Chapter One – Rose
Maybe I should have worn something a little more casual. After all, I'm interviewing to be a nanny, not a supernanny.
Rose self-consciously smoothed down the plum pencil skirt that she wore to all her interviews, glad she had at least matched her business suit with a fun frog-themed necklace and had kept her dyed autumn-red hair in loose waves around her face. It showed that she was fun as well as professional. At least, that's what she hoped it showed and didn't make her look crazy.
I look fantastic, she told herself to try to calm her churning gut. Anybody would be lucky to have me working with them.
She took a deep breath before she knocked on the front door. Her pep-talk wasn't helping the butterflies in her stomach at all, but then she hadn't thought it would. This was her first job interview in nearly five years. She didn’t know what to expect anymore.
The door opened, revealing her potential employer. The first thing that struck her about him was the suspicious squint in his silver-grey eyes. They swept up and down her, and she got the feeling that if he didn't like what he saw, she wouldn’t even get the interview. She tried to stand a little straighter, unconsciously sucking in her gut to try to make herself look thinner. Not that it was possible… her ex-boyfriend was always fond of telling her how she needed to trim down for him, and she'd only gained weight since she left him.
"Hello." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Rose Doctor, here to interview for the position of nanny."
"Devon McGullicuddy," the man replied. He didn't shake her hand. "We'll sit out here for the interview."
Rose nodded. She thought it was strange that he wanted to interview her at his home but was relieved she wasn't going to have to insist on not setting foot into his house just yet. She wanted to get to know him a little better first. They sat on a couple of chairs set out on the covered porch.
"Miss Doctor," Devon started, setting down. "Before we start, you are aware of my heritage, yes?"
Rose's gaze swept down his strongly muscled body. What did he mean by that? His ethnic heritage? If he came from money? Did he have some sort of famous ancestor? His bronzed skin spoke to a more temperate climate, but what was she supposed to guess?
"Er…"
"I'm a shifter," Devon clarified.
Heat rushed to her cheeks. "Oh! Yes, yes I understand that. And the baby is a shifter as well, yes?"
He nodded. "She is, yes. She won't start shifting until she's a little older, though, so you don't have to worry about knowing how to care for a kitten."
"A kitten. So what are you?"
What did I ask him that for?
Rose bit her lower lip, ducking her head. She hated it when people walked up to her and asked her that question. Her Eurasian heritage was something she was proud of, but for some reason, people thought that they ought to be privy to her heritage. It annoyed her to no end–and here she was asking the same question!
"I'm sorry," she blurted. "That's none of my business."
Devon grunted. If Rose's heart sunk any lower, it'd be on her feet. This was exactly the kind of disaster she was worried about on her first new job interview. Social awkwardness combined with five years of emotional abuse from someone she loved was not a good combination.
"I suppose if you are going to work for me, it is something you ought to know… I'm a Panther." Devon folded his arms and scowled at her.
If she wasn't so desperate for a job, she would have run right then. Not because of his alternate form, but because of his expression. She didn't need any more short-tempered men in her life, and from the look on his face, Devon looked like somebody who always wanted things done his way and fast.
"I read your resume. You just graduated college with a degree in early childhood education. Why are you looking to be a nanny instead of working at a school or a daycare?"
Good. It was a question she was prepared for. Rose took a deep breath and raised her head again, meeting the shifter's eye. "I would ideally like to be a teacher, but there are no openings in the city right now, and I really need a job. I have student loans to pay off, I need a new car, and I haven't worked in five years. I love kids, and I need something that will help me feel like I'm making a difference. That I'm helping somebody."
"Why haven't you worked in five years?"
"Um… school, mostly," Rose lied, looking at her feet again.
She wasn't going to tell this perfect stranger that her ex didn't want her working… He wanted her to stay home and keep the house clean and make sure a meal was ready as soon as he got home from work.
And if it wasn't, there was hell to pay. That was why it took her five years to complete a two-year program. She had to plan her school schedule around taking care of Percy.
Devon jumped to his feet. At first Rose flinched, thinking that he was going to order her away, but he ran into the house without a word. Rose stayed where she was, frozen in shock. Was that his way of ending the interview? But moments later she heard a wailing baby, and her shoulders relaxed. It wasn't her, it was his daughter that had made him leave so abruptly.
"There, there, Jamie. What's wrong?" The gruff tones Devon had been using on her have completely melted away to a voice that was like buttery caramel.
Something shivered from Rose's stomach, working its way up and down her limbs just hearing that voice. She stood and peeked into the doorway. Devon stood in the middle of a modestly decorated living room, gently rocking a blanket that was messily tucked around a flailing baby.
Rose stepped into the room, not wanting to assume Devon was helpless, but the baby's crying tugged at her heartstrings. She couldn’t just leave. "Do you mind? I'm not so great with words, but I can show you how well I work with babies."
A fierce glare answered her, but at another, louder wail, Devon's gaze softened. He handed the baby to Rose–reluctantly, she thought–and hovered at her shoulder as she checked baby Jamie's diaper. She frowned. The diaper was dry, but it was put on backward.
"She wants to eat. When did you last feed her?"
"At 11:02," Devon replied promptly. "The books say babies need to be fed every two hours. She shouldn’t be hungry for another hour."
Rose nodded. "She's probably just tired then and wants something to suck on for comfort. Do you have a pacifier?"
"The books say pacifiers can ruin children's teeth."
"She doesn't have any teeth yet," Rose reminded him gently. She knelt on the floor and unwrapped Jamie before burritoing her up tightly. The baby still cried, until she was snuggled up against Rose's chest as she bounced and swayed from side to side.
Within five minutes, Jamie had dropped off to sleep again. Rose smiled as the little body became utterly relaxed in her arms. She smiled up at Devon, who looked so surprised it was actually comical. He smiled at her and nodded.
"Can you start tomorrow?"
Rose jolted in surprise. "You want to hire me?"
"Yes."
"Oh." A wide smile broke over Rose's face. Maybe the interview didn't get off to a great start, but at least things were looking up! A job would really help her find her feet again. She nodded. "Yeah, I can start tomorrow."
"Good. I'm a veterinarian and I've been away from the practice for too long already. My boss is getting antsy about it. Now, I need your cell phone number… do you have all emergency personnel, fire department, 911, police, etc. in your phone directory?"
Rose shook her head.
"If you're going to watch after my daughter, you need that. And you have infant CPR training, so we're okay with that. And I have Nanny cams around the house. That's something I thought you should know."
Rose frowned. She didn't like the idea of him being able to watch her without her knowing about it. But he did tell her about the cams, so he wasn't looking to sneakily spy on her.
"Oh!" Devon nodded and headed for the kitchen. "I'll show you how to make a bottle. I don't want you microwaving it. In fact, I'd prefer you not to use the microwave at all. Or cell phones around Jamie, so if you have any calls you have to make, please use the landline unless it's in a case of emergency."
"You can calm down, you know." Rose shifted the baby into one arm and laid her free hand on Devon's arm. "She's going to be fine with me. I promise."
Devon stared at her hand on his arm. Rose suddenly realized how strong the muscles beneath her fingertips were. He was like a god, carved to perfection from the hand of an artist. Her heart rate spiked and a rush of heat rose to her face. She coughed and stepped away.
"Where is her crib?"
"Upstairs in the bedroom." Devon's head cocked to one side. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Rose tensed. She narrowed her eyes at her new employer while backing away from him. "If I'm going to work for you, I'll be taking care of Jamie. I'm not here as your… playmate."
He held his hands up in the air. "I'm sorry. That was inappropriate of me. But I'm glad to hear you are so forceful about the issue. I've heard of women taking care of single men's children in the hopes of getting married… especially where shifters are concerned."
"And you asked if I had a boyfriend in the hopes that I did?"
"Yes. There is a lot of romanticism about us in the media, and… I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. This is a strictly professional relationship, for Jamie's sake. Nothing else."
"Oh." Rose let out a sigh of relief. It would be a lie to say she wasn't attracted to this man, but at this point, she wanted nothing to do with romance. "Good. Now… why don't I put the baby down, and you can tell me her routine and everything else I need to know?"
Devon smiled at her. "Yeah. That sounds good."