Gravel crunches under my feet as I make my way up the walk and I anxiously smooth my skirt over my thighs, hoping my chosen outfit is ok. I hadn’t quite had time to get fully cleaned up, and my best “job interview” clothes are currently waiting to be picked up at the dry cleaner’s.
But I think the black skirt and soft shamrock-green sweater I’d chosen made for an acceptable substitute. My long red curls hadn’t been terribly cooperative, so I’d simply swept them from my face, bundled them into a ponytail, and hoped for the best.
Before I ring the doorbell, I double-check to ensure that I’ve texted the address and some other info to my best friend, Natasha, just for safety’s sake. The website I’d sent my info through was on the up-and-up, but still, you never know.
But with my security plans carefully laid in place, I reach for the bell. It doesn’t take long after ringing before the door swings open, revealing one of the most sinfully attractive men I’d ever laid eyes on. His hair is sort of a dirty blonde, b]ut shot through with pure gold that gleams when it catches the sunlight streaming in the doorway. I find myself struck with an impulse to run my fingers through it, see if it’s as impossibly soft as it looks.
He’s got the kind of perfect chiseled face that you might see plastered on the bedroom walls of a teenage girl, drooling over a dreamboat. And when his mouth curls into a warm, friendly smile, it’s enough to make me a little weak in the knees. “Hi, Ava?”
I nod slowly, not sure I trust my voice. He offers me a hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Dustin Fischer, Brianna’s dad.”
My brow furrows with confusion. The guy I’d spoken to on the phone had introduced himself as Rudy Morales. Maybe he was a butler or something? I mean, the house is pretty nice. But I choke back the confusion and collect my voice. “Nice to meet you, too,” I manage to say finally, gripping his hand and shaking it.
“Come on in. Can I get you anything to drink? Water, coffee, tea, juice, soda?”
“No, thank you,” I shake my head as I follow him in.
He leads me to a living room where another man is sitting and waiting. Being outnumbered definitely puts my hackles up and I swallow, hard.
Even though this other man is just as drop-dead sexy as Dustin. His features are darker, dark hair and eyes, and his face is decorated with a carefully groomed beard. But both of them are built like stars from an action movie, muscular and powerful.
They’re both more casual than I am, in t-shirts and jeans, but that’s not a big deal. I imagine if I end up getting the job, I probably won’t be dressing up to take care of a toddler.
The other man is staring intently down at a cell phone screen when I enter, but when Dustin clears his throat, he looks up. Much like Dustin, his face is transformed when a friendly smile breaks out across it. “Hi, you must be Ava, I’m Rudy, we spoke on the phone.”
I relax a tiny bit at the familiar name, but I’m still confused. But I just nod. “Nice to meet you, Mr-” I remember him correcting me on the phone and stop myself, “R-Rudy.”
He stands up, towering over me. I’m not exactly tall at five-foot-four, but he’s probably got almost a full foot of height over me, as does Dustin, who has disappeared into another room. He offers me a hand, and I take it nervously.
But his handshake is gentle and brief, and he gestures for me to have a seat on the couch across from the two chairs in the room. When I sit, he resumes his own place in his chair, and after a moment, Dustin joins us, carrying two bottles of water and a can of soda.
He hands one of the bottles of water to Rudy and plunks the soda on a table beside the empty chair, then turns back to me. “You sure you don’t want anything? I brought an extra water for you just in case, but I can go grab another soda for you or something if you’d like,” he offers out the spare water bottle.
It’s just an innocent bottle, a brand I recognize and still sealed, not some mysterious glass that could have been spiked with something, so I accept. When he’s handing it over, I notice his shirt and smile. “Nice shirt.”
He glances down, seeing the characters from Marvel’sGuardians of the Galaxymovies emblazoned on his chest. “Who’s your favorite?” he demands immediately, a glint in his eyes.
“Is that an interview question?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow, “Because that might affect my answer a little bit.”
“Oh, really? How so?”
“Well, I mean, the only one of the entire group who’s got any real sense of responsibility is Gamora, so she’d be the best answer for a nanny,” I explain with a nervous little laugh.
“But if it weren’t an interview question?”
“Rocket,” I admit, “Bundling that much snark into an adorable furry package just makes for a fun character. Although Mantis’ powers are really cool.”
He grins. “Well, you’re in luck, because that wasn’t an interview question, Rocket happens to be my favorite, too, and just the fact that you could give it that much thought and come up with both answers on the fly has earned you some brownie points.”
I can’t help but grin back a little. Rudy rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling, too. “I think her interview answer was better,” Rudy grumbles, “Gamora’s way cooler than the creepy trash panda.”
“Aww, you mad, babe?” Dustin teases, “It’s not my fault the girl’s got good taste.”
Babe?Dustin reaches over and squeezes Rudy’s hand and suddenly it makes sense and a massive flock of the butterflies from my stomach flutter off. They’re a gay couple, not a tag-team of…I don’t know, kidnappers? I think I’ve been watching too many true crime documentaries and need to ditch some of the paranoia.
But between the nerd discussion and my epiphany, I’m immediately relaxed and the whole vibe of the room seems to change. They start to ask me a little bit about my experience and while I’m still a little nervous, it’s easy enough to just rattle off my history. It’s like reading the stats off the back of my very own babysitter baseball card.
I’d started babysitting when I was twelve, and even when I was older and working, I still watched kids on the side. I’d had a few nannying gigs here and there, but one family moved, another couple divorced, things just didn’t pan out.