Because of the silhouette caused but the lighting, the most Meghan could tell about the scene in the distance was that the tall man weathered the blow and scooped the little girl into his arms to carry her back with him.
"Hi", he called as he did.
Meghan assumed he was Lucas Macaulay. She rarely recognized him, too, when she got her first clear view of him as he joined them in the entryway. He hadn't had the kind of transformation his sister had, but Meghan didn't recall him being so staggeringly handsome,either.
Broad shoulders and a lean muscular body went with the height that was at least an inch over six foot. His hair was a shiny walnut brown that he wore slightly long with the top swept to one side and sideburns that were a sexy fraction of an inch longer than Meghan was used to,too. He had perfectly peaked lips, a straight nose and translucent, pale, pale eyes that were so mesmerizing that it took Meg a moment to stop staring at them and realize he had suggested that they go into the living room.
"So, you're Meghan" he said when they had, motioning for Meghan to sit on the rocking chair across the coffee table while Hadley sat on the tweed sofa. He took up the other end of the couch,setting Tiara on his jean clad lap so she could rest back against his yellow polo shirt.
"Yes, I'm Meghan"
He was studying her closely, and being under the scrutiny of those remarkable eyes that had an almost ethereal quality to them made the butterflies take wing in her stomach again.
Then, he said "I remember your brother Jared- he was a year older than me....."
"And I was the same age as your brother Noah" Hadley put in.
"But other than that" Lucas took up where his sister has left off "I only have a faint recollection of two redheaded Perry girls".
"Kate and I both have red hair. We're the youngest of the four kids," Meghan contributed. "And don't feel bad, I can't say I honestly remember you two either"
"So, we start afresh" Lucas decreed
"Sounds good to me" Meghan answered.
With that settled, Lucas said "From what Hadley told me about you, there's no question that you can do the job.... you have a doctorate in child psychology?".
"Right" Meghan could see that left him wondering why she was there for a nanny job, so she tried to avoid any questions she might not want to answer and said "I am just taking a little time away from it to have the summer back home."
That kept him from digging any deeper. "And Hadley checked your references - you come auth nothing but high praise, so I can't see anything for me to worry about with you. I'm thinking maybe I should give you an idea of what I want in this end and you can decide if it's a job you're willing to spend your time doing ".
"Okay ", Meg agreed, wishing she wasn't finding it so difficult to concentrate. And she didn't understand why she was. She talked to parents all the time- even some who were notably attractive - and she'd never had any problem. But for some reason, she just kept getting lost in looking at Lucas Macaulay, at comparing the man he was now with the boy she barely remembered and judging him somehow so much better looking.
Stop it! She told herself firmly, glancing at Tiara for a moment's diversion as the little girl raised the goggles to her forehead again, climbed down from her father's lap and went to tease the puppies with a chew toy.
"We bought this place because it gives us housing, workspace a showroom and some future expansion possibilities all in one" was the first thing Meghan actually heard again. "That means that we'll be living, working and running out business from here, but I still want it to be a relaxed, family atmosphere."
Meghan knew Lucas Macaulay and Chase Mackey - another Northbridge native- were the Mackey and Macaulay of Mackey and Macaulay Furniture Designs, and that that was the business he was talking about.
"Of course, Tia's safety is important" he was saying. "In all the usual ways, but I also don't like to have her around the workshop when any of the equipment is being used - a lot of our tools and equipment are dangerous to her. So you'll have to make sure she doesn't get away from you."
"Absolutely" Meghan said.
"I don't expect you to be the maid, so you don't have to worry about household chores - although, if you wanted to set up Tia's room for me, I'd count that as a huge favour. I still haven't been able to get all of her stuff out of the moving boxes"
"And I need Grilla". Tia added from the floor, obviously listening even as she played with the dogs.
"Grilla is her stuffed Gorilla". Lucas explained. "He has to be in that room somewhere but ...."
Meghan smiled. "I love you organize". I'd be happy to set up Tia's room and maybe we can find Grilla together".
"That'd be fantastic," he said as if it took a burden off him. "I'd also like for this to be a sort of communal living arrangement"
Alarms went off in the reserved Meghan. "Communal living arrangement?" she repeated, wondering what exactly he was suggesting. She knew next to nothing personal about his man or his sister. They could have gone out into the world and become some kind of freaks...
"Hadley said I'd have an apartment separate from where you live ", Meghan added.
For some reason, her qualms made Lucas smile a small, one-sided smile that didn't quite alleviate her concerns because although it was appealing and made him all the more handsome, there was also a devilish quality to it.
"Did your whole body just clench up?" he asked with a laugh.
"Lucas" his sister chastised.
"Well, it's true" he said.
Meghan didn't wait for Hadley to say more. She just went on, trying a different tactic. "What do you mean by communal living?"
"Not the same thing you do" he said, his tone intimating that she had a dirty mind. Then, as if he were the poster boy for innocence while still obviously enjoying the discomfort he'd caused her, he continued.
"Yes, you'll have an apartment separate from the house- in the top half of the garage. I just finished it, as a matter of fact, so you'll be the first to use it. What I mean by communal living is that I'd like for this not to be only a nine-to-five job. I'd like for you to become someone Tia sees as part of the family - remember, I said I wanted a relaxed, family atmosphere?"
"As long as relaxed, family atmosphere dosen't involve kissing cousins" she muttered.
"We aren't cousins and I promise - no kissing" he responded to her utterance, somehow making her feel the teensiest bit rejected for some reason that didn't make any sense.
But Meghan ignored it and got back on track herself "Relaxing a little is my goal this summer too" she said, just more stiffly than she wished it had come out.
And that made the crooked grin straighten and broaden into a full grin "You're the old Reverend's granddaughter, aren't you?" he asked out of the blue then , as if light had just dawned on him to explain her behavior. And, to some degree, Meg's being the former town Reverend's granddaughter did throw might on her reaction.
"Yes" she confirmed.
He nodded slowly, knowingly, and in a way she wasn't sure she appreciated because she could see that he was thinking she was some prim and proper, stuffy, nose-in-the-air conservative prig like her grandfather. And she wasn't. She was just a very quiet person who battled shyness along with the lingering effects of a stringent upbringing.
He didn't pursue that reference to the Reverend, though, finally continuing with what he had been saying. "I want this to be an informal environment for us all. Casual, friendly...."
Did he think she was unfriendly? or was she just giving the impression that she was too wooden? Because she knew she sometimes came off that way even though she tried not to.
In an attempt to counter that impression,she said, "One of the main reasons I want to do this is for the gun of it. I like the idea of This seeing me as part of the family. But all kids needs boundaries, limitations,rules, and to know what the expectations of them are. It not only teaches them things, it also makes them feel safe. So, as Tia's nanny - assuming you decide to give me the job- I'll make sure there are enough if those."
While Meghan's intention had been to ease Lucas' mind, by the end of that, all amusement has left his handsome face and a slight frown had replaced it. "What are we talking about in the way of boundaries, limitations, rules and expectations?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary", she tried to reassure him. "Regular bedtimes and mealtimes, making sure teeth are brushed, hair is combed, that she's dressed when she should be. She can be given small responsibilities like helping to pick up her toys, putting her shoes in the closet - age appropriate expectations. Three-year olds likes to test authority,to see what they can get away with, what they can control, and just how independent they can be- some of that is good and and needs to be encouraged, some of it has to be struggled against. She can learn that there is a right and wrong time and place for certain things. Punishments can include brief timeouts, maybe going without dessert...".
"Okay, I can see you know your stuff" Lucas said to stop her
Had she sounded too clinical? Sometimes she did that too; unintentionally.
Still in damage-control- mode, she said "But three year olds primarily needs a lot of playtime, a lot of safe ways to explore their environments...." She stopped herself this time, knowing she was still sounding too much like a textbook. "And really, beyond doing what needs to be done to keep her safe and happy, I would just want her to have a good time".
Lucas nodded but she could see that he had more reservations now that he had before.
"We don't keep military precision when it comes to meals", he said. "I give Tia breakfast whenever she gets up in the morning, lunches will probably be just you and her because Hadley and I will be working, but we like to do dinner as a group project with everyone pitching in- even Tia gets out the napkins - and then we sit down to eat together. How would you feel about that? Would you want to be included or not?"
"I'd like to be included. Actually, family dinners are more important than some people think "
"But again, it's a casual thing- the cooking, the cleanup, we all just chat while we get things ready, while we eat."
"It sounds great," Meghan said,deciding to keep her answers more simple. "I don't know how good a cook I am, but I know my way around a kitchen."
"We're not gourmets" Hadley assured.
"I should warn you, though", Meghan said to Lucas then, thinking that if she'd put him off too much maybe she should give him an easy way out of hiring her. "This is only a temporary thing for me. I'm on a leave - of- absence for the summer."
"Yeah, Hadley told me. But that's not a problem. We're just setting up in Northbridge again ourselves - in fact I've been too busy around here that I haven't even been into town more than a few times the whole month that Hadley and I have been here. I'm sure what I'll want to do with Tia in the long run- the summer will give me a chance to check out the day care and the preschool situations."
"Playing with other kids is important too, good social skills are something she'll need"
"I was thinking more along the lines of friends and playmates than social skills." Lucas said and again, Meghan knew that something about her expertise actually seemed to rub him the wrong way.
Then he proved it and said "I just need to be clear - Tia is a normal three-year old who needs someone to look after her when I can't. She doesn't need a shrink"
"Oh, I understand that you aren't hiring me as a psychologist and that's actually why I want the job, so you don't be have to worry about me being anything but her Nanny".
He studied her with those pale eyes for a while as if deciding if he could believe that. But after a moment, he said "I trust Hadley's judgement. If you want the job, it's yours. As long as you keep in mind that we're not fussy around here. This isn't a hospital or a classroom - it's home."
"Honestly, that's just what I want."
He took another long look at her, possibly deciding if he believed that, too. But then he said , "Okay, how about if you move in sometime tomorrow..... ".
"I have a wedding shower for my sister, Kate, tomorrow. Can I come in the evening when it's over?".
"Sure, anytime is fine. Then, you can start on Monday."
"Actually, if I get here before Tia goes to bed tomorrow night maybe I can go through the bedtime routine with you so I know what that is?"
"That's fine too. We do have a bedtime routine." he added as if he felt the need to convince her that not everything was unstructured, in case she was judging him.
"Do you want to see the apartment?" Hadley offered.
"I would but I have to go with Jate to do some wedding things. I'm sure it will be fine". she says, making an attempt to sound more laid-back because she thought there was some judgement being passed by him, too.
But honestly,she didn't have more time to spend at this, so, she said "Infact,unless you have anything else you want to talk about, I should get going."
"No, feel free" Lucas said
"Harry piddled" Tia announced to the room in general then.
Hadley jumped up to scold the puppy and put him outside,saying as she did, "I'll clean this Lucas, if you want to walk Meghan out"
As Lucas and Meghan both got to their feet and headed for the front door, Lucas said "The puppies were Hadley's moving present to Tia so she's working the hardest to housetrain them- it gets me out of a lot"
Meghan laughed because she didn't know what to say. Sticking with the dog theme,she said, "Tia said Max is a doodle and Harry is a re-doodle, but I didn't know what she meant"
"Mac is half poodle, half Labrador - A Labra-Doodle. Harry is half poodle, half golden retriever. He's a Golden-doodle, but when we got them, I made a joke about Max being a doodle and Harry being a re-doodle. Tia took is seriously"
That mad Meghan laugh,too.
Lucas unlatched and opened the screen door then, holding it for her as she went out and going as far as the porch himself.
But for some reason, once she'd gone down the porch steps, Meghan felt the need to pause, glance back and reassure him. "I really do just want to be the Nanny this summer."
He nodded. "I hope so" he said with what sounded like some skepticism.
She knew that there was nothing she could do from there but prove to him that she meant what she said, so, she merely added "I'll see you all tomorrow night."
"We'll be here"
They exchanged goodbyes and Meghan went the rest of the way to get car, thinking that he didn't need to feel skeptical. Putting herself back in touch with the basics of happy, healthy kids- that's what she'd set out to do for the summer and that was all she intended to do.
As she started her car and put it into gear, she realized that Lucas was still standing on the porch, watching her go.
And just that quick, it wasn't Tia or any other kids she was thinking about. It was the way he filled out a pair of jeans that struck her.
That certainly wasn't what she needed to be thinking about this summer!
But surely it would become old stuff the longer she was around him, the more she got used to seeing him.
At least, she was counting on that being the case.
And she hoped that the casual, friendly,free-and-easy environment he was asking her to be a part of bred that familiarity in a hurry.
So she could stop even noticing the way he looked in jeans or anything else.
So she could stop noticing him at all...