Thomas moved to the rear passenger’s side door and opened it for her. Veronica stepped into the car and allowed him to close the door behind her. She buckled her seatbelt, and waited for Thomas to seat himself in the driver’s seat.
Soon, they were moving back on the road. Veronica felt her heart pounding in her chest as they navigated outside of the city and into the more richly populated areas on the outskirts. More and more space began to form between homes, until the countryside surrounded them.
Finally, they turned down a long driveway and approached a large gate between brick pillars. Thomas pressed a button on a remote he had on him, and the gate began to draw back and open, allowing them access to the rest of the driveway.
Veronica allowed herself to look ahead, and her jaw nearly dropped as she took in the sight of his home. It was not quite a mansion, but it was still a very large home. She could see that outside was a pool house, and there was surely a pool to go along with it. There was a fountain in the circle drive, and there was yet another gate to pass, this one situated between more brick columns, but gold instead of the black of the first.
Thomas once again pressed a button on the remote, and the gate opened inward. Thomas drove into the circle drive, and he stopped when they were in front of the entry to the home.
Thomas stepped out of the car and moved to her door, then opened it. He offered his hand to her and she took it, allowing him to help her onto the driveway. He stepped away to get her suitcase out of the trunk.
“Right this way,” he smiled and gestured toward the staircase leading up to the door.
Veronica nodded, awe still written across her face as she took in the beauty of the large home. As they approached the door, Thomas moved to the side and pressed a small button, and Veronica could hear the sound of the doorbell ringing through the large home.
Promptly, the door swung outward, and a woman, apparently in her thirties, appeared to greet them.
“Mrs. Martinez,” Thomas spoke up. “This is Miss Lawrence, our new nanny.”
“Of course, and you can call me Maria,” the woman gave her an easy smile. “We were hoping you would accept the offer. Mr. Davenport made it very clear that you were his first choice.”
Veronica felt her stomach flip at that information.
“Mr. Davenport is, of course, at work,” Maria went on, and Veronica couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. “But he will be returning this afternoon, as is his usual. Until then, I’ll be introducing you to the girls and showing you around the house, letting you know what you’ll be responsible. Oh, and of course showing you your living space.”
Veronica nodded.
“Alright, well I’ll leave you ladies to it,” Thomas said, moving to excuse himself. “Miss Lawrence, here is your suitcase. It was a pleasure to meet you, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around a lot more in the very near future.”
“I’m sure,” Veronica smiled up at him. “It was very nice to meet you too.”
With a smile, Thomas went back down the staircase and moved back over to the car, driving it away.
“Here, let’s get you inside,” Maria smiled, and gestured to the inside of the home.
Veronica took up her suitcase and followed Maria. Veronica barely kept her jaw from dropping as she took in the splendor of the foyer. It was like something someone would see in a movie. There were marble floors and even a staircase leading up to the second floor.
“Yeah,” Maria chuckled at her. “It’s a lot to adjust to, but trust me, you will.”
Veronica gave a soft laugh, and she followed Maria as she led her further into the house.
Maria gave her a brief tour of the living room and the kitchen as they passed through. Both the rooms were outfitted with obviously extravagant and expensive furniture and appliances, and Veronica wondered where in the world he would even get any of these things from.
She was a little surprised when Maria led her out of the house, and to the pool. It was large and plain square, and off in one corner there was a small gazebo, and under its shelter was a hot tub.
“The girls love to swim,” Maria explained. “So you’ll have plenty of opportunities to come out and enjoy the weather.”
Veronica nodded.
“So do you live here at the estate as well?” Veronica asked as they made their way around the pool.
“No, I’m just one of the daytime staffers,” Maria explained. “We do all the work in the day so the property is empty when Mr. Davenport comes home for the evening. Except for his security team, of course.”
“And the nanny,” Veronica assumed.
“And the nanny,” Maria verified with a smile.
They finally made it to the door of the pool house. Maria withdrew a key from her pocket and opened the door.