Three weeks, that's how long it took them to fall into a routine. The first week was horrific and Hayley was so close to leaving by the end of it. First the twins had decided sleep was for the weak, they didn't need it anymore and apparently neither did Jay or Hayley. They had tag teamed the adults, once they had settled one, the other would be up and kicking off, Hayley kept them awake all day. The mornings consisting of colouring and crafts then lunch and then she took them on walks to the park, the library, and the museum, the riverwalk was her favourite place to go, only she soon realised that she needed two pairs of hands or the stroller to keep them from taking a swim. Then home, dinner, bath, and bed. The dishwasher stopped working on the third night, this wasn't a problem until the twins found the bubbles escaping the door of the machine, the day after the sink blocked and then there was a leek which flooded the kid's bathroom. Hayley was blamed for all of it. Then Amy's mom turned up unexpectedly and was not impressed to find Hayley, a beautiful young woman, in sleep shorts and a tank top walking round the house, who also wouldn't let her take the twins with her. Jay had made it home minutes later and calmed them all down, Kim followed him to help. Sarah, Amy's mom was much happier when she left after seeing Hayley's resume and references, Kim helped a lot, knowing all the right things to say to help calm the older woman. That weekend Kim and Hayley went shopping, Hayley buying sensible pyjamas. Kim and Hayley having dinner with Stella and Brett and Gabby, then ending up at Molly's with the guys from the district and station 51. Sunday was a lazy day and when the twins arrived home at dinner time it was soon time for bed. That is when Hayley realised, she couldn't go, she couldn't leave the kids she loved them, she loved working for Jay. So here she was three weeks after starting, her and the twins had been shopping for groceries, they were putting them away when the doorbell went. A woman stood there, she was petite, brown hair with highlights, she asked for Jay by his first name. The twins didn't seem to know her, anyone they did know they would go crazy for, this woman they stood back and shied away.
"I'm sorry he is at work right now; I can take a message and give it to him when he gets in." Hayley told her.
"No! Its ok I'll go see him a work!" She bluntly told Hayley and walked away without a goodbye.
"Rude!" Hayley said out loud,
"Rude!" both twins repeated for an hour after words.
"Yeah, you got it guys" she smiled, and they carried on with their day.
Jay didn't come home that night; he didn't answer his phone or facetime the kids at bedtime and didn't come home the following night. Kim was being vague when she replied to Hayley's texts, when being the operative phrase. Hayley had put the kids to bed on the third night, when she heard the door shut. After checking they were both asleep, she made her way downstairs to find a drunk Jay, not completely of his legs drunk, but a very drunk Jay leaning over fridge, looking for food and beer.
"Hey, are you ok?" she asked cautiously.
"Hey, there's no pizza in the freezer!" he slurred. Hayley's back going up straight away, a drunk Jay was something she had never seen and something she didn't want to see.
"No, I'm sorry! The kids ate it for dinner, I was about to order some though, do you want me to order some for you?" she waited for his reply. It didn't come. "Are you ok Jay? Where, where have you been? I was beginning to worry, the kids missed you! I tried calling you…."
"You're the Nanny Hayley!" he interrupted her "I employ you to look after the kids when I'm not home, I wasn't home, so you looked after them, it's what I pay you for! So, what's the problem?" The venom in his voice and the volume had her drawing back and shrinking in size, tears burned her eyes, and she couldn't find her voice to say anything, so she turned and fled up the stairs, she reached her bedroom and shut the door behind her sinking to the floor and sobbing. What had she done to make him so angry at her, all she asked was if he was ok and where he had been? Surely, he could understand that the twins had being asking for him and she was running out of answers. She sat and questioned her words to him, had she been rude or disrespectful? Should she have just left him alone? Was she being too familiar with him, he was right she was just the Nanny the kids were safe, and it was her job to look after them when he was working? She wiped the tears and climbed into bed, she almost didn't hear the knock on the door, but she ignored it either way. She wasn't going to be his punch bag tonight or any other night. From now on she would be professional, only speak when he spoke to her, it would only be about the twins or the house. The problem was, they both liked each other, Jay loved to watch her with the kids, she put everything into making them happy and safe. They actively looked for her when they wanted something and that gave him a welcome break. He felt able to breath and help the kids more now everything wasn't left to him. The hardest thing was at night when she was in her shorts and tank top, watching her standing in the kids rooms a sleepy child on her shoulder, rocking them to sleep. He wanted to walk behind her and wrap his arms around her, place his nose on her ear and gently kiss his way down her exposed neck and rest his chin on her shoulder, and dance to the music from the sound machine. Hayley had noticed little things about Jay that made her swoon. The way he would read the kids their bedtime story even if he was stuck at work, he would find a place to facetime them and read to them. The way he snuggles into their tiny beds on a morning before getting ready for work. His scent was intoxicating, sandal wood and citrus tones. The way he treated her like family not just the Nanny! They would talk about what meals they would be eating and what jobs needed doing and what plans they had in the coming weeks. It had been three weeks and their new rhythm was out of sync.
Jay felt like crap. He had locked up downstairs and checked on the twins, he tried knocking on her door, but she didn't answer, maybe she was in the shower, that was an image he didn't need right now. Hayley's hair up in messy bun, a few tendrils round her neck, her stood under the hot water, bubbles covering her body as she soaped herself. Her breasts in his hands and he stood behind her holding her up as he slowly slid himself in and out of her, now he needed a shower! A cold one! He couldn't tell her where he had been it was for a case; he was devastated that he hadn't been there to read to the twins or that he hadn't seen them for three days. He hated that he hadn't come home to the smell of dinner, and Hayley's smile and the twins excitedly telling him about their day. Instead the first night he was sitting in cold damp bedsit waiting for a call from his CI, he was getting him in to a club that was dealing cocaine and girls, thing is the girls were literally that girls all under 16, all vulnerable and who had been in the system but had ran away or groomed by the gang members, the second night he was gaining evidence and by the end of the third day, the team had made the arrests to close the club down. He needed that drink, he needed to forget that some of the girls were so high they didn't know their names or what day it was. The drink helped him for get the date, that it had been a year since his world fell apart. This morning when he woke up, he could hear the reason that three weeks ago, he started to live again. He had been a dick to Hayley last and he was going to make it up to her, apologise and explain everything. Work on building everything back up again, the twins deserved it so did Hayley and him. Step one was making breakfast and coffee.
Hayley was up and had finished feeding the kids when he came downstairs. They were getting their coats on and were heading out the door.
"Daddy!" the twins shouted in unison.
"Yay! Hi guys! Did you miss me?" looking at Hayley he said, "I'm off today, I can watch them or come with you?" he asked biting his bottom lip and raising an eyebrow hoping she would agree to the last part of his question. He really wanted to sort this today and clear the air.
"Ok I'll leave them with you, I have my cell if you get called into work." Kneeling on the floor she told the twins about the change of plan and told them she would see them later. Side eyeing Jay she walked out the door and climbed into her car, pausing for a second to take a deep breath. First, she went for a coffee, then she walked along the riverwalk, she kept sending her call to voicemail. It was Kim calling and then Trudy, and then someone sat next to her, Kim had found her.
"Ok, so I know you wanted to be alone, and you have been for four hours, now its time to talk. Jay says he was a dick last night?" It was a question not a statement. Hayley nodded slowly she looked at Kim.
"He was just reminding his employee where she belonged. He is well within his rights. I overstepped, won't happen again."
"What the hell happened? I'll kill him, you know, you will have a permanent job when I kill him! Hayley I'm sorry, He's not used to having someone to lean on or someone that cares about him and the kids."
"He was drunk when he came home, I ambushed him at the freezer, he was pissed that there was no pizza and I asked where he had been, that the kids had missed him, I suppose he saw it more as a nagging wife, than his nanny asking because the kids had been asking about him being gone. Something he will have to sort out with his new nanny a list of things to tell the kids when they ask."
"Please talk to him before you hand in your notice, it's only been a year Hayley, he's struggling to juggle everything. He's doing so much better since you came, the kids are settled he is settled more relaxed. He trusts you and he's known you three weeks. Please go talk to him. After we have been for dinner of course, and no work talk at all."
"Ok I'll think about it but no promises."