A Celebration Christmas

Lily watched the trio running around the yard, playing what looked like a game of tag. At the moment, the kids showed no traces of sadness. Still, her heart broke for them. She hadn’t been much older than they looked when her own parents were killed in a car accident. Her one silver lining had been that her maternal grandmother had taken her in and raised her. Her mother had been an only child. So she and her grandmother shared more of a mother-daughter relationship, filling the void for each other the best that they could. At least they’d had each other until she’d died. She’d been gone almost two years now.

Lily had always felt loved and safe and wanted with her. Dr. Dunlevy obviously cared about the well-being of his charges, but she couldn’t help wondering what the kids must be going through. To be so young and dependent.

Or maybe the innocence of youth protected them? She hoped so.

Lily settled herself on the edge of the sofa. Dr. Dunlevy sat across from her on the closest chair. With his elbows on the armrests, he steepled his fingers and gazed at her for a moment, as if he were collecting his thoughts.

Finally he said, “Lily Palmer, I’m glad you don’t scare easily. Please tell me you know how to make order out of chaos.”

She sat up straighter, unsure how to answer that question.

He laughed. “Even if you don’t, you come highly recommended.”

“That’s very nice to know.”

She held up a finger. “I have a résumé for you.” She slid a folio out of her shoulder bag and retrieved a résumé and list of references. He gave it a once-over.

“Have you had any experience as a nanny in the past?”

“Actually I haven’t. No nanny experience per se, but as I said, I’m a second-grade schoolteacher.”

“I suppose that’s like being a full-time nanny to a bunch of kids,” he said.

She nodded. “Pretty much.”

“Let’s see,” he said as he continued to read the rundown of her career history. Suddenly, he put down the paper. “What would you do with four spirited kids? How would you care for them?”

“I would keep them busy, of course. But first you and I would need to discuss your expectations for them.”

Cullen nodded and rubbed his temples. “I’m glad you brought that up. I’m not going to lie. They’re a handful. They’re good kids. Their father was my best friend. But since the loss of their parents, they seem to be working through their grief by acting out. They are the reason my housekeeper quit.”

“I’m very sorry for your loss. The loss of your friend, I mean.”

Of course he knew what she meant. He wouldn’t think she was consoling him over the loss of his housekeeper.

Would he?

Ugh. She felt her cheeks heat. Why was she suddenly so nervous?

Her words hung in the air between them for a few awkward beats.

“Thank you. The kids seem to be resilient, but they have been a challenge. I wanted to be up-front with you about it. It’s better that I tell you exactly what to expect than to have you walk out on us like Angie did.”

Lily squinted at him. “What do you mean, Dr. Dunlevy?”

“Please call me Cullen. There’s no need for formalities.”

“Okay. Cullen. Did Angie interact with the children?”

“As little as possible. Her main objective was to come in and do her housework. She was my housekeeper for a number of years. With the kids here, it was difficult.”

“No disrespect to Angie—I’m sure she’s great at what she does,” said Lily. “But in my experience, when a child acts up, it’s usually a sign that he or she is looking for attention. I would imagine that the kids feel displaced and frightened after losing their parents. I would keep them busy doing fun activities. When kids are busy, they don’t have a lot of time to get into trouble. And they tend to sleep better at night because they’re tired.”

“Would you be willing to get out in the yard and run around with them like that?” He hiked a thumb toward the windows.

“Absolutely. Unless it’s too cold or the weather is bad. And then there are lots of things we can do inside, like holiday baking and decorating for Christmas.”