The Nanny's Secret Page 2

  Their backyard is an oasis, a long expanse of large bushes and trees on either side that give it a completely secluded feeling. There is a concrete, paved path that leads to a fountain surrounded by benches. I notice there are no toys in the pristine yard, and wonder whether John plays outside.

  We cross the lush, green yard quickly—my new boss is a race car in heels without even breaking a sweat—and come upon an older man bent over a small flower garden near the back of the lawn.

  “Dammit all,” he curses blatantly, and I have to stop myself from giggling as he tosses a lump of potting soil in the air. Iris clears her throat, and the man looks over his shoulder with disdain. When he sees us, he stands, though there is no urgency in his movements. “‘Somethin’ matter, ma’am?”

  He is dressed in thick cargo pants, a loose-fitting flannel shirt, and a dirty, green jacket, despite the late-spring heat that has already begun to set in. The green newsboy hat on his head is filthy, and he jerks it off his head, wiping the back of his arm across his sweaty forehead to brush the gray hair aside. His face is tanned, weathered, and gruff.

  “Amos, this is Olivia Mendes, our new nanny. Olivia, this is Amos Becker, our groundskeeper.”

  He nods toward me and offers a grunted greeting. “Welcome to hell.”

  My head jerks back in shock, and Mrs. Locke shakes her head, placing a hand on his arm and rolling her eyes. “Don’t mind him, Olivia. Amos likes to pretend he hates it here, but in reality, he loves us.”

  He ‘humphs.’

  She presses her tongue to her teeth, ignoring him and turning back to look at me. “If you ever need anything and you can’t find AJ or Lily, Amos knows the house and the grounds better than most of the staff.”

  “Yeah, she thinks I love it here,” he says, but his smile turns warm unexpectedly. “I live down there.” He points down the hill we are standing on, toward a small cottage in the far corner of their land. “But I’m only ever there to sleep. If you need something, you’re more likely to find me up here than down there.”

  “It’s great to meet you, Amos,” I say. Like AJ, he doesn’t try to shake my hand, though, admittedly, his are covered in soil.

  He nods dutifully, then bends down and resumes his work. Just like that, we are dismissed. Iris turns around without missing a beat, giving me a tour of the grounds. “John is allowed an hour of play each afternoon, unlimited on the weekends, but he must have finished his homework first. We have six acres here with the fountain and garden, and then plenty of room to run down the hill and around Amos’ cottage. The only thing I ask is that you stay close by while he plays. I don’t want him in Amos’ cottage, and if you give him enough reins, he’ll try to escape into the woods back there. Security is on staff, as well, but the more eyes the better.”

  “Of course, Mrs. Locke.” I study the woods at the far end of their grounds. The tall, thick treeline is the first hint of a darkness to their otherwise bright, warm, and welcoming property.

  “Oh, call me Iris, please. I’ve asked the rest of the staff to as well, but some are set in their ways.” She breathes a sigh of relief as a bee buzzes near my ear and I swat it away. “Okay, great. Aside from AJ, Lily, and Amos, I’ve told you about Maya, the chef, and Warren and Greg, our security team. Let’s see…who else will you need to know?” She clicks her tongue. “There’s Ruby and Norma, our housekeepers. They’re here most days, but they do alternate Tuesdays and Saturdays. Neither works on Sunday. We also have a cleaning crew that comes in once a week to help deep clean. That’s on Fridays. Andrea is the head of that crew, so as long as you remember her, you’ll be fine. Danny is our driver. You’ll meet him tomorrow. He takes most weekends off, but will be here all week. He takes Orrick and me to work most days and John to school every day.” She sighs, scratching her forehead. “I’m sure I’m forgetting someone, but those are the main members of our staff you’ll be interacting with.” She glances at me, and I must look panicked, because she says, “Oh, I don’t expect you to remember all of those. You’ll put names with faces as we go. The main person you have to remember is Johnny,” a twinkle forms in her eye as she says his name, “and I’m sure you can handle that.”

  I offer a wry smile. “I think so, too. Will I meet him today?”

  She glances at her phone screen. “I would love that, except he’s still in school right now—” Duh. “But I’ll be here in the morning to make the introductions and get you settled in before I head into the office.” We make our way back toward the house and stop in front of the same door. To get inside, she types in a four-digit code on a glowing keypad.

  “Everyone on staff has a code to get inside the house,” she says. “AJ will set you up with one tomorrow.” She leads me back through the kitchen, where Lily is jotting things from her paper to a dry erase calendar on their oversized, stainless steel fridge. “You know where the kitchen and sitting room are now. There are three bathrooms downstairs,” she points them out as we move, “and then our living room, where John will practice piano on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” She points to the baby grand piano near the window in the living room. This room is more lived in, complete with a newspaper on one end table, a pair of boy’s tennis shoes in the corner, and a flatscreen television mounted on the wall. “We have satellite, Netflix, Hulu, AppleTV, and everything else you can think of. If we don’t have a subscription to something you’d like, let Lily know and she’ll get it set up. The security office is in the basement. For the most part, you won’t know they’re even here, but should you ever need anything, the door to the basement is by the back door in the kitchen.” She waves me back toward the entranceway and up the large, floating staircase. “This floor has all of the bedrooms as well as Orrick’s office and a study.” The first bedroom has a soccer ball on the door with a hand-painted name in red: ‘John Locke.’ “Here’s John’s bedroom.” She pushes the door open, revealing a tidy room that had been painted a baby blue. The small, twin bed against the wall has a simple gray comforter that matches the rug on the hardwood floor. There is a gaming chair on the floor, a desk against the wall, and a small table with child-sized chairs in the corner. On the wall to my left is a door that leads to his bathroom. There’s a towel on the floor and a smear of toothpaste on the white countertop. She shuts the bathroom door. “Sorry about that. It’s not usually so messy.” She points to the TV mounted on the wall. “He can only have television after he’s finished his homework and his piano, if it’s a practice day, and he always has the option to play outside before TV. Lily will have the schedule printed on the fridge, so if you’re unsure of what he can do, check there. Each day is something different, and he knows it, but he’ll try to pretend he doesn’t. Especially at first.”

  We step back into the hallway. “You have a lovely home.” I should’ve said it before then, but I’ve been so caught off guard, I haven’t had the chance.

  “Thank you,” she says, pointing to a door behind us before she pushes it open slightly. “This is Orrick’s study. If you need something to read, he probably has it. Down the hall is our bedroom and two guest bedrooms. One could be yours if you ever needed to stay overnight. Farther down is Lily’s bedroom, AJ’s bedroom, and another room used by our staff whenever they need it. There’s a hall bathroom here, also, and each bedroom has one as well.” She walks back toward the stairs. “You won’t have a need to be up here except if you’re helping John with his homework, but I’ll ask you, if you are up here, to leave this room,” she raps her knuckles on the door beside the staircase, “alone. It’s Orrick’s office, and he’s very picky about it.” Her smile is forced then, and I wonder why. “I think that’s about it.” Together, we descend the stairs, Iris one step ahead of me. “I know I’ve given you a lot of information today and, as I said, I don’t expect you to remember most of it. My schedule is packed full, so I wanted to go over everything while I knew I had the time. As I mentioned, Lily, AJ, and Amos are always here if you need something. Any of our staff, really, but they’d be the o
nes I’d look for first.”

  When we reach the bottom step and move toward the front door, she spins back toward me, hands clasped in front of her. “Do you have any questions for me, then? I feel like I’ve done all the talking.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I’d just like to thank you for this opportunity.”

  “No, Olivia, really. Thank you. You’re our saving grace right now, you’ll see.” She pulls open the front door while, at the same time, removing her phone from her pocket and swiping her thumb across the screen to answer a phone call. “Hello?” I step out the door and she whispers, her fingers momentarily over the speaker, “See you in the morning at six. Thank you, Olivia.”

  And just like that, her ear pressed to her phone and already deep in conversation, I am sent out the way I was welcomed in.

  Chapter Two

  Olivia

  The next morning, I arrive at the Lockes’ house fifteen minutes early, slowing to a stop in front of their black, wrought iron gate. Just like yesterday, I roll down my window next to the keypad and press the CALL button. Within moments, the gate doors swing inward and allow me passage. I pull into the oversized circular drive, parking on the side behind a black town car. The coffee burns at my bottom lip as I take a sip, but I’m too tired to care. Without the usual hazelnut creamer, it’s not nearly as good, but as my negligible checking account balance is quickly dwindling, this is how I’ll be drinking it for the foreseeable future. Suck it up, buttercup, I hear my mother’s voice echoing in my ears.

  I pat the hood of my trusty Chevy as I walk past, as if she needs a pep talk as much as I do.

  I jog up the stone staircase, careful not to spill my coffee. I can’t waste even an ounce of the precious nectar. When I knock on the door, it opens in an instant, though this time Iris’ hair is pulled back and she is dressed not in designer jeans, but instead in a light gray suit. She smiles at me.

  “Olivia, good morning.” I step across the threshold, the warm scent of bacon and eggs greeting my basically empty stomach. Something about the look on her face tells me she’s been worried I wouldn’t come back after my departure yesterday.

  “Good morning.” The house is bright and welcoming despite the darkness outside. I’d expected it to be quiet, but noise surrounds me. From the kitchen, I can hear the sizzle of a frying pan. AJ stands just down the hall, speaking with a man I don’t recognize. He is a few inches shorter than AJ with fiery red hair. Neither of them look at me as I enter the house and step further into the foyer. “Come on, I’ll take you up.”

  Taking no time for small talk, Iris walks toward the floating staircase and leads me up the familiar path to John’s room.

  Her knock on his door is met with an extra-loud child’s voice screaming, “Enter!”

  She pushes the door open. “John, sweetie, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

  The boy is dressed in a navy blue polo with a school emblem on the upper left corner and tailored khaki pants. I watch as Iris lowers herself to the ground, helping John with the shoe he is struggling to tie as he stares at me. “John, this is Olivia. She’s going to be here to help take care of you when Mommy and Daddy aren’t around, like Monica used to do. Can you say hi?”

  He nods in my direction, his tiny blue eyes taking in the sight of me. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” He outstretches his hand, and I accept it, noticing he is missing a tooth on each side of his top front teeth.

  “Oh, call me Olivia, please. Or Liv. It’s very nice to meet you too, John. You and I are going to be great friends,” I tell him. He isn’t much older than he was in a majority of the pictures downstairs, his raven hair a tad shorter and eyes a bit lighter than I expected.

  “Olivia will be here when Danny drops you off after school today, and Daddy and I will be back before dinner, okay?”

  He nods. “Sure, Mom. Do you have my permission form signed?”

  “Yes, Lily had me sign it this morning. It’s on my dresser, sweetie. Can you run and grab it while I finish talking to Liv? Just put it in your backpack, okay?”

  “Okay. See you later, Mom and, Ol—er, Liv.” He smiles, his cheeks pinkening a bit, and disappears from the room, his footsteps loud as he thuds down the hall.

  Iris nods toward his closet behind me. “He’s got his school uniforms, one for each day of the week. Ruby will make sure they’re washed and pressed over the weekend. Your job in the morning will be to make sure he’s awake. We have him set an alarm, but sometimes he sleeps through it, and then you’ll need to keep him on track with getting dressed and eating breakfast. After that, just get him to Danny, who I’ll introduce you to downstairs. Today’s Tuesday, so Orrick and I will both work late, but John’s piano teacher, Mrs. Greenberg, will be here at four to do his lesson.”

  “Okay, got it,” I tell her.

  “Maya will have dinner fixed at six, piano finishes at five. Whatever homework he hasn’t finished between three and four can be worked on between piano and dinner. If he’s finished all of his homework, he can play video games or play outside, either one. If we aren’t home, he needs a bath at seven thirty and to be in bed by nine.”

  “Okay.” I pray I will remember each thing she’s rattling off.

  “It’s all on the calendar, too, and John knows the schedule, but he will take advantage of you being new by not following it unless you make him.” She takes a deep breath, glancing at her phone as it chimes. “Oh, Orrick is ready to go. Come with me, Olivia. I’d like you to meet Danny and my husband before we head out.”

  I follow behind her as she leads me down the stairs and toward the entryway. Orrick Locke—CEO of Locke Industries, arguably the richest man in all of New Gilford—stands in front of me, watching us move toward him.

  He is ridiculously handsome, and he knows it; it’s obvious and the first thing I notice. His thick, clean-cut dark hair is swept back away from his face. In his pictures, he’d always sported well-groomed facial hair, so I expected to see him that way, but instead, there is merely a hint of a five o’clock shadow on his cheeks.

  “Olivia, welcome,” he says before we reach the last step, his dark eyes locked on mine. “We’re so glad to have you working with us.”

  With, not for. I appreciate the sentiment. “I’m very thankful for this opportunity,” I tell him, offering my hand as we reach him at last. I am mesmerized by him, his presence enduring. My breathing is unbearably loud in my own ears.

  His voice is different than I’d expected, raspy and mid-toned rather than deep. When he speaks, he uses his whole face. “You’ll have to excuse me for my absence yesterday,” his eyebrows bounce up with concern, “but as always, I trust my wife to make a great decision. Your references and experience speak for themselves. We are very lucky to have you.” Iris takes her place beside him and, together, they are the picture of beauty. When he compliments her, she smiles at him, but it’s small and seems disingenuous.

  I feel the heat rise to my cheeks. “Well, thank you for giving me this chance. John seems like an amazing kid.”

  “And this is Danny Yang,” Iris says, gesturing to the man standing near the door behind Orrick. He’s a few inches taller than Orrick, with dark hair and kind eyes. He reaches around our boss, holding out a hand. When he does, Iris steps back a half-step and glances at her phone. Orrick maintains his gaze on me.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Olivia.”

  “You as well.”

  Iris glances back up. “Danny will take the two of us to work and then return for John. Just make sure he’s ready when he gets here, please. He’ll meet you back here between two thirty and three, when John gets out of school. Danny’s our personal driver, not only for the business, so if you need anything, he can get it while he’s out,” she informs me.

  “John’s a sweet kid,” he says. “You’ll like it here.”

  As if summoned by the mention of his name, the boy rushes down the stairs suddenly, causing everyone’s smiles to widen.

  “There’s
my boy now,” Orrick announces, holding out his arms as John rushes into them. “Johnny boy.” He kisses the top of his head. “Have a good day at school, okay, champ?”

  Iris takes a stiff hug from her son as well, so unlike Orrick’s warm greeting. “See you this afternoon, sweetheart.” She pats his head.

  “Bye!” John calls, hurrying past us and heading for the kitchen.

  I jut my thumb over my shoulder in the direction John has gone. “I’d better go with him.”

  “Our work and cell phone numbers are all on the fridge. If you need anything and Lily or AJ can’t help you, you can call. Leave a message with our assistant if you can’t get through,” Iris tells me, scrolling through her phone without making eye contact as she turns for the door that Danny holds open. She’s feet ahead of Orrick, and I hear her heels clicking on the concrete outside before he reaches the door.

  “It was lovely to meet you, Mr. Locke,” I call after him, stepping backward toward the kitchen.

  “We’ll be back this evening,” Orrick announces. “And please, call me Orrick.” Unlike his wife, he doesn’t break his intense eye contact with me until he’s out of sight.

  Chapter Three

  Orrick

  The office is buzzing, just the way I like it. Like little bees, I see the employees hurrying from desk to desk, phone to phone, but each one stops as I enter the room—all eyes trained on me.

  I smile at each of them, reminding them I’m just another one of you. Like flies, they lap up the honey in my eyes.

  It feels good, having this much power. I won’t deny it. It doesn’t mean I haven’t worked for it. If anything, I work harder. Keeping this kind of respect is a full-time job in and of itself.

  Down the hall, I wave at one of my board members, Mathison, who’s busy on his phone, but waves back regardless. Another board member, Cathrine, types away, and neither of us offer a wave. Cathrine’s female assistant, the one I can never remember—it’s a man’s name, I think, Sam, maybe—is up ahead, her blouse too low cut as she bends over Fern the receptionist’s desk. If I had an assistant that looked like that, there’s no way I’d get anything done. It’s why I’ve always chosen men as my assistants. It’s not sexist, but pragmatic.