"So what's the plan for tomorrow" David asked his sister-in-law
"Um...I was thinking we could watch the Ireland game..."
He raised his eyebrows in surprise, "sounds great, but since when were you a rugby fan?"
"Well I'm not, but I made a friend here and they invited us all over to watch it", Emma said as casually as she could.
"You made a friend?! Who? When?" Mary Margaret asked her suspiciously.
"At the park yesterday, I met another parent...from Ireland, we got talking and he invited us over" Emma was thoroughly enjoying teasing her friends.
Mary Margaret stared at her friend in disbelief "you want us to go to the house of some guy you just met? Some stranger?!"
Emma tried as hard as she could not to smile, she walked over to the kitchen and started making some hot chocolates nonchalantly, "well technically that wasn't the first time I met him and technically he's not really a stranger" she emphasised the "technically"'s
"Ok Emma spit it out, what's going on" David asked her.
A huge grin spread over Emma's face, "Killian Jones has invited us to his house"
"WHAAAAAAT?!" Mary Margaret squealed, "Emma, are you serious? But...how...why? Killian Jones!"
David looked at his wife, confused by her reaction; in fact he was confused by this whole conversation.
"Can someone enlighten me as to who the hell Killian Jones is and why my wife is this excited?!"
Emma laughed, "he's an actor on Ever After, we've met him a couple times this weekend between going to set and the con, he was at the park yesterday and has a son Henry's age the boys started playing together, we got to talking, he found out you were also Irish and asked if we'd like to watch the game" Emma looked at her friends who were both looking at her in disbelief "...so do you guys want to go?"
"YES!" They shouted in unison.
Killian surveyed the spread of pizzas, chips and dip, Coke, wine, and beers. He hadn't done much entertaining lately, their house was always full when Milah was alive, she was so much better at this! Well it'll do he thought, he looked at the clock, they would be here soon, he felt a little nervous, he wanted Emma to feel comfortable around him and he wanted her family to like him. He flopped onto the sofa and turned the TV onto the European sports channel. Liam came bounding into the room with his buzz light year "to infinity and beyond!" He crawled onto the sofa and jumped on the floor, running around 'zooming' as he went. Milah would never have allowed jumping on the furniture; Killian didn't have the heart to scold him. His phone buzzed, it was a reminder of a meeting tomorrow with a nanny agency. He'd been putting off hiring a nanny but he couldn't keep relying on Regina, she already had her hands full with Roland and he knew her and Robin's date nights had taken a hit because of all the babysitting she did for him. Neither of them would ever complain but it wasn't fair. The buzzer on his gate went and he jumped out of his seat and ran to the intercom. "Hello?" He answered.
"Hey it's Emma"
"Hey, Come in, park anywhere"
He hung up and went to the door, he called out to his son, "Liam, Henry is here!"
He had no sooner opened the front door when Liam went bounding out, "Henry! Come see my room!" The boys ran in the house and disappeared upstairs.
"Nice place" Emma chimed as she walked up to Killian,
"welcome!" He said, "and you must be Mary Margaret and David" he reached his hand out to greet the others, "I've heard lots about you, good things, I promise"
"Nice to see you again" he smiled at Mary Margaret.
He looked at David, "and a fellow Irishman!" He patted David on the back, "please, make yourselves at home"
Ireland had pulled back from a rough start and beat Scotland. Killian and David were feeling jolly and the group had moved the party outside, the men attempted to build a fire in the fire pit, even though Killian had run out of matches, after a few failed attempts Mary Margaret had lost patience and moved the men out of the way and started a fire within minutes. Emma was sitting reading to the boys with baby Kathryn on her lap. Killian was watching her when Mary Margaret came up beside him, he felt the need to explain himself; "I've never seen Liam sit still for that long!" He admitted.
Mary Margaret smiled, "Emma is one hell of a storyteller! She loves books, you can tell by the way she reads them, especially fairy tales...She also had the magic touch with kids, they just flock to her like she's the pied piper, it's like a super power".
"That's right; she used to be a nanny didn't she?" Killian mused
"Yeah, she was an awesome one too, she's worked for royalty and politicians, she has some resume!" She boasted about her friend, "that was before she married Neal though; she wanted to be at home for him and their kids".
It was starting to get late, Liam ran to his father, "Dad, Emma says she makes really good hot chocolate, can she make us some before bed...please?!"
Killian ruffled his son's hair "oh is that so? Well we'll have to all try some of this hot chocolate then! Come on Emma, I'll show you where everything is in the kitchen" Killian led Emma to the house while Mary Margaret and David started making s'mores with the boys.
"Thank you so much for today" she said as they entered the kitchen, "we've had such a good time"
"It's my pleasure", he assured her, "it's nice to have a house full again"
He started to point out different cupboards in the kitchen, "the cocoa is in here, mugs over there, marshmallows in here" he worked his way around the kitchen.
"And cinnamon?" She asked.
"Cinnamon?"
She smiled, "yeah it's my secret ingredient"
He reached across her to open a cupboard, their faces were close, Emma's nostrils filled with his scent, a mixture of beer, smoke from the fire and his cologne, it was an intoxicating mix, he leaned even closer and whispered "your secrets safe with me" he pulled a small jar of cinnamon out of the cupboard and handed it to her. Was she blushing? He couldn't think about that, he scratched behind his ear, trying to figure out the best way to proceed. "Um Emma"
"Uh huh", she murmured while mixing all her ingredients together.
He continued, "I was wondering...it's just, you seemed uncertain of what you were going to do the other day...and I've been looking...well what I mean to say...or rather, ask..."
Emma looked up at him, where was this going?
He ran his hand through his hair nervously, "I'm trying to ask you if you would consider being Liam's nanny"
Emma's jaw hit the floor, "you're offering me a job?"
"Well yes, I've been looking for a nanny, and you said the other day that's what you do, and Liam seems to like you..."
"You barely know me!" She interrupted
He looked her straight in the eyes
"I trust you Emma; I have a good feeling about this. Don't make a decision now, just think about it, we could meet before you fly home, grab a coffee and talk over details. If you could bring a reference from a past employer that'd be great...that is if you want the job"
Emma stood and thought for a moment.
"I can do that, think about it I mean, we fly home on Monday, could you give me a few days to think it over and we could meet before I go, maybe Sunday?"
"I'm shooting until 8pm on Sunday, is 9pm too late to meet? There is a coffee shop near where we shoot that stays open until 11pm. He looked hopefully at her.
She smiled, "that would be fine"
They all drank their hot chocolates while Emma told stories by the fire until the boys could barely keep their eyes open then they left. Killian carried Liam to bed, tucked him in and watched him for a moment sleeping peacefully before he left and sent an email cancelling his meeting with the nanny agency.
Emma pulled up to the coffee shop in her rental car, she grabbed her bag and groaned as she lifted it up onto her shoulder, she had had her friend back home scan and email her references, certificates from training courses, including first aid and every piece of paperwork she could think of that could be relevant...perhaps she went a bit overboard!
As she pushed open the door a bell jingled and across the room Killian's head lifted up. He was sitting in the back in a booth by the window; he had on jeans and a dark hoodie. Emma walked towards him and slid into the seat opposite him, she hauled out her mountain of papers which met the table with a mighty thud! She looked up at him, her brows furrowed, "Do you always wear guy liner in the evening or is this a special occasion?"
Killian's hand shot to his eyes, he rubbed them lightly and saw the black smudge on his finger, "oh shit! I have a bad habit of forgetting to take it off, I've destroyed many a pillow case crashing at home with it still on"
"Mm hmm...I know your pain" she empathised.
Killian laughed, he looked down at the stack of paper in front of him, "well you're certainly thorough!" He raised his eyebrow at her "I'm going to need some coffee for this, what can I get you?"
"Just a hot chocolate please, with..."
"Cinnamon" he interrupted
Emma smiled, "thanks"
Killian came back with the drinks and Emma pulled out a few references for him to read, the more he read the more impressed he was, "you worked for the Royal family in Saudi Arabia?!" Emma nodded, Killian continued, "and who are the Darlings?"
"He is a business mogul in London" Emma answered. Killian read for a bit longer, Emma looked around the diner while she waited, the decor was quaint, matching its name, "Granny's", there was an older woman behind the counter, Granny, presumably, and an old juke box sat in the corner turning out old classics. Emma looked back to Killian; she couldn't believe how comfortable she felt with him after just a week and a half! If someone told her two weeks ago she'd be having a job interview with Killian Jones she would have laughed in their face! But here she was, and strangely she didn't feel nervous, if there was one area in her life she felt confident in it was her work, she knew she was in high demand before she gave it up and married Neal. Her thoughts were interrupted by Killian,
"Well this is all very impressive! But after reading this I have to ask, are you sure you want to work for a lowly actor?"
Emma smiled "well let's hear what you have in mind?"
Killian breathed in and leaned forward, "here is my offer" he began,
"You and your children would stay in our home, we have enough rooms for you each to have your own if you wish, though I imagine Liam and Henry may want to share and that's ok, you would be responsible for Liam whenever I'm not home, taking him to and from nursery, his soccer practice, and any outings, you'd also cook, or take him out for his meals. I do all his medical or dental appointments and any school appointments like parents evenings, the producers are good for scheduling me around things like that. Whenever I'm home Liam is my responsibility, I may need you to babysit the odd night or afternoon Robin drags me out to the pub or a soccer game. I'd provide you with a car and a bank account specifically for any expenditures like outings, clubs, petrol for your car and groceries etc, I'd like you to use that to cover yours and your kids expenses too, please feel free to put Henry into a club or sport or anything you think he'd like, I want him to feel at home here and have every opportunity he would have elsewhere" Emma's eyes widened, she was used to working with budgets for the kids she cared for but never one that covered her kids too, mind you she only worked before she had kids, she wasn't sure what the normal procedure would be but she was sure it wouldn't be that generous!
Killian continued, "I spend most of the year in Vancouver shooting "Ever After", however when I'm not here I'm back home in Ireland, my father and stepmother live there and they like to look after Liam for me so those weeks you would be free to do what you want. It usually is 2 months late spring/early summer and the middle of November through the end of December. Of course you're always welcome to time off throughout the year if you need it, I can try and work around it. And your wage would be $30,000." Killian's eyes darted around her face trying to pick up any hint of a reaction.
Emma thought it over, "what about Henry and Liam's school? Where would they go and would it be affected by your traveling?"
"Liam is registered to start in August at a local school here, they've agreed to send schoolwork with Liam anytime travel conflicts with the school term but for the most part it shouldn't, it's your choice where you send Henry and how you handle that but I'm sure they have space if you wanted him to go to the same place"
Emma looked out the window, she could see the harbour, the moonlight danced on the water, it was a clear night and the sky was inundated with stars. It really was breathtakingly beautiful here, it seemed like a good place to raise your children, this could be the fresh start she was looking for.
"Ok" she said, Killian's eyebrows shot up and a huge smile formed on his face.
"But..." She added, "I use the expenditure account for groceries for your house, outings for all of us when I'm looking after Liam and any money I need for Liam and his activities, but anything separate for Henry, Kathryn, and myself I pay for."
Killian scratched behind his ear then laid his hands on the table, "I'm sorry if I offended you with my offer..."
Emma laid her hand on his causing him to stop mid-sentence, his chest tightened at her touch, "you didn't offend me, I appreciate your offer but I need to financially look after my own children...I just...I need that."
She took her hand back, Killian felt the loss straight away, he exhaled, "of course, I understand." He asked hesitantly, "Does this mean you'll take the job?"
"Yes Mr. Jones, I accept your offer" she flashed a smile. Her eyes were beautiful when she smiled, like the stars reflecting on the water outside. Killian blushed, "please, it's just Killian" he bit his bottom lip then continued, "I know you'll be working for me but I'd like to think we could be friends...You're the first person I've met who understands what Liam and I have been through...maybe our families could...help each other?"
Emma was touched, Killian Jones really wasn't what she expected, he was kind, gentle, even shy, and above all, hurting, just like her.
She smiled, "I'd like that"
Emma gathered up her papers and put them back in her bag. "I fly back home tomorrow, I'll need about 2 weeks to get organised, I'll need to pack and sort stuff out with our house. I could be back to start work by the end of the month?"
"Aye, that'd be great" he stood up, "can I walk you to your car?"
Emma nodded her head and they headed outside together, Emma unlocked her car and opened the door, she turned to him, "I'll see you soon Killian"
"Look forward to it! Text me your email and address, I'll send you details for when you come back. Have a safe flight home tomorrow!" He closed her car door behind her once she sat down and waved as she drove off.
2 weeks later Emma was looking out the plane window at beautiful Vancouver again, but this time she was coming to stay. The plane landed and she made her way through customs, pushing the luggage while Henry pushed his little sister in her stroller. When they reached the arrivals gate standing in front of them in a navy blue t-shirt, jeans, cap, and sunglasses was Killian smiling warmly.
