Authors: Stella White
''I really need someone. I can't manage on my own. I can't run a company and look after Matthew twenty-four-seven.''
''Don't worry we'll find someone. Anyhow there's still another candidate yet.''
''And she's late which doesn't bode well. I hate tardy people. If she's not here in ten
minutes,
she can forget it.
Fifteen minutes later the doorbell rang. Kayla and Aaron were chatting about what to do next.
''Let her in and give her a chance,'' Kayla said.
Aaron went to the door and opened it. He hadn't expected what he saw. A fantastically beautiful woman whose hands were covered in oil and dirt.
''Mr. Fleming, I'm so sorry I'm late. I'm Jodie from the English nanny school. I got a
puncture,
and I couldn't get the wheel nuts off until some strongman stopped to help me. My hands are filthy as you can see.''
Something about her made him smile. She was dressed beautifully in an over the knee, floral skirt, and a cream blouse. She had a tan bag over her
shoulder,
and her hair was up and neat.
''Well, I'm sorry about your troubles, we'd just about given up on you. Come
in; I
'll show you to the
bathroom,
and you can get cleaned up.''
Aaron went back into the lounge and waited until Jodie appeared. Kayla got up and shook her hand.
''Sit down on the sofa,''Aaron said.
Aaron looked critically at her. She was going to look after his
son,
and he felt fully justified in doing so. The first thing he noticed was how pretty she was. She was tall and
elegant,
and she sat upright, her body language indicating her genuine interest in the job. Aaron had interviewed a lot of people in his
time,
and he knew when they were only there for the money.
''So Jodie. Let me tell you something about me. I'm
Aaron,
and I own a real estate business which I run out of New York. My wife has just passed away...''
''I'm sorry to hear that,'' Jodie said.
''Thank you. My wife passed
away,
and I need someone reliable to look after my son Matthew. He's
autistic,
and he's difficult. His previous nanny was overawed by the task and left me at a very difficult moment.''
''I understand. This is a very interesting position for me. My brother is
autistic,
and I've always been interested in working with autistic children. I majored in the care of such children. Here are my grades,'' she said as he handed Aaron a sheet of paper.
''Very impressive. You say your brother is autistic, so you grew up with the condition?''
She looked at Kayla and then back to Aaron. ''Yes, my brother is a year older than
me,
and I have known nothing else all my life. He's totally closed off from the world. My mother still looks after him. I would help more if I could, but I need to work.''
''Where were you born?'' Kayla asked.
Jodie hesitated. ''In New York,'' she replied
''Which part,'' Kayla asked.
Once again Jodie hesitated. ''I'm afraid I was born into poor circumstances. I grew up in Brownsville.'' She pulled an awkward face as if she was ashamed of her past.
''Really. I grew up in Brownsville. You shouldn't be ashamed of where you were born. All I can say is good for you for doing something to get yourself out of there,'' Aaron said.
''What a coincidence. I went to St Thomas's School'' Jodie said.
''So did I,'' Aaron replied. ''Well, that's great, someone from the same place as
me,
''
Jodie smiled and began to relax. ''Do you want to meet Matthew?'' Aaron asked. He'd already decided he liked Jodie. He knew darn well that if she'd survived the trials of
a youth
in Brownsville, she was tough and up for a challenge.
''Yes, I'd like that.''
Matthew bounced into the room and stopped when he saw Jodie. ''Hello Jodie,'' said. Matthew didn't reply, he jumped on the sofa and stared into space. ''He's a lovely boy,'' Jodie commented.
''Yes. But he can be a handful,'' Aaron said. ''Okay. Let's give it a try. I suggest a three-month trial. When can you begin?''
Kayla felt bypassed and flashed Aaron a scowl.
''I can start immediately. Yes, a three-month trial will be fine.''
''Great. Let me show you where you will be living,'' Aaron said.
He stood up and took Jodie upstairs to show her an area of the house they'd had converted into an apartment.
''I hope you didn't do that because she's hot,'' Kayla said when Jodie had left.
''What? Are you accusing me of being unprofessional, because if you are...''
Kayla put her hand up in apology. She knew Aaron had a
temper,
and the last thing she wanted was a confrontation. It was just that she'd sat with him all
afternoon,
and he'd made his choice without consulting her. ''Sorry that was bitchy,'' she admitted.
''Look, she knows about autistic
kids,
and she's from Brownsville.
If she came out of that place in one piece, then she's tough.
I think she'll be perfect.''
*****
''Hi, I'm home,'' Aaron shouted. He put down his briefcase and loosened his tie. He'd just returned from
London,
and he was anxious to see Matthew. He walked through the hallway and into Matthew's playroom. He wasn't there. He looked in the sitting room and wandered
to
the kitchen.
''Have you seen Matthew and Jodie?'' he asked Mrs.
Robertson,
the cook.
''In the back yard, I think,'' she answered.
Aaron went through the conservatory at the back of the house and into the yard. They were in the pool together. Matthew was splashing away to his hearts
content,
and Jodie was applauding everything he did.
''Welcome home,'' she said when she noticed him watching them.
''How on earth have you managed to do that?'' he asked.
''What?''
''Get him into the pool. He hates the pool.''
''Not anymore, look, he's having a great time.''
Aaron tried not to look, but he couldn't help but notice her body. He loved the shape of her legs and the way her breasts rose above her flat stomach.
''Well, how?''
''Slowly. That's the key. I put no pressure on him at all. I let him watch when I went swimming, he soon saw it was fun and wanted to join in.''
''Can he swim?'' Aaron asked.
''Not yet, but we're working on it.''
''Jeez, that's amazing. Thank you. I would never have thought.''
Jodie watched Aaron return to the house and smiled when she saw him shake his head in disbelief.
That evening after Matthew had gone to bed Aaron was sitting on the terrace looking through some documents. Jodie came out in a robe and dived into the pool. She swam seriously for half and hour and got out.
''That's your work out is it?'' Aaron asked as she was walking past him.
''Yes. I try to do some exercise every day.''
''Sit down. I've finished working,'' he said.
''Okay.''
''Do you want a glass of wine, I usually have one around now?''
''No. I don't much care for alcohol. Have you got orange?''
''Sure.'' Aaron returned with the drinks and sat down. '' It's been a long day. It's funny to think I was in London this morning,'' he said.
''You live in a high-pressure world. I admire you for the business you have built.''
''Thanks. It's a good
company,
and I'm proud of it.''
''I asked around about you in Brownsville, and did you know people back there are proud of you? Everyone cites you as an example of someone who got out of there and was successful. You're an inspiration to a lot of people.''
Aaron looked at her. It was the first time he'd noticed the color of her eyes. ''Have you got colored contacts in your eyes?'' he asked.
She laughed. ''Everyone asks me that. No, that's their natural color.''
''Amazing. They're turquoise. I've never seen that before.''
''How are you feeling?'' she asked.
''You mean after Lindsey?'' Jodie nodded. ''I'm
devastated,
and I miss her all the time. Apart from that I'm okay.''
''Where did you meet her?''
''At a dancing class.''
''Really. I wouldn't have thought you were the type to go to dancing classes.''
Aaron laughed. ''I'm not, but my old mom forced me. I was only sixteen. I can still remember what she said to me. She told me that it was the best place to meet girls because every girl liked to dance. So I went, reluctantly. Lindsey was there. I asked her out at the end of the first evening.''
''So fast?''
''Yes, but she told me to sod off. It took me five attempts to get her to go out with me, and even then I had to threaten her.''
Jodie sipped her orange and imagined Aaron as a spotty sixteen-year-old chasing a girl who didn't want to be chased. ''You threatened her?''
''Yes. I told her if she didn't go out with me I'd put a frog down her panties.''
''Jesus. Did it work?''
''Sure. Threats often do work. I use them all the time to get what I want.''
Jodie flicked her blonde hair back over her shoulder and looked at him. She could imagine him threatening people. He was handsome, tall and well built and she sensed a slight air of danger about him.
''What about you Jodie? Have you go anyone special?''
''No, I'm only
twenty-three,
and I keep telling myself I've got time. I'm too busy anyway.''
''You're very good at what you do. I'm pleased we found you. I love
Matthew,
and I want the best for him. In you, I think we've found it.''
*****
Six months passed and Aaron began to find it easier to think of Lindsey without getting too emotional. He'd put her things in boxes and sent them to a charitable institution, but he kept one article that was dear to him. A pink shawl he'd bought Lindsey on the day they got engaged.
''I need a vacation,'' he said to Jodie one evening. ''Do you think it will harm Matthew to go away?''
''I don't think so. Not if we make a tight schedule and stick to it. If we tell him well in advance and do what we say, he'll be fine.
''Okay. Then I'll book something. I'll have to work on vacation as well, but I'll try and keep it to the mornings and save time for Matthew in the afternoons.''
''Great. Where do you propose to go.''
''I've thought about Grand Cayman. I've been there
before,
and it's safe for kids. The beach is
great,
and now he likes swimming he can go in the sea. That's safe too.''
''The Caribbean, it sounds great.''
''Yes it is.''
Three weeks later they landed on the small Caribbean Island and were driven to their hotel. The Caribbean Club Hotel was located on the beach along a strip called
Seven-Mile
Beach.
''Pure luxury,'' Jodie exclaimed when they arrived. She took Matthew and carried him to the foyer while Aaron paid the taxi driver and got a concierge to take their bags.
Aaron had arranged for a family suite that was large enough to house them all. Jodie got a separate room. When she went into her room, she gasped when she saw the view. Her balcony looked out over the sea. The sea looked clear and was almost the same color as her eyes. She'd heard of Grand Cayman as some kind of tax haven. She had no idea it was such a beautiful place for tourists.
Jodie ate a meal with Matthew at five pm and put him to bed at seven. Then she went to her room and plugged in the intercom system. She sat on the balcony and watched the people walking along the beach and the boats full of divers coming and going.
Aaron had gone for a walk along the beach and was enjoying the feel of the sand on his bare feet. It was a popular time for joggers and a few of them nodded at him as they passed. When he'd walked a kilometer, he stopped at a beach bar and ordered a beer. He sat down at a table and looked out over the bay. The sun was getting lower in the
sky,
and there was a soft feeling to the evening. He watched as couples walked past hand in hand on their way back to their hotels, or to a restaurant. His thought drifted to Lindsey and how she would have loved it there. He'd had a busy few
months,
and his company was thriving like never before. The only thing that he didn't have was someone to share his success with. He wondered what Lindsey would have found a reasonable amount of time to wait before he dipped his toe in the world of dating again. Until now he hadn't felt like it, but sitting in the evening sun watching some beautiful women walk by, he couldn't help but think about the future.