Page 11 of My Orc Nanny

It sounded like the two little girls were used to going back and forth, so I wouldn’t concern myself. Instead, I arranged my bags on the counter. “Maybe some other time. Is your mom around?”

“Mom!” Tova bellowed up the stairs. “I’m going to Emmy’s! Aswan is here!”

I winced, hoping for a more subtle introduction.

Because the Hannah who came shuffling to the top of the stairs, her expression incredulous, wasnotwho I was expecting. Her hair—which yesterday had hung about her cheeks and shoulders in glorious waves—was tied up in a messy bun. She wore silk pajamas and was struggling to carry a squirming Joshua.

And the poor woman had two pieces of tissues shoved up her nostrils.

I knew the moment she remembered, because she whirled around and bent over—I was a horrible male for admiring her ass—to plop Joshua on the ground, snatch the tissues, shove them in her pockets, and pick him back up again before he could make an escape.

“Down, Mama!” he yelled, wriggling furiously.

In an effort to distract her from her embarrassment—she was adorable when she blushed—I tried a chuckle. “My little buddy’s feeling better, huh?”

“Um…” Swallowing, clearly uncertain, Hannah began to pick her way down the steps. “I gave him another dose of fever reducer this morning, although I’m trying to keep him low-key today.”

Wincing in sympathy, I met her halfway up the stairs to take the squirming toddler from her so she could focus on not tripping. “And you’re not feeling any better?”

“A little,” she sighed. “I don’t think it’s a major cold, but they always hit me hard.”

“Because you don’t take time to care for yourself,” I half-scolded over my shoulder as I carried her son toward the kitchen.

I don’t think I imagined her quiet, “I don’t havetimeto take care of myself.”

I stood Joshua on the tile. The little boy tipped his head back to stare up at me, so much so that he stumbled backward and plopped down on his butt. His blue eyes were wide, reminding me of his mother’s surprise.

“We’re going to warm up some soup for your mom,” I told him. “I need your help, okay?”

His solemn little nod was pretty damn cute. I handed him a wooden spoon and placed one of the dirty bowls from the sink in front of him. “Can you show me how to mix soup?”

As Joshua began to happily smack the bowl—and the tile, and himself—with the wooden spoon, I frowned at the sink. “And we’ll have to teach your siblings how to load their cereal bowls into the dishwasher,” I muttered.

“Sorry it’s so messy,” Hannah blurted, and I glanced up, surprised to still see her here.

“It’s not messy.” I made a shooing motion with my free hand. “Go lie down. I mean it. I’ll put away the groceries.”

“Aswan, I don’t work on the weekend. I need a nanny during the week.”

Something deep in my chest tightened, and I think my smile was overly bright to hide that fact. “Yeah, but youdoneed a friend. Seriously, I’ll work on lunch, and pick up in here, and I’ll keep the kids busy.”

“I—”

“I’ll bet another nap would do you good.” I was already focused on finding a place for the mozzarella cheese in the fridge. “And if it makes you feel less weird about accepting help from a friend, you could pay me for an extra day.”

“Fine.” It wasn’t until I heard her acquiescence that I realized how much I was hoping for it. “But save your receipts. Today’s and yesterday’s, and the brownies. I’m adding them into your paycheck.”

I didn’t need a paycheck; I needed to feeluseful. But since I was getting my way, I merely grunted and used my knee to block Joshua from climbing into the open fridge. “Buddy, if you want a cheese stick, just ask.”

“Cheese tick! Now!”

“Nowisn’t the magic word.”

“Abba-dabba! Magic cheese stick!”

By the time I quit chuckling and got him his snack, Hannah had snuck away. Hopefully to nap. I made a mental note to try to keep the noise down.

I’d decided to make pizzas for the kids’ lunches, after I’d put the soup on the stove to reheat. I was measuring out the flour when I heard light steps coming down the stairs. I was already turning toward the door when Benny’s voice came through.

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