“Good. Follow me.”
I let him lead the way, following a few steps behind him, as I got a good look at the building. Sensing that I was lagging behind, he stopped mid walk and turned to me. I caught the silent ‘walk up’ in his look and smiled.
“I could walk a little faster, huh?” I joked, taking a couple steps forward so that I was at his side.
“You good,” he replied.
Continuing forward, side by side, I felt so small next to him. I was 5’6”, and he towered over my small frame. He opened the glass door to what looked like a conference room and let me enter first. I didn’t know if it was the gentleman part or the way he looked down at me as I walked past him inside the room. Whatever it was, it had me secretly blushing hard.
Gesturing to a seat at the table, he sat down across from me and rested his arms lightly on the table.
“So,” he started, “before we go into me asking whatever questions people ask in an interview, let me start by saying this is out of the norm for me. Not just seeking a nanny but the whole asking for help outside of my family. And even then, they gotta pull it out of me before I volunteer the ask.” I caught a small, shy smile when he mentioned family. “Just a quick rundown, as you know, my name is Enzo. I own Sullivan & Co. Cleaning, which is obviously the building you’re in now. I’m a single father of a two-year-old boy, Enzo Jr., who we call EJ. I’m seeking a nanny who values family and who can work around my schedule, which can get busy at times and things come up suddenly, but for the most part, I’m present. Most of all, I’m looking for someone who can keep up with my kid in my absence.”
I digested his introduction, listening intently as he spoke, before responding. “Well, since you’re being upfront, I’ll follow suit. I have zero nanny experience. But I do have fifteen years parenting experience. I love kids. I have a medical background. I was an EMT for two years.”
“What made you apply?” he asked.
I swallowed. “Other than it being something I know I can do, I need steady work that doesn’t take me away from my father fully and has flexibility. My father is in a rehab facility recovering from a stroke, and I have a fifteen-year-old son who… let’s just say I need to keep my eye on him. Flexibility is key.”
He leaned back and nodded. “That’s a lot to juggle.”
His statement was true. It wasn’t empathetic though. And I didn’t take it in a bad way. It was more of an observation.
“As do you,” I countered with my own observation. “Which is why you need a nanny, right?”
“That and because my family won’t watch my bad ass son.” He chuckled. “Their words, not mine.”
I laughed along with him. “My dad used to say that about my son. He’d use rambunctious instead of bad though.”
“Code word for bad as fuck.”
“Pretty much.”
We shared another laugh.
“How is EJ with new people?” I questioned. “Does he communicate? Well, as much as a two-year-old can I mean.”
He chuckled. “Oh, yeah, he communicates. He’s quiet for the first few minutes. I can tell when he don’t vibe with a person because he won’t leave my side. But if you good people, he can sense it. I know it probably sounds weird because he’s only two, but kids are smart. They know when they not feeling someone.”
“Oh, I absolutely agree. If you don’t mind me asking, is his mom around?”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “I’m a full-time single father.”
I nodded. “That’s… not easy.”
“It has it’s challenges, but for the most part, we straight.”
Before I could speak again, there was a small knock at the door.
Enzo smiled and turned toward the door. “That might be your new client. Come in,” he called out.
The door pushed open, and the cutest little boy bolted inside, running straight into Enzo’s open arms.
“He had enough of the other kids. I think he needed a break.” The woman from the front desk laughed.
“Thanks, Kalia.”
“No problem.” She closed the door, leaving me with Enzo and his mini.
