And when she glanced at me, the little spark in her eyes had me wondering if she’d felt it, too.
Was Nora as ultra-aware of me as I was becoming with her?
Was there something brewing between us that I’d been oblivious to until recently?
But before I could think too much about that, I knew I still had one more part of the bedtime routine to finish. So, stepping fully into the room, I tucked Charlotte’s blanket more snugly around her shoulders and leaned closer to whisper, “Sleep well, bug,” before kissing her gently on the forehead.
“Can you sing my song?” she asked drowsily, yawning.
Tonight?
With Nora close by to overhear it?
I glanced toward the doorway, checking to see if we had an audience. But when I didn’t see Nora standing there, I cleared my throat and started singing Charlotte’s usual lullaby as quietly as I could manage.
By the time I finished, Charlotte’s eyes were completely closed. “Sleep well,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I love you.” Then I slipped out of the room and pulled the door halfway closed behind me.
When I turned around, I spotted Nora a few feet away, quickly tiptoeing toward her room like she was trying not to be seen.
Had she been spying on my lullaby performance?I couldn’t help laughing quietly to myself at the thought.
Unable to resist, I crept up behind her, and leaning closer, I whispered, “I hope your ears aren’t bleeding too badly after hearing my singing voice.”
“Ah!” Nora jumped and spun around, one hand flying to her chest. “You about gave me a heart attack,” she said, gently smacking my chest.
“Sorry,” I said, though an unrepentant grin slipped on my lips.
“I’m sure you are,” she replied dryly. Then she tilted her head a little. “But if you must know, you’re actually a pretty good singer.”
“Says the sister of a Grammy award winner,” I said, raising a skeptical brow.
She laughed softly. “You don’t have to be famous to have a good voice. Some good singers are lawyers, too.”
I smiled, even if I wasn’t completely convinced. For all I knew she could just be buttering me up. “Thanks for doing that for Charlotte, by the way.”
“Of course,” Nora replied easily, like it hadn’t been any trouble at all. “I love that little girl.”
And the way she said it so easily, like it was just a simple fact, made my heart squeeze in my chest.
Because Charlotte could be a lot sometimes.
There was a reason why I’d pulled her out of daycare. A reason her last nanny quit.
But hearing Nora say it so naturally… Well, that was really good for my slightly worried dad-heart to hear.
“That means a lot,” I said quietly.
“I mean it,” she said, touching my arm. “Is she always the perfect little angel? Of course not. What three-year-old is? But I love that spunky girl. She’s amazing.”
I smiled, my lips shaking at the corners as a sudden swell of emotion crossed over me.
Because for a little girl who had already lost so much—lost the mother who should have been there to love her unconditionally—it meant everything to know someone else could see how special she was.
See that even with all the tantrums and power struggles, my little girl was also special and sweet and just wonderful.
“I’m gonna be honest,” I said. “It does my heart a lot of good to know that Charlotte has someone like you in her corner.” I smiled at Nora, hoping she could understand my meaning even if I wasn’t very good with words at the moment. “And I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.”
Nora’s smile softened a little. “It definitely is. Honestly, I feel pretty lucky. Charlotte is such a fun kid, and this job…” She gave a small shrug. “I kind of feel like I hit the jackpot.”