She pressed closer into the man’s side, but her smile widened. “Thanks. Daddy said it was Mommy’s middle name.”
I blinked up at the fire chief. I hadn’t known he had a daughter.
“Wow,” I said to Hailey. “That must be really special, sharing a name with your mom.”
She nodded, and her father tensed.
“Yeah. It’s a good thing I have it because I don’t really remember her. This way, she’s always a part of me.”
She smiled brightly, but my chest tightened. I didn’t know what had happened to her mother—but I could guess.
“That’s a really lovely way of thinking about it,” I murmured.
A brief quiet settled around us, but Hailey didn’t seem like someone who tolerated awkward silences for long.
“Is she my new babysitter?” She peered up at her father.
His eyes flew wide, mouth dropping open.
That single word caught my attention.
“Babysitter?” I asked before he could respond.
Hailey nodded eagerly. “Yeah. My grandma and grandpa can’t watch me anymore while Daddy is at work. He’s been talking about getting me one.” She glanced between us. “You’re really nice. I thought maybe he found you for me.”
He cleared his throat and rested a hand on Hailey’s shoulder. “She just came to ask a question about the bed-and-breakfast, baby.”
Hailey’s face fell, disappointment flashing across her features.
I straightened, an idea sparking before I could stop it. I wasn’t certain it was a good idea, but I couldn’t help myself. Again, I thought how this day was somehow…serendipitous.
“I’ve actually worked as a live-in nanny for the last few years.” The words spilled out before I could rein them in. “But the family I was working for has moved on, so…I’m available if you need any help.”
I put on my best, brightest smile, but it nearly faltered at the fire chief’s face. His expression had gone cold and hard. I suppressed a shiver.
“Really?” Hailey piped up, excitement vibrating through her. She turned to her dad, face full of hope. “Did you hear that? She’s a real nanny!”
But the fire chief kept staring at me like I was some kind of problem that needed to be dealt with. His grip on Hailey’s shoulder tightened.
“I heard her,” he said flatly. “But I don’t think we need a nanny.”
Hailey’s expression crumpled into confusion. “What do you mean? A nanny who lives here is way better than a babysitter.” Her vivid green eyes sparkled in the morning sunlight as she turned back to me. “Daddy works all the time. Sometimes really late at night. You’d be perf—”
“Hailey.”
The sharpness of his tone cut her off. She frowned up at him, a spark of defiance flashing across her face.
“That’s enough, honey.”
Hailey crossed her arms over her chest but stayed quiet.
The fire chief pinned me with his stare again. “I’m sorry we can’t host you at the bed-and-breakfast. Thank you for your offer, but I’ll have to decline.”
He stepped back from the doorway, pulling Hailey with him, and panic jolted through me.
“Wait!”
I fumbled blindly in my purse. He paused long enough for me to pull out my pocket notebook and pen. Hastily, I scrawled down my name, number, email, and a few references I could think of off the top of my head. I tore the page out and held it out to him.
