Nora’s cheeks flushed pink as she glanced at me, clearly just as uncertain about how to handle the question.
But then, as if sensing that I had absolutely no clue what to do, she turned her attention back to Charlotte. Her voice softened as she crouched down and took my daughter’s small hands in hers.
“You’re right. She didn’t die,” Nora said gently. “Sorry if that was confusing earlier. I was pretending to be Princess Belle at the time.”
“Oh.” Charlotte’s shoulders slumped, and my heart ached. It wasn’t fair that she had to grow up without her mother. That she’d never have any real memories with her because she’d been barely one when Alisha passed.
Not wanting the sad moment to linger, I forced a smile and ruffled her curls. “Hey, sweetheart, why don’t you go find your shoes so we can getgoing?”
“Otay.” She took off toward the house.
“Sorry about that.” Nora stood again, smoothing her skirts, looking as uncomfortable as I felt. “When she asked me about my mom while I was reading the story earlier, I was supposed to stay in character, so I wasn’t sure what to do.”
“It’s okay,” I said, meaning it. “You handled it just fine.”
An awkward beat passed. I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my neck. “I, uh, actually had a question for you, though.”
“Oh?” Her brows lifted slightly.
From the flicker in her eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder if she thought I was about to ask her out instead of for her babysitting expertise—and that she was already mentally rehearsing how to let me down gently.
Yeah… my dating skills might be rusty these days, but at least I wasn’tthatclueless. Not only was Nora one of my little sister’s good friends, but she had to be… what? Eight years younger than me? Fresh out of college and definitely not looking to date a widowed dad of a three-year-old.
So before she could get any more anxious about a creepy older guy asking her out, I cleared my throat again and said, “I was actually wondering if you might be up for doing me a favor.”
“A favor?” Her shoulders relaxed slightly.
I nodded. “I’m not sure if you know, but I pulled Charlotte out of daycare last month and hired a nanny to watch her at home since she was having a rough time, and I thought one-on-one care might be better for her.”
Nora nodded, her expression soft as she listened.
“It was going well. At least I thought so…” I gave a dry laugh. “Until I got a text this morning from the nanny saying she found another job and wouldn’t be coming back on Monday.”
“Oh no,” she said, her brow furrowing. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah.” I exhaled, shaking my head. “Anyway, I don’t know what your schedule looks like, but after seeing how great you were with all these kids today, I was wondering if you might be available to babysit Charlotte for me on Monday. Possibly all week. Just until I can figure out another plan.”
“Oh, um…” Her eyes widened and surprise flickered across her face. “W-what time would you need me there?”
“I usually leave the house around six in the morning,” I said. “Try to get as much done as I can first thing while Charlotte is sleeping so I can be home for dinner and spend a couple of hours with her before bed.”
During the first few years of my career, it had been normal for me to stay much later at the office, often missing out on time with Alisha and Charlotte in my race to become the youngest junior partner in company history.
But that turned out to be a fool’s errand, because just a few weeks after gaining that junior partnership I’d sacrificed so much to earn, I lost my beautiful wife in a terrible car accident. And I had to confront the hard truth that in all my hustle, I’d sacrificed what was most important: time with my loved ones.
And while I couldn’t get back any of that missed time with Alisha, I’d learned an important lesson and was determined not to make the same mistake with Charlotte.
Even if it meant taking a much slower track to making senior partner.
“I know that’s a big ask since it’s a long time to be alone with a three-year-old,” I added, knowing not everyone liked to be up before the sun. “But I’d be eternally grateful if you’re up for it.”
She pursed her lips, and I worried it was in fact too much to ask, but then her mouth curved into a small smile. “I’d love tohelp. All those years of waking up early for gymnastics practice hasn’t quite worn off in the last two months, so if you’re okay with me filling out job applications during Charlotte’s quiet time, I can still get my to-do list for Monday done while I’m at your house.”
“Really?” I asked, so relieved I nearly sagged in place. “You can do it?”
“Of course,” she said, her brown eyes smiling. “I’d be happy to.”
For a split second, I wanted to pick her up and hug her. But instead of doing that, I just grinned and said, “Thank you so much. You’re a godsend. Really.”