The Question

Mr. Grumpy

Elyne had told Adaline she'd need to give Creative Solutions Marketing a full two weeks notice, but thought better of calling to let her new employer know that she'd actually be available to start the next day due to....unforeseen circumstances that involved rather large coffee stains.  So Elyne chose to think of the time off as a spontaneous vacation, and took the time to relax, look up tips on nannying, and Facebook stalk her new boss. She still had two days before her in-person meeting with Kalmin and Nova, and wanted to be prepared for any other nanny-related questions that might be thrown her way; but her attention kept getting stolen back to his social media feeds as she tried to figure out what exactly his story was. There were tons of pictures of he and Nova: at the beach, visiting the zoo, going out with family - but no sign of Nova's mom. She had gone back four years into his timeline (a fact she was slightly embarrassed about), and noticed that there were large periods of time where no pictures existed. 

Aha. So you WERE in a relationship with Nova's mom, but it ended badly; so you erased any trace of your relationship from social media. I'm onto you, Kalmin. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of her roommate, who dramatically flung herself across the couch before looking at Elyne and asking, "So how's the 'vacation' going?" Elyne rolled her eyes and swatted at Mary, who laughed and came to sit next to her on the couch. "Oooh, more Facebook stalking I see? What'd you find out now?" Mary knew all about the last 48 hours, and like a true best friend had taken Elyne out for a glass of wine while she poured her heart out about the job, Eric, and her sudden two weeks off. It had been Mary's idea to spend the time getting prepared for a job Elyne had zero business doing - and Mary's idea to try and find out more about "Mr. Handsome", as she'd decided to call Kalmin. 

"Well, there's large periods of time where he has zero pictures - which seems odd, because he's obviously pretty active on Facebook. So my guess is that Nova is from a long-term relationship, not just a one-night stand or something. I just feel nervous about meeting him. Adaline is the absolute sweetest, but what if he's kind of a douchebag? Or feels like I'm not qualified to watch his kid?" 

"Elyne, relax. God, you stress out so easily. First, he'll love you. You're kind, you'll do great with Nova, and you're researching all you can about taking care of his kid - I can guarantee that's more than most nannies do. Second, if his mom signed off on you, he's going to be more likely to trust you right out of the gate. Third, he's gorgeous and you better not screw this up because if you don't try and date the man, I will." Elyne laughed and closed her laptop, giving Mary a hug and deciding that she'd done enough sleuthing for the day. 

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Two days later, Elyne was walking up to Kalmin's front door, already nervous about their meeting. The color of leaves changing clashed mildly with the blue house, and she couldn't help but think that she knew how the trees felt: she looked slightly out of place here, too. It was a beautiful home, with lots of space for a toddler to run around and play - but it still felt weird to be working in someone else's living space. Just as she was reaching up to knock for a second time, the door flew open to reveal a wild-haired, sticky-fingered Nova. "She's HHEEEERRREEE!!" she yelled, taking off down the hallway and almost running into the man rounding the corner. He picked her up and swung her over his shoulder, making her shriek with laughter. Kalmin smiled at Nova, and then turned to regard Elyne with a look she could only describe as uncertainty. "Hi, my name is Elyne; you must be Kalmin, it's so nice to meet you." She stuck out a hand to Kalmin, who shook it while briefly looking her up and down. He motioned with his head for her to follow, and they made their way into the kitchen. 

Adaline was busy cooking something that smelled delicious, but stopped what she was doing to give Elyne a quick hug before immediately launching into how excited she was that Elyne would be starting the next week. Elyne tried to pay attention, but was distracted by the man standing in her peripheral vision. She could feel him staring at her, but didn't know what to make of it. She was used to people staring; she was good looking, and had been the manager of a team, meaning she was usually up front speaking. She'd been looked up and down more times than she could count, but something about Kalmin's stare was different. He wasn't checking her out; wasn't judging her; he was just watching. Studying. It was less like a lion watching its prey, and more like an artist studying what he was going to paint. And it made her incredibly uncomfortable.