A Celebration Christmas

Of course he knew what she meant. He wouldn’t think she was consoling him over the loss of his housekeeper.

Would he?

Ugh. She felt her cheeks heat. Why was she suddenly so nervous?

Her words hung in the air between them for a few awkward beats.

“Thank you. The kids seem to be resilient, but they have been a challenge. I wanted to be up-front with you about it. It’s better that I tell you exactly what to expect than to have you walk out on us like Angie did.”

Lily squinted at him. “What do you mean, Dr. Dunlevy?”

“Please call me Cullen. There’s no need for formalities.”

“Okay. Cullen. Did Angie interact with the children?”

“As little as possible. Her main objective was to come in and do her housework. She was my housekeeper for a number of years. With the kids here, it was difficult.”

“No disrespect to Angie—I’m sure she’s great at what she does,” said Lily. “But in my experience, when a child acts up, it’s usually a sign that he or she is looking for attention. I would imagine that the kids feel displaced and frightened after losing their parents. I would keep them busy doing fun activities. When kids are busy, they don’t have a lot of time to get into trouble. And they tend to sleep better at night because they’re tired.”

“Would you be willing to get out in the yard and run around with them like that?” He hiked a thumb toward the windows.

“Absolutely. Unless it’s too cold or the weather is bad. And then there are lots of things we can do inside, like holiday baking and decorating for Christmas.”

She noticed the lack of decorations in his house. It was only December first, and yes, it was still early for some people to decorate. But it had been a tradition in her family to deck the halls the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

“Would you mind if the kids decorated for the holidays?”

“I can’t remember the last time I even put up a tree,” he said. “I guess the kids will want one since they’ll be with me until the New Year, if that long.”

“Are they going somewhere after that?”

Cullen raked a hand through his hair and looked a little unsettled. “They’re not living with me indefinitely. It just wouldn’t be fair to them. That’s why I only need a nanny for a month. It may not even be that long if the attorney I’m working with is able to find a family willing to take them in. I want to keep them together. After all they’ve been through, it wouldn’t be right to split them up. Of course, if you agree to take the job and the attorney comes through before the end of the month, I’ll pay you through the end of December. That’s only fair.”

Attorney?

“Those poor kids.” The words escaped before Lily could contain them.

Cullen drew in a deep breath and let it out. He seemed to be weighing his words.

Finally he said, “I know it’s not ideal, but I’m not married and sometimes I work eighty hours a week. Kids their age need a family to care for them. As much as I hate the thought of shuffling them around, placing them in a good stable environment with a traditional family will be better for them in the long run. The agency is working hard to keep them together, but we’re racing against a deadline. They have to go back to school after the first of the year. It would be less disruptive for them to start at their new school than to have them start here and transfer somewhere else.”

“They don’t have any family who can take them?”

“If they did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Those poor kids have dealt with so much loss at such a young age. To be all alone, except for each other...”

The back door banged open and a cacophony of voices and running feet put an abrupt end to Lily and Cullen’s conversation.

Cullen’s gaze locked with Lily’s. He seemed to be asking, Are you on board?

She nodded.

He smiled, then called to the kids, who had blown right past them on their way to the kitchen. “Megan, George, Bridget, please come here. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

The three of them walked back into the room and stood in front of Lily and Cullen. They cast suspicious, sidelong glances at Lily and then back at each other. Looking more subdued than they had when they were out in the yard, they seemed to be communicating in their own silent language.

Cullen introduced the children. “Please say hello to Ms. Palmer. We’ve been talking about the possibility of her being your nanny while I’m at work.”

“I’m almost eleven years old,” said Megan. “I don’t need a nanny. I can babysit George, Bridge and Hannah. Mom used to let me do it all the time.”

“She did not,” cried George. “Don’t be a liar.”

Megan gave her brother the stink-eye. George clamped his mouth shut and stared at his shoes.

“I’m not lying.” Megan sounded a lot older than a typical ten-year-old. Losing both parents made you grow up fast, Lily knew from experience. “I’m just saying, we don’t need a babysitter.”

“Well, I don’t babysit,” said Lily. “So I think we’re okay. We can just hang out.”

“Hang out?” Megan scoffed.

“Yes,” said Lily. “Don’t you like to hang out?”

Before Megan could answer, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” said George. He sprinted out of the room before anyone could protest. Cullen hadn’t been joking when he’d said the kids were spirited...well, except for Bridget. She hadn’t uttered a single word since they’d met.

“Excuse me,” said Cullen. “I’m expecting someone. I’m sorry about the interruption. Everything seems to happen at once around here. It’s a new way of life.”

He smiled and Lily liked the way his eyes creased at the corners. At least he had a sense of humor.

“Continue to talk and get to know each other. I’ll be right back.”

Lily nodded. It would be good for them to have a few minutes of girl time.

“How old are you, Bridget?” Lily asked.

“She’s seven,” Megan answered. “George is nine and Hannah, who you haven’t met, is five. She’s the baby.”

“I met Hannah when I first arrived,” Lily said. “She was in the living room having some quiet time with Franklin.”

“I’m the oldest,” Megan underscored.

“And I’ll bet you’re a very good big sister.”

Megan didn’t smile, but the compliment seemed to soften her demeanor a bit.

Lily heard Cullen and the voice of another man. Their tones were low and muffled. Whatever they were talking about sounded important. She wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but she was trying to get a sense of how long Cullen might be occupied. He hadn’t officially offered her the job and she didn’t want to assume it was hers for the taking. He might even have had other candidates to interview.