Thirty minutes after Hannah agreed to take the job, Carter took her up the elevator to his condo. The elevator ride to the top floor made her dizzy when she looked down through the glass wall, so she quickly turned her back to it. To her annoyance, he was watching and a faint smile turned up the corners of his mouth as if it amused him. When the doors slid open, he led her to one of the only doors in sight. His condo must be huge. Pausing at the door, he gave her the code to open the door.
“If you happen to forget it, just call Brenda.”
Hannah took a pen out of her bag and wrote the number on the inside of her wrist. When she dropped the pen back in her bag, she saw that Carter was watching her with an astonished expression on his face.
“Most people would just put it in their phone.”
She chuckled. “I’m not most people.” She stepped past him into the living room, looking around her.
“No arguing with that,” he murmured behind her.
Hannah glanced back at him over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow, but she chose not to take offense at it. She was proud of the fact that she was her own person. Even if it meant maddeningly attractive men didn’t know how to take her.
She moved through the space, taking in the masculine, understated decor with its white tile, coastal color scheme and dark woods. One thing was for sure—she didn’t need to give up her house so this guy could make more money. She found it splendidly ironic that not having the money to pay her insurance was the one thing that might convince her to sell, but with what he’d be paying her, that was no longer a problem.
But as she focused more, she realized that though it looked like something out of a magazine, there were no signs a child lived there too. There were no stray shoes or toys anywhere, not a throw pillow out of place, or art projects displayed on the fridge. In fact, the only art in the place was a giant painting over the couch.
She walked over to get a closer look at the huge canvas. At least it was good art—an abstract rendering of the ocean at sunset with an explosion of turbulent colors. With its thick paint and luminous glow, it was almost alive with chaos and emotion. She searched for the artist’s signature, and when she found it, she didn’t recognize it.
Turning to Carter with inquiring eyes, she asked, “Did your designer choose this or did you?”
A flicker of pride sparked in his eyes. “I did. I bought it from an artist in Hawaii.” He paused a moment. “As soon as I saw it, I had to have it.”
Interesting. She hadn’t pegged him for someone who liked such unabashed wildness. “You have good taste.”
“Coming from an artist, that’s a great compliment. At least, I assume you’re an artist.”
Hannah turned away so he wouldn’t see her blush. “Yes. I am.” Why did her soul writhe at her temerity? She was an artist, dang it.
Carter’s feet shifted on the tile. “I’ll get Addi.”
A minute later, he came back into the room followed by a pale girl with blond curly hair and deep blue, almost grey eyes. She was thin and moved like a prim matron instead of with the fluid bounciness of most children she knew.
“Addilynn, this is Ms. Rhodes. She’s going to be your new nanny.”
The little girl looked her over with the same critical thoroughness her grandma had but didn’t say anything. As if on cue, Carter’s mom followed them into the room and walked over to sit down in a chair. Hannah nearly sighed. This introduction was awkward enough without Mrs. Prunes making it worse. Well, she was a professional right?
Smiling warmly at the little girl, she said, “You can call me Hannah.”
“She will call you Ms. Rhodes,” Mrs. Ellis said. “I’ve taught her to show respect to her elders, and I won’t have you undermining that.”
Clenching her teeth for a moment, Hannah bit back the words on her tongue and determined to clear the matter up with Addilynn later. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you,” she said, addressing the little girl as if they hadn’t been interrupted. “We’ll have a lot of fun together this summer.”
“Can we go swimming a lot?”
“Absolutely. I love it too.”
Carter pulled gently on one of his daughter’s curls. “She’s had lessons and swims like a fish, so you shouldn’t have any worries there. Just be careful if you go to the beach. She’s never had to worry about currents.”
Hannah smiled at him. “I understand. I’ve lived here all my life so I know how to be safe. And if the gulf is being cantankerous, there are enough pools here to keep a frog busy.”
A small chuckle burst out of Addilynn, and Hannah laughed at the way she clapped her hand over her mouth as if it surprised her. Carter looked down at her looking pleased. But of course, Mrs. Ellis was not so easily won over.
“I don’t approve of swimming in the ocean. But regardless, you need to use plenty of sunscreen because she burns easy. Also, only use the brand you’ll find with her things. It doesn’t have any cancer-causing chemicals. Be sure she rinses the salt and chlorine out of her hair. It’s too unmanageable as it is. I always apply a heavy coat of leave-in conditioner.”
Carter sighed and went to the kitchen. “Mom, I think we can handle all this.” He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.
Mrs. Ellis got up and went to the big island in the kitchen. She picked up a piece of paper and waved it delicately at Carter. “I’m making a list of all the things you need to remember.” Then looking to Hannah, she said, “Men just don’t remember all the little details you know.”
So, what? They were supposed to be friends now? Not to mention, this reminded Hannah that she knew absolutely nothing about Addilynn’s mother. The amount of control her grandma had made Hannah think she wasn’t really in the picture. Regardless, it was likely to be a touchy subject so she decided to ask about it later when Addilynn wasn’t around.
She eyed the list as Mrs. Ellis handed it to her, but just smiled, refusing to agree with her opinion of men. Carter, especially, didn’t strike her as a clueless, uninvolved father. Hannah suspected Mrs. Ellis’ elevator didn’t go all the way to the top.
Resorting to her teacher persona, like when dealing with a difficult parent, helped Hannah keep her cool. But the redneck rebel in her wanted to dish out a healthy dose of southern sass. Instead, Hannah looked at Carter. “Am I going on duty today? I don’t remember if you said.”
Carter put his bottle of water down on the counter and crossed his arms. “I had intended for you to, but under the circumstances…” His eyes shifted toward his mom. “Maybe it would be best if you started Monday. I’ll be happy to pay you for today for the inconvenience.”
Hannah almost refused his offer but reminded herself that she did need the money. Carter was extremely wealthy and he had cost her any other chance to earn money today. “Thank you. I live close if you decide you need me after all.” She turned back to Addilynn, who was still standing as still and poised as a beauty pageant contestant at the edge of the living room rug. “Enjoy spending the day with your grandma. I’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll see you down to the lobby,” Carter said, stepping forward quickly as she moved to the door.
She smiled her thanks but didn’t say anything further until they were closed in the privacy of the elevator. Then she swallowed and took a deep breath. “Can I ask about Addilynn’s mother? I noticed you aren’t wearing a ring, and no one has mentioned her.”
Carter held up his left hand and looked down at it. “Did you?” Then his eyes flashed to hers. “Interesting.”
Hannah took a deep breath, hoping to fight off the flush she felt rising on her cheeks. “I only looked when I was being offered the job”
“Ah well, that’s put me in my place.” The elevator opened then and they stepped out together. Fortunately, the lobby was empty for the moment. His expression tightened. “Addi’s mom terminated her parental rights, at her request, not mine. She did so as part of our divorce when Addi was just a baby. We haven’t had any contact with her since.”
Hannah gaped at him. What he was saying just didn’t compute. How could a woman want to give up her rights to her children? True, she’d never had children herself, but she had loved a great many children in her life and hoped to have her own someday. What effect had this had on Addi? A wave of compassion swept over Hannah at the same moment that she realized how closed off and uncomfortable Carter looked.
Treading carefully, she said, “Thank you for telling me, Mr. Ellis. What time should I be here on Monday?”
“Eight o’clock, please. And I want you to know how much I appreciate you taking this job. I know this must have been uncomfortable for you with my mom being difficult.”
Hannah laughed. “Yes, it was. And I was afraid you might crack your molars a few times from the way you were clenching that manly jaw of yours. But don’t worry. Now the tricky part is all on my shoulders.”
“What’s that?” he asked, flashing a smile at her.
“Getting Addi to like me enough to relax and have fun,” she said before turning to walk away. But she hadn’t told him the other tricky part—not letting herself be too attracted to him. That wasn’t just going to be tricky. It might be downright impossible.
When she walked outside, the heat of the early afternoon was just coming on. The new-found freedom of her day called to her, but she knew she should spend some time preparing for her new job. Her instincts told her this was going to be more challenging than anything she’d ever taken on.
She was used to students who lived in difficult situations and struggled with personal demons, but usually she didn’t have so much one-on-one responsibility for them. On the flip-side of that, however, she realized she’d never before had a chance to be such an influence for good, to really make an impact on a child’s life. The thought was powerful.
Hannah suspected that besides more time with her dad, Addilynn needed to learn how to be a kid. And no one knew how to do that better than her.