Nora: I didn’t want you to feel obligated in case you have other candidates you like better. And I didn’t want to assume you’d want me just because I’m helping you this week. But I’m honestly interested. It’s been fun watching Charlotte. Really rewarding.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
Me: That’s great. If you don’t mind staying later, maybe we can talk tonight. Stay for dinner? We can go over details.
Nora: Sounds great. Thanks for actually considering me.
Me: I’d be a fool not to.
The table was already set when I stepped into my kitchen later that night. Three plates. Napkins. Water glasses and a small plastic cup for Charlotte. And something delicious-smelling—roasted chicken with vegetables, by the looks of it—rested on a trivet in the center of the table.
Nora stood at the stove, giving the gravy one last stir before turning toward me with a soft smile. “Perfect timing.”
“Looks like it,” I said, smiling appreciatively as I gave Charlotte, who sat on a barstool at the counter coloring, a quick kiss on the forehead. “Thanks for cooking.”
“I’m happy to,” Nora said, turning off the stove and taking the gravy to the table.
I set my leather bag on the stool next to Charlotte, draped my suit coat over the back, then washed my hands at the sink.
“Are you excited to have Nora eat with us tonight?” I asked Charlotte, who was watching me from across the island.
“Yes,” she said with a wide, toothy grin. “She says if I try two bites of chicken and green beans, I get dessert.”
“Oh really?” I lifted a brow.
“I hope that’s okay,” Nora said, tucking a curl behind her ear as she met my eyes. “I know bribing with dessert isn’t ideal, but she helped me make the brownies so…”
“If it gets her to eat green beans, I fully support it,” I said, chuckling as I turned off the water and dried my hands. “And brownies sound incredible.”
“They’re from a box,” she said with a laugh. “So don’t get too excited.”
“Hey.” I held up my hands. “Anything that requires a bowl and an oven qualifies as gourmet in my book.”
“Then prepare to be impressed.” Looking at Charlotte, she added, “Especially since Charlotte did an excellent job mixing the batter.”
I glanced at my daughter just in time to see her chest puff with pride.
“Well then,” I said. “I bet they’ll be extra delicious.”
We sat down together. Charlotte and I in our usual spots, Nora just to my left. I dished up small portions for Charlotte and then much bigger portions for myself and Nora. I passedthe plates, the quiet sounds of dinner settling in around us. Forks clinked. Steam curled up from the food. Charlotte hummed happily as she dug in.
I took my first bite and immediately had to restrain myself from groaning. My housekeeper had been prepping my meals for close to two years, ever since the first fall after Alisha had passed and my sister Lucy had moved out to live near campus with Nora.
But there was just something about eating a meal fresh out of the oven that always made it better.
“Thanks again for heating this all up. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have a hot meal when I get home from work.”
“Did your old nanny not cook the food for you?” Nora asked, a small frown creasing her brow.
“She did,” I said, after I swallowed a bite of chicken. “But she and Charlotte usually ate around five, so I always had to reheat mine when I got home from work.” But I didn’t want to seem unappreciative of what the last nanny had done, so I quickly added, “Charlotte doesn’t always have the patience to wait, and I’m sure it might’ve been awkward for the nanny to eat with me since we didn’t really know each other. But…” I glanced around the table. “This is nice.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Nora’s expression softened. “My mom always thought it was important to eat as a family as often as we could growing up—something she said she wished she’d done with my older sister when she’d been at home. So, I thought it would be nice for you and Charlotte since you only get so much time together with your busy schedule.”
“Well, I appreciate it,” I said, meaning it. Then I found myself asking, “But how did I never know you had an older sister? For some reason, I always thought it was just you and Ky.”
“That’s what most people think.” She sighed, giving me a faint smile. “It’s… kind of a complicated dynamic.”
“Oh?” But since I definitely understood how talking about family and home life could bring up emotions we didn’t always want to dive into, I added, “Y-you don’t have to explain, if you don’t want.”