Where the Streets Have No Name
Chapter 87
Renee Swan moved in as Ella's live-in nanny on the first of the month. She took over the reins from Renate and proved to be a quick study in picking up Ella's habits and routine. She not only assumed her role with skill, but in little more than a month, she transformed the Cullen household from its cluttered, dreary state to something resembling a home.
For Edward, having a live-in caregiver turned out to be quite different from what he was used to with Renate and Nina. It was a new experience for him to not have the added pressure to rushing home every evening so the nanny could leave for the day.
His interactions with Renee were quite different from Ella's previous caregivers as well. While his relationship with the last three nannies was cordial and nice, they always seemed to be in a haste to leave as soon as he walked through the door every evening. The opportunity never arose for him to befriend them.
Other than to know what their resume revealed and perhaps how skilled they were at childcare, he didn't get to know them as individuals. The occasion never presented itself, nor did Nina or Renate seem interested to further the employer-employee relationship beyond the boundaries of necessity.
Renee Swan, unlike her predecessors, had a penchant for conversation. She cooked her own meals but made enough for two so Edward no longer had to resort to TV dinners when he returned home. She would stick around the kitchen while he ate, filling him in on all the little things Ella did that day, ask him about his work, and share random tidbits about her own life.
The easy conversations and simple human contact, however mundane and commonplace for most, came as a refreshing surprise to Edward. He didn't even realize until then just how starved he was of companionship. Renee's presence brought home the fact how isolated he had become from his peers and comrades over the past year. His every conscious minute had been so consumed by worries over Carmen and Ella hat he couldn't even recall when was the last time he hung out with Riley and other members of his old group.
While he welcomed Renee's offer of friendship with gratitude, it did occur to him that perhaps she was overexerting her generosity out of a misplaced sense of obligation.
"You don't have to do this, you know..." he said one evening as Renee was briefing him on how Ella might have uttered Renee's name that day. Well, what Ella actually said was more akin to "Nene", but Renee was convinced that her charge wasn't too far from mastering the verbal skills.
"Do what?" Renee asked, perplexed.
"Stay up, looking after Ella even after I get home, share your food," Edward said hesitantly. "Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate everything you're doing for Ella. But I don't want you to feel you have to babysit me too. You have plenty on your plate already. I know what a handful Ella is.
"I'd hate to think you're stretching yourself too thin. You need a break too. And I don't want you to feel like you have to spend your personal time to look after us.
"I mean, of course I'm grateful-"
"Edward, stop. Renee interrupted his rambling with an understanding smile. "I know I don't have to. I do it because I want to. I don't know how things stood with Mrs. Foss, but I live here now. And I'd much rather live in a home than in a house where I happen to work.
"So, unless I'm breaking some kind of a code on how you want to run your place, or making you uncomfortable in anyway, you can take your concerns elsewhere. Got it, Bossman?" Renee said with mock seriousness, reassuring Edward with a warm, disarming look.
Thank you Lulabelle98, HeidiJoVT, and Dinx.