In any case, the boys were clearly anxious to enjoy her interpretation of the present story, perhaps even with the finger puppets, if she was willing.
“I guess it would be all right for Miss Stephanie to read to you,” he conceded, surrendering both the chair and the book to her.
“Okay,” she agreed, her dark eyes shining and a sweet smile on her face. “But only this one time. You like it best when your daddy reads to you, right?”
Both boys nodded in response to her animated question and Drew shook his head in amazement. Stephanie had somehow managed to put an enthusiastic spin on something that would otherwise have been uncomfortable and demoralizing for him.
It was almost as if she’d been able to read his thoughts and empathize with his feelings, which was an uncomfortable notion. The last thing he needed right now was a woman in his head.
“So, where are we?” Stephanie asked brightly.
Not you. We.
The way she instantly and effortlessly integrated herself into the family was unsettling, to say the least.
“Uh, Noah, I think,” he answered, smothering the catch in his voice by feigning a cough.
Stephanie might not have noticed his forced enthusiasm, but his father raised a suspicious eyebrow. Drew pretended not to notice.
He sat on the edge of Jamey’s bed and pulled the little guy into his lap, and then urged Matty to come cuddle with him, as well. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, after all, being able to sit here with the boys in his arms.
“A long, long time ago, there was a man named Noah. God told him he had to build an ark—that’s a big boat,” Stephanie began, holding the book so everyone could see it.
Drew had to admit Stephanie was a good storyteller. Even his father was enthralled, hobbling over and perching on the edge of Jamey’s bed next to Drew so he could watch the story in action.
Stephanie was vivacious and animated and brought the story to life with the little finger puppets. If he was being honest, she was a far better storyteller than he. And this was clearly not her first time using finger puppets. She was a natural.
She must have often read books to the children she cared for in New Jersey, or maybe even for a library story time. He could see her doing that, captivating other little children with her storytelling as much as she was with his own kids right now.
He really didn’t know that much about her, beyond what he’d read in her resume. There were a lot of blank spots in her history, more than words on paper would be able to convey. He’d have to remedy that if she was going to stay.
Wait.
What was with the if?
Of course she was going to stay. He had invited her. Hired her. No room for second thoughts now.
With effort, Drew turned his attention back to the story. Stephanie had given each boy one of the finger puppets and was drawing both of them into the action, retelling the story she’d just read to them with their own words and their own character voices.
Why hadn’t he ever thought of that? The kids would retain the Biblical account much better if they were actively involved.
That sealed it—Stephanie was definitely going to be good for the boys. Maybe it was good that he had hired a nanny, even if it was only temporary, until the school term ended and he could be home with the boys for the summer, or at least until he’d had that court hearing at the end of May.
The twins retold the story several times, and then Stephanie tucked the puppets away and replaced the book on the bookshelf. All of the adults gathered around and listened to the boys recite their prayers as Drew tucked them in, pulling their comforters up under their chins and kissing each of the boys on the forehead.
Stephanie’s face turned a pretty shade of pink when Matty named her specifically and asked God to bless her. Drew closed his eyes and prayed right along with his sons. Their family, the nanny included, needed all the prayers they could get.
Afterward, he retrieved Stephanie’s bags from the rental car and made sure she was comfortable in the room above the garage. Before becoming Stephanie’s quarters, the room had been his study, where he often went to read or grade papers after the boys were asleep. But when he’d decided the best thing for his family was a full-time, live-in nanny, giving her the room over the garage only made sense. He’d removed a file cabinet, relocated a couple of bookshelves and made the addition of a queen-size bed and a dresser. Voilà—comfortable living quarters.
Of course, that was from his perspective—which even he had to admit was unembellished and completely male. He had no idea what Stephanie would think of the room. He didn’t know her well enough to guess, and he didn’t know what kind of conditions she’d come from, what she might have to compare it with.
No doubt she’d experienced more opulence than he could ever afford. After all, her last position was for a wealthy political household in New Jersey. Did her parents have money? What kind of living had she made as a nanny? How different were city accommodations versus what he could offer her in Serendipity?
He scoffed and shook his head at his own extraneous thoughts. He was going to short-circuit himself worrying about the dozens of unanswered questions whisking around in his brain, and he had enough to be anxious about already.
Like Heather, and being served with legal papers.
Drew took a much-needed breath of fresh air on the back porch. Quincy needed his nighttime outing, anyway, so Drew figured he might as well take a few minutes to see if he could get his whirling mind to quiet down a little, but he ended up ruminating on how his life had come to this point.
His ex-wife had taken his heart and trampled on it. He’d tried to save his marriage, even seeing a counselor, but he couldn’t do it alone. All his prayers and actions had been for nothing. Heather didn’t want to be a wife. She’d balked at the notion of being tied down to house and home.
To his surprise and dismay, Heather hadn’t even wanted to see the boys, except for the occasional weekend. And even when she’d planned to spend time with them, she’d often been late. Once she hadn’t bothered to show up at all, and Drew had been left with two disappointed three-year-olds to console.
Now she suddenly wanted full custody? He’d never felt so powerless. Didn’t the courts usually side with the mother?
What could he do that he wasn’t already doing? Jamey and Matty were in a difficult and possibly dangerous situation, since he suspected Heather would neglect them even if she won custody, leaving them with their maternal grandparents at best, or any one of her string of boyfriends at worst. And there was nothing he could do to stop the chain of events that was unfolding.
Except the fact that he’d hired Stephanie. He prayed that having a nanny for the boys would make a difference at the court hearing. He didn’t know how else to show something as intangible as love and devotion.
Shivering, he folded his arms and sighed. It wasn’t the cold night air getting to him, but rather the chill inside his chest.
There was one thing he could do. On his own, he was bare and vulnerable. But he wasn’t on his own. God in His Providence would take care of the twins. He had to believe that. God was in control of his future, and his sons’ well-being. His children were protected in the palm of the Master’s hand.
Drew bowed his head and thanked God for His many blessings. He had health and a home, and bounteous food on the table. He had family—his father, for all his gruffness, and his precious twins.
And he had Stephanie, the woman who might make the difference between his being able to secure custody of his twins or not.
God bless them all.
Chapter Three
Why did