The Nanny's Double Trouble

“At Daniel’s.” Keely filled a cup and set it on the table next to Gretchen. “Grace isn’t going back to Portland until this afternoon, so she’s watching them.”

“I miss them already.”

“I’ll bring them by during the week.”

“You’re a good girl. The best.”

Keely got to work dropping spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet. “Looking after Frannie and Jake is no hardship. You know how I always wanted babies.” She’d been married once. A hot and charming driftwood artist, Roy Varner had come to town six years ago, before Keely opened Sand & Sea. Another local gallery had given him a show. Keely went to his opening. The attraction was instant and mutual. Roy swept her clean off her feet. They’d married within weeks of that first meeting. Roy traveled a lot to various art shows all over the west. Slowly Keely figured out that all the traveling wasn’t only about selling art. When he traveled, Roy behaved like a free man in every way. Including sleeping with other women. Keely had divorced him four years ago.

“Don’t you worry,” said Gretchen. “You’ve still got plenty of time. A good man and babies will be yours.”

Keely sent her aunt a fond glance over her shoulder. “Love you, Auntie G.”

“Love you more.”

“Heard from Mom?”

“Not since the other day.”

“So we still don’t know exactly when she’s coming?”

“Keely, I am managing just fine—and what about you? All settled in at Daniel’s?”

She considered mentioning Frannie’s earache. But the little girl had seemed fully recovered this morning, so why worry Gretchen? “It’s going great. And I’m all set up. I’ve got a bedroom across from the twins, and I’m using the room beside it as a work area—and you know, I’ve been thinking that we could get you some live-in help. Or you could move to Daniel’s temporarily.”

“I like my own house.”

“But—”

“Don’t start. I mean it. I’ve hired the boy next door to handle the yard. His sister will come in and clean when I need her. I’m having my groceries delivered. I’m used to doing things for myself, and I like my independence. Plus, in the Bravo house, all the bedrooms except Grace’s are upstairs. That’s not going to work with this foot.”

Keely scooped up another spoonful of dough. “I’ll call Mom, pin her down on when she’ll be here.”

“Don’t you dare. I will handle this. You’ve got enough to do, and you know it.”

“Auntie G, it’s just a phone call,” she said into the bowl of dough.

“Put down that spoon and look at me.”

Keely dropped the spoon back in the bowl and turned to face her aunt. “Yeah?”

“Your mother is coming, but she’ll be doing that in her own good time. That’s how she rolls and don’t we all know it.”

Keely stifled a laugh. “How she rolls?”

Gretchen’s blue eyes twinkled. “You know it’s true. Ingrid makes her own rules and sets her own schedule. Trying to change her at this late date? Never going to happen.”

Keely picked up a cooling cookie, took a bite and groaned in appreciation. “You shouldn’t be up making cookies. But these are so good.”

“I made lunch, too. It’s in the fridge. Don’t ruin your appetite.”

“No chance of that. Not when it’s your cooking—and were you on your feet to make the lunch?”

“Don’t nag, sweetheart. Nagging is not attractive.”

“What am I going to do with you?”

“Finish your cookie, get the rest of them in the oven—and then serve us both the amazing crab salad and crusty rolls I threw together.”

* * *

Keely got back to the Bravo house at a quarter of two, and Grace left for Portland a few minutes later. As usual, Daniel had stuff to do at the office. He promised to be back by dinnertime.

She stood on the porch, one twin on either side of her, waving as Daniel headed off down the driveway. The sun had made an afternoon appearance, so for a while she took the kids out back, where there was a big wooden playset that had been there for as long as she could remember. They played in the sandbox, slid down the slide and she swung them on the toddler-friendly swings.

Back inside, she gave them a snack and took them upstairs for diaper changes and nap time. They went down like little angels, reaching for kisses, settling right in and closing their eyes.

She got a full hour in her new studio, bent over her precious Bernina before Frannie started crying. When Keely went to check on her, she had a fever again.

* * *

That night, poor little Frannie didn’t sleep much. Neither did Keely or Daniel. Or Jake, for that matter. Frannie’s ear hurt, and nothing seemed to make it feel better.

The next day, one of the ladies from Gretchen’s church came by to watch Jake so that Keely could take Frannie to the pediatrician. Diagnosis: ear infection. Keely picked up the antibiotic and eardrop prescriptions on the way home.

Frannie had another bad night. All day Tuesday, she fussed and cried. Tuesday night, though, she only woke up crying twice.

“I think she’s better,” Keely whispered to Daniel when they tiptoed from the kids’ room for the second time that night.

“I hope so.” He had dark circles under his eyes. “We could all use a good night’s sleep.”

Wednesday morning, Frannie woke up smiling.

When Keely said, “I think you feel better, honey,” the little angel replied, “I fine, Keewee. I goo.”

And she really did seem fully recovered. After breakfast, Keely took both kids to see Gretchen, who still had no idea when Keely’s mom would be showing up. But Auntie G was all smiles to get to spend an afternoon with her beloved babies. She held them on her lap and sang the nursery songs she used to sing to Keely when she was little and staying with the Snows.

On Thursday, Jake got sick.

It was some weird flu bug. There was vomiting and a lot of mucus. Keely called the pediatrician, who suggested a humidifier, cool baths, cough medicine and Tylenol for fever. No need to bring Jake in, the doctor had said, unless his fever hit 104 or he wasn’t better within a week.

The next three nights were hell. Jake woke up crying and that woke Frannie. Keely and Daniel took turns looking in on them. The weekend went by somehow, not that Keely even cared what day it was. Making art with her sewing machine? Not even happening. And as for the original plan that she might go back and forth between the Bravo house and her cottage?

She never once made it home. In fact, she had to call a neighbor to water her plants.

She was exhausted, run ragged—and she found herself beginning to seriously admire Daniel. He worked all day and then stayed up with her all night to help with the kids. So what if he wasn’t the happiest dad on the planet? The man was dedicated to the well-being of his children. He mopped up vomit and changed diapers with the best of them.

By late Sunday, Jake had weathered the worst of it. He coughed less frequently and the mucus factory seemed to be shutting down. The sweet little guy was definitely on the mend. Sunday night, Keely actually slept straight through. The kids didn’t wake once, from bedtime until six the next morning.