Читать книгу The Nanny and the Boss's Twins - Barbara McMahon - Страница 7

STACEY WILLIAMS checked her watch for the tenth time. It was still a few minutes before the agreed-upon time, but still she scanned the crowd as passengers walked by. The international terminal at Kennedy Airport was crowded as people checked in for flights all over the world. She had the correct check-in line, she’d verified that before she’d begun her vigil, but she didn’t have a ticket. Her new boss would have her ticket.

Watching for Luis Aldivista, she zeroed in on any men with children in attendance. She’d recognize the twin boys and their father after meeting with them yesterday. Still, she scanned each face. Would their regular nanny accompany them to the airport? Or was Luis arriving here expecting her to take charge immediately? Their meeting yesterday had been necessarily brief. Only after she’d left had she thought of questions.

There, a tall dark-haired man with two children—and a woman carrying a baby right beside him. For a moment Stacey felt a pang of envy. She and her sister were all the family each had, but one day she’d love to fall in love, get married and have a family of her own with lots of children. She loved children—it was why she did the job she did, but watching other people’s children wasn’t the same as raising some of her own.

She was jostled as the crowd grew. It was prime time for late afternoon departures and more and more people arrived by the moment. JFK International Airport was one of the country’s busiest, and with the start of summer vacations she expected it would continue to be crowded for the next several weeks.

She checked her watch again and, looking up, she spotted the man holding two squirmy boys enter the terminal. A porter pushed a luggage cart behind them. It struck her again that Luis didn’t fit her idea of a typical Spaniard. Instead of the dark hair she’d expected, this man had sandy brown hair. He was tall, and fit, but the strong jaw and tightly pressed lips also didn’t fit her image of a fiery Latino. Somehow in the past she’d always pictured Spanish men as lovers, with soft words to whisper into a woman’s ear and a delightful manner in making a woman feel special.

Luis looked nothing like her fantasies.

He looked around the terminal, spotted her and said something to the boys. They both looked up at him at the same time. She smiled at the twin expressions. When she’d met them yesterday she’d wondered how she’d ever tell them apart. They were identical in every way—except personality. Juan was much more outgoing than his brother Pablo.

She pulled her bag behind her as she approached them, her travel tote slung over one shoulder.

“Mr. Aldivista,” she greeted him as she got closer.

He looked at her. “Right on time, I see.”

She nodded and looked at the boys, smiling. Both clung to their father and studied her with wary eyes.

“Boys, say hello to Miss Williams.”

“I don’t want to go,” one of the boys complained.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” the other protested, frowning at Stacey. His look mirrored that of his father. She knew they would be a handful. She’d seen evidence of that on their pre-trip interview yesterday, but she was up to the challenge. She hoped.

When she’d showed up for the interview, Luis Aldivista’s first comment had been about her appearance—too young to be a nanny for his boys. Even a temporary nanny for their trip to Spain. For a second she’d thought he’d refuse to hire her but, having left it so close to their departure date, there wasn’t a lot he could do.

She’d explained again the credentials of all the nannies in the company. She herself had graduated from college with a degree in early childhood education, and then taken the course from the prestigious Miss Pritchards’ School for Nannies. Which he already knew since Stephanie, their office manager, had provided references and credentials when he had visited the agency.

She should be used to people thinking she looked too young for the job, she heard it often enough. One of her friends had said she’d appreciate that youthful look when she was much older and the rest of their peer group looked like dried apples, but she wasn’t there yet and it grew annoying.

Luis’s lips tightened even more. “Stop that behavior,” he told his boys. He glanced at Stacey. “I hope this trip isn’t going to be a mistake. We’re not even on the plane and they’re already causing problems.”

“Then let me take charge, that’s what you hired me for,” she said brightly, feeling the tension rise. She’d arrived home yesterday from another assignment and had scarcely had time to make the interview. Normally she liked to spend a bit more time with the children she’d be watching than just a brief ten-minute meeting, but Stacey was one of only two nannies in their agency who spokeg Spanish. There wasn’t much choice in the matter if she was to uphold the reputation of Vacation Nannies. Luis Aldivista wasn’t the only one wondering if the trip was going to prove a mistake.

“Tell me your names again, please,” she said to the twins.

“I’m Juan,” the boy on the left said. Pointing to his twin, he continued, “He’s Pablo.”

“Are you looking forward to the plane ride?” she asked.

“I don’t want to go.”

“I don’t want you here. I want Hannah,” Juan said with a pout, then looked up at his father.

“Hannah isn’t coming. We’ve been over this a hundred times. Stacey will be your temporary nanny while we are on vacation,” Luis said with little patience. “Let’s get going. The sooner we get through security, the sooner we’ll be on our way.”

Signaling the porter to follow, he led the way to the line for first-class check-in. Moments later all bags except his laptop and her tote had been whisked away.

Stacey didn’t have much chance to talk with the boys with everything going on and she determined that while they waited at the departure gate she’d try to learn more about them and have them get to know her better. From the brief interview, she knew they could be a handful. But with their regular nanny at their side, they’d had a modicum of courtesy. Now they were just obstreperous boys uncertain about the changes ahead.

Vacation Nannies had been her idea. She and her sister had founded the small boutique agency five years ago. The idea was to match qualified nannies with families needing childcare for limited periods of time—usually when on vacation. Savannah had still been in college when they’d come up with the concept and had immediately added some business courses to help with starting the firm. After only a year in operation, they’d realized they had a goldmine and had expanded to include other qualified nannies. Two years later they had rented their current office space and hired Stephanie to coordinate everything. They now had a dozen nannies. Their reputation was sterling and they were daily getting more requests than they could handle.

She kept an eye on the boys, though they still held onto their father’s hands. They were not charming sweet children like those of her last assignment. They complained. They contradicted each other with constant bickering, and they tugged constantly on their father’s hand, as if trying to break away.

Once through security, Luis stopped out of the stream of passengers and looked at her. “I need to make a phone call to the office. Take charge, please, and I’ll meet you all at the gate before we board.”

Nothing like being dumped into the deep end of an assignment, she thought, nodding, reaching for the boys’ hands. She was not going to let them roam free. She had a sudden vision of them running in two different directions and her trying to find them.

“I don’t want to go with you,” Juan said. Or was it Pablo? No, it was Juan. She needed a way to tell them apart.

“Your dad’ll meet us before we get on the plane. Come along, let’s find our gate.”

“I don’t want to go to Spain,” Pablo said.

“I’ve never been. Have you?” she asked, trying to defuse the loaded statement.

He shook his head. “I want Hannah.”

“Hannah’s taking a short vacation herself,” Stacey explained. The boys’ regular nanny had refused to accompany them to Spain. Her excuse was a fear of flying, but Stacey was beginning to wonder if it was just to have a few weeks to herself after dealing with them all the time.

“She’s our nanny, you’re not.”

“I want to go with her on vacation.” Juan said.

“You’re going to see your great-grandmother. Hannah’s going to visit her family. I’ll be flying with you and watch you while on vacation.”

They both pouted and Stacey had to look away lest they see her smile. Twins were adorable as a rule and these two would probably prove the same once she got to know them better. If their manners improved a bit. If they got over not wanting to go.

She found their gate and sat down with the boys on either side to await their father’s return. Despite his hesitancy yesterday, he’d had no trouble immediately giving her charge of his children. Wasn’t he the slightest bit concerned how they’d all get along? Or was he the stereotypical workaholic, too caught up in the challenges of business to really pay attention to his sons?

Luis Aldivista listened as his head of sales brought him up to speed on the negotiations they were in the midst of. Several years ago he’d invented medical software that interfaced directly between doctors’ offices and their affiliated hospitals. Gradually they’d begun selling to the east coast and into the midwest but now they were poised to expand into the western part of the country and Luis wanted to stay on top of things.

This was important. He wished he could have convinced his grandmother of that. But the invitation had been a nicely worded summons. Since he owed his grandmother a lot, he couldn’t refuse. It would be the first time she’d asked him to return to Spain since the boys’ birth, although she’d visited several times, so she knew the twins. But they’d never been to the place he would forever think of as home.

Still, the timing sucked.

When he finished talking with Jerry, he had his secretary transfer him to his research and development team so he could get an update on the latest version of the software, due to be released in six weeks. Luis wanted daily updates.

He’d only left the office four hours ago. He checked his watch. Their flight would be departing soon and by the time they landed, New York would be fast asleep. This was his last chance to be in touch with the office for a while.

Once he’d hung up, he swung by a coffee kiosk and got a cup of coffee. He had work to do on the plane, and with the flight time such as it was, his circadian rhythm would be all messed up by the time he landed in Spain.

As he approached the waiting area for the flight, he quickly located his new temporary nanny and his sons. She was talking to them and for once the boys seemed to be behaving. They both sat in seats, watching her as she talked. At least they hadn’t dashed off, trying to find him. Or trying to get home. He would have thought they’d love the opportunity to take a trip to Spain. If only his long-term nanny had accompanied them.

Stacey spotted him and smiled. He nodded in acknowledgment. He had to give her points for already controlling those hellion boys of his. He wished he knew her secret. Even Hannah had trouble with them, but for once it seemed they were not getting into mischief.

“Everything okay at your office?” she asked.

He shrugged. “This is not the best time to be taking a vacation. I’m needed here.”

Although he was taking both his phone and his laptop and expected to work from his grandmother’s home, making this very much a working holiday.

“But what a great opportunity for you and the boys. I think traveling is so educational,” she said.

“They’re a little young to be viewing the trip as educational. It would have suited me more to wait a few years.”

Luis knew the company would be in good hands while he was gone. He paid high wages to keep the best in the business. His general manager was more than competent in running things. Still, it felt odd to be taking off at such a crucial time—and for three weeks. He hadn’t taken a real vacation since selling that first version of the software to the doctors’ consortium in Boston. It was actually pushing six years.

“Go now and again in a few years as well,” she said with a smile.

Stacey turned her attention to Juan, who was complaining again. Luis knew his sons—they’d get worse and worse until he’d have to send them to their rooms. Impossible now they were about to board a plane! He hoped they slept through the flight. How did other parents have perfectly behaved children when his acted like hellions most of the time?

He took the seat on the far side of Pablo, glad the nanny had saved it for him. Stacey continued to talk to them about airplanes and the boys seemed enthralled. He still thought the woman looked little older than a teen ager, but so far she’d shown she had a knack with kids. He couldn’t remember the last time the twins had sat so still or been so attentive.

Maybe they just like looking at her? He had to admit, she was pretty.

He frowned. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. Her bright blue eyes drew his attention again and again. She had a light tan but, if he had to describe her, he would call her complexion peaches and cream.

Looking away, he checked his watch again. He wasn’t interested in his nanny as a person, only as someone who would take care of his children. They’d begin boarding soon, and he had more important things to concentrate on than how pretty the temporary nanny was, though she definitely spiked his interest. It had been a long time since he’d had any interest in the opposite sex. But this was not a complication he wanted. He was confusing awareness with gratitude. That was it. He was grateful she had taken Hannah’s place on such short notice, they couldn’t have made the trip otherwise. He didn’t want to take the boys to his grandmother’s without someone to watch them. He’d be too busy himself. And there was no guarantee a nanny in Spain would speak English.

Stacey glanced at Luis, noting the frown. Did he never smile? The boys wanted to go to the large windows to look at planes, so she took each by the hand and soon all three were watching planes take off and absorbing the size of the one they’d be on, which was already parked at the gate.

She recalled what Stephanie had told her just before she’d set out for the Aldivista residence to interview and be interviewed. Luis Aldivista had been on New York’s top ten most eligible bachelors list the last couple of years. He’d invented some kind of medical software that most of the private doctors’ offices in the country used. Stephanie hadn’t dealt with details. All that had been important to her was that his software had made him fabulously wealthy. But Luis was so good looking he might have made the list without the money behind him.

Stacey wasn’t sure of her friend’s assessment. So far the man looked grumpy. And so focused on business he couldn’t share his children’s delight with airplanes. He needed to lighten up if they were all to enjoy this trip.

“What’s that one, Stacey?” one of the twins asked.

Stacey stooped down to be at eye level with the little boy. He was adorable—blond curls that went every which way, bright blue eyes that seem to sparkle from inside. “That’s called a jumbo jet. Because it’s a jumbo size. I’m not sure who makes it. We can look that up when we get to Spain if you like.”

She looked at their father. He was totally involved in whomever he was talking to on the phone. She wanted to snatch it away and tell him to enjoy the excitement of a first flight with his sons. He should be the one explaining how planes flew and where in the world they could all be going. But she was used to fathers who put work ahead of children. They did what they did. A mere nanny wasn’t going to change that.

Turning back to the planes, she wondered why men married and had families if they didn’t want to spend time with them. If she ever got married and had her family, she’d insist her husband spend time with her and their children.

If ever. She sighed. Her job didn’t give her much chance to meet eligible bachelors.

She looked at the boys. The twins must take after their mother. Luis had brown hair and hazel eyes. Not that she should be noticing that.

“Cute children you have.” A woman had brought her daughter to the window to look out. “They look just like you. Their first plane ride?”

Stacey was taken aback by the comment, but then smiled and responded with, “Yes. We’re flying to Spain.” No need to say more, she’d never see the woman again.

“Ah, have a great time. We’re on our way to Italy. My husband’s there on business and we’re joining him for a short vacation.”

Juan looked up at Stacey and tugged on her hand. “When do we get to go inside the plane?” he asked. “I want to see inside the plane,” he went on, pressing his face against the glass.

“You’ll see it from the inside once we get on board. Look, there’s one taking off,” she said, pointing. They watched the planes for a minute, then Stacey felt Pablo tugging on her shirt.

“I want to see inside, too,” he said.

“We will, sweetie. Just be patient. Look at that big one coming in to land. I wonder where it’s flying in from?”

“Maybe Spain,” Juan said.

“Maybe Ohio,” Pablo said.

“Ohio?” Stacey was surprised he knew about other states.

“Hannah’s going on vacation to Ohio. I miss her.”

Stacey stooped down and hugged him. “Of course you do. And I know she misses you. So we’ll write her a letter when we get to Spain. You can keep a journal of all your adventures to share with her when you return home.”

“What’s a journal?” Juan asked. “Can I keep one too?”

“A journal is writing down what happens each day to help you remember.”

“I can write my name,” Juan said proudly.

“I’ll help with the writing, you two can tell me what to write and then Hannah can read it when you get home.”

“Can we write about the big planes?” Pablo asked.

“Sure, that would be a great start. We’ll get a notebook as soon as we get to your grandmother’s. And I have my camera with me. We’ll take pictures so you can remember.” She pulled out a digital camera and snapped a few shots of the planes they could see, and also took a couple of the boys in the busy terminal. She loved keeping journals of the trips, both for herself and the children she watched.

“I can’t wait to go on the plane,” Juan said.

Before she could say more the first boarding announcement sounded and she smiled at him. “We get to get on it now.”

She nodded at to the other woman. “Have a good flight.”

The boys ran back toward their father, pulling on her hands. “We get to go inside the plane now, Daddy!”

“So I heard,” Luis said, rising. Laptop in hand, he motioned to them to precede him and in only moments they were inside the first-class cabin.

“Daddy, that other lady said we look like Stacey. We don’t, we look like us,” one of the twins said, bouncing up and down on his seat.

Luis looked at her questioningly.

“I think she thought they were mine. Blond hair, blue eyes. Not much of a resemblance beyond that.”

“Melissa, their mom, had blonde hair, darker than yours, more like honey. Her eyes were light blue.”

They had the four seats in one row, two each side of the aisle. “I’ll sit by one of the boys for part of the trip and you the other. We can switch halfway through,” Luis suggested as they matched boarding passes to seat assignments.

“Perfect,” she said. That’d give her time to visit with the each boy individually and learn more about them.

Juan sat next to her in the window seat. Pablo sat in the window seat next to his father. Stacey knew that Pablo was shy around strangers, though she hoped he’d warm up to her quickly. They’d be together a lot over the next three weeks.

As the jumbo jet made a smooth take-off, Luis leaned back in his seat and looked across the aisle at the new nanny. She was bent close to Juan, listening as his son regaled her with some tale. For a moment he wished he could capture the sight in a photograph. His boys were special. He wished they’d forever be as happy as Juan looked right now. He didn’t often see that expression.

It was at special moments like this he missed Melissa with an ache that seemed destined to never fade. She had missed every moment of their lives, dying of an aneurism before delivering Pablo. She’d never even held her sons. At every milestone, he offered up the hope that Melissa knew, somewhere, somehow.

Stacey enjoyed sitting by Juan, happy he was so easy to travel with. He talked her ear off non-stop from the time the doors closed until the flight was airborne. He’d loved looking out the window until land was left behind. He thought the ocean was boring. Once or twice she glanced over at Luis and Pablo. That twin was quieter. He seemed intent on coloring in pages his father produced from the packet Hannah had sent. Her own contributions to keep the children entertained had yet to be opened. Hannah had packed small toys they could play with in the confined space of their seats.

Luis settled Pablo then opened his laptop and seemed totally engrossed with whatever he was reading, his expression thoughtful, his eyes focused on the screen. His hair was a bit mussed. Had he run his fingers through when she’d not been looking?

And why was she looking? She was here for the children, not to watch the father. Had it been just over twenty-four hours ago that she had met him for the first time? She’d returned to her office after meeting the boys and studied the interview sheets with more intensity than normal. He was widowed. He was head of a very successful software development firm. And he was so good looking he should carry a warning label.

When she’d gone home, she’d looked him up on the internet, and found the article Stephanie had mentioned that listed him as one of New York’s most eligible bachelors. No mention of his kids. Several tremendous photographs, however, would have everyone in New York recognizing him if they met him on the street.

She turned back to Juan. How lucky Luis was to have his twins. She hoped they were making family memories for the boys to cherish in the future. She only had vague memories of her own mother and father. She’d been six when delivered to Grams, her sister Savannah only four. And her mother’s mother had been arthritic and grumpy and already in her mid-sixties. If Stacey hadn’t had her sister, she didn’t know what she would have done. Savannah and she had made the most of whatever Grams had offered, but they hadn’t had much materially or done much outside the home. No travel, no vacations. When she’d turned eighteen, she’d deliberately set out to change her future for the better.

Stretching slightly, she acknowledged her own good luck to spend the next three weeks at some Spanish villa by the sea. When growing up in Palmerville, West Virginia, she’d dreamed about the sea. Now her best assignments were the ones at the beach. Thankfully the rich and famous liked the beach as much as she did.

During the meal service, she assisted Juan in cutting his meat and helping with his beverage. Once the meal service ended, she asked if Luis wanted to switch boys. Juan protested about going to sit by his dad, he wanted to stay with Stacey. Since the seats were large, she agreed and Pablo joined them. Soon the three of them were engrossed in putting together a puzzle she’d brought. The boys had never done a jigsaw puzzle before and vied with each other to match pieces to the spaces, often trying to force them in until Stacey explained they needed to reconstruct the picture and pieces in wrong places simply would not do!

She glanced again at her new employer. He was still working on the laptop, but she knew the battery would be dying soon. Then what would he do?

Her years working in this job had convinced her business tycoons didn’t have a family gene. They might want a family, but it was mainly for show or to leave the family fortune to. Children were nice to have brought out to meet associates and then shunted off in the care of someone else.

Her grandmother had been sickly, but she’d done her best for Stacey and her sister. She’d read to them, and taught them how to keep house, cook, mend clothes. All of it accompanied with family stories about relatives who had died without Stacey ever meeting them. Still, those were her family memories of growing up. Poor, deprived of bicycles and other toys her schoolmates had enjoyed, she still had those cherished memories. She missed her grandmother.

Growing up poor, however, had fostered the desire to enjoy luxury, hence the idea of being a temporary nanny, where she got to travel to exotic locations. While not participating in the activities of the parents, the children still had wonderful amenities that she would have loved as a child and she did her best to give each child a wonderful memory of the vacation, whether spending time with their parents or not.

She wondered about her current boss. He’d mentioned spending summers in Spain. With his parents? Or had he been shuffled off to get out of the way for their own lifestyles? She doubted she’d ever find out. Curiosity had her wondering about him while his children played quietly. Soon she’d try to get them to sleep a bit. It was already dark outside. They’d be landing in Madrid early in the morning. Sleep was required!

Midway through the flight the boys gave up and she reclined the seat they shared, covered them with a blanket and gave them each a pillow. In only seconds they were both fast asleep.

Which gave Stacey plenty of time to think. Her eyes were drawn to Luis Aldivista. His concentration seemed complete, which enabled her to study him without him being aware of it. He was better looking than the photographs she’d seen on the internet. What were his expectations for the trip?

“Mr. Aldivista,” she said softly. The jet was so quiet she knew he could hear her and she didn’t want to wake the boys.

He looked over. “Yes?” It took him a moment to focus. What was he thinking? she wondered.

“I thought maybe we should talk a bit more about what you expect from the trip. Will I be taking the boys around sightseeing, or will we be primarily at your grandmother’s place?”

“At Abuela Maria’s, I imagine,” he said, frowning slightly. “I don’t have any expectations. Just watch them. Keep them out of mischief. Try to have them behave.”

“Why wouldn’t they?” she asked, wondering if there was more to this assignment than she knew about.

“They’re a handful. If one wants to do one thing, the other wants to do the opposite.” He shook his head. “Hannah limits what they do because they’re so much trouble.”

Stacey glanced at the sleeping boys. They looked angelic to her.

“I think I can manage,” she replied dryly. How hard could they be?

“See that you do. I don’t want them disrupting my grandmother’s home.”

“I’ve never been to Spain, neither have they. I hope we see some of it while here. I’m sure the boys would love to see some of the old forts or castles.”

He looked at his computer, sighed and closed it. “Battery’s dead,” he said. Then he looked back at Stacey. “My grandmother’s home is right on the sea. The boys will find enough to do, playing on the beach. Easier to keep them corralled that way.”

She tilted her head slightly. “Will you be spending much time with them?”

“No promises. I’ll have to see how thing go at work.”

She wanted him to say he’d already planned on spending time with Juan and Pablo every day, but she was tilting at windmills. Die-hard business tycoons like Luis Aldivista never put anything before business.

“They don’t speak Spanish, do they?”

He shook his head.

“But you do?”

“Of course. I spent every summer in Spain from the time I was younger than the boys until I went to college and had to work summers.”

“Don’t you think they’ll have an easier time if you were with them some part of the day?”

“That’s why I hired you, Ms. Williams. Are you not up to the task? If so, I wished you’d spoken up before we left New York.”

“I’m more than capable of taking care of your children. I just thought—”

“I don’t pay you to think. Please just do the job for which you were hired.”

Stacey nodded, her enthusiasm dimming slightly. She gave him a polite smile when what she really wanted to do was bop him on the head. Turning away, she studied the sleeping boys for a moment. They looked angelic. And while their spirits had been high at the airport, she didn’t sense any malice or mischief in either.

Knowing they would land very early in the morning in Madrid, she leaned back and tried to sleep. She’d made transatlantic crossings before, and knew the first day or so in Europe was tiring due to the time change and lack of sleep. Not that these little guys would have that. They’d be wired with excitement. She’d better catch some sleep while she could.

Before drifting to sleep, Stacey imagined Luis having a change of heart and wanting to spend time with his sons. Thinking back over all the families she’d worked for over the years, only one or two came to mind who actually put their children and family fun above all else on a vacation. She really wished that would change.

When they landed in Madrid, the boys were cranky. That set the mood for the next stage of the journey. The connection to their next flight was tight and going through customs wasn’t as fast as Stacey wished. Still, they made the next plane and were soon airborne again on the one-hour flight to the coast. Once they landed in Alicante, Luis had Stacey watch the boys while he went to get their luggage and pick up the rental car he’d had reserved.

Tired from their flight, a bit scared with all the commotion at the foreign airport and not understanding the language around them, the boys clung to Stacey and said they wanted to go home. She explained everything around them, and then asked about their great-grandmother, trying to divert them from focusing on what they didn’t like.

“Have you ever met her?” she asked.

“She came to visit when we were little,” Juan said.

She smiled. To her these boys were still little.

“She always smelled nice,” Pablo added.

“So visiting her at her house will be fun, right?” she asked cheerfully.

“I want to go home,” Pablo said yet again.

“You’ll have fun this vacation, we’ll make sure of that. Then when you go home you can tell Hannah all about your trip!” she said, trying to keep him from dwelling on his wish to return home.

Once in the rental car, Stacey sat in the front beside Luis and the boys sat together in the back.

“It’s still about an hour’s drive,” Luis said, pulling out of the airport and getting on the highway. The traffic was heavy as people made their way to work. Soon, however, Alicante was left behind them as the car headed north.

Stacey gazed out the window as he drove. She saw glimpses of the sea from time to time. Anticipation rose. She hoped the weather would be good for the children’s sake. It was so much easier to play by the water than inside a strange place in inclement weather. She was prepared for either eventuality, however.

Luis drove on autopilot. He was tired, not having slept long on the plane. But as soon as he could get an internet connection, he’d send the office the work he’d done and then catch a nap.

He glanced at Stacey. She was restful to be around and didn’t talk needlessly. Didn’t flirt, didn’t try to charm him. He frowned. Where had that thought come from? He was immune to women who were looking for a relationship, as his sister often said. Maybe he was, but he’d been in love with Melissa and when she’d died, a part of him had died as well.

Besides, if he ever did become interested in another woman, it wouldn’t be someone like Stacey Williams. Melissa had been tall, blonde, a bit reserved and definitely sophisticated. While the coloring wasn’t too different, Stacey was totally the opposite of Melissa.

Sophisticated wasn’t the word he’d use for her. She bubbled with life. Everything seemed like an adventure. Though she had connected instantly with his sons.

His wife had been a real asset when he’d been courting investors for the new firm he was starting. She’d known how to entertain all levels of society. She’d always had the right word, the right clothes. Not that he was thinking about marriage or a new wife. He’d had his shot. Now he had his company—and his boys.

Still, Stacey was young, carefree and fun—just what his sons needed. He looked at her again. She turned and met his gaze, her eyes alight with delight.

“It’s beautiful along here. I can’t wait to see where we’ll be staying.”

“The villa’s larger than most. My grandmother had six children. My father is third from the oldest. There’s a guest cottage that sleeps ten as well. Plenty of room for all.”

He wondered where his grandmother would put them. Would she get servant quarters? He hadn’t thought about that. He hoped she wouldn’t get all upset if that was the case.

He drove through the small village of Alta Parisa, the place he’d known so well from his childhood visits. They were almost at his grandmother’s. Soon he turned into the familiar drive, curving around until the villa came into view. He was surprised by the feeling of homecoming. He’d spent many summers here with his sister while his parents had been off doing their own thing and he’d wondered as a teenager why they’d had two children if they didn’t want to spend time with them.

The villa was surrounded by flowering plants. Purple bougainvillea trailed from the upper balcony down the columns surrounding the ground-level veranda. Gardenias scented the air with their sweet fragrance. Dahlias and zinnias and roses were artfully arranged to offer contrasting colors and textures against the cream color of the walls.

The tall windows on each floor were flanked by dark shutters that were rarely closed. The stucco gleamed in the sunshine. Beyond he saw the guest cottage a short walk from the main house through the gardens. To his right was the sea.

The boys were straining to see everything, curiosity finally erasing crankiness and homesickness. They’d be ready for a nap in the early afternoon, but Luis hoped they’d greet his grandmother without any attitude.

“We’re here,” Luis said needlessly. He glanced at his new nanny, wondering what she thought of the place. Melissa had only come once and had been out of her element not speaking the language and not knowing anyone. That had been the only time she hadn’t fit in perfectly, whatever the circumstances.

How would Stacey fare? Not that it mattered that much, she was only a temporary nanny after all. She’d be perfect for the boys, which would leave him free to spend time with his grandmother, cousins, and parents when they arrived. And to work.

“It’s lovely,” she said, still taking in everything.

He looked at the villa again, remembering racing around the upper balcony, chasing Isabella. They were only two years apart and except when the cousins had come to visit had had only themselves to play with those summers. There’d been no other children living close by. They’d had the run of the place and known every nook and cranny.

He hoped his sons would have happy memories of this visit. He glanced again at Stacey. She’d proved competent on the trip, keeping the boys entertained and under control. She’d been especially helpful at the airport in Madrid. She looked as fresh as she had when he’d first seen her at JFK. She turned to look at him and he was struck anew by how blue her eyes were. He stared a moment, time suspended. He could feel his interest intensify. If he let himself forget for a second she was in his employ, that she was there for his kids, would he do something foolish?

“Welcome to my grandmother’s home,” he said in Spanish.

“Thank you. I can’t wait to see everything,” she replied in the same language.

“I’ll be happy to show you around. Come meet my grandmother.” A cordial offer. He would make sure she was satisfied without giving in to the need he suddenly felt to learn more about her. To get to know her. She was beautiful, no doubt, but he’d seen beautiful women before.

Stacey helped get the boys from the car and the four of them went to the huge double front doors, carved of dark wood, gleaming with a rich, dark finish. Knocking brought a maid in no time, who obviously knew Luis as she broke into rapid Spanish words of welcome. Hugging him, she looked at Stacey and the boys. Quickly she spoke again.

“Sorry, Camilla, they don’t speak Spanish yet. Juan and Pablo, this is Camilla, she works for your great-grandmother and can always find a snack for a hungry boy,” Luis said with a grin.

She beamed at the boys and spoke again.

“She says come visit with her when you get settled,” Stacey translated.

The maid looked at her. “You speak Spanish,” she said in that language.

“Sí. I’m Stacey, nanny to the boys. Perhaps you can show me where I should go?”

“Oh, la señora wishes to see all of you as soon as you arrive. Come in. What am I doing, talking when she awaits? Come, come. She’s on the terrace by the sea. It’s warm this morning, she’s enjoying her chocolate there. Come, come.”

Following her as she walked quickly through the villa, they soon came to a lovely terrace that was surrounded by flowers and straight ahead a view of the Med. The sea sparkled in the sunshine, reflecting the light like diamonds on the waves. The blue of the water was deeper than that of the clear sky.

An elderly woman sat at a table with another, enjoying their hot beverages.

“Ah, Luis, you have arrived!” The older of the two jumped up and rushed to greet him. She was dressed in black, her silvery hair fashioned in a short style suited to an active life.

Stacey watched as the petite woman embraced her much taller grandson, tears of happiness in her eyes. She then looked at the boys and hugged each of them, exclaiming on how big they’d gotten, how happy she was to have them visit, how she’d missed them. When she got to Stacey she smiled. “I’m Marie Aldivista. Welcome to my home.”

“Stacey Williams, nanny for the boys,” Stacey replied.

She frowned and looked at Luis. “I thought their nanny was older.”

“Stacey is a vacation nanny only. Hannah’s the boys’ regular nanny and she is older, but she couldn’t accompany us. Stacey’s just for the trip.” He spoke in Spanish.

Maria Aldivista looked at her again and smiled, a hint of speculation in her eyes. “So, welcome to España and to my house. May I call you Stacey?” She also spoke in her native tongue.

“I wish you would. I’m so pleased I could come to watch the boys. What I’ve seen so far is lovely. I can’t wait to see more of the gardens and the beach.”

“You must have spent time in Spain, your Spanish is excellent.”

“I had a great teacher, but this is my first time in Spain,” Stacey said, pleased with the compliment.

Maria looked at Luis. “You must show her the village and take her and the boys to some of the sights. This is the best part of Spain.”

“So says a woman who has lived here all her life,” he said with a smile of affection.

“So I should know, right? Come, sit. Have something to eat or drink. Sophia, welcome Luis and his boys and Stacey. You are all the first to arrive after my dear cousin.”

Introductions were made to Sophia who, as far as Stacey could determine, was a distant cousin to Maria. They’d been girls together and Sophia had come for the birthday celebration. She remarked to Luis that his sons reminded her of him when he was young and came to visit his abuela.

Hot chocolate and fresh coffee were soon served and Luis’s grandmother asked him about his work, the trip over and what he wanted to do while visiting.

Stacey listened, keeping an eye on the boys. They were growing bored and she thought it best if they went to their rooms, changed clothes and maybe took a short nap.

“Ah, the boys are growing restless,” Maria said a moment later. She smiled at them. “Luis, show them the room you had as a boy. I’ve put you on the second floor in the room you used when you brought Melissa. I thought they’d be more comfortable on the third floor next to the playroom.”

“You’ve kept the playroom?” he asked.

“Of course. Each generation has children. I want them all to love coming here as much as you did.” She looked at Sophia. “I think I’ll put Stacey in the rose room, what do you think?”

“She would do well there,” Sophia said with a nod.

“Wherever you wish,” Stacey said. “Is that next to the boys’ room.”

“No, it’s on the floor below. There will be other children on the third floor. The twins won’t feel lonely. Luis, your cousins Sebastian and Theresa will be here tomorrow afternoon with their families. And the day after Miguel and Pedro and their families. I love it when the house is full of children. I’m sorry Isabella can’t come until next week.”

Luis looked thoughtfully at his grandmother. “And where is this rose room?” His grandmother looked at him. “It’s on the second floor—right next to yours.”