(Complete) Divorced Dad, Leo Nelson, can't keep a nanny for his two children. His preteen daughter, Riley, plays tricks and sabotages every nanny the agency sends. When Riley makes friends with a mysterious woman who is looking for a job, Leo is so...
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As Leo Nelson entered his house, the silence surprised him. He stepped onto the tile floor leading from the back hall to the kitchen and felt his feet slip out from under him.
"Whoa! What?" He regained control and bent over to touch the floor. Soap. Why was there soap on his floor? He could think of one reason and frowned.
The empty kitchen had no sign of dinner cooking. He hired a nanny whose job was to keep his two kids safe after school and put a meal on the table. In the year since he moved to Massachusetts, he had actually hired eight nannies. His daughter Riley hadn't liked a single one.
"Hello." He called, but silence responded.
Had he seen the nanny's car? Maybe they went out. He rounded the corner to the stairs just as his phone rang. The caregiver agency.
"Mr. Nelson. We've had a call. Corrine has quit your employ as had Diane and Paloma and..."
"I know their names." Although he wasn't sure he did. He had reached the top of the stairs. Riley's door was closed. He opened it without knocking. His two children were inside huddled together. "She left my children alone."
The voice said, "She's injured."
Jesus, how liable would he be? "How injured?" He glared at his daughter.
"A bruised tailbone and sore back. We'll send along any medical bills."
"Along with a replacement."
The stern voice said, "No. We are severing our relationship."
"What? What am I supposed to do?" He pleaded. There was no response, the woman had clicked off. He stared at his eleven-year-old daughter, Riley. Why was she so stubborn? He knew why. Stubborn, independent, adventurous, careless. He frowned. "What did you do to Paloma?"
Six-year-old Cody said, "Corrine."
He brushed his mistake aside. "Riley?"
"Nothing. We played outside, and she freaked when we had mud on our shoes. She made me wash the floor."
"Did she watch you wash it?"
Riley shook her head. How could he be mad at her when it wasn't her fault? She didn't know how to clean the floor. The jury would lean toward guilty the other seven times, but the worst was when they got lost at the mall. The mall security and the police were involved. Leo's gut told him they hid from the nanny.
He sighed. "We have no nanny, no dinner, and I almost fell coming into the kitchen. We have work to do. Meet me downstairs in two minutes."
He changed out of his suit. He had a great day at work. His lunch with the dragon lady, Kendall went well. She was an editor for Roche-Sumner Publishing. As a literary agent for Dwyer Mitchell, he did a lot of business with the publishing house. The relationship between the two privately owned businesses was practically incestuous. His co-worker and close friend Zach was best friends with James Sumner. He was also the nephew of Kurt Dwyer who owned their agency.
