Never admit that you can't do something when there's google.
What a rubbish advice.
It had gotten Iona into a number of unnecessary situations.
The first time she had heard it, it sounded genius to her. She had been at her worst and turning down jobs even the ones you couldn't do was just plain stupid.
After getting into rubbish situations because of never saying no she had decided to stop except it had become a nasty habit of hers. She was always thinking why not, what could be so difficult until she personally experienced the struggle.
And she had done it again.
She didn't need to begin experiencing the struggle to know why her future boss had just asked her that question.
But she couldn't own up now.
Actually she felt this was the worse occasion to own up. She had felt that because of her easy rapport with Mr Bentley she had gained an edge which was true but there was no such thing as too much edge. She didn't know how many other potential nannies he was going to interview.
She could be the nanny with the spice.
The nanny who could help set up his house.
She would of course make it known that she would charge separately for her house organisation and decor skills. She knew enough to not do any work out of her job description witout extra pay.
She didn't think Mr Bentley was that kind of guy but with bosses you could never tell.
'That's quite the relief Miss Quinn', he grinned and Iona was almost blinded by the lights reflecting on his teeth and the tiny sparkly in his ear.
'I've been thinking about how to decorate and organise this house for my kids. My childhood home was homely and that's the kind of vibe I'm going for. I've been feeling like if I paid someone to decorate they wouldn't capture what I want'.
He paused and narrowed his eyes at her
'Miss Quinn do you have a husband or a boyfriend?'
Iona was taken aback but she casually answered in the negative.
'But do you have any experience with homely or family like decor perhaps from your childhood home'.
Iona almost snorted out loud. She knew the kind of home he was reffering to. The kinds that were stable, the kinds you walked into and could hear laughter accompanied by the smell of home cooked meals. She hadn't grown up in a home like that or ever lived in one, she hadn't made one with anyone either. Yet she replied...
'Yes I do'.
This time it wasn't exactly a lie. The three years she had spent working for the Stevensons was her closest experience.
The home cooked meals were by a five star rated chef.
The laughter was in the soundproof children playroom.
And the decor, Mrs. Stevenson had actually supervised the interior decorator and she had gone for that perfect homely look too.
'That's great. I have an offer for you. I don't want you to decorate my house, I would rather you teach me. My boys would be here next week and I want this place arranged and decorated to mine and their personal taste. Of course this is a separate job from being a nanny'.
More money?
Iona didn't have to be asked twice.
'Alright. The house is quite big so I'll need sometime to calculate the charge'.
'Can you have a number by tommorrow?'
She would have a number after a thorough google search so she nodded.
'Perfect. Thank you Miss Quinn. Now are you ready for your interview?'.
Iona replied in the positive and Mr Bentley led her out of the living room and towards were she assumed would be his study.
She was right. They stopped at a wooden door just before the entrance hall and Mr Bentley pushed it open holding the door for her.
Iona walked into a whole coperate organisation. Mr Bentley's study was so formally organised that she had to catch a glimpse of the hallway as Mr Bentley pulled the door shut to make sure she was still in his home.
The room was neat and dust free. It looked nothing like a home study and more like an office at the top floor of a high rise building. Only the floor to ceiling windows that gave a view into the backyard seemed out of place.
'It looks like you've already gotten some help here'.
'My personal assistant, Michelle got someone to set this up. It has a great atmosphere of detachment so I can come in here to focus on work and forget I'm home. I can also spy on my kids when they are playing in the backyard, the glass is the one way kind'.
Mr Bentley paused, his eyes remained on her for longer than a second then he moved behind his desk and sat motioning for her to take the seat across from him.
'Please sit Miss Quinn'.
Iona sat in the most formal way she could and confidently looked straight at Mr Bentley. In their seated position there was no elevation in their gazes. His eyes and hers were on the same horizontal line.
Iona felt threatened by the pull she felt towards Mr Bentley but she couldn't walk away. This job was a golden opportunity and she would just have to deal with whatever this was.
Put some cold water to the fire.
Clip the wings of the butterflies in her stomach.
She had done it all before, she knew herself enough to know when she was entering the gates of her emotions and she was strong enough to slam it shut. So even as her eyes discreetly roamed Mr Bentley she searched for flaws that would work against him.
She only found all the things she liked and things she knew she would grow to like.
It was infuriating.
It was frustrating how when humans stepped out everyday even when they weren't looking for love or attraction or chemistry there was always that radar beneath the surface scanning without permission. And when this undercover radar found something it latched on so tight, it was a fight to be free of it.
Iona had won every single fight she had ever been in.
'So Miss Quinn, tell me about yourself'.
There was nothing unattractive about his bass voice and the way his words flowed out from his pink lips like cursive writings in the air.
Iona-0, Mr Bentley 1.
Iona began to recite everything she had rehearsed throwing in some spontaneous creativity along the way. The whole time Mr Bentley sat and listened.
He was a gazing listener, his attention was on her one hundred percent and he never once glanced away.
A perfect fit to her random talkativeness.
Iona-0, Mr Bentley-2.
He asked her about her confidence in jogging the pursuit of a degree and caring for his kids.
She answered explaining her experience with Emily and Stacy and the things she would do better with his boys.
He nodded smilling and the sharp tips of his fangs scored him another point.
By the time he was done interviewing her, Mr Bentley had amassed seven strong points in total.
But Iona was persistent.
'Miss Quinn', Mr Bentley began 'I am beyond impressed by your expertise and qualifications and I believe that you would be a good influence on my boys'.
He paused and Iona watched the swirl of emotions in his eyes and demeanor when he mentioned his boys. It scored him another two points.
'I had a nanny before and she was good with my boys but I had to fire her because even though I payed her salary her loyalty was not to me'.
'Miss Quinn, I have two seven year old boys who have different mothers'. He paused again and Iona guessed it was to help her soak up the situation.
When she had no physical reaction, he continued.
'My sons mothers are not on the best of terms. Quite frankly they hate each other and that is keeping my boys from each other. As a father I can't bear to have them so separated. What I'm saying is that this job requires you to keep a secret. My sons mothers mustn't know that they live together in my house in the same week. I need you to be loyal to me Miss Quinn, you will undoubtedly come across my sons mothers in your line of work and you mustn't let it slip that I have them over at the same time'.
Iona raised her brows.
Nine points in total and nothing like double messy baby mama drama to ruin it.
She smiled widely there was a winner.
DING! DING! DING!
Iona-36, Mr Bentley-9.