“Wow, that’s a weird coincidence.”

  She slid my coffee across the counter, and I tapped my phone against the scanner to pay.

  “Yeah, it was totally awkward, especially when I saw the look of horror on the mom’s face,” I shared. “I think she thought I was stalking her or something before she realized that I was there about the nanny job. She didn’t even ask me any questions, just stared at me while the kid interviewed me.”

  “That’s rough. Well, maybe there’s a better nanny job out there?”

  The agency says that they don’t really have any other summer jobs open right now, so I’m going to have to figure out a plan B I guess, just in case they don’t come up with something.”

  “I can always see if the manager has any shifts open here,” she offered. “I’m pretty sure he’s looking for some on-call folks to fill in shifts when people are off.”

  “Oh thanks Hannah, that would be great.”

  I mean sure, I have a master’s degree, I should totally pour coffee, I thought to myself sarcastically. I shook my head, trying not to be discouraged. I had a great job waiting for me when school started, I just needed something to help me pay the bills over the summer. I probably shouldn’t be discounting a job here at the coffee shop. At least it was easier than being a nanny, and close to home too.

  Taking my coffee and muffin, I found a table in the corner and opened my battered laptop, ready to look for other job options. A few minutes later, my phone dinged with a text from my contact at the nanny agency.

  Nannies Inc.: Hey Amelia, it’s Gail from Nannies Inc. I just got a call from Margaret Langley, and she’d like to hire you. I guess the interview didn’t go as bad as you thought.

  Me: No thanks. I appreciate the offer, but that placement isn’t going to be a good fit for me.

  Nannies Inc.: I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll let the client know.

  Me: Thanks, please let me know if something else comes up.

  I was pretty shocked that Margo wanted to offer me the job. She hadn’t even interviewed me, although her daughter had. I didn’t know if Margo was really interested in me for the position, or she just didn’t want to come off like a jerk after the way she acted when she saw me on her porch. She had to know me being the nanny was a bad idea given our history. There’d been a moment right before I left where we’d almost kissed or something. It would be impossible to keep things professional if we were together on a daily basis.

  The next day I received another text from Gail.

  Nannies Inc.: Hi it’s Gail. Margaret Langley really wants you for this job. She said her daughter is heartbroken that you turned down the job. The little girl doesn’t want anyone else. Mom’s offering you a 5k signing bonus.

  Me: I’m sorry but I can’t.

  Nannies Inc.: She’s also offering a month stipend on top of your salary, payable at the completion of your assignment.

  Me: Thank you for considering me, but I can’t.

  Nannies Inc.: May I ask why? They’re offering a lot of money.

  Me: It’s not about the money. It’s just not a good placement for me. I’m sure you can find someone more suitable.

  Nannies Inc.: I’m supposed to ask you what it will take to make you change your mind. Honestly, I think you can ask for almost anything.

  Me: Nothing. I’m not playing hardball or anything. I just don’t want this particular job. It’s not a good fit for me. I’m sorry.

  True to her word, Hannah got me hooked up with some relief work at Morning Jolt. Apparently one of the full-time baristas, Camille, was reducing her hours because she was having some success as a science fiction writer, and she wanted more time to write. It helped that, according to Hannah, she’d just moved in with the shop owner, business mogul millionaire Madison Phoenix, so she had a little more freedom to focus on her writing. I’d be filling in for some of Camille’s shifts and covering some vacation shifts until the manager found a new full-time barista.

  A week later, I was working on a Monday morning when I heard a high-pitched squeal of delight.

  “Abigail! It’s you!”

  I looked up to see Skyler walking in the door, her mother behind her. The little girl looked thrilled to see me as she bypassed the line to race up to the counter, with a huge smile on her face.

  “Skyler! We need to wait our turn,” Margo called, stepping to the back of the line.

  Skyler ignored her, coming to lean against the counter.

  “Abigail! I’m so glad to see you again.”

  “How are you, Skyler?” I asked as I took payment from the guy whose coffee I’d just made. He shot my young friend an indulgent glance.

  “I’m good,” she said seriously. “I’m going to go to work with my mom today. My mom says since I don’t like any of the nannies I hafta come with her, but I need to be very very quiet all day.”

  “Well, that’s nice,” I said encouragingly.

  “It’s going to be sooo boring!” Skyler corrected me, her tone dramatic.

  I glanced at the next customer, an older woman who didn’t seem too annoyed by my little guest. “What could I get you?”

  “I’ll take a cappuccino and a blueberry scone please.”

  “Coming right up, ma’am.”

  Skyler chattered away while I made the woman’s cappuccino.

  “I only want you to be my nanny, nobody else, but Mommy says you don’t want to work with us anymore.”

  I looked over my shoulder at her, then glanced towards Margo, who was watching the scene from her place in line. Finishing the drink, I passed it on to the woman and waited for her to tap her phone to pay.

  “I don’t think I’d be the best nanny for you, Skyler,” I said gently. “I’m sure the agency has someone better for you.”

  “Don’t you like me?” Her eyes filled with tears.

  The man who’d just stepped to the front of the line looked at me impatiently, clearly having no time for a child’s tears.

  “It’s not that I don’t like you. But hold on Skyler, let me help this gentleman first, then we can talk.”

  Once I’d gotten the man his mocha, the man strode away, and Margo reached the front of the line.

  “Lia is working, honey. Quit bothering her and give her your order so we can go to my office.”

  Skyler stomped her foot. “I don’t want to go to work! I want to stay here with Amelia!”

  Sensing a tantrum coming on, I walked to the door separating the café from the kitchen.

  “Hey Hannah, do you mind if I take a quick break?”

  “I’ll be out in a sec to cover for you.”

  “I’ll tell you what Skyler, why don’t you tell me what you want to drink and then I’ll take a break and talk to you if it’s okay with your mom.”

  I glanced at Margo, who nodded and looked a little relieved.

  I made a hot chocolate for Skyler while Hannah got a cup of drip coffee for Margo. Grabbing a bottle of water for myself, I followed them to a table. The minute we sat down, Skyler started talking. Margo put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.

  “Honey, let Mommy talk for a minute.”

  Margo sent me a frazzled look.

  “I need you, Lia. Please reconsider taking the job. Skyler has hated every other nanny candidate. Every. One.”

  Skyler nodded vigorously. “It’s true. They were all mean. And one lady smelled funny.”

  “Just putting my cards on the table, I’m getting desperate. I need someone to help while I’m at work, and I’m out of time. I can’t bring Skyler to work every day for three months. Plus she won’t stop talking about you.”

  She looked at me intently. “What do I need to do to make you take the job? Please. I’ll do anything.”

  Margo

  I couldn’t believe our luck, running into Lia this way. It was ironic that she was working at the coffee shop that was a few blocks away from my office. I hoped I could convince her to change her mind about the nanny job. Skyler had been a nightmare the past few days, whining non-stop about how she wanted Lia. We’d had a couple other nanny candidates and she’d refused to even talk to them because they weren’t Lia.

  She wasn’t normally so difficult, which made the whole situation even weirder. I guess I couldn’t blame Skyler though, I’d been obsessed with Lia since the moment I’d laid eyes on her back in Mexico.

  I’d spent the entire plane ride back from vacation doubting my decision not to get her contact information and daydreaming about the two of reuniting someday. Once I’d gotten home though, I’d pushed her to the back of my mind. Telling myself that it was just a fling, that I’d never see her again, that I had no way to find her even though I desperately wanted to.

  When I saw Lia standing on my front porch, I had to face the reality that I wasn’t just obsessed with her. As ridiculous as it sounded, I was also in love with her. And there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.

  If by some miracle I convinced her to work for me, I needed to keep her at arm’s length. I wasn’t going to be that weirdo who perved on the nanny, even if I couldn’t forget the way her face screwed up in pleasure when she came.

  “What do I need to do to make you take the job? I’ll do anything.”

  I’d be glad to pay her in orgasms if that was her price, I thought. Lia’s eyes met mine, her pale skin turning pink as she pondered the possibilities. In that moment I knew for sure that she was just as affected as I was.

  “Pleeeeease Amelia,” Skyler pleaded, holding her hands up in prayer. “I swear I’ll be the best kid ever if you save me from a boring summer at my mom’s office.”

  Lia rolled her lips in to suppress a smile.

  “I’ll get a sign-on bonus?” Lia asked me.

  “Yes.”

  She looked between me and my daughter, considering.

  “How about we try it for a week and see how it goes? If it doesn’t work, I’ll help you find another nanny.”

  Skyler cheered loud enough to make every head in the place turn in our direction. “Yay! Can you start now?”

  “No, I have to finish my shift here at the coffee shop today,” she said. “But how about I come over tomorrow?”

  My daughter extended her hand to shake. “You’ve got a deal.”

  We made arrangements for Lia to come at seven-thirty the next morning, so we’d have some time to talk before I left for work at eight-fifteen. She got there a few minutes early, wearing shorts, a tee shirt, and a pair of battered keds, a hair tie on her wrist. She looked fresh and young, and I felt like a weirdo when my panties dampened at the sight of her in my living room.

  Trying hard to focus, I showed her around the house, making sure she had my contact information to put in her phone and giving her a key for when she and Skyler went out.

  “Nice place,” Lia said as we finished the tour.

  “Thank you.”

  I lived in a large townhouse in one of Seattle’s nicest neighborhoods. My ex-husband and I had sold the house we lived in when we’d divorced, and I’d opted to relocate closer to the office since I had Skyler during the week. Fortunately, my job paid very well.

  “What kind of work do you do?”

  I realized we’d never even shared that level of information in Mexico. Then again, we were pretty busy fucking each other’s brains out. And eating seafood.

  “I’m the VP of Marketing for Phoenix Software,” I said, naming one of Seattle’s biggest tech companies.

  “Oh, you work for Madison Phoenix?” she said. “That’s funny, she owns the Morning Jolt coffee shop too. I guess that makes her both of our bosses.”

  “Yeah, but she really just bought that place for her girlfriend,” I told her. “And also because she didn’t want to take a chance of someone else buying the place and depriving her of her favorite muffins. She’s very finicky about her food.”

  Lia laughed softly, and I remembered all the ways she was ticklish. I pressed my thighs together and tried to focus on business. For my daughter’s sake, I needed to keep this professional.

  “Skyler should be awake soon.”

  “Does she have any allergies or health conditions?” Lia asked. “Any phobias I should know about?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m really lucky. Skyler is both healthy and fearless.”

  Just then the girl in question came stumbling out, looking adorably sleepy. She’d slept in later than usual but when she saw Lia she was immediately alert.

  “Amelia!” she yelled. “You came!”

  My daughter had a voice that really carried.

  Lia dropped to her knees, accepting the hug that Skyler offered.

  “I promised you I would come, didn’t I?”

  The sight of my daughter wrapped in Lia’s arms was doing funny things to my heart. I pressed my palm against my sternum and drew in a ragged breath.

  “I’d better get to work,” I said. “I should be home around six o’clock.”

  “Bye Mommy,” Skyler called over her shoulder, uninterested in me now that Lia was here.

  I tousled her hair.

  “Be good for Lia, okay? Don’t badger her for extra screen time and listen to everything she says.”

  “I will,” she promised.

  The next two weeks passed quickly. Lia would arrive promptly at eight, and we’d exchange information before I left for work. She texted me midday to let me know how things were going, often including a selfie of her and Skyler doing something fun, like building a fort in the living room or playing at the park. When I got home from work, Lia and I would chat for a few minutes so she could update me on their day, then she would take off for home. I’d spend the rest of the night hearing stories from Skyler about their adventures together.

  Every once in a while we’d have some accidental contact: a brush of the shoulders, the meeting of fingers, or lingering eye contact that made me want to wrap my legs around her waist and demand she carry me to bed. And then I’d call myself all kinds of a fool for harboring fantasies that would never come true.

  One day she was showing me some pictures of Skyler on her phone, and while we’d huddled in close to watch the screen, our shoulders had touched. I inhaled deeply, getting a whiff of Lia’s shampoo. Just the scent of her coupled with an innocent touch had been erotic as hell, and when I’d looked down, Lia’s nipples were as hard as mine were.

  Every night after my daughter went to bed, I’d close my bedroom door and dream about the adventures I wanted to have with Lia. I knew it was wrong, but I’d close my eyes, picture Lia in whatever outfit she’d worn that day, then slide my hands into my panties and make myself come until I was relaxed enough to sleep. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help fantasizing about her.

  Lia was strictly professional whenever I saw her, never giving an indication that we’d ever been more than boss and employee. It drove me crazy, wondering if she was still as attracted to me as I was to her. I found myself asking her more questions when we saw each other, trying to prolong our time together.

  Things were bound to break sometime.

  It was Friday, the second week Lia was working for me, and Skyler was awake before she got there.

  “Hey Mommy, can we have pizza tonight?”

  I looked up from putting on my make-up. “Sure honey, that sounds good.”

  Just then the doorbell rang, and Skyler skipped out of the room to answer the door for Lia. When I got to the living room, Skyler was talking excitedly about the pizza.

  “It’s our favorite place. We always get the vegetarian pizza because Mommy and I think it’s best.” She lowered her voice like she was telling a secret. “Even though we’re not vegetarians, we like it anyway.”

  “Well that sounds delicious,” Lia said indulgently. She sent me a smile that made me inexplicably happy. “Good morning, Margo.”

  “Good morning, Lia.”

  “Mommy, can Amelia stay for dinner tonight? Pizza is one of her favorite foods too. She told me yesterday.”

  Ah, now the sudden desire to have pizza tonight made more sense.

  “Oh no, I couldn’t impose,” Lia protested. “Besides, I’m sure your mom wants to hang out with you before you go to your dad’s tomorrow.”

  My ex-husband got Skyler two weekends a month, plus alternating school breaks. I was lucky. We’d had an amicable divorce, and we were good friends as well as co-parents.

  Our marriage ended quietly. There were no big fights, no cheating. It was more that we’d both gradually realized that we weren’t in love with each other. I was bisexual, which my ex had known when we got together, but ever since the divorce I’d mostly dated women. So did he, so we liked to joke about comparing notes. He was the one person who’d heard all about my vacation fling with Lia.

  “Please Lia, please stay!” Skyler yelled.

  “Inside voice,” I chastised.

  My daughter turned her puppy dog eyes on her nanny in an attempt to get her way. I looked at Lia, trying to determine if she wanted to stay for dinner or not. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but on the other hand, I wanted nothing more than to spend some time with her. These quick drive-bys as we handed off Skyler were killing me. I decided to add my invitation to Skyler’s.

  “We’d love it if you could stay for pizza Lia, if you’re available tonight.”

  Amelia

  “Is she asleep?” Margo whispered.

  After a full day together, Skyler and I had dinner with Margo, stuffing ourselves with pizza before heading into the living room to watch “Encanto”, a movie I knew for a fact Skyler had already seen about a million times. Not that I minded. I kind of liked it myself.

  “Yeah.”

  We’d started off sitting on the couch together with the little girl in the middle, but somehow Skyler had maneuvered us until I was sitting in between her and her mother. I’d spent most of the night trying to ignore the hum of awareness that seemed to travel between me and Margo like a force field whenever we were together.

  Maybe it was my imagination, but I could swear Margo was giving me ‘come hither’ eyes all night. I’d first seen that look on the beach in Mexico, and it had the same effect then as it did now.

  Meanwhile, I had a sneaking suspicion that my ward was engaging in a little matchmaking between me and her mother. Skyler had increasingly been prying into my personal life.

 

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