Page 9 of The Accidental Nanny
“Business is good, thank you,” I reply courteously. “And yourself?”
“We’ve just expanded the company and started a new online advertising division for small businesses.”
I feign interest in what he is saying. I don’t realise he has stopped talking to me until there is a complete silence.
"Actually, I want to ask you about your sister, Gemma.”
“What has she done now?” His tone changes. He becomes stiff and looks like he is ready for bad news. That isn't a good sign.
“Nothing, she gave me her card. I’m after a nanny. I’m working long hours, and I have two young children. She told me to contact her, she said she could help. Does your sister have any qualifications with children?”
Brody breaks into a massive smile. “Very much so. She loves children,” he says. "She's excellent with them. She did a full course and worked at a nursery. You'd be contacting the right person if you're looking for a nanny, if I do say so myself."
"That’s high praise considering I was told you two didn’t get along," I comment.
"We have our differences, mostly childish things, you know? However, I support my sister wholeheartedly in her career choice."
He looks so pleased with himself. "Great, thank you for your input. I'll take it under advisement."
"She's looking for a new job at the moment," he says quickly. "But I'm sure someone will snap her up."
"I'll keep that in mind," I say before nodding and walking away.
I make my way home, and when I walk through the front door, exhaustion settles on my shoulders. Eden is fast asleep on the sofa, and Mum is dozing in the armchair beside her. They look peaceful, and I’m sad to wake Mum.
“Hi, how was it?” she asks. “She wouldn’t go to bed. She was waiting for you,” she says, rising from the chair with a light groan.
“Thanks, Mum. I think I found a nanny for the children. I’ll message her in the morning. She’s exactly what Eden requested,” I inform her.
“Does she have any qualifications?” Mum asks, looking a little worried. "That's awfully quick to find someone."
“Apparently so. I spoke to her brother and he instilled some confidence in me.” I yawn, covering my mouth.
“She’ll need to have a DBS check. You know her brother could be biased.”
I look around the house and notice it is spotless.
“I know. I’ll do the check. You didn't have to clean the house. Will you be staying tonight?” I ask. "I can set up the spare room."
“No, your father is picking me up. Love you, son,” she says, coming over and giving me a kiss on my cheek.
“Love you, Mum.”
My parents live close by, so I wait outside for her until I know my father has arrived. Going back inside, I pick up Eden in my arms. Her soft snores turn into one loud snort.
“Daddy! You’re home. Can I sleep with you?” she mumbles, her eyes half open.
“Sure, buttercup. I found you a nanny, just like you asked for,” I whisper in her ear. "I'm going to see if she's good enough for you."
“Really?” she murmurs.
“Yes.” Walking her into my room, I place her in the bed, she is fast asleep again.
I undress, getting my pyjamas on. Eden is already in astarfish shape, leaving me to perch on the edge of the bed. This was going to be another restless night, like the many other times Eden has slept in my bed since Julia left. No matter how many times she starts off in her own room, she always ends up with me.
Grabbing my phone, I make sure it’s silent. It takes a while, but I find what I’m looking for—Gemma’s account. I want to see what type of things she posts, to get a feel for her. I’m greeted with videos of her and music in the background, she doesn’t seem to talk in any of them. Then one video stops me. She’s in a barely there white bikini on a luxury yacht, with the sun setting in the background. Not very appropriate. I begin to question if I should contact her or not.
It's not long before I’m up, I only had the one beer, but my head feels like I was at an all-night drinking party. The kids are eating their breakfast at the table. Ace is on his iPad, and Eden is watching cartoons. I take my phone out of my jeans pocket. Gemma’s card is on the kitchen unit where I put it last night.
