Forget Benjamin Glen’s house. His front gate alone is freakin’ massive.

I sit in my idling car at the wrought-iron gate, waiting for it to open. I’ve already announced myself to whoever it was that answered the intercom, and now I’m studying the brick wall and trees beyond it. Though I’m trying as hard as I can, I can’t see anything beyond the foliage.

The gate smoothly opens, and I put my car into drive, taking it up the hill and around a couple bends. This driveway is more like its own road.

As the trees thin out and the house comes into view, I gasp out loud.

“Holy shit,” I breathe.

The house is two floors, but that’s the only modest thing about it. It’s white, with countless windows and a giant front porch. The perfectly-manicured front yard is massive, and there’s a big garage with what looks like an apartment of some sort over it.

There’s so much space in the driveway that I’m actually unsure of where to park. I settle with edging the car in close to the fountain the driveway curves around, and do a makeup check before getting out of the car.

I usually don’t make a habit out of wearing makeup, but I’ve been having some fun with it lately—plus, I want to look good for my first day at my new job.

Right, because you want to impress a six-year-old and not her hot dad.

“Shut up, inner monologue,” I mutter as I get out of the car.

Benjamin Glen is off limits. I’ve repeated that fact to myself a hundred times since yesterday, but it seems it still hasn’t sunk into my psyche.

Trying not to fidget from anxiety, I ring the front doorbell.

Within the space of thirty seconds, the door flies open. Instead of Benjamin standing there, like I expected, it’s an older man. His father, perhaps? The person who answered the intercom?

“Hello.” I smile.

He smiles back and extends his hand. “How are you doing?”

“Well, thank you.” I shake heartily. “I’m Jayne.”

“Eddie. I’m the butler here. Please, come inside.”

I blink, unable to move.

The butler? Do people actually still have those? What does he do, exactly? Answer the door all day long?

“Jayne?”

He’s standing there, holding the door.

“Sorry.” I smile again. “It’s early. I’m still a little out of it.”

He just keeps smiling. I’m compelled to ask him if his cheeks hurt yet.

Inside, a staircase leads to a second landing. The foyer gives way to a hallway that extends to the back of the house, and several doors lead to rooms on both sides. The largest doorway, to the right, goes into some kind of living room.

Living room? Sitting room? Den? Lounge? Parlor…?

The only thing I know for sure is that this place is a mansion, and at least ten of Amy’s apartments could fit in here.

“Here is the coat closet,” Eddie explains, opening up a double-door closet. “There is a bathroom just down the hallway. Bedrooms and the playroom are upstairs.”

I nod, unable to stop my mind from drifting as he goes on, continuing to list the rooms in the massive home. What does Benjamin do with a house this big? Does he have parties?

I imagine the kinds of friends he likely has. Wealthy ones. Hot ones. All of them equally-suave versions of himself. And the girlfriends…

“Everything you need for a swim is in the pool room,” Eddie is saying. “Including towels and Mia’s floaties.”

“It’s a little cold for a swim, though, isn’t it?” I laugh.

“The inside pool,” he corrects himself. “We open the outside one in May.”

Oh. Yes. Of Course.

Heavy footsteps sound behind me, and my heart does a flip. Benjamin?

I turn around to greet him, but instead find myself face to face with yet another male staff member. This one is carrying a couple of cloth tote bags.

“Ray,” Eddie says, “This is Jayne, the new nanny. Jayne, Ray is the chef here.”

“Nice to meet you,” I tell him.

Ray gives me a once-over. He’s maybe than ten years older than me, and heavy-set.

“Good luck,” is all he says before leaving through the front door.

I frown after him. “Good luck?” I dully repeat.

What was that supposed to mean?

I turn to Eddie. “He said ‘good luck’ like I’m going to need it.”

Eddie averts his eyes. “Benjamin and Mia are waiting for you in the kitchen.”

Hmm. Okay.

Why do I feel like I just walked into a gothic romance novel? Like at any moment, ghosts are going to creep out of the walls?

Having no other choice, I follow Eddie through the massive living room—which has a fireplace large enough for me to stand in—and into an equally enormous kitchen. Long, marble island. Shiny, new appliances. Shelves upon shelves stacked with utensils and cooking accouterments.

For all intents and purposes, it looks like a regular kitchen—a regular kitchen fit for royalty.

At the far end of it, at a breakfast table, sit Benjamin and his daughter. The little girl has already clocked me, and she watches me with a wary eye, her spoon held suspended above her cereal bowl.

“Hello,” I say, focusing all of my attention on her. If I look at Benjamin, I might lose it. I only got one quick glance at him, but I didn’t miss the damp quality of his hair or his freshly-shaved, perfect jaw.

Don’t think of him in the shower. Don’t think of him in the shower.

I take a few steps in their direction, and Benjamin stands.

“Mia, this is your new nanny, Jayne. Say hello.”

Mia’s lips twist, and she quickly looks away. She seems more shy than anything else.

“It’s okay,” I tell her. “I feel nervous when I meet new people, too.”

I can feel Benjamin’s eyes on me, but it’s not until I look over at him that I catch the intensity in his gaze. Noticing me looking back, he clears his throat and turns away.

Was he staring at me?

“Well,” Benjamin says. “It’s Saturday, so no school today.”

“My favorite day,” I chime in.

“I do have to work, though.” He ruffles Mia’s hair, and I nod. Somebody has to pay for this labyrinth of luxury we’re standing in the middle of.

Benjamin turns to me. “Eddie is around all day. He lives in the guest house out back, so if you need anything, just let him know.”

I nod. “All right.”

“Other than that…” He looks around, as if searching for something in the kitchen. I can’t help but feel he’s avoiding my gaze due to being caught eyeballing me. “Have fun. I’ll be back sometime mid-afternoon. Numbers are on the fridge. Ray made lunch. It’s on the shelf in there.”

“Great, thanks.”

Benjamin kisses Mia’s head. “Love you, sweetheart.”

“Love you,” she repeats, in a much higher voice.

Benjamin gives me the quickest smile and nod in all of human history before he’s gone. He’s definitely uncomfortable around me…but I can’t figure out why.

Unless it’s because the attraction is mutual.

I clap my hands together. It doesn’t matter. No daydreaming about the boss. I promised myself that.

“What would you like to do today?” I ask Mia.

She shrugs. “I dunno.”

I take a seat next to her. “What do you usually do on Saturdays?”

She sighs dramatically. “Kay takes me to the park.”

“Who is Kay?”

“My old nanny. And Lauren was my nanny before her. And Emmy was my nanny before her.”

“Oh.” My stomach twists. Mia is only six. How many nannies can someone that young have gone through?

And why has she had so many?

Ray’s “good luck” suddenly makes a lot of sense.

I push the worrisome thoughts to the side. It doesn’t matter that the nannies before me didn’t last. I’m going to rock this job and show both Benjamin and the agency that I’m the best nanny ever. Plus, I’m going to have a whole lot of fun with Mia while I’m at it.

“Hey.” I clasp my hands and put them on the table. “Do you like plays?”

“I dunno,” she mumbles.

“Do you like ballet?”

“I dunno.”

I catch my bottom lip between my teeth, thinking some more.

“Okay. What about making forts?”

She grunts in a way that tells me that’s a negative.

“Sock puppets?”

“No.”

“Biking?”

“No.”

“Staring at the wall?”

Mia’s nose wrinkles. “What?”

“I knew it. I could tell when I first saw you. You’re the kind of kid who just loves to stare at the wall all day.”

“No, I don’t,” she giggles. “No one likes that.”

“Have you ever done it?”

“No,” she carefully answers.

“Then you wouldn’t know, would you?”

She laughs harder. “Yes, I do know. And I’ll show you!”

“Hold on there, little lady. First of all, we’re going to need a completely blank wall. No way do you have one of those.”

“Yes, I do!” Grabbing my hand, Mia pulls me away from the table.

As I let her whisk me through the living room, I press my lips together so I won’t smile too big and ruin the game. Taking me upstairs, she stops in the hallway.

“Here.” Mia proudly points at a blank space on the wall that’s about four feet long, pictures on either side of it.

“Hmm.” I pretend to inspect it. “This could do… This could really do.”

“You’re silly.”

“Thank you.” I flutter my eyelashes and fold my hands under my chin.

“I hope you stay.” Mia frowns.

“I plan on doing just that.”

“But everyone else leaves.”

The comment is so mournful, I want to reach out and pull her into a hug. I hold back, though. We’ve only just met.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Ask Daddy.” Mia turns away. “Let’s go. My dolls are waiting.”

“Ask Daddy?” I mouth as I follow her to her bedroom.

I’m not sure what that comment is supposed to mean—it’s a pretty precocious one for a six-year-old. One thing is certain, though: I don’t think my time in this household will be boring in the least.