Chapter 1
Sam
I never thought I would see her again.
It didn’t occur to me that this was even possible. Five years had passed since that afternoon when I had ended our relationship. She had walked out of my life. For good.
Or so I’d thought.
Because here she was again, right in front of me.
I walked into the living room where she was busy playing with Ethan, my son. Her attention was on the plastic blocks, she didn’t notice me.
I saw her before she saw me, and I recognized her instantly. Maybe it was the sound of her voice, or the way she sat, her hair falling forward in long, golden waves.
For a few moments it was difficult to breathe. I felt a pressure on my chest and inhaled deeply.
How was this possible?
How had Natalie come to be in my house, in my space? These thoughts rushed through my head as I tried to make sense of it. I had been working flat-out for the past 48 hours and I was tired, exhausted really.
“Right, let me introduce you to your new nanny,” said Dana, my assistant, walking past me into the room.
I remembered then. I had instructed Dana to find someone to look after Ethan. The previous girl had quit rather suddenly, although I should have seen that coming. She had been struggling to connect with Ethan, she had found him troublesome, and his tantrums and behavioral issues were a strain for her. I had preferred to ignore her complaints, hoping that she would learn to deal with the situation.
She didn’t.
Then, in the middle of a site relaunch, she decided she couldn’t take it anymore. There were tears, recriminations, blah-blah. I told her to pack her bags and get going right away. I asked Dana to find a replacement as soon as possible. She would have to supervise the process, I had to be in the office, and she was keeping an eye on Ethan along with the housekeeper. It was not ideal, but I couldn’t be at home. We had found bugs in our software, and it was critical that they were fixed. It was my company and even though my developers were the best, I had to be there to keep an eye on things.
Dana sent me a few candidates via email. I had no time to look at them. I checked no names or profiles. I said to hire the most experienced person and to make sure it was someone who knew how to deal with kids with behavioral problems. She found someone and the girl had started right away. Of all the people in the world, she had chosen Natalie.
That was yesterday.
I had stayed at the office through the night, working straight-through. Dana sent me pictures of Ethan in his pajamas, after his bath, and then sleeping in bed. He looked calm, peaceful. It was a relief, it seemed like the new girl knew what she was doing. I could focus on work and not worry about what was going on at home. Maybe this one would work out.
But that was before I knew it was Natalie.
She looked up with a smile and I saw the color drain from her face.
“Natalie, this is Sam, Ethan’s father,” Dana said with a smile.
I walked forward and stretched my hand out, “Hi, Natalie. Nice to see you again.”
She took my hand, her eyes huge.
I decided to play it cool.
“We knew each other at college,” I said breezily to Dana, who nodded.
“I didn’t realize… I mean... I didn’t know,” Natalie stuttered. She bit her lip, her eyes darted back and forth. She looked like a rabbit caught in car headlights, like she would run off at any moment. Her shock seemed genuine.
“I worked through an agency,” Dana said, with a frown. “The same one as last time. They usually omit the names of the employer, but it was on the confirmation I sent to you?” she stared at Natalie, who blinked and was unable to find the right words. She appeared to be completely thrown.
“Not a problem, Dana, thanks. I’ll take it from here,” I said.
Dana nodded and left the room.
“I didn’t know… I swear, I didn’t!” Natalie said as soon as Dana was gone. “I never would have come here if I knew it was you!” There were tears in her eyes. I looked down at Ethan, who was oblivious to the drama around him. He was playing with plastic letters now, completely absorbed in the task.