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Chapter Two

When I first picked Harrington University, I was going to apply for some jobs around campus; however, my roommate last year was a nanny for a wealthy family, and she made a lot better money than I did when I was a research assistant. I always found it a little scary in LA because of the horror stories I had heard, but with Oakwood being a tiny town, I thought it would be a little safer here. When I had searched on the nannying website, there was only one person looking for one in Oakwood. There were a few in a couple towns a little further away, but I figured if the one didn't work out then nannying wasn't meant to be.
The only nannying job was posted by a woman named Lizzie. She and her husband were looking for someone to watch their sixth month old little girl, Lucy. We had corresponded back and forth for a while before my move, and we had decided to meet a couple days after I had arrived. I really hoped this worked out because she seemed so nice and normal. 
The first couple of days were taken up by running errands. I had saved up for a while before moving, but buying new groceries and random odds and ends was putting a dent in it. And Emma had already warned me that my endless supply of sundresses and thin shirts weren't going to cut it in the fall or winter, so if I didn't get the position, I needed to find something pronto.
On the day of my official interview, I put on a navy dress and a pair of espadrilles. I wanted to look professional, but at the same time like I was warm and friendly. I style my long hair in loose curls and put on some light makeup. As I got ready, I practiced my interview answers and was feeling fairly confident. I wish I could say I felt that way pulling up to the house.
It was only about a ten minute drive from my apartment, but in the opposite direction from town. It was further into the woods, and I hesitated at the end of the private drive. I couldn't see anything from the road because of the trees. I finally took a deep breath, and a leap of faith. Lizzie seemed nice; I'm sure she's not an axe murder leading me into my death. I turned onto the unpaced drive and followed it back until finally I could see a break in the trees. I was not expecting the mansion that awaited.
It was unlike anything I had ever seen. Warm wood and stone made up the house. It had a cabin feel, but I had never seen a house that large. Not even in Beverly Hills. The feel of the house from the outside wasn't pretentious though as I would have thought from any house that big. Instead it looked warm and inviting. The private drive turned into a circle in front. I parked the Jeep next to a black Range Rover. My hands were a little shaky when I tried to open my door. So what if they're super rich? Doesn't mean anything, right?
I took a cleansing deep breath and walked to the front door. I was about to hit the doorbell when the door was pulled open.
"Hi! Oh my God! You must be Wynter! You're so pretty! I'm Lizzie!" The young, blonde woman was even more beautiful than in her pictures. Her face wide blue eyes shown with happiness.
I reached a hand forward to shake. "Hello, it's wonderful to meet you." I smiled wide and hopefully as happily. Lizzie was exactly how I thought she'd seemed from her emails. Warm and friendly. The nervousness fled.
She grabbed my hand in a graceful, small shake and led me into the house. It was incredible. The foyer had stone floors and the ceilings were so high. A wooden staircase was to the left and a wide cognac wooden walkway led to the rest of the house. Lizzie waved a hand to indicate each room as we passed.
"That staircase leads upstairs to the pa- I mean, the family side of the house. And that staircase," she pointed to one on the left, "is my brother's side of the house." I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion. Her brother lived here, and he had his own side of the house? Lizzie seemed to notice. "Our parents built this house with community in mind. They wanted us to be able to have our families grow up around one another, as well as help anyone in need. That's why it's so big."
That sounded... cultish? I plastered a smile on my face. Just because it was different from how I was raised, does not mean it is weird. I mentally slapped myself for being so judgy. Plus, it's nice that her family wanted them to help out their community. The house was certainly big enough for it.
I followed her tall, slender frame into a gigantic living room. "This is our family room." The walls we the same wood from the rest of the house, but the ceiling was peaked. The entire back wall was a series of windows that followed the peak as well. I could see a back porch, and that the house was actually on a hill. The forest enveloped the entirety of the house for miles. "Why don't we sit down?" We sat on one of the large buttery, leather sofas. There was a pink baby mat on the floor and a swing next to it. A baby monitor on the coffee table showed a small image of a sleeping form. "Lu is down for a nap right now, but I'm sure she'll be up soon so you can meet her."
I smiled gently. "She looks precious."
"She is. I mean, I know I'm her mom so I have to think she is, but I've had some brutally honest people reassure me, so I'm fairly confident it's not just maturenal blindness."
And just like that I knew we'd get along. Lizzie was just a genuine person. We talked for a while. She asked all about my experience and different scenarios, but she also talked about the town and all the people she said I'll meet. It seemed like she knew everyone that lived there. And it turned out I was right about us being close in age. She was only 25, and her husband was 31. We took a little tour of the house, and showed me where I would sleep if I ever needed to stay the night or just a place to keep extra clothes. She said it wouldn't likely ever happen, but she wanted it to feel like home for me as well. Lastly, we went to Lucy's room. It was impeccably decorated with light pinks and grays in a woodland theme. Lucy had woken during our tour, but had laid sleepily in her crib.
Lucy had a head full of dark hair that I'm guessing came from her father, but her big blue eyes were definitely from her mother. She fussed quietly at first when Lizzie handed her to me, but quickly became content snuggled against my swaying body.
As we walked to the front door, I realized I hadn't been hired yet. Everything felt so natural that I forgot there's a chance that I won't be working here. "Thank you for taking the time to meet me." I said honestly. "I hope we could get together sometime, even if you decide to go with someone else."
"Oh!" Lizzie's face went a little pink, "I completely forgot I didn't offer you the position. If you're up to it, I'd like to have a couple days of us being home together before I go back to work. That way you can meet Roland, and we can ease Lu into it."
My smile threatened to take over my face. "That sounds great! You have my number, so you can just let me know all the details when you get everything figured out with Roland."
Lizzie's answering smile was as big as mine. "Awesome!"
"Oh! You'll probably want me to meet your brother too, right?"
Lizzie's smile wavered for a minute. "Uh, he actually won't be back for a couple weeks. He's on a business trip. But I'm sure I'll be able to set up a formal meeting for you guys."
"Um, okay. Yeah! Sounds good!" Don't overthink it, Wynter.
Lizzie reached out and gave me a quick hug before I left. "I'm so glad we met! I know it's going to work out. I just know it!"