Page 9 of The Nanny and the Nerd
“A match?” she echoed.
“I told you, Penny,” Madelyn replied, her expression dead serious. “I’m in the fate business. Life is a series of matches and mismatches. Wouldn’t you agree?”
It was an astute observation.
“Either something fits, or it doesn’t,” she answered.
Madelyn slid the card across the table, then stood and gathered her bag. “On that card, you’ll find my direct line. There’s a website address and code that will allow you to access information on the Nanny Match Agency. But Penny,” the woman added cautiously.
“Yes?” she breathed.
“My client is eager to begin the trial period immediately. He’s in dire need of assistance.”
“I see,” Penny answered, staring at Madelyn’s business card emblazoned with a sleek black stroller. It made sense. Strollers meant kids—and in her case, a kid with a single male caregiver. That could be interesting.
“I believe this is a good match for you. But you’re the one who will have to decide if you’ll accept this opportunity.”
“I’ll let you know,” Penny answered softly, surprised she was even considering it.
“I’m sure you will, dear. But I must disclose that I’m in talks with other candidates. Don’t wait too long, or your match could pass you by,” the woman added, then glided out of the coffee shop. She moved seamlessly through the crowd like a ghost before turning the corner and disappearing into the city.
That was something!
A nanny match! It never occurred to her to apply for a position in childcare. Did she want to live in someone else’s home—with a strange man and his child? To be fair, not much could get worse than her current living situation. But still, could she do it? And had that bizarre meeting really happened?
She tapped the shoulder of a woman sitting at a nearby table. “Hi, there! Quick question?”
The lady removed her earbuds and frowned. “Do I know you?”
“No, but I need you to confirm something,” Penny replied. Half of Denver thought she’d lost it. What was one more person? She had to make sure she hadn’t hallucinated the whole thing and suffered a post sacking, boob sweat-induced delirium.
“I’ll try,” the woman replied.
“Yes or no? Was there a fancy woman with a red scarf sitting across from me like two minutes ago?”
“Yeah, the lady with that killer Birkin bag,” the woman replied.
Penny slapped the table. “I knew it was real!” She gazed down at the confused woman. “Sorry, have a nice day,” she added, then grabbed her tote and headed for her car. She couldn’t set foot in the Crystal Cricket to tell Charlotte. No, she could call Libby and Harper. They could help her decide what to do. She turned the corner and spied her Jeep in the lot.Oh no!She groaned at the sight of a ticket tucked beneath her wiper blades. Dang it! She’d forgotten to pay for parking.
Third offense.
$500 fine.
She banged her head on the side of her Jeep. “I. Am. An. Idiot!” She leaned against the side of the car, contemplating the unraveling of her life at the tender age of five and twenty, then removed Madelyn’s card from her pocket.
Nanny Match.
Inquiries by Referral Only
Madelyn had penned her phone number and the code that gave her access to the Nanny Match site on the back.
This was nuts! She couldn’t do this. She didn’t know that lady from a hole in the wall. And yet, there was something familiar about the woman—a warmth that gave her an ethereal glow.
The ticket flapped in the breeze against her windshield as she spun the slim card between her fingers. She should toss the card in the garbage can. There was one across the street. She should write off this peculiar proposal as an interesting ending to an epically craptastic day.
And yet…
Three
