Yeah, it's been 6 months since I've updated this. I was busy working on an original, which will be published early next year. That book is with my editor right now, so I found some time to work on this FF. Anyhow, here's the next chapter. It's unbeta-ed.

Chapter 5

The following Monday, after a week of trying to hand out as many resume's as I could possibly hand out to anyone at all hiring, I got a call back from the one person that I least expected. A call from someone I hadn't even applied to, surprisingly.

That phone call couldn't have come at a better time, either. Dad was getting on my nerves about getting something to occupy my time other than staying at home and doing everything I could to ignore Alice and her persistence. She wanted to me to go shopping. Every. Single. Day.

So not what I wanted to do.

I'd prefer to just stay holed up in my room, but that only lasted for so long.

So when the house phone began to ring, I pulled myself up from in front of the TV in the living room to go answer it. Yes, I certainly did grumble about being interrupted from the binge worthy cold case file show I had happened to find.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Am I speaking to Bella?" a female voice on the other end asked. The voice was soft, kind even.

"Yes."

"I'm Charlotte. I'm sure you don't exactly know me, but I heard from my aunt that you were looking for a job. I may have the perfect opportunity for you," she went on. "I'm in Seattle, so I totally understand if you aren't interested. I am in need of a nanny for my four-week-old baby. Auntie Esme said you were looking for a job, and may have mentioned that you would prefer something out of that small little town you are in. And I figured that I'd love to meet you and see if you are a fit. Since I've heard that you work with kids in church."

As she rambled, my mind jumped into speed. This would be the perfect chance to get out of this town and show my parents just how capable I'd be able to handle living away from home without them.

"You'd have the entire basement as your own, paid, of course. And you would have Friday through Sunday off every week; I'd make sure of that. I don't want to take away your entire summer break, especially if you plan to go to college."

"I'm not sure about college just yet," I jumped in as she paused to take a breath. "But I would love to meet up with you. If you know my parents, then they would demand they meet you before ever agreeing to let me be a nanny."

"Absolutely. I'll be in town tomorrow. Would that work? If not, I can come that way later this week instead."

"Tomorrow will work perfectly," I smiled.

"Perfect. I can meet you at the church, since I'm sure that's where your parents will be. Say around eleven?" she said.

"That'll work."

See you then Bella!" with that, she hung up.

Hanging up the phone, I was giddy with the possibility that things were finally looking up. I was also nervous and worried that this wouldn't work out in the end.

What if my parents didn't want me to go? What if they knew this gal and didn't trust her? What then? I didn't want to be stuck here forever.

After I was off the phone, I had a bunch of questions I probably should have asked. Like who was her aunt, and what she was paying me. And for how long she would need to be nanny for her.

Guess it would have to wait, as I'm sure my parents would have the same questions, if not more.

000

That same night, as both of my parents sat down to a dinner that I made, I hoped that they would be on my side for once. Making dinner, which I didn't do all that often, would show that I was serious about this offer.

"So," I started off after dishing some mashed potatoes onto my plate beside the fried chicken and corn. "I got a job offer today."

"That's wonderful, dear," Mom said, shooting me a pleased smile. "What place?"

"Well, it's not here in town," I edged carefully. "Charlotte, she's in Seattle, needs a part time sitter."

"Charlotte? Her name sounds familiar," Dad said. "But I'm not sure being so far away would be the best thing."

"She's willing to come meet us tomorrow at the church. She knows you guys. Said her aunt passed on the message that I was looking for a job. And I'd get paid to live in her basement when I'm not having to take care of the baby."

"What time?" Mom asked.

"Eleven. Said she knew you would both want to meet her, along with myself, before deciding if I was even a good match. Her baby is like four weeks old or so."

"We'll have to meet her and see what she's like. If I remember correctly, I think she's Esme's sister's girl. She'd be about five years older than you," Mom said between bites. "When would she want you to start?"

"I didn't get a chance to ask. She didn't really give me much chance to ask much of anything, really," I answered.

"Guess we'll figure it out tomorrow then," Mom smiled. "And it sounds like you'd make it back on weekends, right?"

"Sounds like it," I answered. Not that I really cared, but my parents certainly would. Missing church was a huge sin in their eyes. Okay, not a sin, but it was close to it. "This would be a great chance to see how I do being away from home with collage coming up soon."

"Suppose so," Dad said.

Always the man that hated talking about me leaving to go away. I was sure that if he could, I'd be locked up in a high tower with no escape. I'm sure he meant well, but that didn't help the feeling of being suffocated with his own wants of me.

"Have you decided what you want to do with about a college degree yet?" Dad asked.

"Maybe some business classes or child development. Start of my daycare down the road," I said the first thing that came to mind. This was really the first time for the past year that I had any inkling to do either one of those things, but both things I could excel at if I tried.

"That would actually be a wonderful idea," Mom said, giving me a toothy smile. "Knowing more about children and how they develop would be a great aspect to have with working in the child care part of the church, you know. And if one day you take over the church, the business classes would help you a lot there too."

Dad simply grunted, still not wanting to accept that his baby girl would be going off to college and growing up, but he also didn't have anything to reply with. I counted that as a win in my book.

Now, hopefully tomorrow would be just as successful.