CHAPTER EIGHT - CLAIRE

I was crossing the living room when someone came through the doorway, and we nearly bumped into each other.

“Sorry!” I stepped back.

“Whoa, careful.” He laughed, catching the keys that had slipped in his hand. “That would've been an interesting first impression.”

I smiled. “Sorry. I wasn't looking.”

“Neither was I. Nathaniel, by the way.”

“Claire.”

His eyes lit with recognition. “Oh, you're the new nanny.”

“That's me.”

“Nice to finally meet you. I've heard about you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Hopefully nothing terrible.”

He chuckled. “Nothing terrible. Mostly that you got the job after helping the twins.”

“Right.”

“That's not something everyone would do.” He gave me a friendly smile. “How are you finding things so far?”

“I'm still settling in. It's a big house.”

“Tell me about it. I've worked here for years, and I still occasionally end up looking for something in the wrong place.”

“Really?”

“Don't look so surprised. It happens to the best of us.”

I laughed, and he grinned.

We settled into the living room, Nathaniel taking the sofa while I sat in the armchair opposite him.

“So, how did you end up working for Mr. Vaughn?” he asked.

“I applied through an agency.”

“And they sent you here?”

“More or less.”

He chuckled. “I hope they warned you about his schedule.”

“They mentioned that he can be demanding.”

“That's one way to put it.” He shook his head with an amused smile. “But he's a good employer, as long as you know what you're doing.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

“You'll be fine.” He glanced at his watch. “Anyway, I should get going. I've got to make sure the car is ready before he needs it.”

“Of course.”

He stood, slipping his keys into his pocket.

“It was nice meeting you, Claire.”

“You too, Nathaniel.”

“And if you ever need anything, just ask. Within reason, of course.”

I laughed. “I'll remember that.”

He grinned before heading out.

I stayed in the living room for a little while longer. Daniel was upstairs in my room, probably working through his school assignments, and I wanted to check on him before the evening got away from us.

I was halfway to the staircase when Liam appeared at the bottom, his tablet tucked beneath one arm.

“Hi, Liam.”

He glanced at me. “Hi.”

“Watching something?”

“Football.”

He walked past me and settled on the sofa.

I followed more slowly, taking the armchair nearby.

“Which teams are playing?”

He told me, his eyes still fixed on the screen.

“Oh, I know that team. I don't watch much football, though.”

“Okay.”

I waited a moment, but he didn't seem inclined to say anything else.

“Did you have a good day?”

“Yeah.”

“Anything interesting happen?”

“No.”

His answers were so brief that I began to feel as though I were interrupting something important, even though he was only watching a match.

I tried a different approach.

“Lily seems to have plenty to say. You two are quite different.”

He finally looked at me.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing bad.” I smiled. “She was just very excited when we met.”

“That's Lily.”

There was no affection or annoyance in his voice. He said it as though that was all I needed to know about his sister.

I nodded. “I suppose everyone has their own way of doing things.”

He turned back to the screen.

The conversation was clearly going nowhere, but something about his manner made me hesitate before leaving. He wasn't being openly rude. He'd answered every question, and he hadn't told me to go away. Still, he had a way of making it clear that he hadn't invited me into his space.

“Would you rather watch the match alone?” I asked.

“Yes, please.”

I hadn't expected him to say it quite so plainly.

“Oh. All right.”

I stood, smoothing my blouse.

“Enjoy your match.”

“Thanks.”

I started towards the stairs.

“Claire?”

I turned around, surprised he'd called me back.

“Yeah?”

He had paused the match. For the first time since I'd joined him, he was looking directly at me.

“Are you going to be here tomorrow?”

“Yes. I'll be here.”

He nodded slowly, then looked down at his tablet.

“Okay.”

I waited, thinking he might explain why he'd asked, but he resumed the match without another word.

I continued upstairs, puzzled by the question.

Perhaps he'd simply wanted to know what to expect the following day. That was reasonable enough. I was the new nanny, after all.

Still, there had been something odd about the way he'd asked. He hadn't sounded curious, exactly. He'd sounded as though my answer mattered, though I couldn't understand why.

When I entered my room, Daniel was seated at the desk, his schoolbooks spread in front of him.

“Finally,” he said, looking up. “I was beginning to think you'd forgotten I existed.”

I laughed. “You've been here for less than an hour.”

“Long enough.”

“Have you finished your work?”

“Almost.”

I gave him a suspicious look. “That means no.”

He grinned and returned to his notebook.

I sat on the edge of the bed, but my thoughts drifted back to Liam.

He hadn't been unkind. He'd simply kept me at a distance, and I couldn't decide whether that was just his personality or whether there was more to it.

Then I remembered his question.

Are you going to be here tomorrow?

It was such a simple thing to ask. Perhaps I was reading too much into it.

But as I watched Daniel bend over his schoolwork, I found myself wondering what Liam had wanted to hear.

And, more importantly, what he would have done if I'd told him I wasn't coming back.