Olivia double-checked the address on the gate, making sure it was the right one before she drove up to it.
"Name"
"Olivia Pope. I'm here for the nanny position"
"Of course. Let me just call up to the house."
"That's fine. Olivia took a deep breath and gave herself a mental pep talk while she waited. "Okay Olivia. This is it. This is your last interview. You need this Job. If you don't get this job you can't pay for college, and if you can't pay for college you'll end up working at McDonalds. Just be Confident. You got this." Olivia flipped her hair, sat up a little straighter, and smiled.
"Go right on ahead. And good luck"
"Thanks" Olivia muttered letting the nervousness seep back in. As she made her way up the driveway she took in the impressive mansion before her. There was no way these people were "well off" as Abby had said. They were fucking rich. She parked by the entrance, took a minute to collect herself before she rang the doorbell. A few moments later she heard footsteps and an "I'm coming" before the door swung open revealing a plump middle-aged woman with a kind smile.
"Hi there, you must be here for the nanny position"
"Yes I'm Olivia. You must be Mellie?"
"Oh no dear" she laughed "I'm the housekeeper Susan"
"Oh I'm sorry I didn't." Olivia sputtered, turning red
"It's no trouble. Mrs. Grant is waiting for you in the sitting room"
"Oh"
"The sitting room is straight back and to the left."
Olivia smiled nervously at Susan "Thanks" she murmured
"Don't worry" Susan whispered "you'll do great"
Mellie Grant sighed and adjusted her knee length skirt and sat up a little straighter. She was tired of interviewing nannies. After looking at all the applications, she and her husband, along with Susan's help had selected 20 candidates, to be interviewed, who would fit nicely into the position. This last one had come at the recommendation of their previous nanny Abby, bringing the grand total to 21 people to interview, which in Mellie's opinion was 21 too many. But this was the last one, thank god. She already had a fairly good idea of whom she wanted to hire, but she had to give everyone a fair chance. At least that's what Fitz had said. If it were up to her she would have hired the guy on the spot, but of course her idealistic husband was all about "equal opportunity" which in Mellie's opinion was bullshit. Sure everyone deserved a shot but if a nanny was available who happened to be highly recommended by Katie Holmes why would you not hire him. But her husband believed everyone deserved a shot, including the people who were not associated with the rich or famous. Which was why she was not out shopping or with friends, or doing her job for gods sakes, but in her sitting room at 1:00 in the afternoon waiting for yet another blonde bimbo who "just adored children" to walk through the door and tell her she was the biggest fan of both her and her husbands work. The damn suck-ups. She hated every one of them. But she had a reputation to uphold. After all she was Mellie Grant. America's sweetheart. So she put on her smile and charm, and thanked the blonde bimbos, internally wishing she could wrap her hands around each and every one of their necks. But she had one more. Just one more interview to get through, and then she could hire the manny recommended by Katie Holmes. A soft knock interrupted her thoughts
"Mrs. Grant? I'm Olivia pope. I'm here for the nanny position? "
"Yes of course come in" the girl- Olivia gave her a nervous smile before taking a seat on the sofa across from her.
"Right. Let's begin."
"So Olivia tell me. Where are you from?"
"I was born in the Bronx, but when I was 4 we moved to South Carolina" Mellie smiled. She immediately liked this girl. They had common ground
"Where in South Carolina?"
"Asheville ma'am" Mellie's smile grew wider. Perfect.
"Well it just so happens we come from the same place" Olivia smiled and visibly relaxed.
"So do you like kids?"
"Of course! I have 4 younger siblings, and I would watch them until my parents got home from work. Make dinner; take them to practices, etcetera. I did the same thing for kids around the neighborhood too, until I moved away." Mellie observed Olivia's face light up as she talked about the kids. She truly loved what she was doing. They continued that way for a while, Mellie asking questions and observing as Olivia gave her answers, the questions very routine. One's that Mellie didn't really care about the answers to. She wanted to know them, but everyone usually gave the same answers. The one she truly wanted to know the answer too was at the end. It clued her in to why these people wanted to watch her children.
"So Olivia why do you want this job?" of course she hadn't asked the manny. He came highly recommended by Katie Holmes. She didn't care why he wanted to watch her children as long as he wanted to watch them.
"Honestly?" Olivia replied
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Olivia sighed, "I need the money" the answer surprised Mellie. Usually it was about adoring children with a nice little "wonderful opportunity" but never money. People usually thought that was too forward and might cost them the job. It was the first time she'd heard that answer in quite sometime. Although number 7 might have said something about money. She wasn't sure.
"Care to elaborate?" she asked
"I've been a swimmer since I was a little girl. And not just a splashing in the pool kind of swimmer, but an actual swimmer. It was everything to me. I was in the pool 24/7. Nothing mattered but swimming. Swimming was always the plan. No matter what would happen in the future I was going to be a swimmer. It was m continuity. And somehow I managed to swim my way into Stanford. I got a full ride" Olivia paused and gave Mellie a weak smile before she continued "but in may, right after graduation I got hit by a car, nothing serious really, but when I fell I tore my rotator cuff. The doctors did everything they could, I even got surgery, but nothing changed the fact: I can't swim anymore. At least not the way I used to. So I can still go to Stanford, based on academics, but I don't have my full ride anymore. And I have a college fund, and my parents, and that's been able to support me through freshman year, but I come from a family of 7 kids, and it's running out. And I've been interviewing around town, but so far nothing, so when Abby my older sisters best friend, who is kind of like my best friend, and my old roommate told me about this job, I couldn't say no. So I need this job because I need this money. Or I'll be stuck in Asheville, North Carolina my entire life, with a job I don't like, and a nice husband, and a big house full of kids, which sounds great, but that's not what I'm meant for. I'm not meant to be in North Carolina because if I'm there, that means I'll have settled, and if there's one thing I don't do its settle. I go big or I go home. So I need this money so I can go big instead of home." Olivia took a breath. "Wow. Sorry that was a lot. I ramble sometimes, actually a lot of the time, it's just something I do, and I don't know when it started and I'm doing it again…"
"It's no problem" Mellie smiled. "We'll give you a call within the next couple of days. It was so nice meeting you Olivia"
"Likewise"
Fitzgerald Grant was standing talking to the producers for his upcoming movie when his phone rang. He glanced down and grimaced when he saw it was his wife.
"Just a moment" he said "I have to take this"
Turning away he accepted the call "Hello?"
"Fitz!"
"What is it Mellie? I'm at work"
"I just interviewed the last nanny"
"Oh? Have you picked one?"
"No. That's why I'm calling you. I need your help."
"Mellie I really cant do this right now I'm at work-"
"Fitzgerald" Mellie started " do you want someone who is not qualified to be watching over our children. We could just find one on craigslist, if you wanted. If that's how much you care" Fitz groaned as Mellie continued
"Alright!" he interrupted. "What do you need" Fitz could practically hear Mellie's smile
"Well I'm choosing between two, and I can't decide"
"Tell me about them."
"Well the first one is that manny, you know the one Katie Holmes likes so much. He's nice and funny, and according to Katie just extraordinary with children" Fitz groaned. What was it with this manny guy. Mellie was obsessed. "Okay. And the next one?"
"Her name is Olivia Pope, she's the one Abby recommended. She's from Asheville, which of course is a bonus, and she seems competent enough, maybe a little less so than then Jacob, the manny, but still, she had a lot of younger siblings growing up, and she's going to Stanford which means she's smart, but she's very young. 18 or 19 maybe."
"Well what made you stop on her? And think about her versus 'Jacob the Manny'?"
"Well she needs the money for college, and I could understand I mean I waited tables for years for gods sakes, but now that I'm thinking about it I think I should hire Jacob. He's more qualified-"
"No" Fitz interrupted "Hire the girl. If this Jacob person is as good as you say he is he'll have several other offers. We have to give everyone a chance"
"But"
"No buts. Hire her"
"Well alright then."
"And Mellie?" but it was too late. She already hung up. Fitz groaned. His wife was a handful. When they first met, she was fun, and alive, and nothing else mattered but their family, but in the past few years she had gotten distant. And image started to become more, and more important. But Fitz didn't say anything. He figured it was a menopause thing.
A/N: so that's the first chapter. what do you think?
Questions, Comments, Outrages? Let me know!
xoxo