The Twin Test

“Look, Ms. Harper, I need you to be on time. The girls have to stick to their schedule or they’ll fall behind. You can’t plan their day without reading their lesson plans. As I explained, they’re homeschooled, so you’ve got to stick with my plan. If I can’t count on you, say so now.” From his research, he knew she was trustworthy on the not-a-criminal front, but trustworthy and dependable didn’t always go hand in hand. He needed a nanny who was dependable and punctual. And resilient.

“Mr. Calder. I can’t control the wild herds.”

She pulled an elastic out of the pocket of her jeans and proceeded to gather her wind-blown hair into a semitidy ponytail. A curly strand escaped and fell across her face. She tucked it behind her ear and put her hands on her hips. The curly lock fell back against her cheek.

“What?”

“The zebras. I had to wait for them to escape.”

“Wait a minute. Escape what?”

“They were being chased by a lion and I wasn’t about to slow them down. I stopped my jeep and waited. I’ll admit, I didn’t just sit there. I mean, who could pass up an opportunity like that to take photographs? But I did drive here as fast as I could once they passed. And they did get away. The zebras, I mean. Not that I want the lion to starve. She probably had cubs to feed. But I certainly didn’t want to witness the kill. You know what I mean?”

No, he didn’t. But, boy, could she talk. And he kind of wished said lion wasn’t out there hungry. Not with his daughters being escape artists.

“I don’t know where this zebra crossing happened, but the girls aren’t allowed anywhere near there. I don’t want them in any sort of danger, got it?”

“You do realize where we are, right? Wild animals aren’t restricted to one area. This isn’t a zoo.”

“I get enough snark from my kids. I’m fully aware that this isn’t a zoo, which is why maybe you should stick around the lodge, especially for the first day, and see how things go. Look. I’m running late. I have a schedule printed out here,” he said, grabbing the sheet of paper off the small desk and handing it to her. “Also, I’d prefer it if you and the girls didn’t touch any of my paperwork or printed maps. You shouldn’t have to remind the girls. They know my work is off-limits.”

“Yes, sir,” Pippa said, taking the sheet with a salute. “I’m not a nosy person. Your work stuff is safe from me.” She scanned the schedule. “Is this really how their day is supposed to go?” She scrunched her face at him and held the sheet up?

“Yes. That’s why it’s called a schedule. I don’t have time to argue. I’m paying you to stick to it, okay? And keep a close eye on them.”

“It’s the only kind I keep. I’m sure they’ll be fine. They’re not the first kids I’ve worked with, and they seemed so well behaved that I can’t imagine their being any trouble at all. And can I just point out that you’re the one who begged me to watch them?”

He noticed her gaze shift, and he glanced over his shoulder. The twins were standing behind him looking as innocent as could be. He couldn’t argue in front of them, particularly if the argument was about them.

“I’ll leave you all to it, then. Ivy. Fern. Be good. Ms. Harper. The schedule.”

“Yes. The schedule. And please don’t call me Ms. Harper. It makes me sound like a prissy schoolteacher. I prefer to go by Pippa.”

The girls giggled, and Fern stepped to his side and looped her arm in his.

“Don’t worry about us, Dad. We’ll listen to Miss Pippa and get all our work done.”

“Right. Good.”

He didn’t believe it. But he didn’t have a choice except to leave Pippa to the lions right now. He zipped up the duffel bag that held a spare pair of jeans and a T-shirt, in case he needed them and grabbed his laptop. His hard hat and utility vest were already on-site. He glanced at his watch again.

“There’s a satellite phone on the desk with the number where I’ll be. See you later,” he said, heading for the door.

“Oh, wait. One more thing before you leave.” Pippa stepped close to his side and lowered her voice. “How do you tell them apart?”

* * *

PIPPA SHUT THE door behind Dax and leaned back against it. Ivy stood with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. Fern rocked on her heels with her hands clasped behind her.

She was so going to make them pay for the damage they’d done to her book.

She smiled.

“So, girls. Let’s take a look at what you’re supposed to be doing. Um, let’s see, no history today? Did you finish that book you were reading?”

“Yep,” Ivy said, collapsing into a wicker lounge chair and kicking her feet up on the matching ottoman. “Did you finish yours?”

Ivy gave her sister a look, but Fern stared boldly at Pippa. Ivy is purple and Fern is green. Right. Boy, was this going to be fun. Not.

Their dad had her worried there. He did not look happy when she walked in late, and if he fired her before she even started, she’d be out a lot of money. Not to mention the page from her book. Only she wouldn’t be the one really losing out. This was about the kids out there who needed a teacher, not about her or the two kids in front of her who took what they had for granted. She stood as tall as she could.

“No, I haven’t finished mine yet.” It wasn’t a lie. She hated lies. Lies ruined lives. Lies caused pain. These girls had better tell the truth about the book page. She wasn’t going to let on that she knew about it just yet, though. Nope. Getting mad would only feed their entertainment. “How about starting with social studies?”

“But we’re supposed to clean our rooms first. That’s what we were doing when you got here, and we’re not quite done,” Fern said.

“As long as it’s done before your dad gets back, I don’t see a problem with changing things up.”

“But the schedule says—”

“The schedule says that you have a social studies paper to write, so I say let’s get the essays done so that we can go do something social. Besides, flexibility is an important lesson when it comes to living in this world. Consider it part of your lesson.”

Ivy and Fern looked dumbfounded.

“Do you have kids? Are you married?” Fern asked.

Pippa’s stomach recoiled and she fought to keep the prickle of self-doubt that still plagued her every so often in check. Almost. She was over it...past it...but the betrayal and heartbreak that had changed her life and all her future plans still had a way of creeping out of the darkness and grabbing her by the ankles.

Changes. That’s all it was. She was feeling uncertain because this was a new job and it was reminding her subconscious of how grueling changes could be. She stood her ground.

“No to both questions. Why do you ask?”

“Because every nanny we’ve ever had was either a spinster type who couldn’t wait to get away at the end of the day, or single and anxious to leave for their dates,” Ivy said. How many nannies had they had? Maybe she was better off not knowing.

“Wrong,” Fern said. “There was the one who loved being around, but not because of us. She was crushing on Dad.”

Oh, for crying out loud. She wasn’t crushing on their dad...even though she had to admit he looked really good dressed ruggedly in jeans, a T-shirt and work boots.

“I assure you, I’m not here because of your dad. He’s not my type.” No one was her type right now. The last thing she needed was another relationship. But it wasn’t hard to read between the lines of what the girls were saying. The twins felt second-best. Boy, did she know that feeling. “Listen, I have things I do other than helping take care of the two of you, but when I’m here, I’m here. You have my undivided attention and I hope I have yours.”

Their lips twisted and they folded their arms. Interesting.

“So, you’re going to sit and watch us write essays? Isn’t that boring?” Fern asked.

“Yeah,” Ivy added. “The nannies we’ve had before usually leave us to do our work...since we’re so responsible and all...and they go get coffee or something. You can go if you want and come back when we’re done.”

Pippa went over to her bag and pulled out her book.

“I won’t be the least bit bored. I plan to finish reading this mystery so that I can loan it to your dad. I figured he might want to read it while he watches you guys swim at the pool.”