Riquet said guardedly. She was looking at Salina with suspicion.
“You remember I told you that someone else would be coming to work as a nanny for a little while until Maria comes back?” Jake said.
The girl nodded, keeping her eyes on Salina.
“Well, sweetheart. This is her.”
“My name is Salina,” Salina said gently. She took a seat on the sofa near Riquet’s feet. “What’s your name?”
“Riquet,” Riquet answered. “It’s French.”
“It’s a very pretty name.” Salina glanced to the left at the papers scattered on the coffee table. “Did you draw that picture?” Salina asked. “The one of the horse? Because it’s beautiful.” She was complimenting Riquet as a way to hopefully have the girl warm to her. This poor darling had suffered a lot in her young life, having lost her mother. Now, with her regular nanny gone, she might feel confused, distressed and afraid.
Riquet nodded. “Yes, I did.”
“You’re very talented,” Salina said, smiling. Which wasn’t a lie. The artwork displayed a lot of promise for a girl so young. Other four-year-olds were drawing stick figures or scribbling, but Riquet’s art showed dimension and depth. Salina was certain she was a budding artist.
Riquet sat up, smiling, too. “I love horses,” she said. “I love to draw horses eating food, or running in fields, or anywhere. Did you know I rode on a horse before?”
“It was a pony in Central Park,” Jake said.
“Daddy, it was a horse,” Riquet insisted. Then she rolled her eyes, as if to say he simply didn’t understand.
Looking at Jake, Salina saw him bite back a smile.
“You know, honey—you’re right. It was a horse. I forgot.”
“It was a small horse, but it was still a horse,” Riquet went on. Then she looked at Salina again. “Do you like horses?”
“I love horses,” Salina told her.
“My mommy used to love horses, too,” Riquet said sadly. “She’s in heaven now.”
“I know.” Salina sighed softly. “I’m so sorry she’s not with you anymore.”
“Daddy said she had a more important job to do in heaven. She’s an angel now, and she watches over me and daddy, to make sure we’re safe.” The little girl smiled broadly.
The words tugged at Salina’s heartstrings. Such bravery for a girl so young.
“I saw her picture,” Salina said. “She was very beautiful.”
“She’s the most beautiful angel in heaven. My daddy says that all the time.”
Hearing Riquet speak made it clear to Salina that Jake McKnight was a man of honor. It was obvious he had loved his wife dearly, and in her absence he had tried to share with his daughter all the wonderful things about the woman. In this day and age, when happily-ever-after stories were tainted by the reality of infidelity and divorce, Salina admired the fact that Jake had truly loved his wife.
“Can I show you my bedroom?” Riquet asked.
“You want to show me your bedroom?” Salina asked.
Riquet nodded vigorously. “I have lots of horses in there.”
Salina stood and extended her hand to the girl. “Sure.”
A smile spread on Jake’s face as he watched Riquet walk off toward her bedroom with Salina. He was impressed. Salina had instantly taken to his daughter. Indeed, Riquet had also instantly taken to Salina in a way he had never known her to so immediately like or trust anyone else.
It did his heart good to know that he had made the right choice. Thank goodness for Emma letting him know that her sister was not only in need of work, but that she had worked with children before. It was clear Salina was a natural. She obviously loved children, and would be a great replacement for Maria while she was gone.
He heard laughter, airy and bright, as he approached Riquet’s bedroom. Salina’s and Riquet’s. It had been a long time since he’d heard laughter like that between these walls, the kind that filled the apartment with warmth.
Emma had told him that Salina was twenty-seven, which meant she was a good twenty years younger than Maria. Maria had brought a wealth of experience to her position as nanny, having raised two children single-handedly. Those children were now attending NYU, her daughter studying to be a future filmmaker, and her son in a pre-med program. Maria was a gentle and loving woman, and had been a good replacement caregiver in the wake of his wife, Janine’s, death.
From everything Emma had said—and from what Jake was witnessing now—Salina would also be an equally good replacement. He could tell that she was a free spirit, unlike Maria, who was more serious, and she would no doubt do well with Riquet. He only hoped that with her younger age she wouldn’t be obsessed with partying every night, or gabbing on the phone with her friends at all hours. That had been the problem with the first nanny Jake had hired, a twenty-two-year-old au pair from England.
But he had known Emma for five years, and he trusted her. Indeed, if Salina was anything like her sister, she would be an extremely hard worker.
Salina and Riquet exited the bedroom, the two holding hands. This was working out better than he had expected. Here he had worried that Riquet would not take well to Maria’s replacement, but he needn’t have been concerned.
Salina met his gaze, her lips parted in a smile, and Jake was instantly struck by her beauty. She had big, bright eyes, a slender and shapely frame, and full lips that made him think of kissing. Indeed, he felt a pull of attraction so strong for her in that moment it stunned him. He opened his mouth to speak, but found he had to swallow first.
“Um,” he said, but no other words came to his lips.
“Riquet’s bedroom is gorgeous,” Salina announced. “And all those pictures of hers on the wall … My goodness, she’s a talented little artist.”
“Yes.” Jake cleared his throat. “Yes, she is.”
“Are you sleeping over?” Riquet asked.
“Not tonight, sweetie,” Salina said.
Riquet looked up at Salina with doe eyes. “Please?”
“I can’t. I don’t have anything I need with me.”
“Awww.” Riquet crossed her arms over her chest.
Jake bent down in front of his daughter. “Don’t worry. Salina will be back in the morning before you wake up. She’s going to be your nanny while Maria is away, so you’ll be seeing her every day. Okay?”
Riquet nodded, accepting Jake’s words.
“I’d better go,” Salina said. “I’ve got to head back to Brooklyn, then get back here bright and early.”
Jake
