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“Do you like little boys?” he asked. “Mrs. Greenway didn’t. She said we were more trouble than we were worth.”
Craig winced. Mrs. Greenway had stayed for three days before he’d fired her, but she’d made a lasting negative impression on the boys.
Jill nodded. “Of course I like little boys. What’s not to like?” She glanced at Craig and rolled her eyes as if to ask what kind of person would take a job watching children if she didn’t like them in the first place?
He opened his mouth to reply, then realized he had merely interpreted her look that way. She might have meant something else entirely. He’d barely known Jill Bradford an hour. They couldn’t possibly be communicating that well.
But something bright and hot flared to life inside his chest. It wasn’t about sex, although he still liked the way she looked in her jeans. It was something more dangerous. A flicker of interest in what and how a woman thought. As if they could be friends. As if he could trust her. Then he reminded himself he didn’t trust anyone but family.
“Ben said you should get Mrs. Miller back,” Danny said, his hold on Craig’s shoulder tightening. “I miss her, too.”
“Mrs. Miller was the boys’ nanny for several years,” Craig explained. “They miss her.”
Danny looked at him and bit his bottom lip. “Do you think she misses us?”
“Of course. And now you have Jill.”
“Until spring break,” she reminded him.
“Until then,” he agreed. Danny and C.J. both glanced at him. “Jill is taking the job temporarily. For five weeks. In the meantime, I’ll find someone permanent.”
Neither boy said anything. Craig fought back a feeling of frustration. How was he supposed to explain and make up for the ongoing turmoil in his children’s lives? It would be different if they had the stability of two parents, but there was just him. He was doing the best he could, but sometimes, like now, he had the feeling it wasn’t nearly enough.
“We’ve been alone for ten minutes, Dad,” C.J. said. “We didn’t burn the house down.”
“Congratulations,” Craig said. “As I told you before, my neighbor could only stay with them for an hour, so I really appreciate you coming back with me.” He glanced at his watch. Damn. He was late already.
“I think your dad has to go to work. Why don’t we go inside so he can show me everything, then be on his way?” Jill reached for Danny. Surprisingly, the boy let her lift him down. “You’re heavy,” she said admiringly. “You must be big for your age.”
“He’s a shorty,” C.J. said, but his tone wasn’t unkind.
“Am not!”
Jill bent down so she and Danny were at eye level. “I don’t think you’re short.”
“That’s ‘coz you’re shrimpy, too,” he told her.
“Don’t you know all the best things come in small packages?” They smiled at each other.
Craig picked up the suitcase again. “Lead the way,” he said.
C.J. and Danny took off through the garage. Jill followed more slowly.
“I really appreciate you doing this,” he said.
“I’m sure it will be fine.” She spoke calmly, but when she glanced at him he could see the panic in her eyes. “It’s just been a while since I was around kids.”
“It’s like riding a bike. You don’t forget.”
“Are you saying that because you’re an expert?”
He paused in the middle of the garage. “No, because I’m a concerned father who’s about to leave you alone with his three kids. I’m sort of hoping it’s true so that everything will be okay.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll survive.”
“C.J. and Danny won’t be much of a problem. They’re easygoing, although some things still scare Danny.”
“He’s only six. What would you expect?”
“Exactly,” he said, pleased that she was sympathetic. “Ben may not be so easy.”
“He’s the oldest?”
He nodded. “He’s twelve.”
“Does he get in a lot of trouble?”
“No. He doesn’t do much of anything. He watches TV and plays video games.” Craig didn’t know what to do for his oldest. He didn’t understand the boy’s reluctance to participate in anything. Ben was the only one old enough to remember his mother. He didn’t like to talk about it, but Craig knew he missed her. Maybe he even felt responsible for her leaving. But he’d never been able to get his son to talk about it.
Nothing had been normal since Krystal left. Not that it was so great before or that he’d ever once wanted her to come back. Hell, he didn’t know what was normal anymore.
He turned around and pointed to the black sport-utility vehicle. “This is for you. You’ll need it to take the boys places. C.J. plays several sports, and Danny is starting Pee-Wee league. The equipment fits in the back easily.”
“Groceries, too. I think all boys do is eat.”
Craig didn’t want to think about that. About Ben and how much weight he’d gained. “Yeah,” he said. He walked toward the door leading into the house. “Here’s the key.” He touched a ring and key hanging from a hook on the wall. “It’s an automatic, so you shouldn’t have any trouble driving it.”
She looked at the large truck-size vehicle. “As long as I don’t have to parallel park, I’ll be fine.”
He opened the door and waited for her to step inside. She did so, then gasped audibly. He looked over her head and saw why.
There was a half bath on the right and the laundry room on the left. Piles of clothing toppled out of both rooms into the small hallway. More clothing was stacked in the family room. There were books, school backpacks, newspapers and toys littering the floor, coffee table and sofa. One end of the big dark blue leather sectional was buried under jackets and a pile of clean clothes he’d managed to run through the washer and dryer the previous evening. He’d asked the boys to sort out their belongings and take them upstairs, but no one had bothered.
Shoes formed an intricate pattern across the rug. Magazines for kids, car lovers, computer buffs and music fans had been tossed everywhere. Stacks of newspapers, more magazines, toys and a few actual books filled the bookcases on either side of the stone fireplace. The entertainment center to the right of the fireplace contained a TV, which was on, a VCR and stereo equipment. Videos had been piled next to the unit. The shelf where they belonged was bare.
Craig shifted her suitcase to his left hand and motioned to the mess. “I don’t know what to say,” he murmured. “I hadn’t realized it had gotten so bad.”
Jill turned and looked at him. Her green eyes were wide, her mouth open. “You didn’t realize? How could you not? This isn’t a mess it’s a…a…” She closed her mouth. “I don’t know what it is.”
“I guess I should have gotten in a cleaning service.”
He glanced around the room. C.J. and Danny were standing in front of the entrance to the kitchen. He was glad. If Jill saw that, she would turn tail and run. Damn it, he couldn’t blame her, either. How had this happened? Why hadn’t he been paying attention?
“There are four men living here,” he said, by way of an explanation.
“More like four wild animals.”
Danny chuckled at her comment. Jill smiled at the boy and the tightness at the base of Craig’s neck eased a little. Maybe she wasn’t going to leave.
“I’ll get a service in,” he said.
“I’ll arrange it first thing Monday morning,” she said, nudging a soccer ball out of her way so she could step farther into the room. “You don’t want a nanny, Craig, you want a part-time slave. Anybody around here know what a vacuum looks like?”
“I do!” Danny said brightly. “But I’ve never used it.”
“That seems to be a family trait.”
Craig set the suitcase down. “I’m sorry, Jill. I should have noticed what had happened to this place. We haven’t talked about salary yet and I—”
She held up her hand to stop him. “No. I can’t be bribed. I agreed to do this for Kim and I will. For exactly what you were going to pay her. Just tell me one thing. Is it worse upstairs?”
“Sure is,” C.J. said proudly and grinned. “Wanna see?”
“Not just yet.”
Just then something moved on the sofa. Craig saw Ben stretching toward the remote control to change the channel. As always, the sight of his oldest brought on a wave of regret and frustration. He knew he was doing something wrong, but he didn’t know what. He tried to encourage the boy to be more active. He practiced sports with him when he could. They’d talked about Ben needing to eat less. Nothing had helped. He could see his oldest was in a lot of pain, but he didn’t know how to help.
“Ben, this is Jill Bradford.”
Ben didn’t bother turning his attention from the television. “I thought her name was Kim.”
“I told you yesterday. Kim eloped. Jill is taking her place. Say hello.”
“You’re leaving us with someone you don’t even know? A woman you’ve just met? Thanks, Dad.”
The censure in the twelve-year-old’s tone made Craig’s hands tighten into fists, but he didn’t move. He knew Ben was trying to get to him, but he wasn’t going to let it happen. “Ms. Bradford isn’t just some woman I found. I’ve interviewed her and checked on her. She’s very—”
The sight of someone on the sofa had startled Jill enough that she was able to focus on something other than the disaster that had once been a very attractive family room. Craig’s comment captured her attention. “You checked me out? Behind my back?”
“Yes.” He frowned. “I don’t know you. I can’t trust my children with just anyone.”
“I know but it’s so yucky. Sneaking around behind my back.”
“I did not sneak.”
His brown eyes darkened with a combination of concern and temper. She understood both. She shouldn’t have questioned him, at least not in front of the boys. C.J. and Danny were staring at her, while Ben hadn’t taken his attention from the television. The house looked as if it had been overrun by a fraternity, and she was about to be put in charge of three children. She who had sworn she would never get involved with someone else’s kids again. She was in over her head and sinking fast. Yet she couldn’t walk away. From the look of things, she was needed. Aaron, her ex-husband, had needed a wife and surrogate mother. Any woman would have done. These boys needed a nanny and there was no one else around. She’d always been a sucker for being needed. Only this time she was going to be smart. She was going to keep from getting personally involved. She wasn’t the boys’ part-time mother, and she wasn’t Craig’s part-time wife. She was only the hired help. Assuming she survived the first week, when spring break arrived she would be out of here. It was just a job.
Craig glanced at his watch again. He was obviously late. In his well-fitting black uniform, he looked competent and dangerous. An interesting combination. Her body continued to react to this close encounter with a good-looking man. She ignored the sweaty palms and slightly elevated pulse. He would be gone soon. From the looks of the house, he was gone a lot.
“I’ll be fine,” she said, stepping farther into the room. “You go to work. The boys and I will handle the introductions.”
“Are you sure? I hate to leave you but I was due at the station a half hour ago.”
“We have lots to do,” she said, and smiled brightly. C.J. grinned in return. Danny gave her a shy half smile. Ben ignored everything but the television.
“Okay, boys, be good for Jill. If there’s a problem, the station’s number is by the phone in the kitchen. See ya.” He gave a quick wave and disappeared out the door to the garage.
It was one of those moments when the television went perfectly silent. The sound of the closing door was unnaturally loud in the suddenly still room. Two pairs of eyes focused on her. Jill found herself fighting the urge to run out and tell Craig she’d changed her mind. Instead she glanced around the room, sure it couldn’t be as bad as her first impression.
Nope. It was worse. It would take two days to get it picked up enough for the cleaning service to find the dirt. Dear Lord, what had she gotten into?
She thought briefly of Kim’s now-empty house and where she was going to go when her roommate returned from her honeymoon. The last couple of nights alone had given her too much time to brood. She was beginning to see that she was coasting through life without any direction. It was time to get moving again. Maybe this challenge was just the jump start she needed.
“Okay, boys,” she said. “Let’s have a meeting and get to know each other. I want to hear how you do things, and I want to tell you what I expect in return.”
Danny and C.J. were standing in front of the entrance to the kitchen. It was up two steps from the family room. The boys moved toward her. Jill stared at the kitchen and thought she might faint.
There wasn’t a square inch of free counter space. Dishes, open boxes of cereal, empty containers of milk, cookies and bags of chips were everywhere. Cupboards were open; most of the shelves were bare. She thought of C.J.’s claim that upstairs was worse. She didn’t want to know.
“Where are we going to have our meeting?” Danny asked.
She looked down at him. His light brown eyes were bright with questions and welcome. His shy smile was hard to resist. She glanced around to find a relatively clean spot. Through the kitchen she saw a formal dining room. The table didn’t look too overrun with schoolbooks and sports equipment.
“In there,” she said, pointing. “Come on, Ben.”
The boy ignored her.
She walked over to stand in front of the TV. She was blocking the screen, but he continued to stare as if he could see the program.
“Don’t you want to talk?” she asked.
“No. You’re not going to stay, so why should I bother?”
“Because it’s polite. The world is a nicer place when everyone tries to get along.”
“You read that on a bumper sticker?” he asked rudely, still not looking at her.
“Oh, a smartmouth,” she said. “Very nice. Very impressive. You think if you intimidate me, you get your way?”
He shrugged.
Ben had his father’s dark hair. She suspected he had his eyes, too, but he wouldn’t look at her so she couldn’t tell. He was a good-looking kid, although about twenty pounds overweight.
From the corner of her eye, she saw C.J. and Danny watching. She hated being tested her first five minutes on the job and she hated it more that the other two brothers were here to witness the event. If she didn’t get Ben’s attention, the next five weeks were going to be miserable. She and Craig had given each other an out by agreeing to a one-week trial. If she really hated it here, she wouldn’t mind leaving after that time, but she didn’t want to be run off by a twelve-year-old with an attitude problem. She had her pride.
More than that, Ben reminded her of a growling but lonely dog. The animal desperately wants petting, but it’s afraid to let anyone close enough. So instead, it scares the world away, then whimpers because it’s alone.
Of course, she could be reading the situation completely wrong. After all, she’d had stepdaughters for nearly five years and had assumed they cared about her. She’d been proven wrong.
She spun around, then turned off the television. “Please come into the dining room, Ben.”
She took a step away. Ben leaned forward and pressed a button on the remote control. The television popped back on. Defiance this soon wasn’t good. Jill drew in a deep breath, not sure what to do. She and Craig hadn’t discussed discipline. Of course, there hadn’t been time to discuss anything.
She thought about physically threatening Ben. There were two problems with that. First, it wasn’t really her style. Second, she had a feeling he was taller than her. If only she knew what Craig did in situations like this. Then she looked around at the messy house and the three boys with emotionally hungry eyes. Maybe there wasn’t a house rule. Maybe no one had the time or cared enough to lay down the law.
The problem with her trying to do it was that she didn’t have a power base.
She could feel C.J. and Danny still watching her, waiting to see what she would do. This showdown with Ben was going to set the tone for her five weeks…or her one week, if she blew it.
