He shook his head, wearing a confused expression, like my words weren’t processing. In his defense, it wasn’t exactly thebackground you’d expect from someone herding kids on a big boat.
“I was involved in a special teaching initiative that lost funding, which is why I’m here.”
“Okay…” Logan said slowly. “Is this relevant? You don’t have to prove your credentials to me—I already want you to take the job.”
“I’m proving my credentials because I want you to hear me when I say that this schedule stuff you insist on? That’s not healthy. You said the therapist told you to be so strict about it?”
Logan jumped at the chance to explain how the therapist suggested that a schedule helped create normalcy when a child was feeling uprooted.
“Can you tell me what the therapist saidexactly?” I asked.
Logan’s eyebrows furrowed. “Just what I told you: Noah needs an everyday schedule that he can rely on. He’s had a lot of change in a short amount of time, so now, we need to focus on creating a life that is reliable.”
Okay, so he totally misinterpreted that. “I can absolutely guarantee you that acting like he’s in boot camp isn’t what the therapist wanted,” I said without any of the gentleness I’d normally use to correct a parent. “You’re taking it to an extreme.”
“No, I’m not,” Logan insisted. “I’m doing exactly what he said to do.”
I held my hand up to silence him. “I’m not the kind of person to go around and tell someone how to parent their kid,” I said, “but if you want me to take care of Noah, day in and day out, in yourhome, then I need to know you’re going to respect that I actually do know what I’m talking about.”
“Obviously, I know that,” he grumbled, but I could tell he didn’t believe himself.
“You made me an offer because you seem to appreciate the way I work with your son. If that’s really the case, then you need to step back and let me do my job.”
His jaw tightened. “I’mhis parent. I will makeallof the decisions when it comes to my son.” Logan took a long breath, looking at me with so much suspicion that it made me pull up short. This wasn’t just micromanaging: this reluctance came from something deeper.
“Of course, I’ll follow your household rules. You’re his primary caregiver,” I promised. After a tense moment of silence, I pushed a little: “Did you and your ex-wife have…issues with that?”
Logan shook his head, jaw still clenched. “Noah’s mother was the primary caregiver when she was alive, but she did a good job communicating with me.”
So not her then. There had to be someone else in the picture who had scared Logan into such an extreme reaction. “So…was it?—?”
“How is thatanyof your business?” he snapped.
I put my hands up, showing him I was unarmed. “I’m just trying to understand. I know you want what’s best for Noah. If you think that I could be a part of that, then you have to respect the level of training and knowledge I have.”
“To what end?”
“You make all the decisions, yes, but I’m going to have opinions about the day-to-day. If you’re not on board with working together on that, then there’s no point even talking about me becoming Noah’s nanny.”
Logan paced the area next to the prep table like I was asking him to do the impossible. But then again, for Logan Ashford, trusting someone else might be just that.
“But the therapist said…” He trailed off and looked shockingly worn out, like he’d been close to drowning and was fighting to stay above water. It was a deeplyhumanlook, and it made me feel a burst of sympathy for him in spite of myself.
“I can talk to the therapist to make sure we’re on the same page, okay? But as far as the day-to-day goes, my rules win,” I said.
“I still think there’s value in?—”
“Take it or leave it.”
I’d always been pretty good at negotiating, but I surprised even myself with my hard line. Then again, I trusted my gut, and I knew that sweet Noah needed a calm, stabilizing presence in his life, not a drill sergeant.
Logan stared at me for a long time, considering, before he extended his hand. “Okay, then. Welcome to the team.”
5
NINA
I’d heard about Echo Island mainly from social media since the vacation spot was way above my pay grade. It was a favorite tourist destination for influencers and movie stars, but today the white sand beach was crowded with my kind of people: joyfully screaming kids.
