exciting, or touchdown-to-take-the-lead-with-thirty-seconds-left-in-the-fourth-quarter stunning. But the individual features blended on a canvas of pale, flawless skin mixed with an air of sweetness and formed a pretty picture.
He folded his hands and settled them on the desk as he leaned forward. “Do you wonder about your parents?”
Her serene look didn’t slip. “It’s a waste of energy.”
“But aren’t you curious about anything?” He couldn’t help wondering if Brady would have questions about where his mother was and why she’d disappeared from his life. The truth wasn’t pretty, and Jason wasn’t prepared to tell it. But at least he knew what the truth was. Maggie had no details about her parents and he wondered if that bothered her. “Do you ever think about where they are? What they’re like? Why you are the way you are?”
She stared at him for a moment, then stood, serenity suddenly shattered. “If this is your way of saying you think I’m unsuitable for the nanny position…”
He stood, too, and noticed for the first time how small she was. Fragile, almost. He towered over her and now it made him feel like a bully until he remembered her fierce determination to comfort a distressed baby. She’d been like a force of nature.
“I didn’t mean to pry,” he said. “But I feel within my rights as a father to know the woman in whose care I’m leaving my son.”
“If you don’t trust me, I’d appreciate it if you’d simply say so.”
“There’s nothing in your background, personal or professional, that made me change my mind about hiring you.”
“Fine. Then, if it’s all right with you, I’ll go settle in while Brady is sleeping.”
“Will you stay for another moment? I have just a few more questions.”
She hesitated, then sat down again. “All right.”
“When did you first become aware that you’re a ‘baby whisperer’?” he asked, rounding the desk to sit on the corner closest to her. “I’m just curious.”
“I’ve always been around children. Everyone at the home was expected to help out, but it never felt like a chore to me. Then my first job while I worked my way through college was with a wealthy family who had four children, ranging in age from an infant to early twenties. He was in college.” Her lips pressed together for a moment before she added, “I found I liked babies.”
But she hadn’t liked something. Jason wondered about that and also about what she did after college graduation. Her background information had only said that she’d spent time in the convent without taking final vows.
“Why did you decide to become a nun?”
“I admired the sisters and wanted to be like them. It was important to me to give back, help people the way I’d been helped.” Her face was all innocence and sincerity that couldn’t quite hide the shadows.
“There are many altruistic professions that don’t require such a structured lifestyle,” he said.
“I knew what I was leaving behind in the secular life.”
So she’d dated and still chose to enter the convent. Or maybe dating drove her into the convent.
“You didn’t find what you were looking for with the nuns?” He was pushing the boundaries of this interview and he knew it. But she stirred his curiosity.
She sighed and thought for several moments before answering, as if choosing her words carefully. “It wasn’t a matter of not finding what I was looking for in the convent as much as I’m simply not good nun material.”
The corners of his mouth curved up. “Oh?”
“When you’re close to final vows, it’s a time for reflection and honesty. I simply had too many doubts.”
“About what?”
“Me.” She shrugged. “There was an expectation of sacrifice and commitment that I wasn’t sure of being able to sustain.”
“I see,” he said.
“And speaking of expectations—” she shifted in her chair, and met his gaze “—it’s time we discussed what you expect of me.”
“Take care of Brady. He’s your only responsibility. I have a cleaning service and a cook who also runs the household. If you need anything let Linda know.”
“Fine. But that’s not what I meant.” She blew out a breath. “It’s obvious to me that you’re not comfortable with Brady yet. Do you need me to teach you how to take care of him?”
“It’s your job to do that.”
“I’m not being sarcastic or judgmental,” she added quickly. “It’s just that this is different for me.”
“How so?”
“You’re a single father.”
“Is that a problem?” he asked, thinking about her first job and the oldest son. Did she get hit on? The thought made him angry. “Like I said before, if I could care for my son, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But I have a large company and need to work.”
“I understand. And are the people working for you entitled to scheduled time off?”
“Of course, but—”
“I require one day off a week. Saturday, until midday Sunday. That should be stipulated in the contract that arrived with the rest of the paperwork. Can you handle the baby for a day?” She met his gaze with a direct one of her own and when he hesitated, she said, “Since I’ve been with The Nanny Network it’s never been a problem. But I’ve never worked in a home where there wasn’t a father and a mother.”
“Like I said, the woman who gave birth to Brady is a nonissue. I’m paying you to—”
“To be his mother?” she asked.
“No—” He’d paid a woman to bring him into the world and was going to pay Maggie to take care of him. There was no need to put a finer point on it. “Why does this matter?”
“Because you’re a single father, it would make good sense for you to find a long-term situation. If I’d known that, I would have turned down the job.”
“Why?”
“I only stay for six weeks, then—”
“What?”
“That’s also in my contract. My assignments last no longer than that.”
Jason didn’t want a parade of strangers coming through. He didn’t want a revolving door on Brady’s care. Continuity and stability were the cornerstones of a well-adjusted childhood and he’d do whatever was necessary to give his son the best cornerstone money could buy. He wanted long term now. He wanted Margaret Mary Shepherd.
She watched him carefully, gauging his reaction.
