Leah sat with her resume folder in her lap, in the wingback chair in front of the large oak desk. Very few people wanted live-in nanny's anymore, unless they also wanted the person to take on the role of a maid. So, when her agency told her about Isabella Solo, a ten-month-old in need of full time care, she jumped at the chance.

Both she and the agency did their research on Isabella's father, Napoleon Solo, owner of the Solo Art Gallery in New York. The heartbreaking death of his wife during childbirth thrust him into single fatherhood, and he embraced it head on by stepping aside from his time-consuming job to raise his baby.

Of course, time passes and responsibilities creep back in. It was time for him to return to work.

He sat across from Leah, scrolling through her resume on his laptop.

"Miss Crawford," he said, "your resume is the best I've seen, and the agency raved over you when I called."

"Thank you, sir."

"With your degree in early childhood education, why do you want to work as a private nanny?"

She took a deep breath and smiled. "I'm working on a degree in child psychology. This position would allow me to have the time I need to study, and still work with a child, which is honestly my greatest joy. I love kids."

He closed the laptop and leaned back in his chair. His gaze settled on her, as if he was scrutinizing everything about her.

"One thousand per week, plus room and board."

"Wow, that's… a little more than I was expecting."

"Judging by what I've seen and heard, you're worth it."

"Thank you, Mr. Solo."

"Does that mean you accept?"

"Absolutely."

"Wonderful." He stood and buttoned his suit jacket. He pulled a business card from his desk and wrote on the back before handing it to her. "That's my home address. Well, yours now, too, I guess. Can you meet me there tomorrow morning at nine?"

"Sure."

"I'll show you the house, and introduce you to Isabella."

"That sounds great."

—

Solo lived about an hour away from the city, in Holbrook. A community of nice homes. Not overly large, but nice. His was a colonial, with a long porch.

She waited a moment after knocking, and Mr. Solo answered the door with a baby on his hip.

"Good morning, Miss Crawford."

"Good morning, sir."

"I'd like you to meet my daughter, Isabella."

Leah smiled at her and waved. "Hi, Isabella."

The young girl smiled, but quickly hid her face in her father's neck.

"Come in, Miss Crawford. I'll give you a tour."

She followed him through the house. A large and spacious living room and kitchen, Isabella's playroom and bedroom, and next to that…

"This is your room."

He opened the door, but stepped aside to let Leah go in. A queen bed, a chair by the window, and its own bathroom.

"This one room is half the size of my apartment."

He smiled. "Then the bright side is that you won't have a lot to move."

"That's true."

"My room is on the other side of the house, should you ever need me. Of course, anything in the kitchen is yours, and there's a grocery list on the fridge. Anything you may want, just add it to the list. Although, I may need you to help out with that from time to time. Especially when I'm traveling."

He stared down at Isabella and rested his head to hers. The thought of traveling obviously gave him thoughts of separation from his daughter. This wouldn't be an easy job if he couldn't learn to let Leah take control. Though, she understood why he and Isabella had become so attached to each other, and she would do her best to make sure to help them both transition to him going back to work.

"So," he said, "still interested after seeing your room?"

"No doubt, sir."

"Wonderful. I'll have my assistant order a moving truck for tomorrow so we can get you moved in. Isabella and I were going to the zoo today. Would you like to come along?"

"That sounds like a great idea."

"Wonderful. I'll get her changed and we'll head out."

—

"Does she always tire out so quickly?"

Solo pushed the stroller while his daughter slept. The excitement of seeing the animals wore her out sooner than expected.

"Not at all. I'm usually the one who tires out first. I never imagined someone so small could run me so ragged."

Leah laughed. "They definitely keep you on your toes. Especially when they start walking."

"Which is close. It's part of the reason I need a nanny. She's starting to try to pull herself up on the furniture."

"Uh oh."

"Exactly. As she's gotten a little older, I've taken her to the office a few days a week to handle some important things, but my office is full of sharp edges. I can't keep my eyes on her every second."

"Nor should you have to. That's why I'm here."

"I thought, for the first week, maybe you could come with us to my office a couple of days. Then I'll stay home a couple of days. That way Isabella has time to get to know you with me there."

"And so you can adjust to me taking care of her."

He grinned. "Am I that obvious?"

"That you love your daughter and dread having to leave her for an entire day? Yes. You're that obvious."

"You don't think that's odd?"

"Given your situation, it's not odd at all. I think it's sweet."

He let out a breath. "Thank you."

"But you will eventually have to go into work without your daughter. It'll be good for both of you."

"That's what people keep telling me."

"Does she interact with other kids her age?"

"A bit. I've taken her to the park."

"What about other adults?"

"Mostly just her uncle Illya. Not really her uncle. He's my best friend. My parents are gone, and my… my wife's parents live in Arizona. They stayed a while after Isabella was born, and I've gone out there once."

"What was your wife's name?"

"Ashley." His eyes darted down to the sleeping Isabella.

"You see her in your daughter."

"Every day."

"Does it make it harder?"

"No. It makes it easier. I haven't lost her completely, because she's right there." He jutted his chin toward the stroller, then glanced at Leah. "Most people don't talk about her."

"I'm sorry. If you—"

"No. It helps. When people avoid bringing her up, or find a way to change the subject… it hurts. It's like they're suppressing her memory. I don't want to do that. Her daughter needs to know about her."

Leah nodded. "Well, I'm willing to talk about her if you ever want to."

"I appreciate that."