“Yes, he is. He and his daughters brought Fiesta in yesterday.”
“Does he want to adopt the cat?”
“No. I don’t know what he wants.”
“I’ll get back to him as soon as I can, but the way this day’s going, that might not be until this evening.”
“He said whenever you have time would be fine.”
“Good. No pressure. That’s what I like from a man.” She sighed. “I’m going to check the work on the expansion porch for the cats. That’s where I’ll be if anybody needs me.”
After Rebekah turned in that direction, Emma returned to Fiesta. She hadn’t told Daniel and his daughters but Fiesta wasn’t eating as she should. Emma hoped she just needed to become acclimated, but she’d ask the vet, Doc J, to check her again when he made his rounds tomorrow morning.
She would keep her focus on the cat, not on Daniel Sutton.
* * *
Daniel didn’t like the atmosphere when he and his daughters exited Furever Paws. They were quiet—much too quiet. Maybe he should consider adopting Fiesta. Paris had seemed more outgoing around the cat. Penny and Pippa were obviously affectionate with her. One thing he had to be with his kids was flexible.
He could check YouTube for cats, pregnancy and delivery.
That evening he did just that. He’d never looked into the care of animals that much, and now he realized the extent of the volunteers’ work at Furever Paws. They had to love what they were doing. In many ways it was similar to running a day care for kids.
There was a light rap on his den door. When he turned, he saw Paris. That was a surprise. She usually didn’t seek him out. “What’s up?” he asked nonchalantly.
“I want to keep practicing with the swim team this summer. Are you going to let me? I need the exercise and swimming is one of the best ways to get it.”
He knew Paris was correct in her assessment that swimming was great exercise, but he wished she wanted to be part of the team for the sportsmanship and camaraderie. Lydia had used exercise for weight control and had become almost obsessive about it. He didn’t want Paris to emulate that behavior.
“I’ll consider it, but I want you to consider attending one of these educational camps this summer.”
Wrinkling her nose, Paris frowned. “Are you serious? Is this a negotiation?”
He didn’t know if becoming a lawyer was in the genes, but Paris sure had some of his. “I guess you could say that, or you could call it a compromise. What do you think?”
“If that’s the only way I get to be on the summer swim team, okay.” With that she turned and left his office.
He thought about going after her and furthering their discussion, but his landline phone rang. He scooped it up from the desk and saw the caller ID—R Taylor was calling. “Hello, Miss Taylor. I see you received my message.”
“I did. How can I help you?”
“It’s about Emma Alvarez.”
“Yes?” she asked, prompting him.
“I’m thinking about hiring her. Would you give her a recommendation?”
“I’d give Emma five stars in everything she does. She’s an enthusiastic volunteer, and she doesn’t just do the work, she feels the work. She has a connection to the animals.”
“Did she give you references?”
“Certainly. I wouldn’t have taken her on if she hadn’t. Even volunteers go through a background check and vetting process. Her references are stellar. If I had to sum it up, I’d say she’s reliable, prompt and a problem solver, besides being patient with animals.”
That was all Daniel needed to know. Those recommendations would be a perfect résumé for a nanny. “Can you tell me if she’s volunteering tomorrow?”
“Actually, yes. She’ll be here after ten.”
Daniel knew exactly where he’d be headed after church tomorrow—to Furever Paws to find a solution to one very big problem.
The next morning after church, Daniel stopped at Furever Paws with Paris, Penny and Pippa. They’d been less restless in church today because they’d known they would be coming here afterward.
After they went inside, it took a volunteer a bit of time to find Emma. They were finally told that she was in the dog room, cleaning cages. Daniel and his girls went that way.
He rapped on the window and Emma saw him. She smiled and came out.
Penny asked, “Can we go in and play with a puppy?”
“I’ll let two out of their cages,” Emma said. “We have beagle puppies, who are adorable.” After she did that and the girls were engaged, Emma returned to Daniel. “I understand you wanted to speak with me.”
“I do. I’d like somewhere more private, but I know you have to keep an eye on the girls.”
“Yes, I do. If the puppies become overexcited or your daughters get too rambunctious, I’ll have to step in.”
Daniel had pulled a folded paper from his back pocket. He could see in Emma’s eyes that she was wondering what it was. “Let me begin by saying I talked with Rebekah about you.”
Emma’s mouth opened and she immediately asked, “Did I do something wrong?”
“Oh, no! Nothing like that.” He reached for her and clasped her elbow. “You’ve done everything right according to Rebekah. You’re a five-star volunteer.”
Emma smiled but gradually her smile slipped away. “I still don’t understand why you needed to talk with her about me.”
“You need a job, and I need a nanny-slash-housekeeper.”
Emma studied him for a long moment, and he saw wariness in her eyes. He didn’t blame her.
“Since my last nanny left, my sister Shannon has been watching the girls when I need her to. But the problem is... I’m taking advantage of her. She has a three-year-old and it’s hard for her to watch her toddler and my three kids. With the girls out of school now, she’s coming over to my house to watch them. She does her best, but it’s too much to ask her to keep track of everything going on in my house and in hers, too. Paris called me yesterday, and I had to run home to settle a few issues. My daughters are more important to me than any work, but I have to work to sustain us all. I’ve interviewed people for the nanny position,” he went on, “and I just can’t find anyone I like.”
“Why me?” Emma asked, maybe looking a bit interested now.
“Because from the first day I walked in here with Paris, Pippa and Penny, they related to you. You’re compassionate and caring and seem to be able to handle them better than I do. I know expertise when I see it.”
“I’ve never been a nanny. I was an office manager.”
“If you throw in compassion, kindness and firmness, there’s not much difference between an office manager and a nanny, don’t you think?”
Emma smiled at his wry tone. “I don’t know, Daniel...”
He handed her the paper in his hand. “This is a list of my references. You can check them all.”
When she still seemed hesitant, he added, “The job includes room and board. There’s an in-law suite. You’d have privacy when you need it.”
Emma studied the paper.