is everything to me. I helped raise my siblings, always trying to set the best example for them. With some it worked, with others not so much. I may not have the work experience you’re looking for on paper, but I know what to do when a baby is crying. I know kids can be a pain as much as they can be a blessing. But at the end of the day, all they need is love. The rest just kind of falls into place.”
She beamed, smiling big and wide. The expression illuminating her face again. “How do you feel about overnight stays? I’ve been staying with the kids at night, but I will be needing a replacement soon.”
The parents don’t come home?
“That won’t be a problem.”
“How about cooking and cleaning?”
“I love to cook. It’s one of my favorite things to do. Cleaning too. It actually relaxes me.”
“Yeah, Bailey too.”
“Bailey is the mom?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“Will I be mee—”
Dismissing my question, she gazed down, shuffling through a manila file of papers. “In case of an emergency, are you CPR certified?”
“Certified, no. But I do know how to perform CPR if needed.”
“No worries, it won’t be a problem to get your certification. I’ll have Aiden’s RN get me the information.”
“Aiden is—”
“Possibly your new boss,” she interrupted, locking eyes with me. “Dr. Aiden Pierce.”
That explains the huge house and expensive looking … everything.
“He’s the Chief of Surgery at Docher Memorial Hospital in Southport. It says here you’re in nursing school? Aiden will love that.”
“Yeah. I love helping people. It’s just who I am.”
From the look on Skyler’s face, she liked me, and the emotion was very much mutual.
“How about we continue this interview while I show you around?”
“That’d be great.” I stood, straightening my long, flowy skirt before grabbing my bag from the floor. Calmly trying to hide my excitement of possibly getting the job, as I followed close behind her. Listening intently, while my eyes wandered with each step I took around the massive estate. Taking it all in.
The home was a disaster.
Toys, video games, clothes, anything and everything was scattered all over the floors with no end in sight. Piles of laundry covered the couches, food, and God knows what else, laid freely on the kitchen counters and dining table as if it’d been sitting there for days. Layers upon layers of dust coated the furniture and baseboards like they hadn’t been wiped down in ages.
My small rundown apartment may have been falling apart at the seams, but it was clean. There was no way I could live like this. How such a beautiful home that someone obviously worked so hard for and allowed it to go to shit was mind-blowing to me.
I couldn’t believe my eyes, seeing a life I didn’t know existed. But under all the clutter I could still picture the beauty this home once held.
Starting from the expensive looking red front door, to the white picket fence, and the sunflowers all around. To the inside of the home where there was a grand staircase, contemporary furniture, and gorgeous marble floors throughout. The entire floorplan was exquisite.
This home was breathtaking. Anyone could see that.
A lot of time and devotion was put into every detail, down to the accent pillows on the sofas, and the accessories, such as a simple candle that read Home Sweet Home on the coffee table. To the profound love I could physically feel through the walls. Though there was something else circulating through the air.
A void so crippling.
So consuming.
So real.
I felt it down to my bones, down to the core of my being. Causing shivers to stir on every inch of my skin, making the ends of my hair stand straight up.
What the hell was that?
“Please excuse the mess,” Skyler remarked, bringing my attention to her. “It wasn’t always like this.”
What did she mean by that?
“Between the boys and the baby girl, things have been hectic to say the least. I’m pregnant, and there’s only so much I can help with. That’s why I’m interviewing candidates for a full-time nanny position and part-time housekeeper. The kids need it as much as this house does.”
“I can see that.”
“Aiden works a lot and Bailey… she’s not here so…” She shook her head. “The family needs help.”
“When is she coming back?”
She cleared her throat. “It’s not my place to say anything about anything,” she anxiously let out. “Just know you’re needed here, desperately. But in the meantime, you’ll deal directly with me. At least for now.”