AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My hair was different as well. I’d removed the lavender extensions that I’d worn that night, and I wore it pulled back, off my face this morning, going for a fresh, dewy look.
No badass fiery dragons parked outside waiting for me this morning.
“Go big, or go home,” I said aloud as I spotted the doorbell next to the oversized soft-green front door. I quickly applied another layer of lipstick, smacked my lips, and shook out my arms and body, tilting my neck to either side, hoping to relax into this potential life-changing event.
No pressure here.
The house, or rather the two-story mansion, appeared as though it was right out of an episode of Selling Sunset, only without the crazy views of L.A. Still, as far as size and the surrounding grounds went, it rivaled anything on that show. Greenery, potted plants, and shrubs decorated the front of the house, along with an impressive, long driveway. Who knew something like this even existed in Sweet Whiskey? Granted, this was located ten miles outside of town, and more in the Napa region, but still. I knew the Austin Sentry Band was popular, but I had no idea it was doing quite this well. It made me second guess why they would ever need Marcia’s services. They seemed to be doing just fine without her.
Of course, they hadn’t gone on tour in quite some time. An oversight that could bring a band down in no time. If you didn’t stay in front of the curve, you were destined to get lost in it. I had no idea why they’d stopped touring or why they’d become a local band of sorts.
I didn’t have the answers to either of these calamities, but I intended to find out. At least that was what I kept telling myself.
Still, my finger hovered over the doorbell for a moment. The scope of this place threw me off my game, but then I thought about the end game and saddled back up and pushed down on that doorbell, feeling my conviction return with gusto.
At least until the door swung open, and a shirtless Kasey West stood in front of me, wearing jeans so low on his hips, another inch or two, and I might have a view of the family jewels. From the bulge in his barely zipped jeans, that was some kind of impressive jewel. He held a black coffee mug and looked so sinfully adorable with his messy bed hair and sleepy eyes, I could feel the kinks building between my thoughts and my mouth with each passing moment of silence.
Which gave that delightful cliché an entirely new meaning: Go big or go home.
Liberty 4
“You’re not George,” Kasey said, half-smirking, as he shuffled his bare feet on the dark-gray wooden floor.
“No. I’m Liberty. Liberty Gallagher. I’m here for the nanny position.”
He hesitated speaking for a moment while he sipped from his mug. I figured this thing could go either way. He could just as likely tell me to come back later, as he could tell me to stay. I was hoping… praying even… for the latter.
“You’re way too early. I thought our first appointment wasn’t until ten. We never make appointments before ten… well… except with our groundskeeper, George. He’s one of those morning people, which apparently you are as well. Good for the kids, not so good for the dads.”
Okay, that told me Austin wasn’t the only guy with a kid. Good to know.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Should I come back later?”
I took a step back, pretending to retreat but hoping he wouldn’t allow it. I certainly didn’t want to make abadimpression right out of the gate.
“No. No. Come on in. There must’ve been some sort of time mix up at the agency.”
I wasn’t about to tell him there was no mix up. It was my own early bird-worm philosophy that brought me here.
He opened the door wider, and I walked inside. “Sorry about my…” he began. “Why don’t you have a seat in the living room. I’ll just be a minute. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?”
“I’m fine. Thanks.”
He showed me to the plush living room decorated in various shades of dark gray, dark blues, with white and lighter gray accents. I took a seat on the deep dark gray sofa, that threatened to engulf me if I leaned back on the sea of colorful pillows.
“Great. I’ll just be a minute,” he said and disappeared, abandoning me in a massive living room that overlooked a backyard designed for kids. I could hardly believe all the bright colors that dominated most of the space. There were two playhouses. Not plastic playhouses, but wooden ones that looked as if someone had shrunk them down from actual homes. One looked like a country cottage, while the other was more urban. Then there was a massive spaceship dwelling, with a slide that protruded from the second floor and one from the third. Not to mention all the trucks, cars, dolls, and other toys I couldn’t even identify. I’d never seen so many toys in one place that weren’t inside an actual toy store. FAO Schwarz in New York City had nothing on this backyard.
“Who are you?” a young voice asked, as I pulled another pillow behind my back which enabled me to sit upright and feel somewhat comfortable. “Are you my new nanny?”
I looked down, expecting to see Austin’s little girl. Instead, a little boy stood in front of me, holding a small fuzzy bright-blue blanket and a book that was almost as big as he was. He wore Godzilla pajamas, while he gazed up at me with some of the biggest, bluest eyes I’d ever seen.
“I don’t know, yet. Who are you?”
“I’m Hank Rivera. I live here. I’m almost four years old. How old are you?”
I liked him already. Not the least bit intimidated by my presence.
“I’m Liberty Gallagher and umm… I’m twenty-six years old.”
