Donna Clayton - The Nanny Proposal

He shifted his weight onto the other foot. “I stopped in at the house unannounced today at lunch. And Jane was doing great with Joy. They were playing with blocks. Making little stacks and knocking them down in the middle of the living room floor. And Jane had already dived into that mountain of laundry. And the kitchen sink was free of dirty dishes for the first time all week. The beds were made. The toys picked up. And she’d done all this in just a couple of hours. When I get home, I just may discover that she’s given the whole apartment complex an overhaul.” His hollow laughter died quickly when his friends didn’t join in. His brow wrinkled in a pitiful frown. “Look, guys, I need the woman. I need her help. Try to understand.”

Travis and Sloan just looked at him, and Greg surrendered to the welling urge to try again to convince his friends that what he was doing was the right thing for him and his daughter.

“Look,” he said passionately, “you guys know that I was happy to take Joy from Pricilla. I want to be responsible for my actions. And I have every intention of being a good father to my daughter for the rest of my life.”

The stern-lipped disapproval on the other men’s faces softened.

“But single parents can’t do it alone,” he continued. “Sloan, as the father of triplets, you should know that. You get a sitter for the girls once every couple of weeks. You go out. You have a good time. And you have a housekeeper, too, to help you with the cooking and cleaning. I can’t do this alone.”

Greg hated the accusatory tone he used. He hated throwing up into Sloan’s face any fun the man might have. Sloan, the father of nearly teen triplet girls, was a widower—a widower who was still grieving almost two years after losing his wife. But Greg was being bested by the desperation he felt to make his friends comprehend his plight.

“Yes,” Sloan agreed quietly, “I do get a sitter every now and then. But only so that I can have a beer with you two after work. I never stay out late. And I always get home in plenty of time to tuck my girls into bed.”

Guilt solidified in the pit of Greg’s stomach. He hadn’t the right to make his friend feel the need to defend himself like this. But before he could apologize, he discovered Sloan had more to say.

“And I do have a housekeeper. With three pre-teens running rampant in my house, I’d be a lunatic not to.” Sloan ran his finger absently along the corner of the counter as if he was debating how to word what was on his mind. Finally, he said, “But there’s a big difference between having a housekeeper come in a few times a week and having live-in help. Especially when you just met this woman.” He raised his eyes, locking gazes with Greg. “I’m going to say something you’re not going to like.”

Instant wariness had Greg steeling himself.

His friend sighed. “Travis and I both know that this past week has been hard on you. Dealing with fatherhood has really thrown a monkey wrench into the cogs of your life. And we also realize that finding out about Joy…finding out that a casual affair you had made you a dad…has, ah—” he stammered for the first time “—done something radical to your thinking.”

“Now, wait just a minute—”

“This has to be said,” Travis softly interrupted, the step he took closer to Sloan clear evidence that he agreed with whatever revelation the man was about to make.

Sloan plowed ahead. “You’ve taken this woman into your home—”

“Her name’s Jane,” Greg said, his hackles rising. “Jane Dale.”

“Okay, Jane Dale.” This time when Sloan continued, his tone was gentler. “I think your hiring her has a great deal to do with what happened to you. Your thinking about women has become…confused. You think you can save this woman. This Jane. You found out she was needy. So you gave her a job and a place to live. You’re somehow trying to make up for your behavior in the past.”

This was the truth. Greg had known it. He’d thought that very thing himself this morning when he was examining Jane in his office, hadn’t he? But why did his motivation for hiring Jane sound so blasted twisted coming from someone else’s mouth?

“We want you to know,” Travis added, “that we don’t believe you’ve done anything to make up for. It’s not a crime to date women. Pricilla was a consenting adult, right? And it’s your habit to practice safe sex, right?” Lifting his hand, palm up, Travis said, “Mistakes happen. Yes, you have to take responsibility for your actions. And you’re doing that. But you don’t have to try to save the world.”

But I never called Pricilla, the silent lamentation screeched across Greg’s mind like fingernails on a blackboard. I never reached out to her afterward. If I had, I’d have found out about my daughter sooner. All I thought about was getting away from a bad situation. All I thought about was myself.

Shoving the thoughts aside, he decided not to allow himself to get sidetracked with these dark recriminations regarding what he should have done. He needed to stick to the topic at hand.

“B-but,” he stuttered lamely, “I’m not just helping Jane. She’s helping me, too.” Then he let his eyes slide from one friend to the other. “Do you guys really think I’m a nutcase for hiring her?”

Both men remained silent for a moment. Travis shifted his overstuffed briefcase from one hand to the other. Then leveled a steady gaze at Greg.

“My friend,” Travis said, “just think about what you’ve done, and how out of sorts it seems with your usual actions. When we wanted to hire a new nurse for the practice, you refused to let the woman near the patients until we had three letters of recommendation from her previous employers. Three. Like Sloan said, you don’t know this Jane Dale.” He bit his bottom lip a moment. Quietly, he pointed out, “This is your daughter we’re talking about. Your daughter.”

A cold shiver clawed its way up Greg’s spine as revelation struck. “And I’ve left her with a complete stranger all day. A woman I know nothing about.”

Without another word, Greg snatched up his valise and headed for the front door.

Jane could not believe her good fortune. She’d actually lied her way into a job as Joy’s nanny. She was once again with the light of her life. Nothing could have made her happier.

When she’d arrived in town, she’d had no idea what she meant to do other than to throw herself on Greg Hamilton’s mercy, beg him for information about where Pricilla and Joy might be. During the days since her sister had disappeared with the baby, Jane had called every friend Pricilla had ever talked about. When a week had passed with no word from her sister, Jane felt she simply couldn’t hang around the apartment any longer. She wasn’t eating. Wasn’t sleeping. Couldn’t keep her mind on her work. She’d reached the end of her rope. She simply had to find Joy. However, when Jane had gone to her boss to ask for some time off to search for her family, she’d been told that if she walked out the door, she’d be walking away from her job. For good.

Jane had walked out the door without a backward glance.

She’d been that desperate to find her niece. She’d been that desperate to somehow heal the aching hole the baby’s disappearance had left in her heart. In her soul. She’d been that desperate to put to rest the worry she’d felt for Joy’s welfare. Pricilla had proved time and again during the past ten months that she wasn’t a good mother. Heck, Pricilla hadn’t wanted Joy. Who knew what her sister might do? Jane had been terribly anxious for Joy’s well-being.

Once she’d left her job, Jane had visited all Pricilla’s friends, hoping against hope that one of them had lied about harboring her sister and niece. Jane had questioned each of them. None of them had known where Pricilla might be. A few of them had told Jane that surely Pricilla would show up. Eventually.