A/N: Thank you all for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.
Chapter Eleven
"Hello, is anyone home?" Haley called as she walked through the foyer. She heard her mother call back that they were in the kitchen. Wondering who "they" were, Haley made her way to the kitchen. To her delight, she found her mother and Quinn working away. "Hey, what smells so good?" she asked as she turned to the food that was covering the table. "Wow, it looks like you're making food for the whole army. Is this all for one client?"
"No, it's for two clients," her mother replied. "Business has really boomed since you've started working for Nathan." Haley looked at her mom in amazement. "I catered a business event for his parents and I've been getting new clients ever since."
Haley frowned. "When did you cater for Nathan's parents? I don't remember you have ever mentioned that."
"It was just before we left for our New York trip," Karen explained as Haley grabbed another apron and began helping her mother and sister with the rest of the food that wasn't finished. "We wished you two would have joined us, but I hear that you girls enjoyed yourselves here. It was nice for Nathan and his children to arrange you to fly here for the holidays."
Haley raised her eyebrows. "Nice? I think sweet is more like it," she said. "It was the best Christmas gift I've ever gotten."
"You can't imagine the shock I had when I got the phone call," Quinn told her mom. "But I was able to keep my composure as I listened to what he had to say."
Haley tried not to laugh. "Ok, he isn't a celebrity. He's just a guy who loves to play basketball who is retiring at the end of the season to spend more time with his children. I thought he cared about his career more than his family, but I'm glad he has proved me wrong."
"I hope this doesn't mean you're out of a job," Karen said. "I'm sure Tristan and Cassie would be disappointed if you were. They are quite attached to you."
"I think Tristan even has a crush on you," Quinn added. "He always seems to want to please you and make sure you're happy."
"Nathan assured me that my job is secured," Haley replied before she turned to her mother. "Speaking of Tristan, his birthday is coming up soon. Nathan is planning to throw him a birthday party and he is hoping you can cater it. Tristan wants a different theme this year. He wants a pirate party." Karen and Quinn were surprised to hear that since they knew how much Tristan loved basketball. "I was surprised too until I realized how much he has been getting into pirate stories. He loves reading Treasure Island and dressing up as a pirate to find buried treasure."
"Well, I suppose I can come up with some creative snack ideas to make for the party," Karen said as she went to her planner and opened it up. "When is Tristan's birthday party?"
"It's this Saturday," Haley replied. "Nathan was trying to plan it on a day where he would be home so he can be there to celebrate with him."
Karen nodded understandingly as she looked at that particular Saturday and she found it to be blank. "I see. Well, he is in luck. I don't have any catering events going on Saturday yet. Does Nathan want me to make the cake too or is he buying the cake?"
"Tristan wants a homemade cake," Haley told her. "And perhaps you should bring some ice cream too. Vanilla flavored should be fine." She looked at the time and made a face. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Tristan has asked me to be the party planner. And the first thing on my list is to prepare the treasure hunt."
Her mother and sister exchanged smiles as they turned back to Haley. "I'm sure the kids will love that," Karen noted. "Let us know if you need any help with anything." Haley nodded before she said her good-byes and went out the door.
Quinn shook her head in amazement. "I never thought I would see Haley so happy again, especially after finding out that she can't have kids. Returning to her old job as a nanny has really helped her."
"I always knew she would go back to taking care of kids," Karen told her daughter as they finished up with the food. "It just had to be in her own time."
Quinn frowned. "Really? I thought you didn't like the idea of working as a nanny again."
"I wasn't sure about how I would feel about her working for Nathan Scott," Karen replied. "After all, he is someone the press loves to pay attention to, especially now with his retirement from the Bobcats. Then he has his ex-wife and upcoming custody battle to deal with. I don't want Haley to get caught in the middle of all of that drama."
"I don't think Nathan will let anything like that happen," Quinn said.
"It's not Nathan I'm concerned about," Karen replied. "It's his father and ex-wife who I don't trust. They seemed way too invested in Haley's life to just to check her out and make sure she wasn't one of those psycho nannies. But I may be overreacting." She let out a heavy sigh. "And I really shouldn't be saying these things since they are my clients."
Quinn changed the subject. "Do you need any help with coming up with creative snack ideas for Tristan's birthday party?" Her mother gave her a wide smile. "Great. I'll help you get the food to your clients before we get started."
Meanwhile, Haley was trying to come up with ideas for the treasure hunt when she heard her cell-phone ringing. Against her better judgment, she put the phone on speaker. "Hello?" she called, wondering who it could be. Nathan was out of town at one of his away games while the kids were at their mother's house that weekend.
Brooke's voice came over the speaker. "Hey, I know this is early, but Lucas and I were wondering if you could watch Zach and Penny for us during Valentine's Day weekend." Haley waited patiently until she could answer Brooke since she kept talking. "I know your usual limit is three kids and that's why we're not going to ask you to watch Noah and Arabella too. They are going to be at their grandparents' house." Haley believed she meant Dan and Deb. "But Zach and Penny want to spend some time with their cousins."
"Say no more, Brooke. I would be happy to watch Zach and Penny next month while you two spend the weekend alone," Haley told her.
She could tell Brooke was pleased. "Great. I knew I could count on you. I know it's your day off, but do you mind stopping by the house for a few moments? Tristan forgot something from his last visit here and I would rather give it to you than Renée."
"Yeah, I can do that. But are you sure you want me to stop by the house?" Haley asked. "I don't want to be imposing."
"You wouldn't be imposing," Brooke insisted. "You are always welcome at my house. So come on over when you're ready. Arabella and I will be waiting." After exchanging good-byes, the women hung up.
After Haley was finished with her errands, she headed to Brooke's house. When she arrived, she saw that there was another car parked in front of the house. And from the looks of the fancy car, it was one of Brooke's friends who disapproved of her.
To her surprise, it was a person who she hadn't met. However, she could tell who it was since she had seen a few pictures of the redhead around the house. Haley gave her a friendly smile as Brooke did the introductions. "Rachel, I would like you to meet Haley James, our nanny. Haley, this is my best friend Rachel Gatina."
"So you're the new nanny. It's nice to finally meet you," Rachel said. "I've heard a lot about you from my nieces and nephews." Haley was confused before she remembered that she was also referring to Tristan and Cassie. "They must keep you pretty busy. I hope Brooke and Nathan still allow you to have a social life." Brooke gave her a look. Rachel just ignored her.
Haley just gave Rachel a smile. "Don't worry. Nathan makes sure I have free time."
"Good because I know how it is to watch their brood," Rachel replied. "It can really wear you out."
They heard a cry over the baby monitor. "I'll be right back," Brooke told her guests before she hurried to the nursery. She quickly returned with her newborn daughter. Rachel gushed over the baby immediately and insisted to be the first one to hold the baby. Haley had no objections.
"You and Broody certainly make the most beautiful babies ever," Rachel told Brooke as she held Arabella in her arms. Haley gave her a confused look. "That's the nickname Brooke gave Lucas when they were in college." She then turned back to Brooke. "So when are you going to work on number five?"
Brooke tried not to laugh. "We're not talking about number five until this one is two or three. I can only handle two babies in diapers at a time. But I hope I will be able to get Lucas to change his mind about adding to our brood. I'm perfectly happy with four kids. We have two of each. Why would we need to throw another one into the mix?"
Rachel turned to Haley. "What about you, Haley? How many kids are you planning to have?"
Haley didn't know how to answer that. She decided the best way to answer was to make an excuse. "You know, I really should get going. I have a lot to do for Tristan's birthday party, especially for the treasure hunt. Did you know that he wants a pirate party this year?"
Brooke wasn't focused on the question. Instead, she was concerned about Haley's abrupt departure. "Haley, are you okay?"
"I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?" Rachel added. She was just as confused as Brooke was.
"No, I just need to get going," Haley told them as she gathered her stuff up. "It was nice to meet you, Rachel. I'm sure we'll see you at the party. If not, I hope you enjoy your visit here in Tree Hill." Rachel just nodded as she turned to Brooke. "I'll visit some other time when I'm not so busy." She quickly said good-bye before she hurried out the front door.
As she reached her car, she heard another vehicle pull up. Recognizing Lucas's car, she went over to greet him and the children. However, the children said 'hi' for a moment before they ran down the sidewalk to the house. Lucas gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. They do love you, but they don't see their Aunt Rachel very often."
Haley nodded understandingly. "It's okay. I'm leaving anyway." She said good-bye before she climbed in her car. "I'll see you later." Lucas waved good-bye as Haley pulled away from the curb and drove down the street.
There was silence before she turned on the radio. Now that the holidays were finally over, the stations played their usual list of music and she just happened to turn on at the beginning of one of her favorite songs "Breathe" by Michelle Branch. It made her relax and forget about her problems.
When she arrived home, she saw that there was someone waiting for her on the front porch. To her surprise, it was Dan. "If you're looking for Nathan, he isn't here," she told him as she unlocked the front door.
"I wasn't looking for Nathan. I was looking for you," Dan said. Haley raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Can we talk inside?" he asked, not wanting to stand outside any longer. Haley nodded, interested to hear what he wanted to say. He opened the door for her and followed her inside until they reached the kitchen.
"Can I get you anything, Mr. Scott?" Haley offered.
"No, thank you. And please call me 'Dan'." There was silence before he spoke again. "I'm not sure if Nathan has shared this with you, but Nathan and I aren't on speaking terms right now. I haven't seen my grandchildren since Christmas."
Haley had a feeling that Nathan hadn't been taking his children to his parents' house lately, but she knew that it was none of her business to find out whether he was or not. "I'm sorry to hear that, but I don't understand what this has to do with me." She looked at him hard before realizing the answer. She couldn't believe that he was planning to put her in the middle. "Oh, I see. You want me to talk to him and try to convince him in letting you go to Tristan's birthday party, right? Well, you can forget that. I'm not his girlfriend or his wife. And even if I was Tristan's mother, I still wouldn't be the messenger. If you want to attend Tristan's birthday party, ask Nathan yourself. Now if you would excuse me, I have a birthday party to plan." She then left the kitchen without another word.
Nearly a week later, friends and family gathered at the house to celebrate Tristan's eighth birthday including Haley's parents and Quinn, who was going to be the photographer for that day. Nathan had asked her after he had returned from his latest game and she had happily accepted the job. She was already snapping away at the beautiful decorations that Haley had put up.
The house had been decorated with red and black balloons and streamers everywhere. There was also a snack table. Karen had managed to come up with some great snack ideas for Tristan and his guests. She also managed to make the birthday boy the cake he wanted with the appropriate decorations on top of it: a pirate and a treasure chest. He couldn't wait until he was able to blow out his candles and eat it.
Even though most of the party guests were Tristan's friends, he allowed his sister and cousin to be included in the games and activities that Haley had put together. To start the afternoon off, the children played with the costumes and props. She had made sure that there were plenty of pirate hats, eye patches and swords for all of Tristan's friends, not to mention a pirate ship made out of cardboard boxes. There was also a plank where the pirates could walk their prisoners off into the water.
Once all the guests had arrived, Haley helped Tristan set up the movie Muppets' Treasure Island in the DVD player before she went to mingle with the parents. They couldn't stop complimenting her on the decorations and props.
"I can't wait to see what you have in mind for the treasure hunt," Deb said, who had heard about Haley's lecture and she had agreed with her. Dan should ask Nathan if he was allowed to come to the party instead of trying to get someone else to do it. It was their fight and nobody else's.
"I really had to get creative since it's a little too cold to go exploring outside," Haley replied. "But I'm sure the kids will have fun anyway."
Just then, the doorbell rang and she excused herself to go answer it. She wasn't surprised when it was the delivery man with a package. There had been a lot of packages arriving over the last couple of weeks and they all had been for Tristan.
Nathan came out to help her as he checked to see who the package was from. He let out a heavy sigh. Haley looked at him curiously. "It's from Renée. This is usually the sign when she tells the children that she has to miss their birthdays. It's no wonder she wanted them last weekend."
"Does she do this very often?" Haley asked.
Nathan nodded as he brought the box over to the stack of presents that was piled up on the dining room table. "Yeah, it has happened nearly every year. Tristan doesn't seem to be bothered by it anymore, but I know it really hurts Cassie. This is why I make sure they get to have a birthday party." He gave her a wide smile. "By the way, thank you for doing this. I know it was a lot of work for you and your mom, but it really helped me out."
Haley gave him a smile in return. "I was happy to do it for Tristan. And I guess this means that I should get started on the next birthday."
Nathan laughed. "Yeah, I think you are a hit. And I think it will be a princess tea party or something like that." Haley had to agree. There was silence between them before he spoke again. "Haley, I can't thank you enough for helping me these last few months. I don't know how I would have done it without you."
Her smile said it all. "It's my pleasure."
Nathan smiled in return before he headed back towards the party with Renée's package in his hand. Haley was right behind him.