The Nanny

Chapter 19

"I lived with the last family I worked for," Val explained to Kyrie as he looked over her resume.

He was conducting his sixth interview in the last month. With Queen out of the picture, he had scrambled to find a replacement, but when he found no viable candidate half as capable as her, he gave up his search entirely. A week into merging Immanuel's law practice with the Emerson Freedom Organization, Mallory suggested that Kyrie hire her niece. She had prior experience, and he needed the extra pair of hands with his excessive workload.

While Mallory abandoned her household chores to watch the boys during the day instead, Kyrie worked effortlessly to prepare for Val's interview. As he sat facing Val, studying her latest work experiences and education, he was mildly impressed.

"Are you comfortable with the same living arrangements as your last job?" he asked. He couldn't meet her gaze. The last time he made living arrangements for a woman, he screwed up the entire working relationship between them. "You'd be free to leave while I'm home with my kids."

"I can do that," she said, nodding her head. "I'm also CPR and first aid certified. If there's an emergency I know exactly what steps to take."

He hummed, unimpressed with her basic certification that was obtainable by anyone. "I have a specific way of handling emergencies. Now, I only need you for the remainder of the summer and then your hours will be cut drastically when they're in preschool. I'll be enrolling them in the fall if I can find a suitable nanny."

Val opened her mouth to speak, but when words failed her, she frowned.

"Is there a problem?"

"I was under the impression that your kids are already in school. So, I'm gonna have to watch them all day?"

He quirked a brow and gazed up at her. With her concerned face, he could tell she wasn't joking. "They are three and four years old. Mallory did tell you that, didn't she?"

"She mentioned something about them being young," Val said, twisting her lips into a deeper frown. "Toddlers just aren't my thing. The last family I worked for had ten year olds who kind of did their own thing."

Kyrie cleared his throat and looked down at her resume again. He suddenly wasn't sure he was talking to the right woman, but her picture matched the one Mallory had given him. "They're preschool age, but you may not be a good fit for my sons, Val."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm looking for someone else to fill the position," he explained gently. "You can go now."

Val gaped at him, confused and shocked about his dismissal. "But Aunt Mallory said—"

"Leave," he practically barked, tossing her resume into the shredder bin. He didn't wait for her to exit before turning his attention to his laptop. As she walked over to the door, he began his search for local preschools.

He searched the web for the most prestigious locations. He found it difficult when he realized that his sons would have to socialize with other children and learn how to make friends. They'd never done that before, but it was a part of childhood development. Kyrie felt discouraged thinking about potential rejection, but he continued his search nonetheless.

"Busy?" Immanuel asked, appearing in his doorway.

Kyrie didn't look at his brother as he closed his laptop and shook his head. "Have you heard from Queen at all?"