Page 3 of Whisper Sweet Nothings
“Why didn’t you meet her at the house? Doesn’t she need a place to live? I thought you were going to offer up your casita? It wouldn’t be a bad thing to have someone at the house if you getcalled out to a meeting,” she said. “Dad and I feel terrible when we travel that we aren’t there to help you.”
“Mom, you do plenty. It’s all good.”
“But I know you’re expanding the office and growing your business, and you can’t do it all, Archer. You need help.”
“And I’m getting it. But I need to meet her first. I know nothing about this woman, other than she graduated from college two years ago, which means she’s young. She could be a party girl. I can’t just move some stranger into the house until I know she’s a good fit. It’s always harder to get someone out once they’re in.”
Loud laughter echoed through the cabin of my truck. “You don’t say? I mean, you kept Mrs. Dowden for far too long, and she wasn’t even living there.”
“Agreed. I’m being more cautious now. I’ll get a read on her and go from there.”
“If she’s a good fit, you should bring her to Paris with us. It would be good for you to have some adult time and get out a little. Who knows, you might meet a nice Frenchwoman,” she teased.
Nothing like having your mother tell you that you need to get out and date.
It had been a while.
“Let’s first see if it’s going to work out before we move her into my home and travel with her,” I said as I pulled into the parking lot at my office. I glanced through my windshield to see the rain coming down harder now. “All right, I’m at work. I’ll call you later.”
“Love you, honey,” she said, and I replied with the same sentiment before ending the call.
I walked into the office, noting that a few people had beaten me here this morning. I was a commercial broker, and land was a hot commodity out here. I’d opened my own brokerage a fewyears back. Business was booming, and I’d just brought on a few new brokers.
“Hey, boss,” Lucy said. “The rain is really coming down this morning.”
“Yes, it is.” I nodded. “Are we set for the staff meeting?”
“Yep. I’ve got bagels and coffee ordered. Do you need anything else?”
I glanced down at my watch. I was meeting the potential new nanny in five minutes, and then I had our weekly company meeting in an hour.
“Nope. That sounds good. I have an appointment in a few minutes, so just send her back when she gets here.”
“The new nanny, right?” she asked as she followed me to the staff lounge. I poured myself a cup of coffee, and then she tagged along as I made my way to my office.
Lucy was the best personal assistant one could ask for, but she was nosy as shit most of the time. Her husband Marcus was a good friend of mine, and we joked about it often.
“Yes. We’ll see how it goes.”
“And she’s Oscar and Edith’s niece?” She crossed her arms.
“Correct.”
“Well, I noticed on your calendar that her last name is Smith. Winnie Smith. But I could have sworn Edith said her name was Winnie Wilson. How could she have two last names?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I don’t know their family tree, Lucy.”
“Hmmm… Maybe she used her maiden name when she booked the appointment, but she’s actually married. But why would a married woman need a place to live? I wonder if she’s single?” She waggled her eyebrows.
“How the hell would I know?” I groaned. “All Edith told me is that she graduated from college two years ago. That meansshe’s young, so get your mind out of the gutter. I’m looking for a nanny, not a date.”
“That would probably make her twenty-four years old. Hardly too young.”
I blew out a breath. Why did everyone feel the need to try to set me up? I was doing just fine on my own.
“That would make her a decade younger than me. In my book, that’s too young.” I glanced at the door, an invitation for her to find her way out.
“Fine. I’ll send her in when she arrives.”
