The Nanny's New Family (Caring Canines) (3 page)

“I have a niece who is five and loves snow crabs. She will crack the shells and eat them until you think there couldn’t possibly be any more room in her stomach. I’m usually right there with her, but the last time she kept going when I couldn’t eat another bite.”

Ian laughed. Annie was easy to talk to, nothing like the other nannies. Earlier, when she’d caught Joshua, she’d been calm and efficient. He remembered when the second nanny had freaked out when Jeremy was cutting up an apple and sliced his finger. Thank goodness he’d been home to take care of the wound because the woman had frozen when she’d seen the blood then yelled for him. He imagined Annie would have handled it and had the bleeding stopped before he came into the kitchen.

Ian put the spaghetti noodles on to cook then glanced around to make sure everything else was ready.

Those beautiful eyes connected with his. “Can I help you? Set the table?”

“It’s already set in the dining room.” Ian swung back to the stove, stirring the sauce when he didn’t need to. He had to do something. Looking at her was distracting.

“Do you usually eat in the dining room?”

“No—” he waved toward the table that sat six in the alcove “—usually in here, but this is a special occasion. We’re welcoming you to our home. I want this evening to be a nice calm one. Now, if only my children cooperate, it might be.”

“The least I can do is help you carry the food to the table.”

Ian made sure he had eye contact with Annie then said, smiling, “What part of ‘you are our guest’ do you not understand? Guests are supposed to relax and enjoy themselves. Nothing more than that.”

A grin twitched at the corners of her mouth. “Aye, aye, sir. I’ve got that. It’s awfully quiet. Where are the children?”

Ian frowned. “Come to think of it, Jade was the last one in here. That was fifteen minutes ago. I haven’t heard a peep out of them since.” He walked to the intercom and pressed a button. “Time for dinner, everyone. Don’t forget to wash your hands.”

“I like that. Does it work?”

“Yes. Saves me yelling or going in search of them, if you meant the intercom. Otherwise, not always about washing their hands.”

A few minutes later, the first to appear in the kitchen was Jade quickly followed by Jasmine, exact replicas of each other down to the clothes they wore. “You two can help put the food on the table. Where’s Joshua? He was with you in the den doing his homework.”

Jasmine put her hand on her waist. “He was coloring. He doesn’t have any homework.”

“You and I know that, but since you, Jade and Jeremy do, he thinks he should. Did you leave him in there alone with the crayons?”

“No, he left to go to the bathroom.”

“How long ago?”

Jade looked at the ceiling and tapped her chin. “I guess a while ago.”

“Jade, Jasmine, this is Annie, your new nanny.” Ian turned off the oven then headed for the hallway. “Annie, would you remove the pasta when it’s done? I’ll be back after I find Joshua. He marches to his own music.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help your girls get everything on the table.”

Ian paused at the doorway, started to tell her she didn’t have to and then decided instead that he’d give her an extra day of pay. He was afraid she would earn every bit of the money and more by the end of the evening. For starters, his daughters dressing alike didn’t bode well.

Ian went to the downstairs bathroom and checked for Joshua. It was too clean and neat for Joshua to have been there. He mounted the stairs two at a time. He knew Joshua was still in the house because he’d set the alarm to beep twice when someone opened an outside door. The last time it had gone off was when Annie had come in.

The children’s bathroom on the second floor was empty, so Ian made his way to the one connected to his bedroom. No Joshua. He returned to the hall and looked into his youngest son’s room. Empty.

Maybe he got outside somehow. Giggles wafted to him. He marched down the hallway to where Aunt Louise used to stay and turned the knob. More laughter pealed. Quickly Ian crossed to the bathroom and found Joshua in the big tub, washing himself.

Sitting in a foot of water, Joshua beamed up at him. “I’m washing my hands.”

“I see. Why did you come in here?”

“I miss Aunt Louise. Jeremy was asleep, so I came in here. Is Annie here?”

Joshua’s sometimes-disconnected thoughts could be hard to follow. “Yes, she is and hungry.” Ian held a towel open for his son. “Time to get out, get dressed and come downstairs.” At least this time Joshua had taken off his clothes before getting into the bath.

Joshua jumped up, splashing the water, and stepped out onto the tile floor. “Okie dokie.”

Ian waited at the doorway for his youngest to dress himself. When Joshua ran past him and toward the stairs, Ian made a detour to Jeremy’s room and knocked on the door. No answer. He decided to make sure Jeremy was there, so he pushed the door open and found his eldest curled on the bed, his eyes closed.

Ian sat next to Jeremy and shook his shoulder to wake him up.

His son’s arms lashed out at Ian. “Get away.” Blinking rapidly, Jeremy pushed away as if he was coming out of a nightmare and didn’t know where he was.

“What’s wrong? A bad dream?”

Jeremy looked around him, then lowered his head.

“Dinner is ready.” Ian spied Joshua in the doorway and waved him away.

His eldest son clenched the bedcovers. When he didn’t say anything, Ian rose, not sure what was going on. “I expect you downstairs to meet the...Annie.”

Jeremy flung himself across the bed and hurried out of the room—leaving Ian even more perplexed by his behavior. Not sure his son would even go to the dining room, Ian hastened after him.

Chapter Three

A
nnie took the seat at the end where the twins indicated she should sit. All the food was on the formal dining room table, and Jade and Jasmine sat on one side, constantly looking over their shoulders toward the foyer or staring at Annie.

She checked her watch. “Maybe I should go see if your dad needs help.”

“Knowing Joshua, he’s probably hiding. He does that sometimes,” the girl closest to Annie said.

Jasmine? They were both wearing jeans and matching shirts and ponytails. According to Ian, they didn’t dress alike anymore. Obviously, tonight they had other plans.

The other sister grinned. “We should go ahead and eat.”

Annie shoved her chair back. “Wait until the others come. I think I’ll go see what’s keeping them.” Something didn’t feel right. She started for the hallway and found Joshua coming down the staircase, his lower lip sticking out. She hurried to him. “Is something wrong, Joshua?”

“Daddy is in Jeremy’s room. He made me go away.”

She escorted Joshua to his seat across from one of the twins. “Well, sometimes parents need private time with a child without any interruptions.”

“Jeremy was telling Daddy to leave. I saw his angry face.”

“Jeremy is in one of his moods,” one of the twins chimed in.

“Jade, I think—”

“I’m Jasmine.”

“Okay, Jasmine. I think we should go ahead and eat before the food gets cold.”

“But you said we should wait,” the real Jade said, her pout matching Joshua’s.

A sinus headache, common for her in the spring, hammered against Annie’s forehead behind her eyes. Remaining calm was the best way to deal with children. She took a moment to compose herself then bowed her head.

“What are ya doin’?” Joshua grabbed a roll from the basket near him.

Annie glanced at him. “Blessing the food.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing, Joshua. I pray over my meal before I eat.”

All evidence of a pout vanished, and he grinned. “I pray at night before bed.”

“We used to with Aunt Louise, but those other nannies didn’t,” Jasmine said, grabbing the bowl of spaghetti and scooping pasta onto her plate.

“We do when Daddy eats with us.” Jade folded her arms over her chest. “I’m waiting.”

“I’m not. I’m staaarving,” Joshua said.

While Jasmine joined him and piled sauce all over her spaghetti, Jade glared at her sister, then her little brother. When her two siblings started eating, she slapped her hand down on the table. “We should wait.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Annie spied Ian entering the dining room with a scowling Jeremy trailing slowly behind him.

“Good. You have started. Spaghetti is best when it’s hot.” Ian winked at Annie then took his chair at the head of the table. “Jeremy, this is Annie.”

“Hi, Jeremy,” Annie said.

“I don’t need a nanny. I’m gonna be ten at the end of next month.” Jeremy’s mouth firmed in a hard, thin line.

“Neither do we.” Jade mimicked her older brother’s expression. “We’re eight. Nannies are for babies.” She sent Joshua a narrow-eyed look as if he were the only reason Annie was there.

“I’m not a baby.” Joshua thumped his chest. “I’m four. I’m gonna be five soon.”

“How soon?” Annie asked him, hoping to change the subject.

Joshua peered at his father.

“Two weeks. The twenty-seventh.”

“You act like a baby. Look at what you did today. You could have
died
today.” Jade shoved back her chair, whirled around and ran from the room.

Annie’s first impulse was to go after the girl, but she didn’t know her yet. Jade must have been the one who’d screamed at the bottom of the steps earlier when Joshua was on the railing.

Instead, Ian stood. “Keep eating.” Then he left the room.

Wide-eyed, Joshua looked at Jeremy, then Jasmine and finally Annie. “I won’t die.”

The pounding in her head increased. “Jade was just worried about what you did today. Standing on the railing is dangerous.”

“Yeah, dork. You have a death wish.” Jeremy snatched a roll and began tearing it apart.

“Death wish?” Confusion clouded Joshua’s eyes. Tears filled them. “I don’t wanna die.”

“Then, stop doing dumb things.” Jeremy tossed a piece of bread at his younger brother.

Joshua threw his half-eaten roll at Jeremy. It plunked into the milk glass, and the white liquid splashed everywhere.

Grabbing for a roll in the basket, Jeremy twisted toward Joshua.

“Stop it right now.” Annie shot to her feet. “The dinner table is no place for a food fight. If you don’t want to eat peacefully, then go to your rooms.”

Jeremy glared. “I don’t need a nanny telling me what to do.”

Annie counted to ten, breathed deeply and replied, “Apparently you do, because civilized people don’t act like this at the table. It’s your choice. Stay and eat politely or leave.” She returned his intense look with a serene one while inside she quaked. She might be fired after tonight.

Jeremy took the roll and stomped away from the dining room while Joshua hung his head and murmured, “Sorry.”

“Apology accepted.” Although her stomach was knotted, Annie picked up her fork and took a bite. “Delicious. Your dad is a good cook.” If only she hadn’t walked around the yard enjoying the beautiful flowers before coming inside, she wouldn’t be contending with a headache. In spring she limited her time outside because she had trouble with her allergies.

“One day I’m gonna be a good cook, too.” Jasmine continued eating.

“Jasmine, I can teach you a few things. I especially enjoy baking.”

“I’m Jade.” The girl lowered her gaze. “Sorry about that. We were just playing with you.”

“I understand. I have a twin sister.”

“You do? I have a girlfriend who has a twin brother. They don’t look alike, though.”

“They’re fraternal twins. You and Jasmine are identical, like I am with my sister, Amanda.”

“I’d like to meet your twin.” Jade—at least Annie hoped that was who she was—took a gulp of her milk.

Ian reentered the dining room with Jasmine. “I’d like to meet your twin, too.” He scanned the table. “Where’s Jeremy?”

“He chose not to eat.” Annie took another bite of her spaghetti as the knots in her stomach began to unravel.

Joshua huffed. “He threw food at me.”

Ian’s eyebrows rose. “Why?”

“He’s mean.”

Ian swung his attention to Annie, a question in his eyes.

“Jeremy chose to leave rather than calmly eat his dinner,” she answered while her head throbbed.

Ian nodded then said to the children, “Tell Annie about what you’re doing this week in school.”

* * *

Later, contrary to what Ian had asked, Annie finished putting the dishes into the dishwasher. She had to do something while she waited for Ian to return from upstairs.

He came into the kitchen after putting Joshua to bed. “He fell right to sleep. Thankfully he usually does, while Jade and Jasmine rarely do. Often I’ll find one of them in the other’s bed in the morning. They shared a room until a year ago when they decided they should have their own rooms like their brothers.”

“I shared one with Amanda until I went to college.” Annie hung up the washrag and faced him.

His gaze skimmed over the clean counters and stove. “I should have known you would do the dishes.”

“I figured it was part of my job.”

“Let’s go into the den and talk where it’s more comfortable. I’m sure after the evening we had, you have a ton of questions.”

Annie went ahead of him from the kitchen. “A few.”

In the den she sat at one end of the tan couch while Ian took the other. A fine-honed tension electrified the air. As she turned to face him, he did the same. Exhaustion blanketed his features, his green eyes dull. The urge to comfort him swamped Annie, but she balled her hands and waited for him to speak first.

He cleared his throat. “What happened tonight has been the norm ever since Aunt Louise died. Life wasn’t perfect before, but she established a routine and gave my children boundaries.” He combed his fingers through his brown hair then rubbed his palm across his nape. “I’m finding it hard to make a living and be here for my children. I’ve tried to do what Aunt Louise did, but my efforts seem to fall flat.”

A dilemma a lot of parents had. “We live in a society that seems to be constantly on the go. If we’re not busy, we’re bored,” Annie said. “A lot has happened to your children in the past two years. This especially affects Jeremy because he’s the eldest and knows what’s going on. Even to a certain extent your girls do, especially about your aunt’s death.”

“I’ve talked to each of my kids about Aunt Louise unexpectedly dying.”

“Have you ever sat down and talked with them all together? I think the best thing my parents did was have a family meeting once a week, or more if needed.”

“Sometimes because of our busy schedules it’s hard to do that. Tonight was the first time in a while we’ve even eaten together.”

“Decide on what you feel has to be done, what you can do away with and what would be nice if there’s enough time.”

“I love my children and have rules that they need to follow, but I can’t seem to get a handle on it. Maybe when you’ve been with the kids awhile, we can talk again.”

Annie thought of the day planner she’d used to track the children’s activities and school functions at her other employers’. She wished her mother was still alive to talk to, but she could go see her eldest sister, Rachel, who’d taken over and helped raise them when their mother died. “I’d like to get a weekly calendar and put it up in the kitchen to help us and the kids keep up with everything. That’s where family time can be scheduled.”

“I’m interested in hearing more about your family meetings. What did you talk about?”

Thinking back to a few she’d had with her siblings, Annie chuckled. “Some could get quite heated, but a rule my parents had was that no one left the room until a solution to a conflict was reached. Once we were two hours late going to bed.”

“So there are rules?”

“Yes, a few my parents insisted on and some we got to add. It’s a time for everyone in the family to have a voice.”

Ian smiled, and for a moment the tired lines vanished from his face. “I like the concept. After you’ve been working for a week or so, I’d like to see if we could try that.”

“Have your children talked with a grief counselor?”
Have you? Have you let life get in the way of grieving?

“As I told you, I had Jeremy go to a counselor, but he refused to cooperate. Our pastor came over after Aunt Louise’s funeral and talked with the whole family. The same when my wife died.”

“How long has Jeremy been so angry?”

“He was some before Aunt Louise died, but mostly since then. It’s getting worse. There are times he almost seems frightened. Before all this began, he was the sweetest child, but in the past nine months... I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Is he being bullied at school?”

“I’ve talked with the teacher. She’s noticed he keeps to himself more. In fact, a few months ago he bullied another classmate. That’s when he started counseling. So far there hasn’t been another incident. I won’t tolerate bullying, and he knows it.”

The feeling that the child was screaming for help kept nagging her. Was it grief? Something else? A stage he was going through? “What does he say?”

“Nothing. He used to tell me everything. Now I can’t get anything out of him. I feel like I’m losing my son.”

Not if she could do anything about it. This was why Annie had chosen to be a nanny and why she had been led to this family. “No, you aren’t losing your son. If it’s a phase he’s going through, he’ll grow out of it. If it’s something else, we’ll find out what it is and deal...” Her words faded into silence.

Surprise flashed across Ian’s face.

Did the word
we’ll
sound presumptuous? Ian was her employer. Yes, she would help with Jeremy, but he was the parent. Not her. “What I mean is as his nanny I’ll try to help you and him as much as possible. But you’re his father, and whatever you say is what I’ll do.”

A gleam sparkled in Ian’s eyes. “I want your input. I need it. So I think you’re right—we’re a team. I’m determined, at the very least, to get my family back to the way it was when Aunt Louise was here.”

Annie heard the sincerity in his voice.
A team
. It might be the closest she’d come to raising children as if she were their mother. The Hansens had been great to work for and had valued her input, but she’d always felt like an employee. As of late, she realized she wanted more, and yet she hadn’t dated much. She was always so busy with her own family or the children she was taking care of.

“I won’t be going into work tomorrow until after we take the kids to school,” Ian said.

“I thought that was something you wanted me to do.”

“You’re right, but I want to go with you so I can introduce you to the teachers. If there’s a problem with one of them at school, sometimes I can go take care of it. But if I’m in surgery, that will be hard. I don’t anticipate trouble with the girls, but there might be with Joshua or Jeremy. I’ve already had to go to school for Jeremy four times this year and once for Joshua when he fell on the playground and hit his head.” He shook his head. “Probably one of many times he’ll have to have stitches.”

“I like the idea of meeting their teachers. I want to find out what kind of homework to expect from them. That way we can get it done before you come home on the days I’m not taking them to lessons. I find if they tackle it after getting a snack when they come home from school they’ll finish quickly so they can play. It cuts down on whining later when they’re more tired.”

“The other nannies didn’t want to help with their homework, which left me doing it late and yes, they usually complained and made the process longer.”

Annie tried to stifle a yawn, but she couldn’t. “I think it’s time I go to bed. Six will be here in—” she glanced at her watch “—nine hours, and I still need to find some of the items I’ll need tomorrow.” She stood and stretched out her hand toward him.

Ian rose, clasping hers and shaking it. “Thank you, Annie.”