“Okay,” Quinn said, and trailed behind Jennifer, hoping her jaw wasn’t hanging open. A girl living in foster care never saw a house like this. Ever.

  High-pitched ceilings with exposed beams. Big rooms, fancy furniture that at least looked comfortable, a huge fireplace…and that was just the first room she walked by.

  Next was a formal dining room that didn’t look like it’d been used often, then a small half bath, and a few more closed doors—she wasn’t sure what could possibly be behind them.

  Finally, a kitchen, and she was pretty sure she was drooling. State-of-the-art everything. Her head was spinning. It was a chef’s dream. She’d worked in restaurants that didn’t have appliances this nice.

  “Max told me you’re a cook, so I don’t need to show you around the kitchen, I’m sure. Which is good because the only thing I can do is turn the crockpot on, or boil a pan of water. Sometimes I turn the oven on, but not often. Maybe for boxed brownies if the kids beg enough.”

  Such a waste, but Quinn didn’t voice that thought. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “Are you normally a peacemaker?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I can see you’re trying to stay neutral with your comments. That will work well with the kids, but not always.”

  “Oh. Well, I’m not sure how much Max told you about me,” Quinn said, hesitating.

  “He’s told me everything about your background, if that is what you’re asking,” Jennifer said, not showing any signs of judgment.

  “Then you know I was in foster care. You learn fast to either fight, flee, or make peace. I decided to make peace. It was easier that way.”

  “I think you’ll do well here.”

  “You do?” Quinn asked, hoping, but not sure why Jennifer said that.

  “Yeah. I’ve got a good feeling about you.”

  “Is she here? Is she here?”

  Quinn turned her head to see a young girl with long curly brown hair running up a set of stairs off to the side of what looked to be an extremely large and comfortable family room next to the kitchen.

  “Lara, I told you I’d call you up.” Jennifer turned and said, “Quinn, this is Lara. She’s nine and very chatty. I hope you have earplugs. Lara, what do you say to Quinn?”

  The little girl walked forward, faded jeans on, mismatched socks, and a light blue shirt with a kitten on the front. “It’s nice to meet you. You’re young.”

  Jennifer sighed loudly. “What have I told you, Lara?”

  “What?” Lara asked innocently. “She is younger than you.” Then Lara turned to Quinn. “Do you know how to use the computer? Or the iPad? Jennifer isn’t very good with anything electronic. We have to show her everything.”

  Quinn bit back a laugh. The girl was really adorable with her cherub face and rosy cheeks, all smiles and almost bouncing on her toes.

  “I do know how to use them.” Not that she owned a computer or iPad, because she didn’t.

  “Phew, that’s good. She’s already better than you, Jennifer.”

  “Lara Marie,” Jennifer said sternly, then rolled her eyes and laughed.

  Lara ran over and gave Jennifer a big hug. “I still love you though, Jennifer, and I’m going to miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too, sweetie. You can call me anytime you want.”

  “Can you Skype with me?” Lara asked as she leaned back to grin at Jennifer.

  “Ah sure. I’ll figure it out somehow.”

  Quinn found the whole interaction endearing. So far her nerves were diminishing. The little girl was actually relaxing her and almost accepting her without qualms.

  “Lara,” Jennifer said, “why don’t you go get Davey and tell him to come meet Quinn.”

  Quinn watched as Lara ran back to the stairs. “I’ll never get a word in with her up here now, so I might as well have them come up and we can all talk. Max is at the hospital. He’s sorry he couldn’t be here when you arrived, but he’ll be home in a few hours, if you don’t mind staying until then.”

  “Not a problem. I’m sure there’s a lot to say and show me. I’ve got all day.”

  “Great. And here is Davey.”

  Quinn turned to see the boy walk into the kitchen. He hadn’t made much of a sound and he wasn’t showing an ounce of expression right now, either. “Hi,” he said quietly.

  “Davey doesn’t talk much,” Lara said. “Unlike me. Daddy says I talk enough for everyone in the whole house.”

  Davey snorted, but didn’t say much else. She could see he might be a tough nut to crack. But she’d taken care of her younger brothers and been around tougher kids in foster care. She was pretty sure she could handle it.

  “Does Daddy know how young you are?” Lara asked. Before Quinn could say anything, Lara continued, “You know they say the nanny should never be young and pretty. I heard it on TMZ. It can break up a marriage.”

  “Oh good Lord, Lara,” Jennifer said and laughed out loud. “Go sit in the living room and watch TV with your brother while I talk with Quinn. And stop watching TMZ.”

  Quinn didn’t know what to say to that. She guessed she was thankful there was no marriage to worry about, not that that would have been a fear. Heck, she couldn’t even remember much of what Max looked like. She was more focused on the job than anything about him on a personal level.

  Yeah, that was a lie—she remembered he was big and good-looking. She still was more focused on the job, so any thoughts of him on a personal level would have to be locked away. She was good at pushing her feelings aside. She’d done it her whole life. She was a master now.

  “It’s a good thing Davey is quiet. Lara’s right. She talks enough for everyone in the house. Come on back here and I’ll explain their routine as best I can.”

  Quinn followed Jennifer to the other end of the kitchen, away from where the kids were now watching some show she’d never seen before with flying characters. “I’m good with schedules.”

  “Perfect! Because I’ve got it all outlined on paper right here. The kids are very busy, but once they’re in school, the house is yours.”

  Unbelievable. She had to be dreaming. There was no way this was happening right now. Things like this didn’t happen to her.

  Good Riddance

  Two hours later, Jennifer was showing her around the kitchen, pointing out where the food was stored, pots and pans, and anything else she’d need. They chatted nonstop prior while Jennifer showed her around the house. The house that had more bedrooms than Quinn could count.

  And she couldn’t forget the “staff quarters”—better known as her suite. It was bigger than her tiny apartment. She even had a small fridge and microwave in there.

  “Max bought this house when he moved here. The previous owners had a live-in housekeeper and cook. It worked out well. The kids are old enough that I don’t need to be on the same floor as them. They can call me from the intercom easy enough if need be. Besides, Max is upstairs too, and he deals with the kids at night. The house isn’t really that big.”

  Which Quinn thought was a joke, because she thought the house was massive. It was a mansion in her eyes, though she was sure many would disagree with her.

  When she stopped and thought about it, there were only four bedrooms and three full baths upstairs. She’d started to count when she realized she’d be cleaning this house.

  The other rooms downstairs that had closed doors were Max’s office, and another guest bedroom and full bath. Jennifer told her the extra bedrooms never got used since Max rarely had guests, so she didn’t need to do much with them other than dust once in a while.

  At least the house was nice and clean, so it wasn’t like Quinn had to do much more than maintain it. Though Davey’s bathroom wasn’t that wonderful. Or his bedroom for that matter. Boys.

  “Do you want to stay for dinner? Max should be home in about thirty minutes.”

  “That would be great. Do you mind if I cook?” Quinn asked.

  She wanted to eliminate any possibility she wouldn’t get this job. Cooking was her comfort zone and the easiest way she could impress them.

  “I was actually hoping you would,” Jennifer said, chuckling.

  Unfortunately, Quinn wasn’t sure how much she could impress anyone with the offerings in the house.

  In the end, she threw together a quick warm potato and bacon salad and decided to make paninis with the amount of sandwich meat she discovered in the refrigerator. At least it was good quality meat and cheese.

  The best part was the loaf of artisan bread she saw on the counter that Jennifer said she’d picked up the day before.

  Trying to improve on what she had, she made an herb butter and coated it on the outside of the bread, then let each kid pick their own choice of sandwich meat. She was thrilled they were open-minded and weren’t afraid to try something new. She even encouraged them to be creative, especially since there were some nice avocados in the house, too.

  “Daddy likes the avocados,” Lara told her.

  “Does he like bacon?”

  Davey snorted. “Everyone likes bacon.”

  Quinn couldn’t have said it better herself. “Okay then, what kind of sandwich meat does he like?”

  “Turkey. I like turkey.”

  Quinn turned to see Max standing there. She hadn’t heard him come in, but he must have come in from the garage, which was by the suite she’d be staying in. If she got the job.

  How could she have forgotten how he looked? She knew she was focused on the job, but now that she’d made it this far, she took a better look at him.

  He was in jeans and a sweater. Nothing fancy for a doctor just returning from the hospital.

  She wasn’t sure how tall he was, but he looked to be about six foot, give or take an inch. Much taller than her, as Lara had so kindly pointed out earlier when she laughed and said Davey was taller than she was and he was only eleven.

  Dark hair, and not-so-dark eyes. Hazel maybe. They definitely weren’t blue. Still clean-shaven, thick eyebrows, but not overpowering his face. A face that on second thought she wouldn’t call handsome, but more like manly. Manly went further with her than handsome any day. Studly just made her laugh, and he definitely wasn’t that.

  As a master of disguising her thoughts and feelings, she quelled her racing heart and did her darnedest to stop the blush on her face. Yeah, he was attractive and she had to stop thinking about it.

  He walked forward and offered his hand. “It’s nice to see you again. I’m glad you could come out and meet with us.”

  Oh yeah, large hands. Yep, she didn’t forget that. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity.”

  “My pleasure, judging by the smell in here. Do you use a crockpot?” he asked.

  Quinn wasn’t sure where this was going, and hesitated on how to answer. Especially since Jennifer had said that was all she used.

  “I have before, but not often. I could use it more if you’d like.”

  He turned and walked away, leaving her staring at his back. Jennifer laughed, and Lara started to jump up and down, clapping her hands. “Yay,” Lara yelled.

  What the heck was going on? Max opened the pantry door, then came out with the crockpot in his hand and promptly dropped it in the garbage. “Good riddance.”

  “That’s cruel, Max,” Jennifer said. “My heart just broke.”

  “Yeah, well, my stomach broke a year ago.”

  Then everyone laughed again, including Quinn.

  ***

  On the drive home, Max had started to wonder what he was doing. If it was smart to bring Quinn in and introduce his kids to her.

  He wasn’t trying to be snobby or judgmental. She’d obviously had a hard life and it looked like she was trying to turn it around.

  She definitely wasn’t afraid of hard work. All of her references had verified that. Most were sorry they couldn’t give her more hours, and were upset they might be losing her if he offered her the job.

  So once that bridge had been crossed, he started to worry more about her as a person. She seemed kind of young to him. He knew she had to grow up fast, but could she be a good role model for his kids?

  Then he wanted to kick himself for thinking that. Anyone he hired could be a good or bad role model. He knew that.

  With that in mind, he decided to do exactly what she offered. Give her a chance. A three-month trial period.

  While Jennifer still lived at the house, Quinn could come and go until she was ready to move in. They could work those details out. There was plenty enough space in the house for both of them if it worked out having her there earlier.

  Then he’d see how they got along the next month and go from there.

  When he walked into the kitchen and smelled the food, all thoughts of trial periods left his brain. His focus was completely overtaken by the aroma in the house. Food that wasn’t frozen, prepackaged or didn’t come out of a crockpot, overly cooked to death and every bite tasting the same as the bite before it.

  There was Quinn. She wasn’t that big of a girl. A woman, he reminded himself, even though he was unsure of her age. Had to be late twenties he guessed, by her timeline of history.

  She was plain. Nothing fancy, nothing special really. Straight blonde hair that was pulled back at the restaurant and again now. Light eyes, but not blue…green maybe. No makeup, but she had a good complexion and healthy skin. As a plastic surgeon, he took note of those things.

  Still, she was young and he didn’t know anything about her. He was used to having Jennifer in the house. Jennifer, who was fifteen years older than him, never married and never wanted to be. She never even wanted her own children, which surprised him since she was so good with Lara and Davey.

  Jennifer was wise beyond her years and a good sounding board for him when he needed it. When he needed someone to confide in regarding the children, and even his own life. The person who helped hold his life together the last two years.

  Now everything was going to change. Not just for the kids, but also for him.

  At least it looked like he’d be getting some good food out of it, and even more surprising was the fact the kids were putting together their own sandwiches.

  “Daddy, I’m making yours. Quinn showed me how. She said we should learn to cook at an early age.”

  Okay, that was nice to hear. He always thought the kids should do more around the house. He didn’t want them to always rely on someone else, but Jennifer never let the kids do anything for themselves. It was the only disagreement they’d ever had.

  Jennifer felt she was paid to do it, so she should. He felt the kids needed to learn to do for themselves. So far, this was off to a good start.

  “I can’t wait to taste it. It sure does smell good in here. Is that just from the sandwiches?” he asked, then looked around the kitchen trying to figure out what else was going on.

  “I made a warm potato and bacon salad with a few other herbs mixed in. I think that’s what you’re smelling. I put together an herb butter that we slathered on the bread too. We were just waiting for you to come home to cook them all at once.”

  “Are you making grilled cheese with meat in it?” he asked, slightly confused as to what was being cooked.

  “We’re making paninis, silly,” Lara told him. “Quinn said if you use the Foreman Grill it makes nice warm sandwiches. I bet it’s better than when Jennifer uses it for burgers and squishes them down flat.”

  “Lara!” Max said.

  “It’s okay, Max,” Jennifer said, laughing. “She hears you criticize my food all the time.”

  Max cringed and looked at Quinn. “Sorry. I guess that’s wrong of me.”

  “It’s okay,” Quinn said. “Everyone is good at something. Cooking just might not be Jennifer’s thing.”

  “She’s a peacemaker, Max,” Jennifer said, smirking at him.

  “That might be a nice change of pace from the taskmaster over there with her reams of paper lists.” He was glad Quinn laughed when he said that, showing she had a sense of humor.

  “Well, if everyone has their sandwiches put together, let’s get them in this grill. Lara and Davey, do you want to go first?”

  Lara jumped up and moved close to Quinn. Davey didn’t move as fast, but he at least looked interested, which was better than the sulking that Davey seemed to be doing lately. It reminded Max he had to talk to Jennifer some more and find out what she thought might be going on with Davey. It’s not like Davey ever wanted to talk to his father, no matter how much Max tried.

  But at the moment, all he cared about was the happy expression on Lara’s face and the relaxed one on Davey’s.

  They were getting there, he was positive. Maybe with the help of Quinn, the kids could start to heal fully.

  A Little Excited

  Monday morning, Quinn pulled in front of Max’s medical practice. It sure didn’t look like a doctor’s office to her, but rather a really fancy one-story house. An extremely big fancy one-story house, though.

  Time to get this show on the road. She took a deep breath and climbed out of the car, zipping her fleece jacket up to her neck, hoping to block out the cold.

  She prayed an early winter wasn’t coming, but she’d learned that just like life, there was no predicting the weather. It always went whichever way it wanted to, regardless of what you thought.

  Take her life, for example. Last week she’d written this job off as a pipe dream. Something that was too good to be true for her anyway.

  Now here she was walking into Max’s office to fill out employment papers and a background check authorization.

  She was trying not to be nervous. She’d told him her background already, but she didn’t think she’d be coming to his office and filling out official forms like this, either. Not in front of other people.

  Opening the main door, she glanced around at the reception area and took note of how homey it looked—not sterile like any doctor’s office she’d ever been in. Of course, most of the doctor’s offices she’d been in were run-down clinics really.