By age three, Violet's thick hair has grown slightly past her shoulders. Its loose curls have gone and left her hair smooth and straight like Emily's, and its rich raven colour matches her mother's. She's like Emily's little clone is every way except eye colour.
The little girl has even picked up the habit of raising one eyebrow in distaste; a look she learned from Emily and is hilarious on her plump little face.
On Wednesdays, Emily and Violet walk into town for a Mommy & Me class they take. Violet's temperament is sweet and patient, though stubborn. She's independent but very attached to her mother, like most toddlers.
Today after their class Emily is going to be interviewing potential nannies. She's explained this to Violet, as much as can be explained to a three year old.
"Nanny will live at home?" Violet asks, as they walk slowly towards town.
"She'll live with us, yes," Emily explains, holding onto Violet's hand.
"Why?"
Emily has answered this one before, but she's nothing but patient with Violet's endless questions, even the repeats.
"Sometimes, Mommy will have to be at work," she says. "So the nanny will take care of you when I have to go."
Violet looks up at her, such a serious frown etched into her perfect face.
"How long?"
"Just sometimes during the day, baby," Emily assures her, letting out a light chuckle. "Sometimes I might have to be at work when it's bedtime, though, so you'll have to listen to the nanny and go to bed."
The frown remains. Emily bites down on another amused chuckle, but she's bothered, too, but Violet's reaction.
"Not all the time," she tells Violet, bending down and resting on her heels so she's eye-level with her daughter. "You know how Grandma works? And when we visit her she's gone during the day sometimes?"
Violet nods.
"It's the same thing. Sometimes Mommy will have to be at work."
Violet seems to think this over. Her plump little lips stick out and then she takes a deep breath.
"Fine," she murmurs, and turns to keep walking.
Emily laughs, lifting Violet up and into her arms.
"Fine," she repeats, still chuckling. "Listen to you, Grumpy Pants."
She spins Violet in a little circle, dancing with her along the street, until the little girl giggles. Emily thinks she would do just about anything to hear that sound.
"And you know what?" Emily asks.
"What?" Violet asks, as they return to walking; she's still perched on her mother's hip, happy to be in her arms.
"You get to help me pick the nanny," Emily tells her.
Violet smiles, and Emily laughs, covering her cheek with kisses as Violet giggles.
The first three agency-recruited nanny candidates are obvious Nos.
The first, a middle-aged Croatian woman named Anna, spends the entire interview with such a sour look on her face that Emily wonders if she's even capable of smiling.
Emily makes the mistake of glancing over at Violet, who's quietly playing nearby, to see the little girl's nose wrinkled and brow furrowed in disgust. Emily has to cough to cover up the burst of laughter that escapes. Anna frowns, glancing from Emily to Violet, but says nothing.
The second woman is younger and it's her first interview for an agency family. She's nervous, which Emily can understand, but she's also standoffish and uncertain with Violet. Emily's all for equal opportunity but she feels like when the right nanny arrives, she'll just know.
The third woman seems to be a polar opposite to Anna. She's from Spain and her plump arms wrap around Violet to lift her in a hug almost the moment she walks in. She plants a kiss on Violet's cheek, cooing over her, as the little girl leans far away from her, put off by the over-the-top affection.
"What a beautiful little girl!" the woman, Izzy, cries out in flowing Spanish, finally relinquishing Violet to Emily.
"Thank you," Emily smiles politely, inconspicuously helping Violet wipe off the bright red lipstick mark.
Izzy continues to coo at Violet as though she were much younger, and Violet just stares back, unimpressed.
Emily keeps her on her lap, since Violet seems pretty interested now in just observing this boisterous woman. But when she reaches forward to squeeze Violet's hand, Violet leans away and hides her hands away.
Emily sighs tiredly, closing the door behind Izzy.
"She kisses too much," Violet states plainly, looking at her mother carefully from her spot on the couch; a Winnie the Pooh book in her lap.
Emily smiles, coming to lift Violet from the couch and cuddle her in her arms.
"I bet the next one is wonderful," she tells her.
When Violet looks hesitant, Emily begins to tickle her and nuzzle her neck with kisses until she laughs.
The giggle rings out and makes Emily laugh.
"When did you get so grown up, huh?" she murmurs, curling one of Violet's pigtails around her finger.
Violet grins and shrugs, steeling herself for another tickle attack. Emily pretends to be setting her down but instead plops her onto the couch and tickles her endlessly until the doorbell rings.
Emily gasps at Violet, eyes wide.
"What do you think, will this be a good one?" she asks, helping Violet to her feet.
Violet makes a face and shrugs, causing Emily to laugh.
They walk to the door and open it up to find a beautiful blonde woman, smiling at them with sparkling blue eyes.
"Ciao," she smiles warmly. "You must be Lauren and Charlotte. I'm Sofia."
Emily effortlessly pretends to be new to Italian, and Sofia tests out her English skills in between.
The interview turns into a relaxed conversation about how Sofia grew up in Verona and dreams of traveling the world.
Violet, not put off by this interviewee, observes Sofia quietly from her mother's lap, even offering the young woman the occasional shy smile.
"She is so beautiful," Sofia smiles, when the topic moves to "Charlotte."
"I know," Emily grins. "I'm in trouble."
The two women laugh, smiling warmly at Violet, who starts to hide her face shyly in Emily's chest.
"She is three?" Sofia asks.
"Si," Emily replies. "Just in February."
"And what do you love to do, Miss Charlotte?" Sofia asks.
"Mmm," Violet hums shyly, glancing at Sofia. "Reading and playing with my toys."
Although in her tiny little voice it sounds like 'weeding'.
Sofia smiles, already in love with the little girl.
"What is your favourite book?" Sofia asks in heavily accented English.
Violet points to the coffee table where an small anthology of Winnie the Pooh stories sits.
Sofia's eyes widen and she smiles widely at Violet, who instantly grins shyly.
"Winnie the Pooh!" Sofia exclaims. "I love Winnie the Pooh. Who is your favourite character?"
Violet pauses to think, biting her bottom lip as she looks up at her mother happily.
"Roo," Violet answers shyly. "And Eeyore."
Sofia laughs.
"I like Eeyore, too," she winks.
"Well now you've made a friend for life," Emily teases, kissing Violet's head.
The "interview" turns into Sofia staying for dinner, wanting to hear all about "Lauren" and "Charlotte's" time in America. Emily comfortably recites the fictional tale of how Charlotte was born in America and how Lauren is a novelist; how Lauren's husband, Charlotte's father, had renounced his duties before Charlotte was even born.
Clyde had tilted his head at Emily when they were deciding this bit of their made-up history, but Emily didn't want to have to pretend to be mourning a late husband or anything else. This bit of the truth she wanted to keep. This way people wouldn't think to mention this imaginary husband again, after his initial mentioning.
Sofia is understanding and warm, sympathetic and sweet.
When the women realize it's nearly 7:00 and that Sofia's 3:00 interview has turned into an entire afternoon, they begin to carry dishes from the table to the sink.
"Thank you so much for meeting with me, Lauren," Sofia smiles, as Emily sees her to the door.
"Thank you for coming," Emily replies. "I think it's pretty clear that both Charlotte and I think you're wonderful."
"I like you very much as well," Sofia smiles, and bends down to be eye-level with Violet. "It was lovely to meet you, Charlotte."
"It was lovely to meet you," Violet replies carefully, and gives Sofia a big smile.
After the woman leaves with Emily's promise to get back to her within the week, Emily lifts Violet into her arms and heads down the hallway.
"Well? What did you think of Sofia?" she asks.
"I like her," Violet smiles.
Emily grins, turning in to the bathroom.
"Me too," she replies. "Do you think you'd like her to be your nanny and play with you while Mommy has to work?"
She starts to run Violet a bath as the little girl sits on the lip of the tub, swinging her legs.
After a moment Violet nods. Emily grins and kisses her satin cheek.