Small-Town Nanny by Lee Tobin McClain

under the window, he frowned. “I might have an extra desk you can use, if you like.”
    â€œI’m fine with that one.”
    He understood pride, but he hated to see a teacher with such a ratty desk. “Really?”
    â€œYes.” She waited while the young movers went down to get another load, then spun on him. “Don’t you have something else to do, other than comment about my stuff?”
    â€œI’m sorry.” He was controlling and he knew it, but it was with the goal of making other people’s lives better. “I just thought...are you sure you wouldn’t rather have something less...lopsided? The money’s not a problem.”
    She walked to the desk and ran a hand over it, smiling when one finger encountered a dipped spot. “My brother made it for me at his vocational school,” she explained. “It was his graduation project, and he kept it a secret. When he gave it to me, it was about the best moment of my life.”
    â€œOh.” Sam felt like a heel. “So he’s a woodworker?”
    She shook her head. “No, not really. He’s still finding his way, but the fact that he pushed past the frustration and made something so big, mostly by himself...and that he did it for me...it means a lot, that’s all.” She cleared her throat and got very busy flicking dust off an immaculate built-in shelf as the college boys came in with another load.
    Obviously her brother was important to her. And obviously, Sam needed to pay attention to something other than just the monetary value of things.
    He didn’t have any family furniture, heirloom or sentimental or otherwise. For one thing, his dad still had most of their old stuff out at the family estate. For another, Marie had liked everything new, and he’d enjoyed providing it for her.
    As the movers carried the last load into the bedroom, Susan looked up at him, then rose gracefully to her feet. “I was going to spend a little time getting settled. But is there something I can do for you and Mindy first?”
    â€œDo you need help unpacking?”
    One corner of her mouth quirked up, and he got the uncomfortable feeling she was laughing at him. “No, Sam,” she said, her voice almost...gentle. “I’ve moved probably five or six times since college. I’m pretty good at it.”
    Of course she had, and the fact that she looked so young—and had a vulnerable side—didn’t mean he had to take care of her. She was an employee with a job to do. “I’ll be in the house,” he said abruptly. “Come in as soon as you’re set up, and we’ll discuss your duties.”
    As he left, he saw one of the college boys give Susan a sympathetic glance.
    What was that all about? He just wanted to have things settled as soon as possible. Was that so wrong?
    Okay, maybe he was pushing her a little bit, but that was what you did with new employees: you let them know how things were going to be, what the rules were. This was, for all intents and purposes, an orientation, and he wanted to make sure to do things right.
    But he guessed he didn’t need to rearrange her furniture. And given her reaction to the desk suggestion, she probably wouldn’t welcome his getting his car dealer to find her a better car, either.
    No, Susan seemed independent. Which was great, but also worrisome. He wondered how well she would fit in with his plan for a traditional, family-oriented summer for Mindy. What changes would she want to make?
    He walked by the pool and saw with relief that Mindy was happily occupied with her inflatable shark in the shallow end.
    Lou Ann Miller sat at the table in the shade. He did a double take. Was that a magazine she was reading? He opened his mouth to remind her that Mindy needed close attention. When Marie had brought Mindy out to the pool, before she’d gotten too sick to do it, she’d been right there in the water with