Remind Me

ROSE

Rose stood outside the door to Mr. Wills’s mansion at seven o’clock the next morning, wondering what she was getting herself into.

“Being a nanny can’t be that hard, right?” she muttered. She took a deep breath before knocking. She smiled as Maria opened it with a warm grin.

“Good morning, Miss Gamble!” she chimed as she let Rose into the house.

“Good morning, Maria,” she replied. “Please, call me Rose.”

“Mr. Wills is in his office,” Maria said, pointing down the hallway.

“Thanks, I know where it is,” she mumbled as she headed for the door. She knocked lightly.

“Come in.”

Rose entered. Mr. Wills sat behind the mahogany desk, flipping through a report. He smiled.

“So, you came,” he said with a smug tone. “I thought you might.”

Rose gave him an unamused look.

“So? What do you need me to do?” she asked.

“Watch my kids,” he replied bluntly.

“Yes, I know that bit,” she said sarcastically. “What is their schedule like? Is there anything they aren’t allowed to do? Can we go on outings? Do they have any allergies? There’s a lot of important information I need to know.”

Mr. Wills nodded before standing from his seat. He pulled on his suit jacket, buttoning it before rounding the desk. Rose frowned. He looked just as good in a suit as he had in a swimsuit.

“No schedule because it’s summer. They can do basically anything as long as it’s safe. Yes to outings. No to allergies.” He pulled a black credit card out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Anything else?”

Rose stared down at the card in her hand.

“What is—”

“Were you planning on paying for outings and other things yourself?” he asked, reaching for the card. “In that case, I’ll just—”

“No,” she replied hastily, pulling the card to her chest. “I think we’re all good here. I’ll let you know if I have any more questions.”

“Great,” he said before stepping past her to the door. “I’m usually back before ten.”

“At night?” she replied in surprise as she followed him out of the office and toward the front door. “That’s not going to work.”

“I wasn’t asking permission, Miss Gamble,” he said, walking outside into the cool, morning air.

“Yeah, but seven in the morning until ten at night? That’s like a fifteen-hour day, plus how long it takes me to drive here and home. When am I supposed to sleep?”

“You’ll be staying here. Maria will show you to your room,” he replied before climbing into the backseat of his town car.

“But…,” she called out, trying to argue her point as he shut the door and the car drove away. She sighed.

Guess we’ll talk about that later, she thought as she stepped back inside. She closed the door and smiled at the sight of the children walking down the stairs.

“Good morning, kids.”

“Rose! You’re back!” Sammy hollered as she wrapped her arms around Rose’s legs and smiled up at her.

“I am!” Rose sang. “Your dad asked me to be your new nanny. Is that all right?”

Matthew gave Rose a studious stare.

“I guess that’s okay,” he mumbled.

“Oh, good. I’m glad you approve.” She smiled before taking them in for breakfast.

As they entered the kitchen, Maria wiped her hands on her apron and rounded the island toward them.

“Children, your breakfast is on the table. Sit down and eat.” She then turned to Rose. “Here, Miss Rose. Come with me and I’ll show you to your room.”

“It’s okay. I really don’t need a room,” she argued as she followed the maid out of the kitchen toward the stairs.

“Where do you plan on sleeping? The couch?” Maria chuckled as they walked upstairs and past the kids’ rooms.

“No, in my own bed,” she replied bluntly, stopping in front of a door that she already knew was a spare bedroom.

“But the nanny always stays here,” Maria said, opening it and leading the way in.

“I have my own home, Maria. Why would I live here?” she asked as she followed. Maria shrugged.

“I wouldn’t argue with Mr. Wills,” Maria answered before leaving Rose alone in her new bedroom.

“I plan on it,” Rose muttered as she glanced around the room.

The walls were painted a soft lilac and a queen bed took up one wall. There was a small door leading to a nice bathroom and a matching dresser and nightstand.

It’s nice, Rose thought, ~but it’s not home~.

She’d have a word with Mr. Wills when he got back tonight. She sighed before turning around and making her way back downstairs.

***

That afternoon, Rose listened as the kids ran upstairs to the playroom after lunch and placed their plates in the sink. Maria was boxing up the remainder of the food.

“I’m so happy you decided to stay with the children. You’re the first nanny they seem to like. Well, that Matthew is okay with,” Maria said as she placed the leftovers back into the refrigerator. “Samantha gets along with everyone.”

“How many nannies have they had?” Rose questioned as she sat down at the kitchen island and reached for her glass.

“Twelve.”

Rose choked on her sip of water, spraying the counter as she coughed.

“Twelve?” Rose echoed in surprise. “They seem like good kids. How have they gone through twelve nannies?”

“Growing up without a mother is hard,” Maria sighed as she tossed her a towel and started on the dishes. “They are good kids, but they miss their mother very much, and they struggle with not having Mr. Wills around as much as they’d like. Matthew in particular.”

“I understand,” Rose said quietly, her mind wandering back to her own childhood. She had also been raised by a single father and knew how difficult it could be for both kid and parent. “What…what happened to her?” she asked hesitantly.

“To Mrs. Wills?” Maria asked, looking up at Rose.

Rose nodded, curious to know more about the family she had been thrown into.

“She was…in an accident,” Maria said, eyes darting back down to the dishes quickly. “We don’t really talk about it. For the sake of the children.”

“Oh, I see. How sad,” Rose replied quietly. The sound of the kids yelling playfully grew louder. “I should go check on them,” she said.

She went upstairs to the playroom, wondering what had happened to Mrs. Wills. What kind of accident did she have? Why were they nervous to talk about it around the kids? They were already aware that their mother was dead. Matthew had been the one to tell Rose.

“Rose! Can we go on an adventure?” Matthew asked as she entered the room, interrupting Rose’s thoughts.

“Maybe later. I believe it’s quiet time right now,” she replied, taking Sammy’s hand and leading the little girl toward her bedroom. Matthew stomped to his room and slammed his bedroom door behind him. Rose frowned at the closed door before heading into Sammy’s room to tuck her in.

“Goodnight, Sammy.” Rose grinned as she closed the door. She made her way across the hall to Matthew’s room and opened the door. “What are you going to do during quiet time, Matthew?” she asked.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged, keeping his back to her.

“Matthew?” she said gently. “Are you all right?”

“Mm-hmm,” he mumbled as he fingered through titles on his bookshelf.

“Okay,” Rose said quietly. “If you need any help or would like me to read you a story, just let me know.” She started to close the door, smiling as she heard her name.

“Rose?”

“Yes?” She smiled, pushing the door open wide.

“Why do you have to be our nanny?” Matthew grumbled.

“Oh.” She paused, straightening herself as she pondered his question. “Do you not want me to be your nanny?”

“Why can’t my dad be our nanny?”

“I see,” she whispered before walking across the room. She sat beside him on the floor and gave him a weak smile. “Your dad works very hard so that you can have everything you need. He can’t do that and be at home with you both. He’s trying to do what’s best for you and Sammy.”

“But don’t we need him too? Other dads do fun things with their kids and come home for dinner,” he replied, a slight whine in his voice. “My dad never comes home for dinner unless I’m in trouble. We barely see him.”

Rose frowned. Her own father had always made time for her growing up. Maybe Mr. Wills needed a reminder that his kids needed his time as well as his hard work.

“Well, maybe I can talk to your dad about coming home for dinner more often.”

“Really?” he asked, his eyes begging for her words to be true.

“Really.” Rose smiled before patting his head. “Do you want me to read with you?”

“I’m not a baby,” he scoffed as he opened his book and began skimming. “I can read by myself.”

“Okay. Come get me if you need help,” she said as she stood and left the room.