being female hasn't stopped the others from leaving. We also have CCTV, and his room is on the opposite end of the corridor. He'd have to go past you if he was sketchy." Simone correctly pointed out, as an annoying smile appeared on her boss's face.
"He also wouldn't have been a nurse for just under a decade if he was a creep, and his reference is impeccable. He only left because of personal circumstances," she highlighted as Rosie located the evidence on the transcript.

"Well, I guess that does stand for something," She conceded. "Can you organise an interview? We could see him at 5 pm if you don't mind working late? The sooner we get someone in, the better."