Page 1 of Nanny for Grumpy Grant
1
IVY
Ididn’t mean to come back here. Not really.
But here I am, curled up on the front porch swing of my parents’ farmhouse, watching the heat ripple over the fields like the earth itself is exhaling. Everything smells like hay and wildflowers and memory. The wind chimes tinkle just like they did when I was fifteen and dreaming of the day I’d leave this place behind.
And now? Twenty-five, unemployed, semi-humiliated, and back in my childhood bedroom. So, yeah. Not exactly thriving.
“You look like you just got dumped by a country song,” Caleb says, stepping onto the porch with two beers in hand.
I glance up at him and pull my hoodie tighter around me. “You’re a terrible therapist.”
He grins, and the sun catches the golden stubble along his jaw. Caleb Carter has always been annoyingly good-looking—rugged in that effortless, mountain-town way. Tousled dark-blond hair,warm brown eyes, tan forearms dusted with trail dirt. He smells like pine and gasoline and fresh air.
And of course, he has no idea the effect he has. Or maybe he does and just pretends not to.
“Not a therapist,” he says, handing me one of the bottles. “Just a guy with beer and great timing.”
I hesitate. “It’s the middle of the day,” I say. “Some people are still at work, you know.”
He rolls his eyes. “And you’re already brooding. Impressive.”
I take the beer and hold it, cool against my palms. “So what brings you by? Here to deliver tough love and unsolicited advice?”
He drops into the chair across from me and stretches out his legs, ankle hooked over knee. “Maybe. Depends. You gonna tell me what really happened in Portland?”
I exhale through my nose. “I quit.”
“You mean you flung your ID badge across the office and dramatically exited the building after someone insulted your outfit and spilled coffee on your laptop?”
I squint at him. “Did Ben tell you that?”
He shrugs, smirking. “I have sources.”
“I quit after my boss told me I wasn’t ‘on brand’ anymore,” I mutter. “And my roommate adopted another cat. Which peed in my suitcase.”
He winces. “That’s dark.”
“You don’t even know,” I say, thinking about the real reason: my boss was also my ex. We broke up after I found out he was seeing someone else. After that, he kept finding flaws with my work. Honestly, I had never been passionate about the job in the first place. So I decided to walk away.
Caleb stares at me for a second, probably waiting for me to say more, but he doesn’t press. And I’m grateful for that.
We fall into an easy rhythm, sipping beer as the noon sun beats down, warm and golden. The light is stronger now, splashing sharp angles across the barn and making the grass glow a vivid green. It’s almost annoyingly beautiful out here. Silvercreek always was. I just never thought I’d end up back in it.
“So,” Caleb says eventually. “What’s the plan?”
“Plan is to panic silently and apply for jobs I don’t want.”
“Solid. Foolproof.”
“I’m not working at the diner again. I swear, if someone asks me if the apple pie is ‘house made’ one more time, I will physically combust.”
He chuckles, and I hate that it makes my stomach flutter.This is Caleb. I remind myself.Ben’s best friend. Practically family.
Except not.
“Good. Because I’ve got a better option.”
