Scream For me

JADE

Everything about Aaron’s life was different from anything I’d known.

I’d grown up going camping with family, staying in tents, and making bonfires every night. I was used to renting a small holiday home at the beach if my family had had a good year or celebrating Christmas at home, because being together was all that mattered. It wasn’t about what we could afford.

My mom had always told me memories couldn’t be bought, and no amount of money could make up for the experiences we created as a family.

She was right about all of that, but when we arrived at what Aaron called his “hunting cabin,” my jaw dropped.

The “cabin” was more like a lodge, with eight bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, two living rooms, three entertainment rooms, and a bunch of other things like a sauna and a cinema that I couldn’t even wrap my mind around.

It wasn’t ski season in Aspenthe summer was winding down, and the slopes, although covered in snow, weren’t open. Aaron hadn’t come here to ski. He’d come here to spend time with his son and escape the demands of everyday life.

I wasn’t used to living in the lap of luxury like this. Working at the penthouse was one thing, but this…

“Is your room okay?” Aaron asked after my bags had been taken to one of the eight rooms.

“It’s…great,” I said. There were no words to describe the incredible room, with its wooden furniture, fur rugs, soft duvet covers, and thick, velvet curtains that could keep out the daylight and plunge the room into total darkness. My bathroom alone was bigger than my entire apartment in Seattle, and the bathtub was so big I was sure I could swim in it if I wanted to.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Aaron said. “I want you to be comfortable during your stay here.”

I didn’t know how I could be anything but comfortable. The hunting cabin was like a rough and rugged palace.

Aaron was cold toward me, polite and professional. There was no trace of the heat between us the other night. I couldn’t blame him. Aaron was nothing if not professional, and I was the one who’d made it clear it was just a one-night thing. I was the one who’d said we should just forget about it.

But I couldn’t forget about it. When I closed my eyes, I always pictured Aaron’s face. I dreamed about how he’d touched me, and I could still smell his cologne if I tried hard enough to conjure up that night up in my memory.

He’s your boss. You’re a nanny. You will never be more than that to him.

I had to keep reminding myself of the facts.

My phone pinged with a work email coming in, and I excused myself.

When Aaron had told me to come with him, I hadn’t known how to convince Hannah that I needed a week out of the office without telling her the truth. How could I keep up this lie?

I’d walked into her office, and after fumbling around for a couple of minutes, I’d been straightforward with herI’d asked her if I could work at home all week.

When she wanted to know why, I’d told her I was struggling in the office and felt I could do much more at home. I told her I wanted to test my theory, which was I worked better without distractions at home. I even told her I would return to the office if she weren’t happy with my work.

But I hoped it wouldn’t come to that this weekI was determined to pull it off no matter what.

After taking care of the emails and sending them back and forth between HR, Marlene, and two au pairs, I was on top of it. It made me confident that I could figure this week out.

When I stepped out of my room again, I heard guests arrive.

“Jade, Jade!” Ben called, running toward me through the hallway, his feet thudding on the polished wooden floors. “Alex is here! Dad said he told Auntie Carol we were here, so they came at the same time!” He grabbed my hand and dragged me toward one of the family rooms, gushing with excitement.

“Oh,” I said. “That’s so fun. I’m so happy for you.”

When we reached the family room, a woman sat on the couch with a boy about Ben’s size, with platinum blonde hair and evergreen eyes. He looked like a spitting image of the man who stood at a bar with Aaron, talking and laughing.

When we walked in, the conversation stopped, and all eyes were on me. I felt out of place and uncomfortable.

“This is Jade,” Aaron said, gesturing to me. “She’s Ben’s nanny.”

My cheeks burned. Why did it bother me that he’d introduced me as Ben’s nanny? What else was he going to introduce me as? This is my onenight stand…God, I had to get my shit together.

“This is Jack and Carol,” Aaron continued. “And that’s Alex.” Ben ran to his friend.

“Can we go play?” Ben asked his dad, and Aaron nodded. The two boys ran away, and I stood awkwardly to the side. I wasn’t a part of this world and wasn’t sure how to act or where I belonged. Why was I here? Ben and

Alex were playing. I wasn’t needed. Maybe I could excuse myself

“Jade, was it?” Carol asked and patted the couch next to her. She was a slender woman with a designer dress that looked great but uncomfortable. I noticed a fur coat over the armrest; her shoes were pointed and so high I would definitely trip over myself if I tried them.

I walked hesitantly to her and sat down. I noticed all the rings on her fingers and the bracelets around her wrists. It looked like she wore all her jewelry to show it off.

“I heard you work wonders with Ben,” she said. “How did you start as a nanny?”

“Oh…it was something I just sort of fell into. I wasn’t planning to be one, but sometimes these things just happen, you know?”

“I know exactly what you mean,” Carol said. “My fashion business was much the same. I always worked on something, making dresses for myself or for my friends, and one day it developed into a business, and just like that, I’d found my calling.” She smiled at me.

What had happened to me wasn’t nearly the same, but I nodded and smiled politely. I couldn’t very well tell them the truth.

“Have you worked with a lot of children?” Carol asked.

I shook my head, squirming. “I try to stick with one child for a long time rather than hopping around. It’s…better to get to know them, you know? And offer them stability when there’s one person they can learn to trust outside the family.” I recited the words as I’d seen nannies and au pairs say in their cover letters.

“Stability and routine really make all the difference,” Carol said, nodding. She twisted on the couch to face Aaron, who was in deep conversation with Jack. “You really got a good one. She knows what she’s doing.”

“I wouldn’t have kept her on if she didn’t,” Aaron said with a polite smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He didn’t even look at me before returning to his conversation with Jack.

“Poor thing,” Carol said, lowering her voice. “He’s really done such a great job with Ben all these years. I’m glad he got some helpraising a child is hard enough to do with both parents, let alone by yourself.”

I hesitated before I asked. I’d never heard Aaron refer to Ben’s mother, and Ben didn’t have visitation with her, so I assumed she’d passed away.

“He must miss Ben’s mother very much,” I said softly. “I can only imagine how hard it was, especially at first.”

“Oh, his mother isn’t dead,” Carol confided.

“No?”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

She shook her head. “Lord knows where she is, the little tramp. She left

Ben on his doorstep and took off, and Aaron has been doing it alone ever since. He stepped up to the plate in ways some fathers could only dream of doing.”

I blinked at her. “She…left him with a baby?” I was stunned. My head spun.

Carol nodded, looking like she loved the idea that she was the one spreading the news.

“It’s hard on him, doing it all alone, but he’s doing a great job. He can’t stop gushing about how you take a load off his shoulders, taking care of Ben when he can’t be there. You really help him in so many ways.”

I wanted to say something, but before I could answer, Jack interrupted us.

“What do you say, honey?”

“About what?” Carol asked.

“I was just saying to Aaron that we should take Ben for a couple of days. You know how bored Alex gets, and he’ll love having a friend.”

“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea!” Carol cried out. “It will save me trying to entertain Alex, too.” She leaned toward me and added confidentially. “We don’t usually travel with our nanny.” “Oh,” I said meekly.

“If you don’t mind the extra work,” Aaron said with a frown. “And it will be up to Ben in the end. This was meant to be our week”

“With all the extra work you have to take care of?” Jack asked. “I’m sure you could use some time.”

Aaron nodded, but he looked guilty.

“Boys!” Jack called. “Come in here for a sec!”

It didn’t take long before Ben and Alex appeared, looking like they’d rather be wherever they were, still playing.

Aaron beckoned Ben closer and kneeled so that he looked up at his son. “Auntie Carol and Uncle Jack want to know if you want to stay with them for a couple of days,” he said. “I’m totally cool with it, but if you’d rather stay with me and Jade, that’s cool too”

“Can I go with them?” Ben asked, his eyes twinkling.

“Of course,” Aaron said with a grin. “We’ll be just around the corner anyway, in case you do want to come back”

“Alex! Did you hear that?” Ben cried out, turning around to face his friend. “We’ll get to spend the holiday together!”

“Like brothers!” Alex cheered, and he and Ben erupted in cheers and whoops.

“Okay, okay,” Aaron laughed. “Calm down.” He looked at me. “Will you help him pack? Just for a few days.”

I nodded and stood. Duty called. I was glad to have an excuse to get away from Carol. She made me nervous. I wasn’t like these people, and I had a secret. It was hard to keep track of everything I said to try to hide the fact that I wasn’t supposed to be here at all.

I walked to the bedroom, where Ben’s things lay scattered across the room.

“Oh, dear,” I said and looked around. “We’ll have to put this stuff away, too.”

“We can all do it together, then we can leave sooner,” Alex said.

I smiled as he and Ben worked on putting things away while I packed a suitcase for Ben for a few days.

While I worked, I listened to the boys’ happy chatter. It was sweet to hear the two friends talk about school and games.

What would happen now if Aaron didn’t need me for Ben anymore? He’d asked me to come along to take care of Ben while he worked, but Ben would be taken care of now, and having me here would be redundant. He would probably send me home.

The idea made my heart sink. I’d liked the idea of spending time together, but if I went back home, it wouldn’t be so hard to keep up with my other work, and I could stop stressing about the week away with Hannah, not knowing I’d been flown all the way to Aspen.

Maybe it was better this way.

It has to be better this way, I decided, although the idea of leaving didn’t make me feel any happier.