Saturday morning at 10 a.m. found Cristina outside of Owen's townhouse in Greenwich Village. She had two suitcases with her clothes and three boxes of books and personal belongings. She had been staying with her friend Antonia (Toni) Webber at her apartment. She had been hoping that she could get a job, so she could move out of Toni's place and get her own apartment. Sleeping on that sofa bed was not the most comfortable thing.
She was grateful that she got this job because not only did she have a roof over her head and meals every day, she was also going to get paid. And it just wasn't any plain old roof, it was a luxurious house where everything had been renovated and redone within the last five years. She counted herself lucky. She hoped the little girl liked her so that she could keep this job, during the duration of her two-year Master's program.
She rang the doorbell. Owen opened the door and greeted her with a huge smile.
"Ah, Cristina, so good to see you," he said, as he took in her suitcases and her boxes.
"Good morning, Mr. Hunt," she said, looking around the foyer. She had only caught a small glimpse of the place the last time she was there for the interview. It was very well decorated. Clearly, a lot of thought and money went into the making of this home. She hoped she could bring across some of her friends to see the place, if Mr. Hunt did not mind.
"Well, your room is on the third floor, next to Maddie's room. So let me carry you up to that room," he said. She turned to pick up one of her boxes.
"No, leave that. I will bring them up to you. You can't be lugging those heavy boxes with your small frame," he said.
"It's okay," Cristina said. "I carried these down from my friend's walk-up apartment." She failed to mention that she had to rest several times, when she carried them down.
"Leave them," he said. "I can't have you doing that. Just come on up."
They walked up the three flights of stairs to the top floor. At least I will be getting a workout, she thought, with all these stairs.
He ushered into her room, which was much larger than what she expected. It was as gorgeously decorated as the rest of the house was. There was a queen-sized four-poster bed with matching nightstands and dressers. Best of all, she had her own bathroom and didn't have to share with anyone else.
"Does it meet with your satisfaction?" he asked.
"More than exceeds my expectations, Mr. Hunt. It is gorgeous. I love it," she said.
"My sister, Elizabeth, did it. She was Maddie's mother. She was an interior designer," Owen said, wistfully, as he remembered his younger sister. "She did the whole house."
"Well, she was very talented," Cristina said. "Your house is beautiful."
"Thank you. Well, my bedroom is across from yours and Maddie's room is right next door. Let me go get your stuff," he said and he left the room.
Cristina was surprised that she was on the same floor as Maddie and Mr. Hunt. She had expected her bedroom to be away from the family bedrooms. Well, that really had been the case, originally. Miss Davis had occupied the guest bedroom on the second floor. But since Miss Davis had just vacated that room, that very morning, he decided to give Cristina a fresh start with her own bedroom on the third floor.
She lay on the bed. It felt so good, not like that lumpy sofa bed at Toni's place. She was sure it was a Tempur-pedic. She was busy rolling around on the bed, when Owen returned with her two suitcases. She got up, quickly, a little embarrassed.
"Don't worry," he laughed. "It's a comfy bed, isn't it? That's why I chose it. I will be right back with your boxes."
Gosh, she was already making a poor impression, she thought. "Why the heck was I rolling around on the bed, when he came in?" she scolded herself.
Owen brought up all three boxes in a jiffy, much faster than if she tried to lift the boxes herself.
"Okay, I leave you to get settled and unpack your stuff," he said. "Here is a list of what I expect from you, regarding your duties. And maybe in a hour or so, I will introduce you to Maddie. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, Mr. Hunt," she said, with a little smile.
He left the room and she went back and lay on the bed. She was so darn lucky to get this job. She decided to call Toni and gloat a little.
"Hey Toni, I am in my own bedroom in this luxurious townhouse off Washington Square Park. I have a gorgeous four-poster bed and my own bathroom, which has a separate shower and bath-tub. There is a huge walk-in closet. Girl, I have died and gone to heaven because this mattress is so comfy," she said.
"I am so jealous, Cristina," Toni said, laughing on the other end. "I guess that certainly beats my lumpy sofa-bed. And you're lucky you're getting paid to stay there. When can I come see it?"
"I will have to ask my boss, if it's okay if you guys come across for a short visit. He seems really cool, so I think he would probably say yes. But let me get the okay from him first," Cristina said.
"Yeah, do that. We don't want you losing that cushy job. I am so glad you got this job. At least you're not a waitress like I am," Toni said.
"At least you're not a cocktail waitress like I was," Cristina said. "Those guys can be so rude and handsy. Anyway, gotta go. I have to read my list of duties and prepare myself for meeting Maddie."
"Bye, Cris," Toni said, before she hung up.
Cristina got up and started unpacking her clothes. She soon realized she didn't have enough clothes and shoes to fit that huge walk-in closet or the dressers. She unpacked her books, her toiletries, her laptop and her printer. She took out a picture of her family – her mom, dad and little brother – and placed it on one nightstand. She then put a picture of her dog, Roscoe, on the other nightstand.
After unpacking, she read the list, quickly. It was pretty much what she expected – light household duties plus the care of Maddie. She also had use of a vehicle to do grocery shopping and to pick and drop off Maddie at her various extracurricular activities.
She felt she was ready to meet Maddie. She went down to the first floor and found Owen, reading the newspaper in the living room.
"Mr. Hunt, I am all unpacked. Can I meet Maddie, now?" she asked.
"Yes, she is in the kitchen," he said. She followed him into a lovely, sunny kitchen, where a little girl was busy drawing.
"Maddie, I want you to meet your new nanny. This is Cristina," he said.
"Hello, Cristina," Maddie said. "I am very pleased to meet you."
"I am happy to meet you too, Maddie. What are you doing?" Cristina said.
"Just drawing. Do you want to do it with me?" Maddie asked.
"Yeah, I would like that," Cristina said. The little girl handed her a page from her sketch pad and a couple of colored pencils.
"I think I am going to draw a picture of my dog, Roscoe," Cristina said.
"You have a doggie?" Maddie said, perking up, immediately.
"Yes, he is a yellow Labrador. I've had him since he was a puppy. He is six years old. I love him very much," Cristina said.
"Did you bring him with you?" Maddie said, looking around, in case there was a wagging tail, nearby.
"No, he is living in Virginia with my mom and dad. When I came up to New York to go to school, I had to leave him behind. But my mom takes really good care of him," Cristina said. "I miss him a lot."
Maddie nodded, sympathetically.
"I want a doggie but Uncle Owen says I have to get a little older because taking care of a dog is a lot of hard work. You have to feed it, walk it, bathe it and clean up poop," Maddie said, very seriously. "I have to think really hard about it because cleaning up poop doesn't sound too good."
"Well, I will teach you how to take care of it, when your uncle thinks you can handle it. You get used to cleaning up poop because having the dog is so totally worth it," Cristina said. "He gives you so much love."
Cristina and Maddie continued to chat, while Owen observed them. He loved the easy manner in which they conversed. It was like if they had known each other for a while. He felt he had made the right choice.
He found himself staring at the girl – her delicate features, her full lips, her flawless skin and her dark, ebony curls cascading down her back. Good God, he thought, I have to stop thinking of the girl this way. He muttered to himself in a low tone, "She is the nanny, she is the nanny."
"Did you say something, Mr Hunt?" Cristina asked.
"No, no, just observing. I will see you girls at lunchtime. Maybe we can go out for a light lunch. Would you like that, Maddie?" Owen asked.
"Yes, Uncle Owen. Cristina, too, right?" Maddie said.
"Of course, Cristina too," he said. He left them alone to get to know each other better.
At lunchtime, they got into his vehicle and headed to Maddie's favorite family restaurant. He noticed that Cristina had made sure that Maddie was all buckled up in the back seat before getting into the vehicle. He liked that.
When they got to the restaurant, he was surprised when Maddie put her hand into Cristina's as they walked into the establishment. Maddie had never made any effort to show any sort of connection with Miss Davis. And here she was, within two hours of meeting Cristina, willing to let the nanny hold her hand.
They found a table near a window. Owen ordered a hamburger and fries, Cristina was having a soup and salad and Maddie had chicken fingers and fries. Maddie offered Cristina one of her French fries. He found himself staring at her pink, full lips as she twirled the fry into her mouth. He forced himself to look out of the window.
After lunch, they decided to go to the bookstore and get in some reading for the afternoon. Maddie chose three books from the children's section. He got himself two spy thrillers, while Cristina got three books – one on painting, one on music and one on dance.
"You do?" he asked, looking at the books. She answered, "Yes, I do all. I paint and draw, I play the violin and piano and I have been dancing ballet since I was four." She was clearly a girl of many talents. He hoped that it would rub off on Maddie.
After dinner that night, Cristina helped Maddie with her bath and prepared her for bed. She came down and asked Owen if he would like to tuck Maddie in. "Yes," he said and went to Maddie's room.
Maddie was already in bed. "Hey Uncle Owen," Maddie said.
"Maddie, I want to ask you about Cristina. Do you like her?" Owen asked.
"Yes, Uncle Owen. I like her very much. She's pretty and she does the things I like to do. She is fun," Maddie said. "Look, she gave me her drawing. I gave her one of mine but it is not as good as hers."
Owen looked at the drawing. It was an extremely good drawing of a yellow Labrador with a stick in its mouth. She wasn't kidding when she said she was an artist, he thought.
"I am happy that you like Cristina," he said. "Good night, Mads. Sleep tight." He tucked the blankets around her and kissed her on the forehead.
He went downstairs to continue reading his book. He was gratified. He definitely made the right choice.
A/N: Please leave your reviews. I do appreciate them. They help in guiding me on what I should do next.