Читать книгу The Nanny Clause - Karen Smith Rose - Страница 12
ОглавлениеEmma was surprised the following day when her cell phone buzzed and she saw the caller was Rebekah.
She answered. “Hi, Rebekah. Do you want me to come in? I could probably do an evening shift. I’m working as a nanny for Daniel Sutton now.”
“So you got the job! Congratulations.”
“I moved in yesterday. What can I help you with?”
“I’d like to talk to you about Fiesta. She needs more TLC than the shelter workers can give her. The vet examined her again when we saw her limping. He thinks her back leg was injured at some time. It has healed as much as it’s going to—it still could bother her, though. And the worst part is, she’s not eating as she should. She needs nourishment for herself and those kittens. Is there any way you could take her?”
“I just don’t know. I’d have to talk to everyone here about Fiesta. Daniel isn’t too keen on bringing a pregnant cat in.”
“I understand. See what you can do and then give me a call.”
“Thank you, Rebekah. For everything.”
When Emma put her cell phone back in her pocket, Pippa, Penny and even Paris were standing there looking up at her.
Should she tell them or shouldn’t she?
Paris was the first to speak. “You mentioned Fiesta. Is something wrong?”
“You look upset,” Penny added.
Pippa took hold of Emma’s hand. That simple gesture brought tears to her eyes.
“The situation is that Fiesta needs extra care. The vet says she’s not eating like she should. I’m not sure what to do. Do you think any of your friends would want to take in a pregnant cat?”
Penny jumped up and down. “We want to take her in. We want Fiesta.”
“Your dad doesn’t,” Emma reminded them.
“But if we ask him real nice, he might. And if you back us up, that would clinch it,” Paris added.
Emma wasn’t sure that Paris’s plan was the route to take, but the three girls cared about the cat and she did, too. There was no harm in asking. At least that’s what she thought...until they asked.
* * *
That night no one said anything until after they’d finished dinner. Daniel had appreciated the meat loaf, macaroni and cheese and green beans. They both watched Paris as she nibbled, a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
When Emma served fresh strawberries over vanilla ice cream, Daniel grinned at her. “I haven’t had anything like this in a long time.”
“Then enjoy it,” she said as Pippa, Penny and Paris all gazed at her as if asking, “Can we ask him now?”
Emma gave a little nod.
As the oldest, Paris started. “Dad, we want to talk to you about something.”
He took another bite of ice cream. “Sure. Anything.”
Penny chimed in next. “Emma got a phone call today and it upset her. It upset us, too, when she told us about it.”
Daniel’s gaze shot to Emma’s. “Did you have bad news from home?”
“No,” Emma said softly. “It was Rebekah from the shelter. Fiesta is having a few problems.”
Pippa explained exactly what those problems were. As she did, Daniel frowned, and then he scowled. That scowl was meant for Emma.
“Won’t you let us bring her home, Dad?” Paris begged.
Pippa went to her dad and gave him a hug. “Please, Daddy. We’ll get to see her kittens born.”
Penny sounded like an old soul when she said, “It would mean a lot to us, Dad.”
Daniel studied each of his daughters, one by one. He didn’t look at Emma. “We do have a spare room upstairs. We could keep her in there, at least until after the kittens are born.”
All three of his daughters cheered, high-fived and gave Emma wide smiles. Then Daniel said, “Why don’t you go up to your rooms for a while. I’d like to talk to Emma.”
His daughters were now ready to do anything he said. They ran off talking about preparations for Fiesta and exactly what they’d put in her room.
As soon as Daniel heard all three girls run up the stairs, he pointed his finger at Emma. “You ambushed me.”
“I didn’t,” Emma protested, feeling defensive. “It happened exactly as your daughters said. What were they supposed to do, write you a letter so you didn’t feel ambushed?”
“You could have called me at work to warn me that this was coming. Instead, all three came at me at once with you managing in the background.”
“I wasn’t managing anything. The girls have felt strongly about Fiesta ever since they found her.”
He shook his head, scowling again. “You shouldn’t have talked to them about the cat until you consulted with me. They’ve had enough loss. What if Fiesta or one of the kittens dies? On the other hand, if the kittens are healthy, I have to find homes for them and the mom. I don’t want a houseful of cats.”
Emma had kept her temper even up until now. But suddenly his words lit a match to it. She pushed her chair away from the table and stood. “If I’m going to be involved in your daughters’ all-day care, then that means I’m going to be involved in their lives. I wasn’t going to tell them what the phone call was about but they heard Fiesta’s name mentioned. I wasn’t going to lie to them when they asked me about it. And as we talked about it, I realized a pregnant cat could teach them about birth and responsibility. It could also bond you with your daughters more than they are now. Did you ever think of that?”
Before she cried in front of him, she tossed her napkin to the table. “I’ll clear this mess later. I’m going to my room for a little while.”
She hurried from the kitchen before more of her feelings leaked out.
* * *
Daniel cleaned off the table and ran the dishwasher. Action was his defense against unsettled feelings. Emma Alvarez had unsettled quite a few. When he’d finished all the kitchen chores—he was not going to leave them for Emma—he knew what he had to do.
Apologizing wasn’t something that came easy to him. Maybe that was one of the reasons Lydia had left, along with many others. Unfortunately, Emma’s actions had stirred up the past. It was a hornet’s nest he didn’t usually disturb. Possibly, that’s why he still felt empty sometimes. After Lydia had left, he’d had to focus on the girls and work. That was it. It was called putting one foot in front of the other and he’d done that for two years.
However, suddenly Emma’s presence had thrust him back into thoughts of his marriage and the aftermath of it. He was uncomfortable. That’s why he’d argued with Emma.
Walking down the hall to her room, he knew there was a possibility that she could be packing to leave. Did she run from arguments? Did she stay and fight? Did she resolve them and go on? He didn’t know how she would respond to their current problem. To his surprise, he wanted to find the answers to all of those questions.
Knocking on Emma’s door, he tried to prepare himself for the scene ahead. After all, that’s what lawyers did. Don’t ask a question you don’t know the answer to. At least that’s what his friends who were criminal-trial lawyers had told him.
When Emma opened the door, her eyes went wide. She obviously hadn’t expected him. She’d changed into a sleeping tank and shorts that had little multicolored paws all over them. That almost made him smile. But the discussion they had to have was too serious.
