Raye Morgan - A Nanny Under the Mistletoe

Libby didn’t want to sympathize with what he was going through and worked hard to suppress it. He’d agreed to be Morgan’s guardian should anything happen to her parents. The argument that no one expected they wouldn’t come home didn’t fly with her. For God’s sake, they’d gone halfway around the world to a place where bad, life-threatening things happened much more frequently than here in the States.

Jess could have taken the time to get to know Morgan. He could have made the effort to fill his friend’s shoes and make the absence of a little girl’s father a little easier for her. But he hadn’t done that.

He was doing the right thing now and got points for that, but no sympathy for the fact that talking to a little girl, a virtual stranger, wasn’t easy. Still, for Morgan’s sake, she decided to help him out. Be a bridge.

Libby blew out a breath. “Kid talk takes practice, just like any other language. Ask her questions.”

“Like?”

“What’s her favorite color?”

“Pink,” he answered. “Sometimes purple, better known as lavender.”

Would wonders never cease? He’d actually listened that day they’d first arrived. “So ask things you don’t know. Such as what she did at school.”

“You covered that,” he reminded her.

“I found out she made a pumpkin. A good question would be why that, as opposed to a ghost or pirate.”

“I just figured it best captured Halloween.” He shrugged.

“Of course, but asking shows that you’re interested and could get her talking. Which brings to mind an obvious question.”

“Obvious to who?”

“Everyone.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Libby. I have no idea what to say to her next.”

“I keep forgetting you don’t live in the real world.” She sighed. “You do know that Halloween is when kids dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating for candy?”

It took several moments before the “aha” light came on in his eyes. “So the question is—what does she want to be for Halloween?”

Libby smiled. “Give the man a prize.”

“Even though the man doesn’t deserve it?”

He sounded sincere. Like he didn’t believe getting a clue was anything to be proud of. And she had to agree with him. It wasn’t a big deal. But the fact that this being-out-of-his-comfort-zone side to Jess was something that she’d never seen before did land squarely in big-deal territory. It could make him sympathy-worthy and she couldn’t afford to feel that way. She wasn’t here to stroke his ego, but as Morgan’s advocate. It was time to bring up the subject she’d come here to discuss with him.

“I just tucked her into bed and we were talking about something—”

Alarm jumped into his eyes. “The fact you’re here means she had something on her mind.”

“I see you’ve gone to the bad place where you’re expected to eat fish sticks as well as chicken nuggets every night for the rest of your life.” She smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s not about that.” His confused male look was so astonishingly cute that there was a definite tug on her heart. “She remembered that you said you would think about making changes to her room.”

“Oh.” He relaxed. “Okay.”

“Letting Morgan put her personality stamp on her own space might help her to niche in with you.”

He steepled his fingers and tapped them against his mouth. “I have no objection to that.”

“Good. So, let’s figure out when you can take her shopping.”

He shook his head. “I don’t need to approve her taste. Just let her pick out whatever she wants and send the bills to me.”

It was like he’d pulled down a shield to hide the vulnerability she’d seen just moments before, when he worried about how to talk to a little girl. What was up with that?

“Shopping with Morgan is a good way to know her and build up a collection of conversational questions,” Libby pointed out.

“I’ll pass.”

“Don’t you want to be a part of picking things out?”

“It’s not necessary.”

“No one said it was. But to continue our discussion of a little while ago, it’s a way to break the ice. Which you were just wondering how to do. Because she lives with you now. You’re her family.”

“No.”

“Excuse me, you’re her guardian.”

“And as such I will make sure she has everything she ever needs, but don’t call it family because I don’t know how a family is supposed to behave.” He met her gaze and there were shadows in his own.

“Ben and Charity believed otherwise or you wouldn’t be Morgan’s guardian.”

“A past like mine makes their judgment questionable.”

“What happened to you?” she asked.

“My father died when I was a boy. A little older than Morgan.”

“I’m sorry,” she said automatically.

“Don’t be. It was a long time ago.”

“Even so…” She thought for a moment. “It would seem that a loss like that would make you more sympathetic to what Morgan is going through—”

He held up a hand to stop her. “What I know is Ben and Charity meant for me to provide for Morgan’s material needs. He was my friend and knew me and my limitations and he still asked me to take her. So I’m prepared to pay the bills.” He stood, signaling an end to the discussion. “Is there anything else?”

“I’ll let you know.”

He nodded. “Then I’ll say good night.”

When he was gone the chill in the morning room made Libby shiver, a feeling fueled by sympathy she couldn’t stop this time. She realized how little she knew about Jess’s life. She hadn’t been aware that he’d lost his father at such a young age. At a time when he felt the loss destroyed any sense of family for him. What about his mother?

Libby had never known her own. The woman had died before she was old enough to remember her. Her father was still alive, still an opportunist who used people. But she’d grown up watching a family support their own. Even though she’d never felt a part of that family, she understood the dynamic and the love that underscored everything.

Apparently Jess hadn’t been as lucky. She’d always thought of him as the golden boy, never touched by tragedy. Obviously there were more layers to him than she’d suspected.

Only time would tell whether that was good or bad.

Libby pushed the control button and watched the security gates into Jess’s luxury condo complex part like the Red Sea. Glancing in the rearview mirror of her practical little compact car, she smiled at Morgan, who was barely awake in her car seat. She’d learned that napping this close to bedtime could vaporize the evening schedule.

“Hey, kiddo. Are you excited about your new princess comforter?”

“Yes,” the child answered, then sleepily rubbed her eyes.

“You know, your new bed has to be delivered before you can use the new things.”

“When is it coming?” Morgan asked again.

“Saturday.” Libby drove into her assigned space next to Jess’s. She noted that his car wasn’t there yet, which meant he was still working. Or something. She turned off the car’s ignition.

“Why can’t they bring my bed tomorrow?” Morgan asked.

“Because we’re at school all day and no one will be at home to let the delivery men in. They wouldn’t know where it goes,” she explained.

“What about Uncle Jess?”

Yeah. That was a good question. Libby wanted to warn Morgan not to count on him. The man was unwilling to do the hard work. The answer to what about Jess was as simple as that.

It had to have been hard losing his dad so young, but he was making a deliberate choice to keep this precious little girl at arm’s length. No matter what he said about Ben and Charity knowing him, Libby would never believe his passive parenting is what they’d have wanted for their little girl.