Page 15 of Nanny Crush
She crawls out of the chair and runs to the living room to play.
I let out a long breath and massage my temples. The sooner the nanny can get here, the better.
I go through Xander’s backpack and find his midterm report. I glance at it. In kindergarten, they don’t get real grades. They get S’s for satisfactory and U’s for unsatisfactory. He has a few S’s under things likeshares well, willing to help others, andscissor control, but he has some U’s on things likeable to sit and listen for longer periods of time, behaves well, andlistens and follows directions. On the bottom there is a handwritten note:
Xander is very smart and has been doing a wonderful job on his classwork. He’s in the top of my class as far as grades go. However, he does need some work in the behavior department. He doesn’t like to sit at his desk and listen to me teach. He has trouble following direction, gets distracted by things around him, and when I do manage to keep him seated, I catch him daydreaming and gazing out of the window.
I shake my head. “Xander?”
“What?” he asks, walking into the room.
“Sit.”
The night finally winds down, and I manage to get the kids fed, cleaned up, and in bed. Finally, it’s time to get back to work. I fall into my desk chair and let out a long breath, tired but needing to work.
Sasha can’t arrive soon enough.
Chapter Seven
SASHA
It’s Sunday, the day I’m set to move into the Trenton household. All week I’ve worked to prepare for today. I talked to my landlord and let him know that I wouldn’t be renewing my lease. I got the utilities out of my name and packed my things. I had to rent a storage unit to store my furniture. The apartment is completely bare now, except for the boxes of my clothes, shoes, handbags, jewelry, and bathroom items. All the food in the kitchen has been sorted into piles. It’s either coming with me, has been eaten, or is getting thrown out due to being past its expiration date anyway.
I load my bags into my car, lock the door, and leave the key under the mat like I promised the landlord I’d do. I make the drive across town to the Trenton household. I pull into the drive, and the beauty of the house nearly takes my breath away. It’s a newer home, two stories with a front porch, neatly trimmed yard, and the most perfect landscaping I’ve ever seen. Along the foundation of the house are bushes and flowers growing in mulch and sectioned off by large rocks. The home is made up of a gray, almost marble-looking, brick and everything is trimmed in white. The house looks clean and classy, but also beautiful and welcoming.
I grab a few bags out of the car and start toward the door. I knock on the white, wooden door and wait. I highly doubt they can hear anything with the TV as loud as it is. Kids are screaming and there’s a loud crashing sound that makes me jump, and I’m not even inside the house. What is going on in there?
I ring the doorbell as I wonder if I made a mistake. It sounds like a zoo in there. There’s no going back now. I already gave up my apartment. The door opens and my eyes look down at the boy on the other side.
I plaster a smile on my face and drop down to one knee. “Hi, Xander. Do you remember me? I’m Sasha, your new nanny.”
He doesn’t respond. Instead, he just turns and walks back into the house, leaving the door wide open for me. With the door open, the sounds from inside are even louder. I stand up and walk through the foyer into the living room. The couch cushions have been pulled off the couch and toys are all over the place. Saying it’s a wreck is an understatement. I find the remote on the table and lower the volume on the TV.
“Hey,” Xander says from his spot on the couch cushion on the floor.
“It’s too loud,” I tell him, setting the remote back down.
With the volume on the TV lowered, I can hear another mess going on in the kitchen. I walk toward it and Maddy pops up out of her toy box, scaring me and making me jump. My hand covers my heart, but I ignore her as I walk into the kitchen.
Liam is standing at the stove. Phone in one hand, spatula in the other. He’s so engrossed in his phone call that he doesn’t notice the smoke rising up from the pan. I drop my bags into the floor and rush over to him. I take the spatula and turn off the burner, flipping the burnt grilled cheese onto a nearby plate. I grab a towel and start to fan the smoke away as I turn the fan on above the stove.
He hangs up and looks at me with relief. “Thank you, that was work.”
I turn to face him. “What’s going on in here? I could hear this house from the street. The TV was blaring, kids were screaming, there was a horrible crashing sound…”
He just shrugs. “Welcome to hell.” He smirks. “Anyway, lunch is done. I really need to get up to my office and get back to work. The kids usually eat dinner at six, bath at seven, bed at eight. Let me know if you need anything, but please don’t need anything.” Without another word, he rushes off, leaving me alone in the mess he created.
I let out a long breath and shift into emergency mode. First things first: lunch. No way can I serve that rock hard, blackened grilled cheese to those kids. I throw his lunch away and make my own. I cut the grilled cheese into stars and hearts, slice an apple to split between the two of them, and pour them a glass of juice.
“Kids, come eat lunch,” I call.
Moments later, both children walk into the kitchen and take their spots at the table. I help Maddy into her highchair and then place their plates and drinks in front of them.
“Wow! I got a star!” Xander says, picking up his grilled cheese and taking a bite.
“Heart! Heart!” Maddy says, shoving it into her mouth.
I laugh and lean against the island, taking a moment to catch my breath. What have I gotten myself into?
