* *
Gavin ushered Sam in the door of the cottage. They’d returned much later than he’d intended, but the palace had ordered road construction on a twenty-four-hour basis. Despite the limited population of the Mediterranean island, there’d been a ton of traffic tonight.
Sam proudly carried the small white bag holding a cup of mostly melted gelato for Sara. He darted toward the den and skidded to a halt. He glanced up at Gavin. “She’s fast asleep,” Sam said in a loud whisper, using the language from some of the books Gavin and his mother had read to him.
Gavin gazed at the new nanny to his children and felt a shot of sympathy. He could understand her exhaustion. Between Sam’s fear of new people and Adelaide’s general crankiness, he’d wondered if he should ask for two nannies instead of one. He stepped closer to Sara, taking in the sight of her. Faint blue circles shadowed her eyes, but her skin was like ivory porcelain. Her dark eyelashes spread like fans under her closed eyelids and a heavy strand of her dark hair covered one eye. Her pink lips parted slightly, almost as if in invitation.
Her body was slim, but hinted at the warm curves of a woman. A thud of awareness settled in his gut, startling him. He shook it off. Heaven knew he had no room for those kinds of thoughts. His kids needed him and he needed to get himself centered. Gavin and his late wife had grown apart during the past couple of years. They’d tried to put things back together—that was how Adelaide had happened. But he’d been concerned when Lauren had gotten pregnant again because she’d suffered from postpartum depression after she’d given birth to Sam. Even though he knew Lauren’s death had been an accident, he still couldn’t shake his feeling of guilt. He wasn’t sure he ever would.
Sam nervously clutched the paper bag between his hands. Sara’s eyes fluttered at the sound and she glanced up at both of them. She winced and straightened. “Oh, no. I fell asleep. What time is it?”
Gavin glanced at his watch. “Ten after eight,” he said.
“Oh,” she said, laughing. “Eight-minute nap. Ten at the most. Welcome back. Shall I pour you some tea?” she asked Gavin. “Would you like something to drink, Sam?”
“I’m not a big tea drinker,” Gavin said. “We’ll both take water. Sam has something for you.”
Sara looked at Sam and saw the paper bag he held. She smiled and clapped her hands together. “Oh, don’t tell me what it is. Let me guess,” she said. “Is it pizza?”
Sam shook his head.
“Is it cheese and crackers?”
Sam shook his head.
“Is it a bunny?”
Sam shook his head and his little mouth lifted in a grin. “Here,” he said, offering the bag to her.
She opened the bag and pulled out the small cup of gelato and took off the top. She dipped her head and took a swipe with her tongue. “Hazelnut. My favorite. Thank you so much. What kind did you have?”
“Chocolate and marshmallow,” Sam said.
“I took your advice and got the hazelnut. You were right. It’s pretty good. You’d probably better eat that quickly. We got caught in road construction, so it’s melted.”
“Just nice and soft. Let me get your water,” she said as she headed for the kitchen.
As soon as she left, Sam turned to him. “She’s pretty, but she’s a terrible guesser.”
Gavin couldn’t shut off his awareness of her presence. It wasn’t all bad. She smiled easily and something about her made everything feel a little less dark and gloomy. She talked with Sam even though he rarely gave her a verbal response.
“Go to bed,” Gavin told her although it was early. “Tomorrow’s another day.”
She nodded. “So it is. Shall I put Sam to bed?”
Gavin shook his head. “No. That’s my treat. I’ll take the first middle-of-the-night wake-up, but I’d appreciate it if you would take the second.”
Her eyes widened. “Two wake-ups?”
He shrugged. “We’re still adjusting.”
“Then I’ll try to be ready. Good night, Sam. Thank you for the delicious gelato.”
Sam nodded and Gavin nudged his son. “Say you’re welcome.”
“You’re welcome,” Sam echoed in a small voice.
“Sweet sleep to both of you,” she said, and then she left the room.
* * *
Sometime when it was dark, Sam awakened. He felt panic overtake him. His heart raced. He glanced toward the cartoon night-light and took a deep breath.
He took more deep breaths and thought about his mother. She had left, then never come home again. He missed her so much. He didn’t want to lose anyone else.
Sliding out of his bed, he silently scampered to his father’s room. The door wasn’t closed all the way. Sam pushed it open and went inside. His father was on his back, softly snoring.
Sam felt a sliver of relief. He watched his father for several more moments. Then he wandered down the hall to the new nanny’s bedroom. Her door was also open. He wandered inside and saw her sleeping on her side. He heard an odd sound. It took a moment for him to figure out what it was.
The ocean. Waves. He loved that sound.
He loved the sound so much he wanted to hear it more. He decided to lie down on the carpet. Sam wished he had a blanket, but he liked the sound more than he missed his blanket.
As the swooshing sound continued, he calmed down and felt droopy and sleepy. He didn’t remember when he fell asleep.
* * *
Sara awakened to an unfamiliar sound. She heard a series of humming and grunting sounds and frowned as she shifted in her bed. Staring into the darkness, she saw a small figure on her floor. It took a moment for her to figure out who it was. Sam.
Sliding from her bed, she picked him up and held him against her. He startled.
“It’s okay. I’m your nanny. Sara,” she said, walking toward his room.
“But—”
Gavin appeared in the hallway. “What happened? I usually find him sleeping on the floor of my bedroom.”
“He was in my bedroom.”
Gavin gathered his son into his arms. “What’s up, bud?”
“I liked the waves,” he said.
Gavin looked at her curiously.
“My sound machine,” Sara said. “I keep it on an ocean setting.” She looked toward Sam and stroked his forehead. “Would you like to hear the waves at night?”
He nodded.
“Done,”
