"I QUIT!"
Two words she didn't expect to hear twice in one week.
"You gotta be kidding me, guys." She turned to her two kids, exasperated, eyes wide, and lips pressed tight. "What is wrong with her this time?"
That was the second nanny who quit this week.
The first one was in her late teens with a year of experience. She seemed to be good with kids and could even cook a decent meal, but like any other teenager, she was glued to her phone.
"Mom, she's always chatting with her boyfriend," Myko complained. "What if something happened to Aisla while she's busy on her phone?"
Then, the next nanny was older. Well, maybe much, much older. She was a retired teacher.
Truthfully, she was almost perfect.
However, she had one flaw. She was too old to keep up with the twins.
Her kids weren't devil spawns, but they weren't exactly angels either.
Just like other six-year-olds, they were too energetic, high-spirited, adventurous, and a bit mischievous for their own damn good.
In other words, they could be quite a handful.
"The agency is sending another one, so try to behave." She warned her kids.
This time, she hoped the new nanny would be a perfect fit for her twins. After all, the agency highly recommended her.
***
The next day.
As if the world had conspired to start her day with a heart attack, she woke up with a jolt.
Clutching her chest, she gasped for air as beads of sweat trickled down her face and back.
Damn! She had overslept.
She had been juggling her demanding job, the endless chores around the house, and her kids' needs, so she barely had time for a long nap.
Last night, her body must have finally given up.
Now, even though it was the weekend, she still had to go to the hospital.
Like a spinning top, she spun around the apartment, bouncing from one corner to the other.
She cooked breakfast, burned her finger on the hot pan, picked up the toys her kids left on the floor, woke the twins, and got ready for work.
"I'm going to be late." She thought, watching the long hand on the wall clock tick another minute.
"Myko… Aisla…" She called across the hallway. "Hurry up!" The twins were still up in their room, probably arguing who was getting this or doing this.
"Breakfast is ready." She set two plates of bread, eggs, and bacon on the table and then poured two glasses of milk.
Then, for the last fifteen minutes, she moved around the kitchen, making sure her kids finished their meals and cleaning after them.
"Ugh!" She groaned wearily as she put the last glass in the dishwasher.
Blair was right. She couldn't take care of the kids alone anymore. She badly needed help. But finding a husband was not the answer.
"What was taking her so long?" She sighed under her breath, pacing around her modest apartment while her eyes stayed glued to the front door.
The agency said the new nanny would come early, but she was already fifteen minutes late.
"Where is she?" She really had to leave if she wanted to make it to her very important meeting in less than an hour, but she couldn't leave the kids on their own.
But she couldn't miss her meeting either.
For two months, she had worked countless days and nights to finish her proposal for this new treatment program. She could not mess it up now. Not when she was this close to making a breakthrough.
Since her grandfather's death, she had worked her body to the bone to survive by doing odd jobs.
Without money, connections, and experience, finding a permanent position as a doctor in a respectable hospital was nearly impossible.
Luckily, she had stumbled upon an old classmate who encouraged her to join a medical mission in some far-flung area. It was mostly voluntary work, but at least she got free accommodation and food, and a chance to practice her profession.
It also gave her a chance to start a new life.
A few minutes later—
Ping!
Her phone beeped, signaling an incoming message.
It was an email from the agency. It said the nanny had an accident earlier. Her injury wasn't serious, just a sprained ankle. But she might be out for several weeks.
In the meantime, they were sending a replacement right away.
"What a shame." She truly liked the new nanny.
Nevertheless, the agency guaranteed that the substitute would be just as good.
"Well, I hope so."
She was about to respond to the email when she was interrupted.
Ding! Dong!
Finally.
"That should be her." She mumbled, relief washing over her.
After she put her phone away, she sprinted toward the door.
But as she opened the door—
"Mommy, did you see my pink hair clip…" Aisla called from up the stairs.
The commotion made her turn and look up.
"Mom, I need my baseball cap…" Myko cut Aisla off. "Where did you put it?"
"Hey, I'm asking Mommy first." Then, a series of bickering followed, making her roll her eyes and sigh.
"Please, come in." Without looking, she strode back inside and stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"Look for it yourselves." She ordered, leaving the two kids with no room to argue. "And hurry up."
Remembering that she had company, she grabbed the contract by the coffee table.
"I'm sure your agency had already briefed you on my conditions." She rambled on. "But just in case, I have a copy here…" She shuffled through the papers.
"Excuse me…"
Her words suddenly died in her throat when she heard something odd about the nanny's voice.
Meanwhile, her fingers froze on the list as soon as her eyes landed on the person standing before her.
"Wait! What!?"
Stunned. Confused. Dumbfounded.
For a few seconds, she just stared. Mummified.
The person who stood before her didn't exactly look like the nanny in her mind. Actually, he seemed out of place, filling her entire living room with his intimidating presence.
Besides, who wore a suit that seemed more expensive than her month's salary in a nanny interview?
In fact, he looked more like he was about to walk on a runway than run after her kids.
"You're a man." She finally stated the obvious when she recovered from her shock.
Still, her eyes could not help but scan his face and the rest of his body.
"Of course, I'm a man." He stated, standing tall and looking like he was the master of the house while she was the help.
"You gotta be kidding me…" She mumbled silently.
She knew she had been picky, demanding only the best, but she didn't expect the agency to send her this.
Seriously!
This one heck of a specimen of a man.
Of course, speaking from a doctor's point of view.
"Wait! I thought they were sending a woman." She asked. Again, her eyes raked the man from head to toe.
Damn! What was a man like him doing working as a nanny?
In her opinion, he could easily be a top executive in a top Fortune 500 company. If not, with that handsome face and those bulging muscles pressing against his clothes, he could apply as a model or an actor, or even work as a bodyguard.
"What are you…"
But before he could finish, a loud ring cut him off.
"Sorry. But I need to get this." She looked at the man apologetically and hurriedly answered when she saw Blair's name on the screen.
"Yeah! I'm just running a few minutes late. Just cover for me." She said, as Blair reminded her of their meeting.
After briefly explaining her situation, she abruptly ended the call and turned again to the new nanny.
Desperate and faced with an impossible dilemma, she guessed she had no choice.
"Ok. Fine… You're hired." She blurted before second-guessing her decision.
Unfortunately, she had no more time to request a new nanny, and leaving the kids unsupervised was out of the question.
But as she thought about it, a male nanny might be exactly what her kids needed.
"I think there's a bit of mis…" He finally spoke, seemingly confused and uneasy.
"I know you have many questions, but I'm really running late. Mr…?" She suddenly remembered she didn't get his name.
"Julian Hawthorn." He supplied. "I am here…"
"I know… I know…" She cut him off again. "Just like I said, everything you need to know is in there." She pointed to the folder.
"We'll talk when I get back." She grabbed her bag and keys from the table and turned to the stairs.
"Kids…" She called to them. "Come and meet Julian."
"Kids?" The man looked lost, as his eyes darted between her and the two small figures running down the steps.
"Oh, did the agency forget to mention that they are twins?"
The shadow in the man's eyes said what she needed to hear.
Surprised. Shocked. Maybe a hint of fear.
"I know they might look overwhelming, but I assure you they are easy to get along with." But deep inside, she could only cross her fingers.
"Who's he?" Myko said, standing before him. His sharp, little eyes immediately put the man under his intense scrutiny.
"Julian, these are my kids." She pointed to his son and daughter.
"Myko… Aisla… this is Mr. Julian Hawthorn." She stepped aside so her kids could see the man more clearly.
"He's the new Manny."