Page 1 of My Orc Nanny

Chapter One

Hannah

I wasn’t goingto make it.

Dramatic? Yes, but each morning was a struggle to keep my shit together in this chaos. I was in desperate need of help, and I wasn’t going to get it.

You always get maudlin when one of your babies is sick. Today is just like any other stressful school morning.

Huzzah.

Joshua sniffled pitifully against my shoulder, his mop of brown curls limp from the fever, Mr. BunBun tucked up against his side. I knew he was rubbing snot all over my shoulder, and I berated myself for wearing my good silk blouse for today’s meeting.

“Benny, are you ready?” I yelled from the living room, rushing about, trying to find my other heel. Iswearit hadbeen right here. I’d had to drop them both to pick up Joshua, because at almost three, he wasn’t nearly as tiny as he used to be. “Benny, we’re going to be late.”

“I don’t care,” my oldest hollered back from upstairs. “The school doesn’t care either.”

“Oh, the school most definitely cares, young man!” I had enough notes from them to prove it. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Joshua whimpered again, and I ran my hand up and down his back, trying to soothe him. “I know, babybear. We’ll get your brother and sister to school, and we’ll figure something out, okay?”

Although what, I didn’t know. Daycare wouldn’t take him with a fever. Mom’s chemo appointments meant that I couldn’t risk compromising her with toddler germs. And my boss wasn’t going to be happy if I called out again…

“Mom?” Tova wandered in from the kitchen, one of her braids already coming undone. I swear that child gets into more mischief before eight a.m. than most children do in a week. “Where are the brownies?”

“Aha!” I crowed, bending to scoop up my other shoe triumphantly. “What brownies?”

“The ones for my class today. Everyone was supposed to bring in a treat, and I told them you make the best brownies. Did you make them?”

My chest clenched, and I turned incredulous eyes toward my daughter, both heels dangling forgotten. “And you didn’t think you ought to tellmethis? Tova, you need themtoday?”

She shrank back. “I thought Ms. Rios told you.”

Oh no. I shut my eyes helplessly. “I…I can’t make you brownies, honey. There’s not enough time. If you’d mentioned it yesterday…”

“I’m sorry, Mommy,” she whimpered, and I opened my eyes in time to drop the shoes again and catch her as she threw herself at me.

“Oof! It’s okay, honeybear.” Now I was soothing two children. “I’ll figure something out.” I always did, after all. “Maybe we could stop by Meli’s Bake Shoppe on the way to…”Figuring out what to do with your brother.

On my shoulder, the toddler hiccupped, and I knew he must be in bad shape if he didn’t even fuss louder. While I was trying to think of what I could grab from the store for Tova, my brain was also whirling, trying to guess what Joshua’s symptoms meant. A cold, a new tooth, something worse?

Oh God. I resisted the urge to close my eyes in defeat.This was easier when Travis was here.

Was it, though?

My ex was a warm body in the house, sure. But what would he be doing in this situation?

He’d be sitting on the couch, high as a kite, eating junk food and spitting crumbs everywhere.

Yeah, but having another adult would mean I could hand Joshua off to him or tell him to drive Tova and Benny to school, at least.

But would he? Maybe five years ago he could’ve managed, but the drugs made him an unsafe driver.

Oh yes, there was that.

I sighed.

My life had certainly become more difficult since my divorce, but at least now, I only had to worry aboutthreeimmature humans instead of four.

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