Page 6 of Massive Size Mountain Man
“Sorry about the interruption,” he says in a deep voice before seating himself on a chair at the table. “Won’t happen again.”
“Oh no, it’s fine,” I say. “I’m here at your beck and call.”
Mr. Carrington’s eyebrows immediately go up because I realize I just made myself sound like a harem girl, but what can you do? The words are already out of my mouth and I smile lamely while flushing. Damn, this man makes me lose myself and I’ve only been in his presence for a few minutes. But then Liam clears his throat and grins.
“So tell me a little about yourself, Avalon. How did you get into babysitting? How long have you been babysitting?”
Oh shit. I didn’t do much preparation for my fake role as a nanny, and smile insipidly.
“Um, oh well, I’ve been babysitting for a long time. Since I was ten actually,” I say.
“Ten!” the alpha male replies, looking genuinely surprised. “That’s very young. Were you babysitting a younger sibling, do you mean?”
Oh shit, I’ve already said the wrong thing. I smile weakly, shaking my head.
“No, I mean, maybe around ten. Maybe it was eleven or twelve, and I did it through my Girl Scout troop,” I fib. “We did a module on babysitting, and that’s where I picked up arts and crafts projects for kids, as well as how to soothe them to sleep.”
Liam nods thoughtfully.
“What kind of arts and crafts do you do with the children?”
At least I have an answer for this.
“Oh, crochet and lanyards. Maybe even some cookie baking.”
Liam nods.
“Do you do that with the little boys as well?”
I nod quickly.
“Oh yes! Little boys can be very interested in cooking and baking, and of course, eating cookies. They’re into that for sure, although some of the older ones are more into sports. We also play sports together,” I babble.
“I see,” Liam hums, his expression a bit amused. “What kind of sports?”
“All kinds!” I say. “Pick up basketball, soccer, softball, almost anything. But not contact football,” I say with a mock frown. “That’s way too dangerous.”
Liam nods, the corner of his mouth quirking up as if he’s trying to repress a smile.
“How about tantrums?” he asks in a smooth tone. “What do you do when a child throws a tantrum? It’s unfortunate to admit, but my daughter Ellie still does it with some regularity at age five, and my older daughter, Madison, occasionally throws a fit too. It’s regrettable because Maddie’s already nine, but there you go. Both of my daughters can sometimes fly off the handle. I’ve been working with them on it, but the five year old is almost impossible to talk sense into. The nine year old is better, but she still loses control sometimes.”
I pause, my mind whirling, because no one said anything about this man having two kids! I was told he had a little girl with him at the cabin, and I assumed it was the child of five. But are there actually two little girls sharing the second bedroom? I glance quickly at the closed door, but there’s still no sound.
Oh shit, how do I approach this. I try to think on the fly, and smile confidently.
“Well, of course the approach depends on the child and their individual personality,” I say. “With the five year old, I might offer her some ice cream or sweets to calm down. With the nine, well, maybe some extra screen time, or maybe I’ll offer to buy her a special lip gloss or nail polish as a treat.”
Liam frowns.
“Maddie doesn’t wear make-up,” he growls. “She’s too young for that.”
“Oh, I can get her something else then,” I improvise quickly. “Maybe I’ll braid her hair as a treat.”
“Maddie has short hair,” he adds, looking skeptical. “You might be able to do a ponytail, but a braid is probably a no go.”
Damn, I’m really failing this interview.
“I’ll figure out something,” I say. “There must be something she likes.”
