“Yes, I know. You didn’t know about the rain. We will go to a café and continue our talk there where you can dry off. You look as if you need a hot drink.” Again the dark eyes raked her over from head to toe leaving her feeling naked and vulnerable and probably resembling a drowned rat. The worst way to start off a new job.
“Yes, thank you. Of course I’m anxious to meet the girls,” she said.
“All in good time. They’re a handful, as you may have heard.” He paused. “How was your trip?”
Even though Sabrina hadn’t done much traveling, she could tell when someone was merely being polite or if they really want to know how the trip was. This man actually seemed interested. Unless he was a good actor. He was a descendent of royalty, no matter what he said, and he was probably schooled in manners from day one. He knew how to project the proper demeanor whether genuine or not.
“It was fine. I’ve never been to Italy before. The lake is beautiful and the ferry is a real bargain. All that scenery, the little villages and the beautiful gardens for six euros. You must have a wonderful view from your villa.”
“I do,” he said. And gave her a sideways look that confirmed her suspicion it was him on his balcony watching her through his binoculars.
“However I have little time to enjoy the view at present,” he said. “My bank in Milan is currently considering a merger which requires all my attention. That is why I need a nanny I can trust to look after the girls and prepare them for their new school. I can’t understand why it’s so hard to find one.”
There was a question she could speak to, but what was the point? He blamed the nannies, they blamed him. As they entered the patio of the café, he made his way to a table, held out a chair for her and sat down across the table.
“I don’t know what my step-mother told you about me, but here is my resume,” she said, reaching for her briefcase. She took out a folder and handed it to him. “You’ll see I am indeed qualified to be a nanny,
your
nanny, or I wouldn’t have come here. I’m a graduate of the California Nanny Institute which gives classes including CPR and First Aid and I’ve had actual hands-on experience.”
“Hmmm,” he said glancing at the pages while the waitress in a black dress and white apron placed two small cups of dark rich espresso on the table with a plate of flaky pastries and small sandwiches. “I see the curriculum at your Nanny Institute included Health, Nutrition, Interpersonal Relations, Family Dynamics and Power Point Presentations.” He raised one eyebrow. Maybe he was impressed as he should be. It was an excellent school and the graduates usually commanded high salaries and had multiple offers of employment after graduation, both in the U.S. as well as abroad.
“I can understand the emphasis on Health and Nutrition, but Power Point?” he asked, his head tilted in her direction. “Are you saying you are capable of giving a presentation with a slide show, sound and animation?”
“I have done it, yes. Some presentations even have interactive games and activities. Nannies must be computer savvy. They plan nutritious meals as well as oversee homework assignments and we make use of all kinds of software as well as hardware. You’d be surprised how often these skills have been useful to me.”
“Yes, I would,” he said.
Suddenly Sabrina’s empty stomach rumbled and the food on the table looked too good to ignore. Yes, this was an interview, a chance to sell herself to the prince across the table, but she was famished. Unless she had something to eat she would be too weak to stand up to any more arguments from him. She’d had lunch on the plane but that was hours ago. She knew she should be waiting with baited breath for his next questions, but instead she was biting into the tiny sandwiches, some filled with shrimp, some with wafer-thin slices of prosciutto and others with Gorgonzola cheese and pear. An encouraging sign that she had come to the right place for Italian cuisine that wasn’t all pasta and pizza.
The prince watched her for a long moment with an expression she couldn’t fathom. Was it surprise or astonishment? Could it be the other nannies were too nervous or intimidated to eat while being interviewed? Weren’t they able to sample any real Italian food after a long voyage? If they weren’t, she felt even worse about their being abruptly dismissed or quitting on arrival. If the prince was dismayed by her appetite, it was about time he realized she was human and needed nourishment to stand up to the rigors of the job.
He finally turned back to her resume. “The family you worked for gave you an outstanding recommendation when you left. That was eighteen months ago.” A frown creased his handsome brow. “Why didn’t you continue acting as a nanny if you did such a good job of it?” He looked up over the dossier.
She brushed crumbs off her lips. It was the question she most dreaded. “At the time the agency needed my help in the office.” No use going into the details. “There is a feeling of great satisfaction when successfully placing a nanny. Completely different from actually being a nanny of course, but still gratifying. If you wish, you can peruse more testimonial letters from satisfied clients to that effect.”
“I see,” he said, and there was no mistaking the cynicism in his voice. Maybe he thought she’d forged them. “I agree your credentials are impressive. But there is one problem. The girls have decided they don’t need a nanny.”
Sabrina shook her head. As if seven year-olds should be given a choice in the matter. “Don’t worry, that’s fairly typical. Children are adversely affected by bedtime stories about nannies who are shown in a poor light. Small wonder children are wary of change and unwilling to change the status quo. I must ask you, if they don’t have a nanny, and you are working in Milan, who takes care of them?”
“Other members of the staff have helped to fill in the gap, but of course they need supervision. I was merely warning you. When they want something, they can be quite determined.”
Or when they don’t want something, like a nanny
, Sabrina thought. “I have had reports of spiders and snakes found in the nannys’ beds,” Sabrina said. “It seems the girls need discipline, if you don’t mind my saying so.”
“Say what you like,” the prince said. “I agree they need discipline, which is why none of the previous nannies were acceptable. They didn’t provide it.”
“
It doesn’t sound as if they were given a chance,” she said.
Vittorio looked at Sabrina as if no one had ever questioned him before. She didn’t care. She was in Italy now, the land of her dreams, and no one knew that Sabrina West was previously a wimp and afraid to cross her own step-mother. He was probably going to fire her anyway. It was time someone stood up to the man. Even if he was a prince and a captain of industry, a billionaire and the owner of a bank, he should be willing to bear some criticism. With his record what were the chances she’d last any longer than anyone else? What did she have to lose by speaking her mind? If he fired her, she’d figure out a way to stay here if only for a few days and enjoy a vacation she never thought she’d have. What were the chances of that happening? He needed someone. She needed a job.
He raised his coffee cup and studied her with narrowed eyes. “My job is to make decisions. I hire and fire people every day. People’s lives and their fortunes depend on me. I think I can tell if a nanny will work out within hours, maybe minutes of meeting her.”
Sabrina felt her cheeks redden. Obviously he was observing her in order to quickly make his decision about her. Maybe he’d already made it.
“In any case, as you know, I’m planning to send the girls to a first-rate boarding school. In fact this September in the fall. So the nanny job is only temporary. Are you sure you’re still interested?”
“
This
fall?” Sabrina didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Many a short-term job would be all she could handle. “I understood it was a year from now. Aren’t they a little young for boarding school?”
“Wait until you meet them to decide that, Ms West. You will agree they need a well-rounded education which is not available here in town.” At least he was talking about her meeting them. Up until that moment she’d had a terrible feeling he was just killing time until he could escort her back to the ferry and get rid of her. “Their former nanny retired over a year ago, and they have been dead set against having a new one. It occurred to me, or rather to my fiancée, when we saw the nannies you sent us, not to wait another year. We believe boarding school is the answer, sooner rather than later, to provide both discipline and academics.”
“I see,” Sabrina said. “Then I suggest you give me a chance,” Sabrina said. “At least until the end of summer when they go to boarding school. If things don’t work out…”
“I’m afraid they won’t,” he said. “Although your resume is impressive, you’ve never dealt with twins before, twins who have an unconventional background.”
Of course she hadn’t dealt with twins before. Who had? With that attitude, no wonder the nannies left so fast. “Twins or triplets, many siblings or none at all, my training has prepared me to deal whatever the situation is. If things don’t work out, the agency will refund your money.” As if Bettina would refund a penny to anyone. She was the most tight-fisted woman in the world. But it sounded good and Sabrina was fighting for her job and her short-term future. She was prepared to promise just about anything. If need be, she’d work her fingers to the bone to refund his money herself.
“In the mean time,” the prince continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “the girls have an interview with the Academy scheduled for next Wednesday which will be in English, the language of instruction. Fortunately they are fluent since they were raised at the knee of Nanny Chisholm, their Scottish nanny.”
Sabrina’s competitive nature rose up to defend herself. No matter how superb Nanny Chisholm was, she, Sabrina would be just as good if not better, or at least be different. “Although they may be fluent in English perhaps they could use some preparation before they enter the academy. I can work with them on grammar, writing, reading, even math this summer before they enter.”
She thought she saw a flicker of interest in his dark eyes, but maybe she was mistaken. Whatever it was, it was enough to jump-start her efforts. “I can tutor them before the interview. I’ll help them get through it and get accepted if that’s really what you want.”
Sabrina knew she had to get her foot in the door of the villa if she had any hope of staying in Italy longer than a day or two. She glanced around at the well-dressed crowd in the café. She sniffed the rain-washed air redolent with the pungent smell of eucalyptus and felt a sudden sense of anticipation as she realized she was actually there in Italy, half-way around the world in a place she’d always wanted to see but never thought she’d have the chance.
She needed a change. She knew that now. She had buried herself in that office on top of Telegraph Hill, sure that she was doing a good job of nanny placement with one exception, the man across the table from her. She needed a jolt out of her rut. She needed to start over. To be challenged. To forget the painful past and get over the mistake she’d made. To prove to herself she could do the job without becoming emotionally attached to her employer. No chance of that happening with the cool, detached prince. This was the place and this was her opportunity. She might even be able to do something for these girls no one else had been able to tame.
“It’s not what
I
want, it’s what’s best for the girls,” he said.
Sabrina nodded. “That would be me.” She flushed at her own audacity in such shameless self promotion. But if she didn’t promote herself, who would? Not Bettina. What had Bettina told him about her?
“You’re very sure of yourself,” he said. She didn’t know if he approved or not.
“A nanny must always be sure of herself,” she said, squaring her shoulders and meeting his gaze. “If not, her position in the household can be undercut.”
A waiter passed with a tray of different flavored gelatos in glass dishes. She turned her head to watch. Even though she’d eaten all the sandwiches and a pastry, her mouth watered.