Mrs. Ross sat in front of the desk staring down at the open file in front of her. "Are you sure you only want to interview this one candidate?"

"What's your concern, Elaine?" Noah sat behind the desk reviewing a report he received earlier in the day never looking at Mrs. Ross as he asked and waited for her response.

"It’s not a concern. I think you should interview as many candidates as you can before you make your final decision." Mrs. Ross lifted her reading glasses off her nose to examine the picture of the girl. "She looks young. How old is she?" Mrs. Ross shuffled through the other papers looking for her birthday.

"She’s thirty-two, and I trust my instinct on this one."

"She looks younger than thirty-two. She's beautiful." Elaine’s suspicious stare placed Noah on the defensive. Few people could do that to him, but Elaine Ross had that ability. She was the closest thing to a mother to Noah; yet, she rarely overstepped her boundaries when dealing with him.

"I know what you’re thinking but it was her essay that persuaded me. Did you read her essay?" His eyebrow shot up as he questioned her.

The essay Natalie Hill wrote as part of the job application was not the first thing that captured Noah's attention. Noah Westlake skimmed through the applications with little interest until he settled on Natalie's picture.

The warmth in her eyes along with the smile on her face captivated him from the first glance. Then her essay revealed to him her soul. The honesty and the vulnerability he felt as he read her words stopped him from considering anyone else from the pile of candidates. It had to be her, and though Mrs. Ross might suspect his motives were one-sided, it was quite the opposite.

"I want you to call her. Place her on speaker phone and go through the remaining questions I have for her."

Noah flipped the phone on his desk to face Elaine while he sat back in the chair bending his leg to rest his foot on the opposite knee. He leaned his elbows on the arms of the chair and steepled his fingers under his chin while he watched Elaine read over the questions.

"Mr. Westlake, many of these questions you already have the answers to. The background checks told us plenty that’s why I’m surprised you want to bring this young girl into your home and around your daughter."

"She’s young but I’m only seven years older than her and I want you to ask them anyway." He insisted, and then he added. "Her background checks don’t concern me, anymore." Noah never told Elaine that he hired a private investigator to look into Natalie Hill’s past, her present and any possible problems in her future. The information that turned up didn’t concern Noah. Noah knew any problems that might surface, he’d take care of personally, or he’d call on someone else if he had to.

Elaine dialed the phone number from the application. While it rang, Elaine continued to stare at Natalie’s picture. After three rings, a young woman’s voice answered.

"Natalie Hill," Elaine said.

"Yes," Natalie answered.

Not the typical female voice that Noah expected. Her voice sounded feminine, but an underlying smokiness rounded out the tone. He reached across the desk, slid the picture of Natalie closer to him and turned the picture to face him. Her voice and her face made for a sexy combination.

"Natalie, my name is Elaine Ross. I work for Mr. Westlake. Do you have time to talk?"

"I do." A wave of excitement traveled through Natalie. Out of all the jobs, she applied to; this position was the one she most wanted. Working for the Westlake's meant she'd have a roof over her head, a generous salary, and a sense of security, which she craved more than anything. And she hoped spending most of her time with a nine-year-old girl would bring her a sense of calm she hadn’t felt in years.

"Mr. Westlake asked me to call you. He is traveling for business but is interested in moving forward in this process. He needs to fill the position, but out of the many candidates he interviewed none of them fully met his expectations. But first, I need to clarify a few things with you. Besides the background checks Mr. Westlake required before this call, he has a few final questions."

"Yes, his secretary called to inform me I was a viable candidate, but they needed my signature permitting them to move forward on the background checks." Natalie hoped only limited information could show up in the background checks. She felt comfortable that she'd get far in the interview process because her credentials matched their needs.

"Yes, well, Mr. Westlake received the reports, and we can proceed. So, Natalie, is there anything impeding you from working under a two-year contract?"

"No, and honestly I'm glad there is the possibility the position could continue past that two-year mark if both parties agreed."

"Yes, that is a possibility." Mrs. Ross looked at Noah. His expression remained indifferent. "Is there anything you have not disclosed that is pertinent to the final decision?"

"Nothing that would interfere with taking care of Erin," Natalie responded.

"Nothing from your past that could come up?" Mrs. Ross clarified her original question.

"No. Does Mr. Westlake have concerns?" Natalie had no arrests, but she wasn’t sure if police reports showed up in background checks. She knew credit reports and arrests records were standard, but she couldn’t be sure if filing a police report would show up.

"Mr. Westlake wants no surprises. Erin is his daughter, and you will be in charge of her care, her well-being, and her safety. So I will ask you again is there anything from your past we need to know?"

Noah adjusted his position in the chair. He sat forward waiting to hear Natalie’s response as he continued to stare at her picture.

There was a pregnant pause before Natalie answered. "Mrs. Ross, I grew up in an insecure family environment, I spent much of my childhood alone, and I would never want a child to feel the way I did. If given the opportunity, I will care for and protect their child. A child should only know love and a child should feel safe. I’m sure that is all the information the Westlake’s need to know along with my education and my impeccable references."

Elaine looked at Noah. Noah nodded.

"Thank you, Natalie, I will be in touch to let you know the next steps." As Elaine finished up with Natalie, she handed her file back to Noah.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ross, I hope this works out and we’ll be able to meet. Enjoy your day." Natalie said right before they disconnected from the call.

Elaine stared at Noah waiting for a response. Noah sat back in his chair zoning in on the picture staring back at him. Natalie was the right choice. Natalie was the only choice. He felt confident that despite the few minor details his private investigator unearthed, Noah found no issue with bringing Natalie around his daughter.

"Call her next week and set up a day that week for her to come in then offer her the position. Have her move in the following day." Noah instructed Mrs. Ross. "Also, cancel the temp service. Tell them we no longer require their services after this week."

"What if Natalie turns down the position?" Elaine knew Noah wanted things the way he wanted them, but he could not control every situation.

"She won’t."