Bundle of Joy

Little does she know I don’t even keep things in there because it smells like moth balls, I think. Joke’s on her.

But I’m too stunned by what just happened to say anything in response, and it doesn’t even matter, because she quickly hangs up.

Woah.

I guess the conversation was inappropriate – I already knew that, which is why I was trying to get Michelle to shut up – and I guess I can even see how it could be grounds for dismissal. But I’ve always been a good employee and have no other issues on my record so I feel upset that she wouldn’t even get my side of the story.

Then I realize I’ve been so busy being mad that this happened that I haven’t even thought about how it did happen or could have happened.

Did Michelle get in trouble and blame me instead, or try to drag me down with her?

Does the ski resort have surveillance I don’t know about?

I tell myself it doesn’t matter, anyway. Now my decision about whether or not to work as Daniel’s nanny has been made for me. And maybe that’s a good thing.

Finally I’m thinking with my head instead of my heart, but only out of necessity. Now that I truly need money.

I pick up the phone and call him.

“Catharine!” he says, as if he’s glad to hear from me.

But he doesn’t sound very surprised.

Probably because he’s cocky and just assumed I would call soon.

Whatever.

I really need another job, apparently. I need to pay rent on my apartment and that’s not cheap in New York.

Plus, I already knew he was cocky, and liked him anyway, so what was I expecting?

“Daniel. I’m going to go ahead and take you up on that job offer.”

“Good,” he says, and I can practically see his grin through the phone line. “Charlie will be glad to hear it. And I have to admit that I am, too. Let me give you my address and I’ll see you tomorrow at ten in the morning, if that’s not too soon of a starting date and time?”

There are butterflies making snow angels in my stomach as I say, “Okay, see you then.”

Chapter 5

Daniel

When Catharine shows up, Charlie is already being a brat.

“I don’t want another nanny!” he is shouting, while having a full-on melt-down.

I’m so embarrassed I hurriedly apologize to Catharine, promising her that he isn’t normally this bad. Bad, yes, but not this bad.

“It’s fine,” she says, with a smile on her face. “I bet the little guy just needs to get out some pent-up energy. He also seems pretty tired. Has he been sleeping well?”

“Not really,” I admit, although I want to ask her to define “well” because he never sleeps that great.

“Hey, Charlie, do you want to make snow angels outside?” she asks him.

I look dubiously at Charlie for his response, which I suspect will be something along the lines of throwing an even bigger temper tantrum at any further suggestions. Instead, though, his face lights up.

“Yes!” he calls out. “I love snow angels!”

“You’re a genius,” I tell Catharine.

“No, I just happen to love snow angels myself,” she responds.

I head upstairs to start getting ready for work, shaking my head at how much better this arrangement is working out already than I thought. When I come back down, I find Charlie fast asleep on the couch.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about him needing sleep,” I tell Catharine.

“Making snow angels tired him out,” she says. “He had fun, though.”

“Is that so?”

She’s looking at me expectantly, and I can’t help but move closer towards her, wondering if I should kiss her.

I know it’s better to refrain from mixing work and pleasure, but I just can’t seem to help it.

“Woah!” she says, pulling back from my very obvious gesture closer to her, but only slightly. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Sorry,” I tell her, even though I’m really not. “But you looked like maybe you were expecting something; I just must have been off base about what.”

“Yeah, a thank you would have sufficed,” she laughs.

“Thank you,” I tell her. “Sincerely. I really appreciate how you stepped in on your first day and figured out how to help. You must be some kind of Kid Whisperer.”

I can’t help but notice that she is the one who is moving closer to me now, while I’m saying this. Now she’s pressed up against me and I’m getting hard.

I feel like she expects something again, but for real this time. And I have never been a man to pass up on opportunity. Instead, I take whatever I want, and right now I want her. I kiss her, passionately, a lot more passionately than I would kiss any other woman for the first time, but she eagerly kisses me back just as passionately for a second before we break away to nuzzle our noses together like two middle schoolers.