The rest of the first week of school was uneventful compared to the first day. Rebecca kept to her word and stayed out of my way, keeping Dylan and everyone else with her. I continued to be friends with Miles and Maya, who I seemed to like more and more with each passing day. And, Lucas Hunter didn't bother me again. Aside from the occasional glare when our eyes met in the hallway or classroom.
Life was good. That weekend I decided to go out looking for a job. While I wasn't necessarily hurting for money, since my parents were willing to pay my bills, I wanted to start saving for college.
That was one thing they had always told me, they would help me if I needed it, but they did want me to pay for as much as I could.
So that morning after I woke up and got ready, I left my house, a woman on a mission. I went to practically every business in town, looking for a manager or someone who could give me an application.
It was when I was at a small cafe that my life officially changed forever. I just didn't know it at the time (ooh that's really dramatic I like it).
I was talking to a manager about an application, and listened to their apology about how they didn't really need any new staff at the moment when a woman called out to me.
"Excuse me young lady." She said kindly.
I looked over to see a drop-dead gorgeous woman sitting at a small table, and empty plate on the top. She was wearing nice clothes and jewelry, and her dark brown hair went perfect with her flawless makeup.
I smiled shyly and walked over, "Yes?" I asked.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but I couldn't help overhearing that you're looking for a job?" She asked.
"Um, yes. I've gone to some places and picked up applications, I'm kind of going everywhere." I supplied.
"How old are you?" she asked.
"Sixteen."
"So you go to the towns high school?" She asked and I answered wordlessly, nodding.
"Alright. Well I think I might have a job for you, hours could start immediately. If you're interested." She said kindly.
"Definitely! What's the job?" I asked as she gestured for me to sit down across from, her which I complied with.
"Well, I have a daughter, she's six, and my husband and I both have pretty demanding careers, he owns a large business and I work in advertising and publicity. We both work pretty late and have to go to functions every weekend. We have a son just older than you, but he also has a pretty busy schedule and can't watch her. So, we need a nanny. Well, not exactly and nanny, more like a babysitter," She paused, looking at me, "is that something you'd be interested in?" She asked me.
I smiled and nodded, "Yeah I would definitely love to do that, I work pretty well with kids." I said and she smiled widely.
"Excellent! Of course, my husband would like to meet you, and we both want to make sure our daughter likes you, so if you wouldn't mind doing a trial run? We can do something tonight, actually if you're free?" She asked.
I nodded, "Yeah I'm definitely free." I said, not even having to think.
"Wonderful! If you want to come over around three-ish? That way my husband and I could talk to you, not an interview persay, but ask you some questions and work on semantics, and then my husband and I will go out to dinner with some clients and you can watch Clara. That's her name, by the way." She said.
I nodded, "Sounds great!" I said and she smiled.
"Here, I'll give you my phone number and you can give me yours and I will text you our address." She said, pulling out her phone before I followed suit.
We exchanged numbers and she stood up, leaving a fifty dollar bill on the table, "It was lovely to meet you, Ariel. I look forward to getting to know you more later." She said with a dazzling and kind smile before walking out of the restaurant.
I smiled to myself as I leaned back in my seat. I had gotten a job without really trying. Lucky me. Or so I thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~
I went back home and told my parents about my luck. Then, I got a text from the woman, who introduced herself as Tessa, giving me her address.
We continued to text a little throughout the rest of the early afternoon, me asking about some of the things Clara liked to do, so I could come prepared.
Then two-thirty rolled around and I grabbed my supplies for the night, saying goodbye to my parents and heading out to my car, programming the address into my gps. When I pulled into the winding driveway to Tessa's house my eyes widened and jaw dropped.
Now, I'm not gonna lie, I have a pretty nice house. My parents are pretty well off, and we have a fairly large house. But, my house couldn't hold a candle to this one. It was three stories, and about a football field long. There was a four-car garage connected to the main foundation. I parked my car away from the doors of the garage, so anyone that needed to could get out.
I walked up the walkway to the double front doors and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, a man opened the door. He looked to be in his late thirties or early forties. He had jet black hair and brown eyes. His face looked stern, like it was permanently stuck on his face.
"Ah, you must be...Ariel? The new babysitter?" He asked.
I smiled and nodded, "Yes sir." I answered.
He gave one nod of his head before stepping aside and letting me through the doors. I walked into the entryway and looked up at the high ceiling. You could see part of the second floor from a balcony with a staircase that led down to the entry way. There were doorways to both my right and left, and I followed the man to the right as he began walking away.
"Well I am Jason. I'm Clara's father." he said as he walked through the halls.
He led me into the ginormous kitchen with two refrigerators, two stovetops, two ovens, and one long island/breakfast bar, along with at least twenty different cabinets and cupboards. My eyes landed on Tessa, who was sitting at the island on her computer.
She looked up when we walked in and her face broke into a smile when she saw me, "Ariel! You're here!" She exclaimed.
I smiled as Jason sat next to his wife and they gestured for me to sit across from them. I put my bag down by my feet and hopped up onto the stool.
"What's in the bag?" He asked.
"Oh, um Tessa was saying that Clara liked to draw and that kind of stuff so I brought some of my sketchbooks, paint, brushes, and small canvases for her to paint." I said with a shrug.
Tessa smiled widely and Jason seemed content with my answer. "Alright. So this isn't an interview, but we do have a few questions to ask regarding scheduling, your school life, things like that. Don't be nervous or anything." Tessa said as she closed her laptop so she could turn her full attention to asking me these questions.
I nodded silently before she asked the first question, "Okay, so I told you that we go out most weekends. So we would need you on Friday nights, Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons. Are you available those days?" She asked.
I nodded, "I can work my schedule around those days, yes." I said with a nod.
"Excellent. Now, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jason and I don't get home until about six o'clock, and our son comes in and out so he isn't reliable to watch Clara, can you be available from three to six those days of the week?" She asked.
I nodded, "Yes."
"Okay, and, this is rare, but sometimes Jason and I both are traveling on business at the same time. Now, we would only ask this of you when we know you don't have school, like you're on break or a long weekend, but would you be able to stay at the house with Clara. This doesn't happen often, but there are times when the three of us, myself, Jason and our son are out of town." She said.
I nodded slowly, "As long as I have enough notice so I can make sure my parents know and stuff then yes, that shouldn't be an issue." I said. If I'm being honest, agreeing to sleep over in that house wouldn't be all that hard.
"Excellent! Okay, so now about yourself. What do you want to do? Like after high school? College? Work force? What do you see yourself as in ten years?" She asked.
"Well, I'm a straight-'A' student, so my schoolwork is pretty important to me. So there could be times that I have to bring homework over while I watch Clara, but I would make sure that she has something to do while I'm working, so she's not just sitting around watching TV or something. I do plan to go to college, that's actually why I'm looking for a job. I haven't completely decided what I want to do, but I know I want to be in the entertainment industry, probably screenwriting and/or producing. In ten years, and I know this is ambitious, but I would like to be the producer, of a TV show or movie that I wrote myself." I said.
This time Jason smiled for the first time, "Don't be embarrassed about being ambitious. Shoot bigger. Never settle. I like that." He said, which made me smile and look at my lap shyly.
"Okay. Well, I don't see any reason to turn you away. And I have a feeling that Clara will love you." Tessa said, making my face break into a grin.
"So, for your pay, I was thinking $25 an hour?" She asked and my eyes widened.
"Oh my God, yeah that's fine." I said.
She smiled slyly, "I know, it might seem like much, but since you won't be watching her for more than like four hours at a time, I think it's fair." She said and Jason nodded, agreeing with his wife.
I nodded, "Thank you." I said.
"Well. I think it's time you meet Clara," Tessa said before walking to the other side of the kitchen and yelling into a room, "Clara! Come here! We want you to meet someone!" Tessa called.
I heard running feet and in a matter of seconds, a little girl with dark hair, and wild, blue eyes came running into the kitchen. She smiled when she saw her mom and dad, but her look became curious when her eyes fell to me.
Tessa grabbed her daughter's hand and walked her over to me, "Clara, this is Ariel. She's going to be the one who watches you when mommy and daddy aren't home, okay?" Tessa said.
She looked up at me as I smiled at her, "Ariel?" She asked quietly and I nodded, "like 'The Little Mermaid?'" She asked and I smiled.
"Yeah. Just like 'The Little Mermaid'." I said and her face broke into a grin.
"Cool!" She said.
Her mom and dad both smiled, "Okay. Well, mommy and daddy need to go out, but we'll be home before bedtime, I promise. Ariel is going to stay with you tonight, and she brought some fun things for you two to do together okay?" She said and Clara nodded.
"Is Sebby coming home?" Clara asked, and I assumed that she was referencing her brother, the one that was my age.
"I'm not sure. Maybe. But Ariel will make sure you two have plenty of fun, okay?" Jason asked her and she nodded, "Alright. You be good." He said before giving her a hug and a kiss, Tessa doing the same right afterwards.
Then the couple left and it was just me and Clara. When the front door was closed, Clara turned to look at me with a smile, "Are you a princess?" She asked me.
I laughed, oh hell no, "No, I'm not. Why do you ask that?" I questioned her.
"You have the name of a princess and you look like one." She said with a shrug.
"But I don't have the dress to be a princess." I said.
"But you're pretty. And you have really pretty hair." She said and I smiled widely.
"Why thank you. I think you have gorgeous hair." I said and she smiled.
"Mommy makes it look really pretty all the time. Do you know how to do that?" She asked eagerly.
I smiled at her, "I'm sure I can do something."
~~~~~~~~
Thirty minutes later, I was sitting on the edge of the couch in a giant living room, with Clara sitting in a small chair in front of me, doing a braided updo with her hair while she watched 'The Little Mermaid' on a huge TV.
When Ariel first came on the screen Clara pointed excitedly, "Look! It's you!" She exclaimed and I laughed.
"Yes it is." I answered.
About fifteen minutes into the movie, I had finished her hair, and she made me pause it so I could take a picture from about fifteen different angles to show her. She absolutely loved it. I had done a braided crown, pulling out a few strands to frame her face.
"Now, you have a crown, just like a princess." I said and she smiled.
Two hours later, we were sitting in the living room on one of my paint-stained sheets I had brought, Clara in one of my paint shirts, throwing paint on the canvases I had brought. Well, Clara was throwing paint on a canvas. I was actually painting something, while 'The Beauty and the Beast' played on the TV.
While we were painting, the front door opened from the entry way, which the living room connected to. Clara sprung up and ran, "Sebby!" She yelled as she ran.
"Hey princess!" A very familiar, deep voice said with what sounded like a smile, "Why are you covered in paint? And who did your hair like this?" the voice asked.
I stood up and began walking to the entryway as Clara answered, "Ariel did it. And she brought paint! We're making pictures!" She said excitedly.
"That's nice. Whose Ariel? Your new babysitter?" He asked.
"Yeah. And she's really pretty. She looks like a princess!" Clara said just as I reached the doorway.
"Oh really, well..." He voice trailed off as I appeared in the doorway.
That was when I came face-to-face with the six-foot-one-inch, dark-haired, blue-eyed, narcissistic douchebag that was Lucas Hunter.
Of, fucking course.
He just had to fucking be Clara's brother. He was Sebby (wait, what the fuck did that mean). It would only work out that way in which one of the people I disliked the most would be the big brother of the sweetest little girl I had ever met. Isn't that how all the Hallmark, Lifetime, hell, even ABC Family movies went?
I escaped from the quickly deteriorating thoughts, back to the real world in which Lucas and I were staring at each other as Clara watched on, "Doesn't she look like a princess Sebby?" Clara asked.
His jaw clenched as I crossed my arms over my chest, daring him to say something, "A princess isn't what I would call it..." He said, trailing off, making me roll my eyes.
Clara didn't understand (thankfully) and just ran back into the living room, grabbing my had to drag me along as well, "Come on Ariel let's go paint more!" She exclaimed.
Once she was back in her position she yelled once more, "Sebby! Come and watch 'Beauty and the Beast' with us!"
"I don't know princess..." he was about to say something when Clara yelled again.
"Please?"
I could hear him sigh and a few seconds later he was walking into the living room, looking more than displeased.
I just smirked to myself as I continued painting, hiding it out of view from both the Hunters. Yeah, it sucked that Lucas was Clara's brother. But there was definitely several ways I could use this to my advantage...
A/N: Uh-oh spaghetti-oh. A wrench has been thrown into the plan. What's gonna happen??? Hope you like this update! Sorry it's a day late I was super busy yesterday!
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