I didn’t know why, but this felt like a first date as much as it felt like a second job interview. I went through three different outfits before I finally settled on a simple white sundress and pale pink flats. I pulled my blonde hair into a loose ponytail that hung at the base of my neck and applied minimal but necessary makeup – lip gloss and mascara. I pulled on a denim jacket. It was late spring and that could mean a hot night or one that required a light jacket. I liked being as prepared as I could.

When I headed down the stairs of the cafe, Marlene was just closing up. I offered to help her but she waved me off.

“You look lovely, dear,” she said when she noticed my outfit. “Date?”

I smiled. “Job interview,” I corrected. “Marlene, I don’t think I’m even going to consider a date at this point. Maybe not ever again.”

Marlene made a clicking noise with her tongue. “Nonsense,” she said dismissively. “Stan might be an ass who doesn’t know what a good thing he had before he let you go, but that doesn’t mean all men are like him.” She stopped sweeping and put one hand on her hip. “Who are you interviewing with?”

“Mo Cunningham interviewed me initially,” I explained. “She’ll be there, but it’s for her brother-in-law, Will Treadway?”

Marlene’s brow shot straight past her grey hairline. “Will’s finally getting a nanny for Thea?” she asked, raising a brow. “Good for him. He’d been using Mo for far too long. Beautiful woman like her needs her own life.” She smiled at me. “Good luck, Bea. He’s a tough guy, but a sweetie underneath. Don’t let the rugged exterior fool you.”

I pressed my lips together. “Is he some kind of mountain man?” I asked. “Even in Westport, where there only seems to be water?”

“You’d be surprised,” Marlene murmured. “Go on, then! Off you go! See you later tonight! Don’t wake me up if you’re late-late!”

I shook my head and left. Since I didn’t have a car yet, I planned to walk to the house. It would only take fifteen minutes, down one main street and then into a nice area. It wasn’t waterfront so I didn’t have to worry about it being too cold, especially since I was in a dress.

The walk was quicker than I expected it to be. I waved to some of the parents I knew from the school who just finished dinner at Big Boy’s with their families before wandering down a residential street, filled with tall trees and different-sized houses. I loved the variety here. Back in Surrey, each house was the same for long blocks. It was nice to see big houses, small houses, blue houses, and white houses. It helped me imagine what sort of place I might like once I figured out where I was going to live.

When I finally reached the Treadways’ place, I gave myself a moment to take it in. It was a two-story house tucked deep in the middle of a residential neighborhood. There hardly seemed to be any traffic on the gravel streets, which meant children who played in their front yards when the weather permitted were safe from oncoming vehicles.

The house itself was unique in design, as if the owner constructed it himself. It was a bright white color, with shutters and a two-car garage door painted navy blue. A woman’s touch, it seemed.

I walked up to the door and gently knocked.

In little more than a moment, Mo answered, a big smile on her face.

“Beatrice, I’m so glad you’re here!” she exclaimed, pulling me into an unexpected hug.

My entire body tensed at the contact until I forced myself to return the hug just as she released me.

“Come on, come in,” she said, beckoning me inside.

While the exterior of the house looked as though a woman had chosen the colors, the interior was all man. Deep oak floors, dark furniture. It practically reeked of testosterone.

Mo led me down a long hallway where pictures hung in thin black frames all over the walls. An attractive man with dark hair and pale green eyes stood next to a beautiful woman with dark brown hair and a big smile. A girl no more than six - probably their daughter - filled up the majority of the frames. The woman was seen in about three or four of the pictures, and the man was only in one - what looked like their official family portrait.

The hallway led straight to a large kitchen with an attached dining room. The kitchen had a marble bar dividing the two rooms, with stainless steel kitchen appliances - a fridge, a microwave, a toaster oven. The cabinets were made of dark wood and hung over the flat gas stove, oven, and the sink. The dining room had a dark table with a white table cloth. Sitting at the table were the man and the girl from the photos.

The man immediately stood when he saw me, bumping his knee on the table, causing the little girl to laugh. It was a delightful sound, contagious, and I could not help but smile in return. It didn’t hurt that he was gorgeous. I needed to look somewhere else – anywhere else.

“Will,” Mo said, turning to the man. “This is the woman I was telling you about. Her name is Beatrice Browne. Beatrice, meet Will, my brother-in-law, and this is his daughter, Theadocia, but everyone calls her Thea.”

Will stuck out his hand and I took it. I felt my cheeks turn pink under his friendly stare. He looked just the way he did in the picture, except now there was scruff on the lower half of his face. It worked well for him, surprisingly enough. He wore a green V-neck shirt and blue jeans that hugged him in all the right places but didn’t suffocate the lower half of his body. He had dusty brown hair, short but messy, and as I shook his hand, I immediately noticed the calluses that littered his palms. I also noticed the muscles that caused his shirt to tighten, especially around the arms, but that wasn’t important.

“Now that introductions are made,” Mo said, walking over to the kitchen where food sat, waiting to be served, “let’s eat!”