The nanny

6. Grown up flavours and requests

I had underestimated the amount of work taking care of this child's education would take. She got all the basics, but at a way higher level than I was used to for children her age. The first time we went over them I was astonished at how well she knew them, so well that I'd started wondering whether she was a child genius or whether they just constantly forced her to work. I feared the second.

But it did mean that I was constantly having to up the difficulty of her exercises, which took a lot of work. Combined with how much education she got in general. I had no clue what they were training her for, but I felt it was ridiculous.

I'd gotten straight A's all my life because my mother forced me, I got into one of the best law schools in the country where I worked my ass off to get even more immaculate grades and no matter how hard I worked, I wasn't happy. My mother'd told me getting high grades and a high paying job was the only way to be happy, so when it didn't fulfil me the way I was always promised, I sunk into a depression that resulted in me quitting school all together.

Though I don't usually agree with a lot of choices made out of depression, that one saved me.

Of course there were lots of people that would be very happy doing the most they could and gaining the most, but I wasn't one of them. Everything in life had its struggles and those of a lawyer, I did not want. Those of a teacher however...

Which was why, no matter the effort, I loved this. It was a challenge in a field where I actually enjoyed being challenged.

But that didn't change the fact that I thought it was incredibly pitiful to force this much education on a literal child.

"Samanthaaa." A little voice called, before I felt a pencil poke my nose. I opened my eyes and Aurora jumped in surprise. "I thought you were dead." She whispered.

The first thought in my mind was 'did she draw anything on my face while I was zoned out?' and I disliked that that's where my brain went. Sure it was probably rightfully so, but still, I wanted to assume the best in every child.

"Did you finish your work?"

"Yes." She looked down at her empty paper. "No." An irresistibly cute pout appeared on her tiny face. "It's too hot to work."

I hated to admit she was right, but she was. It was way too warm to be doing anything. It was the kind of summer day where even when you didn't move and laid in a pool all day, you'd still be sweating like crazy. Aurora was also wearing clothes that were way too isolating, it was obvious she was very uncomfortable.

"This is ridiculous." I mumbled, considering my options. "Okay, I have a proposal."

She looked up at me with adorable doe eyes. It was insane to think this child was capable of mischief, let alone straight up vandalism sometimes. "Yes?"

"I am your only teacher today, correct?" She shrugged, then struggled to reach over the table to grab her timetable. It was an adorable sight. After a bit of wiggling, she fell back in her chair with her schedule in her hands.

"Yes, mandarin is tomorrow."

"Good, then. Finish one row of sums and we'll get changed into something breezier. You look like you're cooking in that dress."

She furrowed her tiny brows, but didn't ask any questions.

"Then we'll go do some summer appropriate assignments, okay?"