was familiar with—living through a life that hadn’t been so kind.
“I am. Becky, it’s nice to finally meet you.”
My heart stutter-stopped in my chest, and when he spoke, it felt as though I’d been pumped with a hundred shots of adrenaline.
I didn’t know if it was anxiety for the interview that had my palms sweating or because Charles was insanely attractive.
Charles
When she placed her hand in mine, I noticed how soft her fingers were, how fragile, how gentle her hand was, but that was nothing compared to her stunning green eyes, the color of emeralds. Her delicate outward appearance was contradictory to what I read behind her eyes—a strength and power behind her stare.
I cleared my throat, noting we were standing there a few seconds too long, our hands locked, and I hadn’t said more than two words.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, dropping my hand from hers. “Patty has told us a lot about you.”
One thing Patty had said spot-on was that Becky was attractive, not in an over-the-top way, but in the lightness in her features—her dirty-blonde hair, the shape of her face and her button nose.
She had this shiny, shimmery stuff on her lips, almost the color of a warm peach.
I swallowed.
Hard.
I tore my gaze back up to meet her eyes and blew out a steady breath. Something about her beauty struck me stupid and speechless. I was shocked at my instant attraction to her. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate the beauty of the women around me, in the office or walking downtown for lunch, but I was never one to take a second glance.
Her face was delicately carved, her mouth small, her lips full. It was in the simplicity of her beauty that I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
Mason placed her bags by the stairs. “Patty can show you to your room, but do you want to get started with the interview first?”
Brad groaned and rolled his eyes. “Can you let the girl sit or relax or even take a piss after her long bus ride?”
“The girls are waiting,” Mason snapped at our brother, and then he averted his stare because I shot him a look of warning. “Unless you want to rest for a bit, and I understand that too. I’ll leave it up to you.”
“No, it’s fine.” Her voice shook with a nervousness that I could easily pick up on. “We can get the tough part out of the way.”
She wiped her hands on the front of her jeans, and my immediate reaction was to lean into her and tell her not to be nervous.
When she smiled, it lit up her whole face, and it lightened my insides.
I scratched at my day-old stubble, wishing I had shaved today. And suddenly, I felt underdressed as I glanced down at my jeans and fitted shirt. I should have worn something more professional even though we were having the interview at home.
Becky followed Mason and Brad to our dining room, where Mary had set up a station of stuffed animals on the long glass table and where Sarah sat right beside her with her journal.
“Girls,” Patty began, motioning to Becky beside her, “this is Becky, my friend.”
Patty beckoned the girls over, and after they approached, they each shook Becky’s hand.
The way Becky’s face lit up had me inching forward. Her smile was infectious, and I found the corner of my mouth tugging upward.
“Patty has told me tons about you girls.” She ducked down, placing her hands on her knees, getting into the girls’ line of sight, shrinking to their mini sizes. “That you, Mary, love everything slime and Play-Doh, that you especially love making food from it.”
Then, she turned to my overly cautious Sarah. With one look, I could tell my daughter was already assessing her.
“And you love Minecraft, Legos, and journaling.”
“I do like building things,” Sarah responded, sporting a cautious smile.
“And I also like to play doctor,” Mary piped up, getting in Becky’s face, obviously wanting all the attention back on her.
“That’s amazing, Mary. I love taking care of people, so I consider myself a pseudo doctor of sorts.” She winked.
I took in their interaction, which was natural, different from this past weekend, where the interaction between the kids and potential nannies had seemed forced, rehearsed.
For the first time since this whole finding a new nanny debacle had started, a sliver of hope pushed through.
When Mary took Becky’s hand in hers, I knew that she’d already won my daughter. But Sarah’s quiet