Remind Me

ROSE

Rose stood on the back patio of the stone mansion, clenching a box of files to her chest as she watched the CEO of the Wills Corporation climb out of the pool. She’d only just started with the company and delivering these files to Mr. Wills was her first assignment.

The water glistened on his broad chest as Mr. Wills walked toward her. Rose tried not to stare at his lean, muscular form. He ruffled the water from his dark hair as he reached for a towel.

“You could have given it to the maid,” he said as he wrapped the towel around himself.

Rose looked up, meeting his cool, blue eyes.

“Oh,” she said softly, handing over the large box. “I was told that I had to place it in your hands.”

“Next time, drop it at the door,” he said, taking it and turning away at the sound of his phone ringing.

“Yes, sir. Will there be anything else, Mr. Wills?”

He waved her away before answering the call, watching his children play as he spoke harshly to the person on the other end.

Rose turned away and started back through the house. It was a large and impressive home, clearly showing Mr. Wills’s success but lacking in warmth. It didn’t feel like a family home, not like the one she had grown up in. She’d actually been surprised to find children playing in the pool.

“Wait!”

Rose flinched and turned around slowly. Mr. Wills was walking toward her quickly, his arms and chest flexing as he moved across the room.

“Yes, sir?”

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Rose…”

“Rose, what?”

“Rose Gamble,” she replied. “I’m sorry, sir. Have I done something wrong?”

“Are you employed by the Wills Corporation?”

“I’m a temp,” she said, confused at his line of questioning. Had she brought the wrong box by mistake?

“Well, I’m temporarily reassigning you. I need you to stay here and watch my children.”

Rose shook her head, sure that she had misheard him.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Mr. Wills looked down and flipped through the file in his hands.

“Look, my nanny quit today. There’s an emergency at work, and I need to take care of it. I don’t have anyone to watch them. So, as your employer, I’m telling you to stay here till I get back.” He pushed past her, heading for the stairs.

“You can’t just leave your kids with me! You don’t even know me.” She raised her hands in disbelief. “I could very well be an axe murderer! I could—”

“Are you an axe murderer?” he asked bluntly.

“No, but—”

“Then stay here until I return,” he said as he ran upstairs, leaving Rose alone in the entryway.

“I could be lying!” she hollered in exasperation. “This guy is crazy,” she muttered before rushing out the front door.

Just as she made it out to the company car, someone grabbed her arm from behind.

“I said stay here,” growled Mr. Wills.

She turned around with a glare, pulling her arm from his grasp. The warmth from his hand lingered, and she resisted the urge to brush the feeling away.

“Mr. Wills, I understand you are my boss, but I am not going to be responsible for your children. That’s insane! I’m an administrative temp, not a nanny!”

Mr. Wills took her keys from her hand and climbed into the driver’s seat.

“You are if you want to keep your job,” he said, shutting the door.

Rose watched with absolute shock as he drove away, leaving her standing in the driveway.

“Are you kidding me?!” she yelled, throwing her hands in the air. She turned back to the house. She couldn’t just leave the kids alone. What if something happened to them? She sighed and walked back through the house.

The maid was standing by the pool, watching the children play when Rose got back to the patio.

“Who are you?” asked a dark-haired boy with his father’s bright, blue eyes as he stopped splashing and stared at the stranger in his home.

Rose looked down at him.

“I’m Rose. Who are you?”

“I’m Matthew. That’s Sammy,” he said, pointing at the little girl splashing around behind him.

“Nice to meet you two,” Rose replied.

“Are you our new nanny?” Sammy asked as she made her way to the edge of the pool, her brown curls wet and her freckled face flushed.

“No. I’m just watching you until your dad gets back,” Rose replied sweetly. “How old are you guys?”

“I’m seven and Sammy is four,” Matthew said.

“Oh. Don’t you guys have school or something?” Rose asked.

“It’s summer, silly!” Sammy laughed.

“Oh!” Rose smiled. “You’re right! Silly me.” She looked around the large back yard. “Have you been having fun this summer?”

“Not really,” they said quietly, shaking their heads.

“Why not?” she asked with a sympathetic look.

“Daddy has to work all the time,” Sammy said sadly.

“Oh dear. That’s no fun,” Rose replied. “What about your mom?”

Matthew frowned and shook his head.

“Our mom died.”

“Oh…”

His blunt answer surprised her. Rose offered a pitiful stare, unsure of what to say.

“I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago,” he said sullenly before swimming to the other side of the pool.

Rose stood there a moment, looking at them awkwardly. What was she supposed to do with them till Mr. Wills got back?

“Matthew! Samantha! Time for lunch!” the maid called from the patio table.

“Yay!” they hollered as they climbed out of the water. They wrapped themselves up in towels and sat down to eat.

“Miss, I’m Maria. There’s lunch for you too,” the maid said.

“Thank you, Maria. Call me Rose. You didn’t have to do that,” she said. She stopped and turned back to Maria. “Mr. Wills didn’t leave a lot of directions. What do the children usually do after lunch?”

“Samantha takes a nap, and Matthew does his workbooks or another quiet activity.” Maria smiled, nodding toward the table.

Rose gave her a soft smile before sitting beside the little girl.

“So, is it Samantha or Sammy?” she asked.

“Sammy,” she said around a mouthful of grapes.

“Samantha is her real name,” Matthew explained.

“What a helpful big brother,” Rose said, earning a small smile from Matthew. “What do you two usually do after lunch?”

“Our last nanny let us do whatever we wanted,” Matthew replied, not looking at Rose.

“That’s not what I was told,” Rose said, taking a bite. “Doesn’t Sammy take a nap while you do your workbooks?”

Matthew grumbled something and looked down at his plate.

“Can we play in the pool some more first?” Sammy asked, giving her best begging face.

“We have to follow the rules, and the rules say after lunch is nap time,” Rose said.

“Okay,” Sammy said quietly.

“Besides, when you wake up from your nap, your dad might be home. Then you can play with him,” Rose added.

“I doubt it,” Matthew mumbled.

Rose frowned at the little boy.

“Oh! Let’s go take a nap right now!” Sammy chimed, jumping out of her seat.

“Are you done eating?” Rose asked.

“Yes!” she shouted, grabbing Rose’s hand.

“Okay then,” Rose said, letting herself be pulled by the little girl through the house and upstairs. Matthew followed close behind. They stopped at two doors opposite each other in the hallway.

“You two go get changed. I’ll be right here waiting,” Rose said.

“Okay,” they replied, each one going to their room and closing the door.

Rose looked around the house for a moment. The rich woods and crisp, creamy-white paint made the house look luxurious and modern. It was bigger and nicer than anything she’d ever seen.

“It’s amazing…,” she whispered.

“All ready!” Sammy hollered from her room.

Rose walked toward the room and peeked in. The little girl was nestled in her bed waiting patiently.

“Have a good nap, Sammy.”

“You have to tuck me in!” Sammy whined.

“Oh, right,” Rose replied cautiously. She walked into the room and pulled the blankets up to Sammy’s chin. “Sleep tight. It was so fun meeting you.”

Sammy smiled before rolling over and closing her eyes.

Rose walked out and closed the door.

“Ready?” a small voice said behind her.

Rose jumped in surprise before turning around.

“Matthew! You scared me!”

He gave a cheeky smile as he held up his workbooks.

“Sorry. You’re supposed to do them with me,” he said.

“All right,” Rose sighed.

***

Almost two hours later, Rose and Matthew were getting ready to watch a movie when Sammy walked slowly into the living room. She rubbed her eyes and squinted in the brightness.

“Daddy’s not here yet?” she asked quietly, the remnants of sleep still evident in her voice.

Rose turned to Sammy.

“I’m sorry. I thought he would have come back by now.”

“He’s never home early,” Matthew grumbled as Sammy sat on the couch beside him.

“Should I go make some popcorn for the movie?” Rose asked, hoping to liven the mood.

“Yes!” the kids cheered in unison.

XAVIER

In his high-rise office building, Xavier glanced down at his watch. It was already almost four in the afternoon.

“I’ll be here all night at this rate,” he grumbled to himself, knowing he wouldn’t make it out of here by dinnertime. His kids would be disappointed. Again.

“So, is the problem fixed?” he asked, looking up across the large conference room.

“Well, Mr. Wills…,” one man choked out. “We don’t know.”

“Then who does?” he asked. “We’ve been at this for hours, and nobody has any answers. How did this happen?”

“There seems to be an issue with the contract,” another person said.

“Who was in charge of this purchase?”

“It doesn’t seem to have been assigned to anyone,” someone murmured.

I should have just handled this myself, he thought, clenching his jaw as he bit back his anger.

“Then get me the department manager. This needs to be fixed. Now.” He stood from his seat at the head of the conference room. “An oversight like this is unacceptable.”

He walked out of the conference room. His receptionist, Ms. Nelson, followed him dutifully to the elevator.

“So?” he huffed as the doors closed and they rode up to his office.

He glanced down at her. The tall and thin woman was now in her late sixties. Her blonde hair was mostly white and always pulled back in a perfect bun.

“This is her file. She seems exceptionally overqualified,” Ms. Nelson said, handing him a folder.

Xavier flipped the file open, glancing down the thorough background on Rose Gamble. He expected nothing less from Ms. Nelson.

“Thank you, Ms. Nelson. That will be all,” he said as they stepped out of the elevator. He walked into his office, letting the door close behind him. He dropped into the armchair to the side of his desk and read through the file.

“Mr. Wills,” Ms. Nelson called through the intercom on his desk a few minutes later.

He stood and walked over to his desk, pressing the button.

“Yes?”

“The department manager from contracts is here for you.”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Send him in.”