GRACE

Seconds later, we were walking past a huge car park and our feet led us to the rear of the building. We entered through one of the revolving doors and faced an elevator moments later. The fanciness in that space met my expectations and as we waited for the ting of the elevator, I kept my eyes glued on the red rug that ran its length and breadth over the entire ground in that empty room.

The elevator opened without wasting much time.

“After you, ma’am,” The guard ushered me in before he walked in.

Once we were settled and the doors were closed, he pressed one of the buttons.

PH 5.

That could only mean that we were heading for a penthouse.

Damn...

This family is without a doubt, rich. Because residing in a penthouse in the great Hotel Pierre can only mean that these people are the true meaning of super-rich individuals.

Soon the elevator stopped and vomited us into an open room that had a dark green carpet decorating its floor.

As the guard and I stepped out, the elevator adjacent to ours opened as well and its not-so-many occupants stepped out, their eyes dutifully glued to the devices in their hands.

They were all dressed in fancy, well-tailored suits, so I took a big guess and concluded that they were businessmen. But their crazy concentration on their phones was a thing of bother. I never knew that grown men were likely to be very attracted to their devices.

As I continued accessing their group for reasons unknown to me, the cluster dissolved as they shifted from the entrance of the elevator. Each person found his path and it became easier to see their faces.

My curiosity grew and I wondered if I would recognize one of them from the daily papers, internet news, or maybe the business weekly magazine. So, with my intent of the day briefly forgotten, I scanned each person until my eyes landed on a particular sturdy figure that managed to exude charisma without doing much.

Uhm... Okay... I think I have gotten to a point of this fine day where I have to stop my dignity from running away from me. And if at all it runs away, I must hurriedly pick it up before I do something silly as Drunk Rose would.

I watched, my lips slightly pried apart, as the tall man directed his attention to the man next to him and as he uttered some words that were inaudible to most of us in that space, I felt my breath cease for a second. Watching his lips move with grace almost caused me to paint a picture of where we would be kissing, but I quickly snapped out of that thought. I need to retain my dignity.

But then, his irises were so gorgeously blue that they seemed to have the ability to peer into a person’s soul to the point of figuring out everything about the person. And that deep blueness made every other thing about him shine.

From where I stood, his long lashes became prominent. The way they blinked as he spoke made his eyes much more beautiful. His almost square face retained a serious expression and that made his demeanour appealing and ravishing.

Oh boy... I don’t think I have thirsted this much over a man in a while.

But the sleekness of his hair which was cut into beautiful layers made it almost impossible to look away. Even his black suit was not left out of the shine, it formed around his body in a way I just had to admire.

The man beside me cleared his throat and the resurrection of Drunk Rose was cut short. After another glance at the handsome man, I hoped that I had not managed to embarrass myself while I was deep into the business of ogling.

But, without wasting time, I composed myself. I briefly ran my fingers over the sides of my mouth to make sure that I didn’t embarrass myself to the point of drooling.

Once it was certain that all was fine, I faced the guard and flashed a smile.

Then, he said, “Sorry, I had to take a call.”

The man left my side to receive a call? Whoa... I was very deep into the ogling business.

“Shall we?” He motioned toward a particular direction and I walked behind him. “Good day, Mr. Powers,” he eagerly greeted one of the businessmen.

And when the devilishly handsome man directed his gaze in our direction, my breath hitched again even though he didn’t directly look at me.

After the man briefly raised his hand to acknowledge the guard’s greeting, he spared me a micro-second glance before he returned to his chat.

As we walked past the men, I hoped that I didn’t have a crazy, starved look on my face while staring at him.

I started to wonder about the man’s identity when the guard stopped in front of the entrance of what I guessed was the penthouse.

“After you walk in, you will see a corridor on your right. It will lead you to the interview room. Just sit with the other applicants until it is your turn.”

“Oh, thank you.”

I pushed one of the grand doors open and my eyes widened in admiration. The living room I was staring at from where I stood was simple yet exotic. And the fact that I was able to see a great deal of the city thanks to the uncovered French doors that spanned to the ends of the wall staring at me from a distance.

The amount of expensive taste in the room caused me to urge my soul to remain calm even though it was a great deal to me. As I maintained my cool, I noticed the setup of five white couches which were arranged a little close to the entrance. They were given a square setup and a glass table was set in the middle.

The arrangement was grand, but there was still a lot of space left so much so that a grand piano was placed very close to the staircase which was a few steps from where I was standing.

But, even with all that, there was a lot of space left.

Before I could get unduly immersed in the richness of the penthouse, my brain remembered what I was there for and I quickly walked down the corridor on the right. I admired the mini-artworks hung on the walls as I walked and soon, I heard chattering. The room I was approaching turned out to be the kitchen, which of course, was large as well.

I quickly went to join the seated people who were waiting to be interviewed. We were not much that was left in the room, our numbers were about ten if not less.

Once I was settled, I took out my phone to stop myself from staring at the beauty of the kitchen in awe. Conversing with the women in front of me was not in the books for me either.

After a while, I was called to the interview room. And I must say, their seemingly unused storage room made a great interview room. It was spacious enough to take an average office desk and two chairs.

“Good morning Miss...”

“Sands,” I replied to the middle-aged woman who styled her silver-ish hair in an admirable way. The woman sat opposite me and wrote a few things down on the paper in front of her.

Now that I think of it, it’s kind of odd that they decided to hire a babysitter in such a crude manner. I would have guessed that they would have employed their resources to find the best of the best babysitter in the rich world.

“Miss Sands.” She threw me a short smile. “Have you ever babysat before?”

“No. I have never done it before.” Not even as a teenager.

“Are you a University graduate?” I nodded affirmatively. “Is this your first job application?”

“No, I used to work at a publishing company as an assistant editor.”

“That’s such a nice job. Why are you here then?”

“I uh...” I don’t think it will be safe to sell my shortcomings at an interview. But this family is rich and can choose to look into the kind of person I am. So, I guess telling the truth would be better in this situation. “I got fired yesterday.”

“Why?” Her friendly voice turned concerned.

“I uh... I went to work late a lot of times.” I felt very ashamed. “Actually, it is my fault I got fired. I chose to distract my pain by using a terrible method and it affected me work-wise.”

“And how can we be sure that it won’t affect this job?” She wasn’t judging me and that made me feel less ashamed.

“I want this job to be the distraction I am looking for. It is much more decent and it is also a new experience.”

“I see, that’s all for now. Leave your details in the box outside and you can treat yourself to some of the snacks on the island. Good luck.” She smiled widely and I appreciated her for having me, surprised that she just said to help myself to snacks.

If only most interviews could end that way.

Once I was outside, I pulled out my file jacket that contained the needed files and I dropped it into the box planted right in front of the storage room. As I did that, I began to debate whether to help myself to the mentioned snacks. I didn’t want to appear greedy.

Aw, fuck it!

This could be my only chance to eat something from a super-rich family’s kitchen. So, I did a little dance in my head and approached the kitchen. 

GRACE

“It would be amazing if you got that job!” I glared at Sam. “What?” she asked, her mouth filled with popcorn.

“The other day, you were against babysitting. You didn’t think it was so befitting for someone like me.”

She rolled her eyes as though I was lying against her.

“Of course, it does not fit you. But since you’ll be babysitting in a rich home, it is the best job you could probably have.”

“Money does change people’s minds faster than a snake bites.” As I threw some popcorn into my mouth, the movie playing on the television became distant to my ears because I recalled something. “It has been two days and I have not received a call. What if I didn’t qualify for the job?”

“You have to chill, girl. Whether you get the job or not, you will be called or texted at least.”

I agreed with her with a nod and assured myself to stay calm. I have been acting out of place because I keep worrying about not getting the job.

It seems as though I am sure that I will fall into devastation again if I don’t get the job.

Anyway... speaking of staying calm, my mind travelled to Mr. Powers, the fine man I almost tripped for at the hotel.

I recalled the beauty of his eyes and my insides softened, that is something my sober self hasn’t felt towards men in a long while. But I soon pulled myself together as I reasoned out that he is one of those fine men you see just once in your lifetime. They are the types that leave your head in chaos when you randomly recall a freaking handsome man you once saw somewhere.

So, I told my brain to stop planning my wedding to Mr. Powers. Though there is no denying that seeing his fine face would be nice, meeting him again is a very slim occurrence.

I hugged the bowl in my hands to my chest and proceeded with indulging myself in my fantasy. I know, I just told my brain to not do it, but I can’t help it.

“Uh oh... I have not seen that look on your face since Kyle.”

On hearing that name, my fantasy fell like a fragile plate and shattered into a thousand pieces.

“Sam, you know I don’t like hearing that name,” I said, my voice almost a whisper. The jelly feeling inside me was quickly replaced with intense heaviness.

“Grace...” I gave Samantha a warning glare before she could say anything more.

“I don’t want to hear his name.”

“But...”

My phone’s ringtone interrupted whatever she was about to say. I picked it up and saw that it displayed PRIVATE NUMBER boldly on its screen. Even though on a normal day, I would ignore the call, I accepted the call since I was expecting one.

“Hello?”

‘Grace Sands?’ The way the man on the other side said my name though...

“Yes, this is her.”

‘You have been selected to be Ruby’s babysitter. You are to report to the penthouse tomorrow by one pm for your training.’

“Really?” I could finally relax. “Thank you very much, sir.”

‘Do. Not. Be. Late.’ His voice. It was so... I have no idea what to term it as.

But there was a need to know who I was speaking to.

“Who am I...?” The call ended before I could complete my question. A bit annoyed, I removed the phone from my ear and stared at the blank screen for a few seconds.

He really hung up.

I don’t want to be that person that quickly judges a man so quickly, but what an attitude!

“Who was that?”

“I do not know. But I got the job.”

Sam’s face lit up. “Really? Yay! I knew it! Congrats, girl!” She was more excited than me.

“Thanks. I hope this turns out to be interesting though.”

“What if it turns out to be a boring task?”

I shrugged. “I’ll probably quit.”

“No, no. You are not quitting. You won’t have to. Rich people have the most drama, so things will be fun.” Sam was certainly in for the money and gossip. “So who are you babysitting?” she asked.

“A girl named Ruby.”

“She sounds cute. Have fun.” Her face became serious. “I hope this means no more of your night drama.”

“Yes, it does. I promise.”

She gave me a short smile and immediately threw me into her arms for a huge embrace.

********

“I am surely going to miss working here. Ruby is a great darling, so you will love babysitting her.” I smiled at Fiona, the lady who had interviewed me. It turned out she was Ruby’s nanny.

“Fiona?” The woman faced me. “Why are you quitting this job? It seems you love it a lot.”

She sat down on a stool in the kitchen and I settled beside her.

We had just finished my training. I was introduced to the whole house and was given a list of Ruby’s likes and dislikes and a calendar highlighting her daily activities.

“Well, my husband has finally retired from the military and I would love to spend some time with him. It has been so long since we had a proper life together.”

“You must miss him so much.” Fiona’s smile agreed with me. “For how many years have you been Ruby’s nanny?”

“Ever since she has been born. So, five, almost six years, if my Maths is right.”

“Whoa. Ever since she has been born? Why? Isn’t her mother around or something?”

Fiona immediately jolted as though something sparked inside her. “Grace! You are a nice lady and I want you to babysit Ruby for as long as possible. But if you want to keep this job, you must mind your business. Their family is no issue of yours. Just do your job and get paid. Okay?”

“Uh... yes. Alright. Mind my business.” Maybe Sam was right. They are probably one of those rich families with secrets.

Instantly Fiona switched from her concerned mother-giving advice mode to a cheerful youth mode. “Speaking of getting paid, your monthly salary is five thousand dollars. And it is likely to increase if you do a great job after three months.”

If I were drinking water right at that moment, I would have choked.

Uh? Five thousand dollars for babysitting?

Fiona chuckled at my bulged eyes.

“You have no idea how much I am being paid,” she said. “Just enjoy your job and the pay. As I said earlier, Ruby is an angel, so you will have no issue with her.”

I accepted everything Fiona told me and believed it. But after some seconds of silence, I voiced my concern. “I have a question. Why does Ruby have to go to another floor to get schooled? It is called homeschooling for a reason.”

“That is how her teacher wants it. He says it is more convenient for him since he is in a wheelchair. I had my worries too since the teacher is a grown male, so I usually sit with them throughout the lesson. But as you know, I had to put you through your duties today, so I sent the housekeeper instead.”

I reserved the rest of my comment. “If that is the case, I am more than ready to start working.”

GRACE

Fiona got off the stool and walked towards the exit. “It is almost three o’clock, Ruby should be on her way now.” I stood up and followed her. And when she stopped walking and raised a finger in mid-air, I stopped as well. But I didn’t raise my finger.

“Ruby’s father will be back around seven pm so you have to stay till then. But make sure that you resume early tomorrow. You need to be here by seven AM. If you can come earlier, that would be nice.”

“Thank you, Fiona.”

Our walking resumed and as we reached the grand living room, the front door opened and a little girl appeared.

She fully walked into the room, and my entire face lit up with a huge smile.

The little girl was very pretty. Donned in a black gown top that carried a pink flower in its centre and blue leggings, the girl made noise with her flip-flops as she ran towards Fiona.

“There is my baby.” Fiona hugged her to her bosom, almost burying the girl with her love and... her chest. When she dropped her, Ruby faced me. Her eyes were honey-like, and her purely black hair dropped in a way that made the roundness of her face pop.

After a brief eye contact, Ruby faced Fiona who was now taking off the girl’s backpack.

“Is she my new nanny?” Her voice was as it should be...like a child’s. It just was not so high-pitched like some girls tended to have.

“Yes, Ruby. Say Hello.”

She stretched out her tiny hand at me. “Hi. I am Ruby. You?” I noticed that she had a little lisp. It barely overpowered her speech, so it was not noticeable.

“Grace.” Your babysitter. Not a nanny.

“You are pretty.” She batted her lashes furiously, her face exposing deep dimples as she smiled.

“Thank you, Ruby. You are also pretty.”

“Do you want to go look at my toys? I have an Iron Man action figure.”

My, my. I was expecting some Barbie gang, but this is good.

I struck a dramatic pose. “Don’t tell me, you are a Marvel fan too?”

She jumped happily and smiled again. Damn, she is pretty. One can only imagine how good-looking her parents are. Come to think of it, there are no family pictures around.

“I am!” Ruby wasn’t acting as though I was some stranger, which I was. “I love The Hulk!”

“That is great. Shall we go upstairs and take a look at those action figures?” Fiona and I shared a smile and she gave me thumbs-up.

Ruby grabbed my hand, her little fingers hardly covering a quarter of mine. “Let’s go, Grace. We can even watch Thor too if you want.”

“I would love to.” I laughed loudly as she somewhat dragged me up the stairs.

She was a nice kid for sure. And I should totally enjoy this new job.

********

It was already past seven and Ruby’s father was yet to arrive. Ruby and I were in the living room, watching some children-approved YouTube videos. Fiona was still around and was making dinner in the kitchen.

As I pondered on how my night would be, a sound from the entrance door tore our eyes from the laptop.

“Daddy!” Ruby got up and rushed to the door, hugging the man before he could even enter.

“Hey, Ruby. How are you?”

I straightened my posture as I waited for him to come in. His voice sounded like the one over the phone and even though his attitude back then annoyed me a bit, I decided to be cool. He is my employer after all.

“I am fine, Daddy. I got a new nanny.” Babysitter. Say, babysitter. It is not so hard to say that.

“And she is very pretty.” The way she elaborately talked, you would think I was Priyanka Chopra.

“Nice. Let’s go in.”

I decided to walk closer to the door as it would be rude if my employer was the one having to walk towards me. As I reached the single-level step that led to the living room if you were coming from outside, I stopped.

I looked up from my shoe which I was checking to see if it had a stain from when Ruby painted.

And as soon as my eyes met Ruby’s father’s, my jaw slightly dropped.

Mr. Powers, the hot man I was getting married to in my head, was standing in front of me, his daughter settled in his arms while she wore a smile as though she had just won the lottery. He put her down and walked towards me. When he stopped just a few metres from the edge of the stairs, his blueish eyes looked down at me.

“Miss Sands. I heard you came early today.” Oh my God, his voice. It was so deep yet soft. “Good. Maintain that pace and you will have your job for a while.”

After serenading my ears with the calmness of his voice, Mr. Powers pocketed his hands into his suit trousers, which as I pointed out before, he wore handsomely. “I trust Fiona has put you through,” he said.

Not able to trust my mouth, I nodded, biting the insides of my lips as I clamped them shut. “Alright.”

And he walked away, his shoes climbing the steps gracefully while his scent left a trail.

I facepalmed myself and groaned inwardly.

How will I survive this?

How will I survive this job when my boss is a freaking hot, sexy, handsome man? How will I successfully babysit the daughter of the man I almost got married to in my imagination?

Oh, my poor hormones! It seems you guys have a tough fight ahead.

“Grace...” I dropped my hands from my face and gave Ruby a nice smile.

“Ruby, I have to go. I need to get as much rest as I can right now.”

“What? You are not staying for dinner?” Fiona suddenly appeared.

“No, Fiona. As you know I have to be up early tomorrow.” Drunk me is not going to be happy about that! But whatever! I have to be decent!

I thought in my head, saying the statements in a sing-song manner.

“I wish you were living with us. I can’t wait to see you again!” Ruby said and I walked to her after I grabbed my bag from Fiona who reached for it before I could.

“Ruby, I will be back tomorrow and maybe we can check out that pool you talked about.”

“Okay.” Her pout was sad but I appreciated that she liked me already. “Goodnight, Grace.”

My smile was genuine as I greeted back, “Goodnight, Ruby.”

My feet were about to move when an iPhone ringtone filled the room. I opened my bag to check if it was mine, but Fiona stopped me as she said, “Oh, that’s my phone. It is probably my son Kyle that’s calling.”

I felt my head swirl. Fiona must have noticed some physical change in my face when she raised her head from her already muted phone. “Darling, are you fine? You look rather pale.”

“I... I need to go now.” I managed to say. “Goodnight, Fiona. Have a nice journey.”

“Night. Sleep well.” I smiled and walked out of the room. Without pausing, I rushed to the elevator, punched my destination, and let out the breath I was keeping in.

Then, I thought, ‘What has Kyle done to me?’