Six Single Dads' Nanny (Love by Numbers 5)

I took the envelope, loving her adoration for my little girl. “I know that to be true and I haven’t even seen them yet.” I pulled them out and was smacked in the face with how adorable Nova looked standing on a pointed toe in her pink tutu. “Oh my god.”

“I know!” Jordan screeched, and Nova, who had legitimately drifted off standing up, popped awake. Jordan pet her head gently. “Oh, sorry baby.”

I set the envelope down on one of the tables, and then picked Nova up. Her head dropped against my shoulder and I could hear her snoozing in my ear a moment later. I looked at Jordan with pleading eyes.

“I’m just gonna tuck her into bed. We’ll have to have a big breakfast in the morning to make up for a missed dinner. Would you mind waiting a few minutes?” I asked. I saw Jordan’s eyes quickly dart to the clock on the wall, her mouth pursing to protest, but I cut in before she could. “Please. I just want to hear more about what I’ve been missing the past week and a half.” Jordan nodded with a smile and I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I’ll be right back. Please, make yourself at home in the kitchen. There’s a pot of spaghetti. I’ll be quick.”

Jordan shook her head. “Take your time. I’ll be here.”

I smiled at Jordan. It was nice having a caring woman around the house again. “Thanks.”

I took Nova upstairs to her bedroom and tucked her into her princess bed. She had an affinity for flash and fanciness, a girl after my own heart, and her room was drenched in all the magic of a Disney princess. She was already passed out before we got to the top of the stairs, so tucking her in was quick and easy. I put on some music, because she hated sleeping in silence, and then made my way back downstairs.

When I got back downstairs, Jordan’s backpack was sitting in the hall and I could hear the clatter of dishes in the kitchen. I was impressed. Normally, when you tell someone to make themselves at home, they don’t, but Jordan clearly had. I walked into the kitchen, and right as I turned the corner, I saw her with a tub of Nova’s dairy-free ice cream out, and she’d found the coffee liqueur and was pouring it over.

She looked up at me and her face started to turn tomato red. “Oh, um, I’m sorry, I just–”

I held a hand up. “Why are you apologizing? I told you to make yourself at home, and I’m glad you did. It’s nice to see you are as buttoned-up and straight-laced as it seems like.”

“Oh, well then, excuse me,” she replied and continued to dress her boozy ice cream.

I laughed and made my way into the kitchen and pulled down a bowl for myself. I set it on the counter, and Jordan immediately set to making me an ice cream bowl as well. I couldn’t remember the last time a woman had made something for me. I took my bowl, and we each sat on a stool, and set in to our pre-dinner treat.

“So, how are things with my girl?” I asked.

“She’s so great,” Jordan responded. “I know you know that, but I just adore her. She’s taking ballet so seriously, and her ballet teacher says that she’s showing a lot of promise. She told me to make sure that she keeps dancing as she gets older.”

“I’ve heard that before too. I’m glad it’s going well, she really seems to love it,” I said. “And the recital is next week, right?”

Jordan lit up. “Yeah, and did she tell you she got a solo?”

My jaw dropped. “What? No!”

“Yeah!” Jordan yelped. “I mean, why wouldn’t she? She’s clearly the best.”

“Clearly,” I responded and we both laughed.

“School seems to be going well, and she’s getting along well with all of her friends. You got a good one on your hands there, dad,” Jordan said. My skin heated at her calling me by ‘dad.’ I wanted her to call me ‘daddy.’

“I knew that already, but thank you so much for the update, I appreciate it. Things are slowing down at work a little bit, so I’m hopeful I’ll be able to see it more in person,” I said. “So… Tell me about you.”

“What about?” Jordan asked.

“I don’t know, siblings, hobbies, boyfriends?” I wasn’t purposely trying to fish for how she might feel about the other part of the nanny position that all the dads were hoping for.

“Uh, I have none of those things,” Jordan said with an adorable chuckle.

“None?” I responded.

“Well, I have no siblings, my parents could barely take care of the one they had. I mean my mom was amazing, but my dad abandoned us when I was a kid and she had to do it all on her own. She didn’t really trust men after that, so she didn’t really date or re-marry, and then I guess I hung onto that a little bit,” she explained.