Chapter One:
Part One
The coffee sloshes out of the cup as I fumble with placing my car keys into my white crossover bag.
”Shit,” I hiss as it burns my thumb. Brown liquid dripping off my finger and onto the neatly kept sidewalk. I never knew that was a thing before stepping foot into this neighborhood. Where everything looks like it’s pulled straight from a movie scene. Large green trees line the street. Branches greet one another with lush green leaves. Roads perfectly paved without a pothole in sight. Birds chirp like they did when you woke up in the morning as a kid. Everything is fresh and clean. Even the air here is crisp. Like it’s refilling my lungs, cleaning out all the toxins I’ve accumulated over the years.
Each house is unique in its own way. Some massive Victorian homes with rich molding and white picket fences. Other homes are newer with more modern style.
I can only imagine what it’s like to live in a neighborhood such as this one. I imagine they step outside in the morning to grab the paper from the end of the drive and wave to their neighbors. They all enjoy gardening and tend to their rose bushes and strawberry patches in the back.
It’s like I’ve stepped into Pleasantville. I want nothing more than to have this life one day. Waking up to this air, to this gorgeous scenery. To be a part of this lifestyle.
I adjust my bag, take a sip of my coffee before lazily placing it on the curb by my car, and then with my free hand, fluff up my long, brown hair that, thankfully, I just got done yesterday. I went a shade lighter than my usual dark chocolate look. Now it’s more of a milk chocolate tone, perfect for the warming spring weather.
My eyes fall upon the house. Not just any house. The Bythesea. Their home is a mix of modern and old. It has a large grass lawn in the front, with short green hedges following the outline of the front. A white stone pathway directs me to the front door. The house is French country style, with green vines stretching across. The front doorway is a large stone arch. It’s hard to describe the beauty of the house. It’s almost unreal. I feel unworthy to even be stepping foot on their stone pathway. Like my lack of wealth oozes out of me. The house knows it, despite my efforts to hide it from the world.
Nervously, my hand extends, freshly done red nails push into the doorbell. An old timey bell rings out, echoing throughout the house. I listen as it chimes. As I await the door to open, I run a hand along my white dress pants that flare out slightly at the bottom. My sweetheart-neckline beige sweater begins to feel scratchy as I push the sleeves up to my elbows. I may not have come from wealth like the Bythesea, but at least I don’t look it.
Suddenly, the door is flying open, and a woman who appears to be in her late twenties or early thirties greets me with a wide grin. Her front tooth is slightly crooked. But her teeth are so white they nearly blind me. Her lips are painted with a pink blush color. She’s younger than I thought she would be. Though she did mention the child was six. Yet, somehow, with a house this size, I only assumed the people living here were older. At least older than she appears to be. How large is our age gap? Are we actually closer in age than I thought?
One of her hands is on the door while the other is on her hip. “Hi! Are you Reign?” She asks in an enthusiastic tone. At least she appears to be friendly.
I nod, straightening my back. “Yes,” I flash a smile and extend my hand out to hers. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Bythesea.” It sounds strange addressing her in this proper manner.
She doesn’t correct me or tell me to call her by her first name. Instead, she opens the door wider and ushers me in. “I can’t tell you how excited I am that you responded to our nanny position. You seem to be exactly what my husband and I are looking for. Everyone has been too old, too creepy, too inexperienced.” She huffs and shuts the door behind me.
My eyes glance around the room quickly, trying not to show off how in awe I am of the place. It’s stunning. The color scheme is a forest green mixed with whites. Everything reminds me of the French countryside. Not like I’ve ever been there. But it’s like I’m spending the summer in the movie Call Me by Your Name. It’s absolutely stunning.
A curved staircase is before me that leads to the upstairs. An office to the left with windowed French doors. All the décor complements the style of the home so well. I wonder if she did this herself or hired someone to decorate the house.
“I must ask, how old are you? I can’t tell.” Mrs. Bythesea asks me, and I turn more towards her.
“I’m nineteen.” I tell her and watch as her eyes widen in surprise. “I turn twenty in three weeks though.” I add quickly as if a one-year age difference makes all the difference. Something about teen sounds so immature still. Like I’m still a child. Except I don’t think I’ve ever been a child.
She nods slowly. “That’s perfect. I’ll show you around the house a bit.” She orders me to follow her, and I trail behind, my eyes taking in everything. There’s so much light in the house. Large windows allow all the sunshine to pool in. Everything is simplistic, yet vintage and striking all the same. Rusted candlesticks sit on tables. Vases with tulips. Books placed around the house used as décor. “How long have you lived in Massachusetts?” She asks me.
“My whole life.” I tell her. “I’m over in Salem.”
“Oh, wow! We love it there. That’s where we spend Halloween each year. Such a neat, witchy town.” She flashes me a smile, and I give her one in return. “Are you still living at home with your parents?”
“Mhm.” I say, an easy lie that falls from my mouth.
“Well, if we offer you the position, you’re aware this is a live-in nanny position, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful!” Her enthusiasm makes me flinch. “At least you won’t be far from your parents. But I’m sure they’ll be sad if you move out.”
“Definitely.”
We move into the kitchen and living space. Forest green cabinets with white counter tops. “Come sit.” She says, and we move over to the couch. I sit in a forest green accent chair adjacent to the sofa she sits on. She folds one leg over the other, interlocks her hands, and rests them on top of her knee. “So, tell me a bit about yourself, Reign.”
You’d think all the years of teachers asking this question on the first day of school would prepare me, yet I still stumble. Reaching in my brain for something to say about myself that will win her over. I flash her my smile because, unlike her, I had braces, and my teeth are brilliantly straight. It’s one of my favorite features. I love my teeth. I love seeing how they look in photos—how they outshine everyone else’s. Despite my personality, my teeth have no flaws. My braces made sure of that. Sometimes, I smile at myself in the mirror, examining them, relishing their perfection. I flash them at people at any given opportunity because I know others like them too. Men love my smile, women too; they’ve said so my whole life. My mother never used to have to coax me to take pictures. I was always ready with a wide smile on my face. Striking the perfect pose. There was never a photo I wasn’t ready for. People used to tell my mother I should model. At one point, she really pushed it. Took me to see agents, had me flash my smile to them, as they took photos of me. For a while, I thought it was going somewhere, but very quickly, my mother lost interest because it required too much of her time. So, that fell through before it even started.
I realize I haven’t responded, and I clear my throat. “I’m currently a college student at the University of Massachusetts. My classes are all online except one, but it won’t interfere with my schedule. Friday at seven is my only class. I’ve been babysitting for families since I was twelve, so I have plenty of experience with kids—”
Before I can continue, a male figure moves into the room, making my words fizzle out midsentence as I stare. Without a doubt, I have never seen a more sexy, a more gorgeous-looking man in my life. It’s taking my brain time to process the man who has just swiftly moved into the kitchen. His presence demanding all of my attention. As I’m sure it’s this way whenever he steps into any room. All eyes focused. Wanting, jealous, lusting, intrigued.
He stirs this heavy hunger within me, as I quickly become more aware of myself and how I look. I run my fingers through my hair, pushing it forward over my shoulders, allowing it to cascade in front of me. I uncross my legs. I run my tongue along my teeth just in case any lipstick has stuck to them.
Mrs. Bythesea follows my gaze, then lifts her hand in the air. “Oh, good. Ellis, come in here a second. I’d like you to meet our potential nanny.” I notice how she continues to remind me that I haven’t quite gotten the job yet, even though in the beginning she claimed they had had zero luck so far in finding someone.
He’s tall—well over six foot. He grabs himself a water, not yet looking in our direction. Next, he grabs a set of car keys, swings them once around his finger—large hands—once. Broad shoulders, olive skin, amazing nose. Not too big for his face, nor too small. More of a perfect button nose that not many are blessed with.
Absently, he brings himself over to us, his eyes barely lifting as he pulls his phone out to check the screen. “I’m headed to the office for an hour.” He then says, voice is smooth, like one that would be perfect for an audiobook. An accent is also clear. Clearly British, but not sure what part. I love his accent. Immediately, it makes him a million times more sexy. I could listen to it with a sense of calmness. He approaches from behind the couch, places a hand gently on top of Millie’s shoulder, then leans down to kiss the top of her head sweetly.
I prepare my smile for when his eyes meet mine.
“Okay, where’s Beck?” Millie asks and peers up at him with tenderness.
“Room.” He says, then finally his eyes lift, meeting mine. His serious expression stays the same, eyes looking at me bored.
Millie looks at me smiling. Reign, this is my husband, Ellis. He works from home in his office most of the time, so he’ll be here most days, but you will barely see him. He locks himself away.” She pats his hand that’s on her shoulder.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” My words directed at him, eyes still locked.
He nods quietly, eyes dropping. “I’ll be back.” He says dismissively, then turns and leaves.
My body sinks slightly in the chair as he disappears out of the room. I’m disappointed at how quickly he came and left. But if I get this job, I’ll be seeing a lot more of him. I feel slightly guilty for the rush of infatuation I felt towards my employer’s husband. How quickly I jumped to fix my hair and how I longed to meet his eyes. Yet, I guess there’s nothing wrong with finding someone attractive. That’s all it was.
With him gone, it’s back to the interview. “Anyways, it’s really important we have someone with a flexible schedule. Ellis will be here most of the time but will be working, so he can’t assist with Beck. My job is located in Rhode Island. I’m there Monday through Thursday, then come home for the weekends. I won’t need your help on the weekends unless Ellis and I have something planned. For the most part, you’ll just be helping with Beck. Prepping his meals for school, taking him and picking him up from school, getting him ready—things like that. Just keeping him company while we’re occupied. Beck is pretty self-sufficient, but again, he’s only six, so as much as he wants to convince you he can do everything on his own, it’s better if you just do it for him.” She stands up from the couch, and I follow her lead. “He really is an easy child though, and very rarely will you get him in any mood other than his normal happy self.” I follow her out of the kitchen and back into the main room, where we ascend the stairs.
“Beck will be joining soccer in the summer, so we’ll need you to take him to practices. We’ll be here for his games.” She stops at the top of the stairs and taps a finger against her chin. “Trying to think of what else I’m missing.” She ponders for a moment, then a thought enters her mind. “Oh, right, laundry is another thing, and maybe just keeping up around the house. Ellis doesn’t have time to clean, and with two boys mostly in the home, it’s bound to turn into a disaster. Is that something you’d be able to help with?”
I’m not sure why they wouldn’t just hire a maid for the cleaning. But I’m in dire need of a job, and getting to live on this property would be nothing short of a dream. This job will help me get through college and allow me to save up a good chunk for when I graduate. “Yes, of course,” I tell her.
“Wonderful!” She exclaims. “That is such a relief. Okay, I’ll have you meet Beck. He’s in his room.” She begins walking off down a wide hallway, and I follow behind her, my eyes taking everything in. “His name is Beckham, but we call him Beck.”
I want to ask about Ellis. Where he’s from. What his accent is. How they met. When he moved here. I swallow down the questions and focus on what Mrs. Bythesea is saying.
Opening up a bedroom door, she reveals an amazing room. It’s a room that every child would dream of having. There are blue and white striped curtains. Large windows with a window seat underneath. Built-in bookshelves filled with children’s books. A cabin bed with gorgeous designs on it resembling a circus. A circus tent is in one corner, with a reading corner inside. Toys are tossed around the floor.
A young boy in a red and white flannel with a blue t-shirt underneath and blue jeans sits on the floor with a magician’s cape tied around his neck and a wand in one hand.
“Becky—” Mrs. Bythesea starts, and the boy’s eyes flash up to hers with a dreadful look.
“Mommm,” He groans, and despite this, a bashful smile forms on his face, revealing dimples on either of his cheeks and freckles splashed along his cheeks and nose. He takes after his mother more than his father, with a much paler complexion than Ellis and dark blue eyes. Though his dark brown, shaggy hair is like his father’s. “You can’t call me that. It’s too barassing. A magician can’t be called Becky.” He huffs.
“Embarrassing.” She corrects him. “And you’re right; I’m sorry.”
“That’s what I said.” He stands to his feet, flapping his magician’s cape behind him.
“Beck, this is Reign; she might be your nanny.”
I step further into the room and grin at Beck. He is adorable. A perfect mixture of his parents. He looks at me, a smile spreading across his face as he bounds over to me, looking up at me through his dark, thick eyelashes. “Hi, Beck. I see you’re a magician? Is this a full-time gig?” I ask him, crouching down slightly so I’m more at eye level with him.
He whips out a deck of cards from his pocket, flashing them in front of me. “Pick a card, any card.”
“Beck,” Mrs. Bythesea rolls her eyes. “We’re not doing that right now. I have to finish showing her around.”
He puffs out his bottom lip in disappointment.
“It’s okay.” I say and quickly pick a card. Five of hearts. “Now what?” I ask.
“Don’t show me. Don’t show me.” He closes his eyes and wiggles his fingers towards me, then he opens his eyes back up and begins shuffling the cards messily, some of them falling onto the floor. He grabs one from the deck and flashes it at me. “Was this, perhaps, your card?” He holds up a king.
My eyes widen as I fake an expression of shock. “Yes, it was. Wow, you really are magic.” I say and take the card from him.
His smile widens. “I know lots, lots of tricks. I can show them to you. That was nothing.” He sways back and forth on the balls of his feet. Red high-top Converse.
“I’d love that.” I stand back up. Mrs. Bythesea looks impatient.
“Beck, stay here while I keep showing Reign around, alright? When she leaves, I’ll make you a snack.”
Beck nods quietly before bounding over to the circus tent and diving inside.
I follow Mrs. Bythesea out of the room; she shuts the door behind us, and we continue back down the stairs and out into the yard. There’s a considerable pool with a gate around it, a garden full of flowers and vegetables, large towering trees, and a fresh, green lawn. There’s a big guesthouse behind the pool that we walk towards.
“This is where you’ll stay. It was once a stable, but there haven’t been horses here since I was a kid, so we turned it into a guest house.” She pulls out a key and unlocks it from the outside. Inside, I notice there is no lock on the inside of the house, only the outside. That makes me slightly uncomfortable knowing I have no way to lock the door, but they have every ability to do so. “There’s a full kitchen, two full bathrooms, and one large bedroom. Living space and laundry room as well. You have everything you could ever need in here. Everything is freshly furnished.”
I pull my eyes away from the door and scan the area. It’s spacious, gorgeous, and neatly decorated like the home. “This is perfect.” I tell her.
“Now, if we do choose you for this position, guests are not allowed here. I do not want strangers on our property.”
I nod. “That won’t be a problem.” My friend circle is sparse. There are a few friends that remain from high school, and that’s about it. I tend to have a hard time keeping friends, and letting people in is out of the question. It’s easier to keep people at a distance and only show them what I want them to see.
Mrs. Bythesea gives me a pleased look. Her red hair pulled back into a bun. Hair that reminds me of maple leaves. She is stunning in a fair, delicate way. She’s taller than me and too skinny, like she overdoes it on the pilates. Her crow’s feet cut deep into the corner of her eyes, revealing she is no longer in her early twenties. There’s a deep line in her forehead as well that is overly noticeable each time she shifts her expression. I wonder if when she and Ellis met, it was her looks that drew him in, or was it more than that?
“Great,” she says before folding her arms across her chest, causing her silver bracelets to clink together. “Do you have any questions for me? I know it’s a lot.”
Pay was stated on the listing beforehand. Four thousand a month, well, that’s more than any job I’ve had before. Plus, it includes getting to stay in this amazing guest house. I’ll be able to save up so much money. I shake my head. “None that I can think of at the moment.”
She looks me up and down once, taps her foot once on the wood floors, and then says, “When would you be able to start?”
My eyes widen. “Immediately.”
“I have a good feeling about you, Reign. I’d like you to start right away if possible.”
“That would be fantastic.” I try to swallow down the squeal of excitement that is about to burst out of me. I maintain a professional composure, hands pressed to my sides and a tight smile on my face.
“Would Monday work for you? Will you be moving in all your things?”
“Just my clothes and things like that. Monday is perfect.”
“I’m so happy I found you, Reign. I was starting to get nervous that we would never find the perfect nanny. This will be great. I’ll walk you out.” She guides me out of the guest house and locks the door behind her.
I force down any discomfort towards the lock and follow her to the front of the house and back towards my white Nissan parked along the curb. “Try to be here before Beck goes to school on Monday, seven is preferred. He has to be at school by eight. I look forward to seeing you.” She says and shakes my hand stiffly.
I flash her my smile and walk towards my car, feeling her watch me the whole way.
