Page 8 of Hello Doctor

He gave me an embarrassed look. “Maya.”

Again, she kept her gaze on the TV.

Pulling up an app on his phone, he tapped a button and the TV screen went black.

“HEY!” she whined, looking at him.

Fletcher gestured at me, a strain to his voice. “This is Liv. Rhett’s little sister. She’s going to be your new nanny.”

I smiled warmly at her and waved, but Maya gave me a massive stink eye.

“She looks old,” Maya sneered.

My lips parted in a shocked smile, but I quickly recovered, trying to act like the comment was no big deal. “I know, thirty seemed like a million years old when I was a kid too.”

Seeming thrown off that I wasn’t upset, Maya said, “Can I watch TV now?”

Fletcher let out a quiet sigh. “Sure.” He flicked it back on and said to me, “I’ll give you a tour.”

While he walked me back to the bedrooms, he said, “Sorry about that. She doesn’t like meeting new people.”

I batted my hand at him. “I’m sure she thinks I’m just another nanny who’s going to disappear after a day or two.”

The guilty look on his face told me I was exactly right.

We stopped at a bedroom door showing the most beautiful girl’s room I’d ever seen. It had a canopy bed, a hammock full of stuffed animals, a bookshelf lined with hardcover titles, and a little swing anchored to the ceiling.

“Oh my gosh, Fletch, this room is amazing,” I said, looking around. “Everything a little girl could want.”

With a bashful smile, he said, “I wanted her to feel at home here.”

“What about your room?” I asked, turning toward the other doors in the hallway. “Do you have a twisty slide hidden in there or something?”

“Oh, you don’t have to...” His voice trailed off as I stepped into what looked like the master bedroom.

Except it was completely the opposite of Maya’s room. There were boxes stacked along the wall, a simple bed in the middle of the room, a dresser and... that’s it. No color. No photos. No art or decorations orwarmth.

I turned and gave Fletcher a confused look. “You know you live here too, right?”

He frowned slightly before saying, “The guesthouse is much nicer. Let me show you.”

6

Fletcher

The back of my neck felt hot as I walked Liv across the lawn to the guesthouse. She’d been here for all of two minutes and had already seen straight through me. After all I’d done, I didn’t deserve to make myself a priority right now.

She interrupted my thoughts, saying, “I bet you’re excited to spend the summer out here.”

I smiled, looking around at the yard. It was one of the things that made me want to buy this place as opposed to something in town. I thought having swings and a trampoline to play on would help us spend more time together. But all Maya wanted to do lately was watch TV or ask me for a million and one snacks while I unpacked. “I hope we make it through the summer,” I admitted. “Maybe next year Maya will be more settled and able to enjoy it better.”

Liv made a noncommittal sound I didn’t question.

We reached the cottage, and I pushed the door open, flicking the lights on. It was a modest studio-style house with a bed in one corner, a living area in another corner, then the kitchen and dining room on the opposite side with a small bathroom in the back. The decorations were understated, and the shiplap ceiling with dark wood beams gave it character.

“It’s not huge,” I said, “but you’re welcome to spend most of your time in the main house, even if you’re technically off the clock.”

Liv put her hand on my shoulder, stalling my words. The heat from her touch caught me off guard. “This is adorable. Way cuter than the company apartment I had with the feedlot.” She walked ahead of me, gazing around at space. I hoped money I invested here on furniture and decorations helped Liv want to stay.

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