Page 8 of Mountain Men’s Nanny

“It’s true!” Lexi insisted with a chuckle. “I need to get sweets every day to be healthy, just a little.”

I didn’t want to intrude. I wanted to stop and watch them, get a proper feel of what all of them were actually like without the walls that came up when they knew I, a stranger they hadn’t learned to trust yet, was watching.

“How do you like your eggs?” Gideon said suddenly.

He knew I was there. There was no way he could see me, but he knew, and the spell was broken. I walked into the kitchen and smiled my greeting.

“I don’t really mind, as long as they’re medium,” I said, my voice coming out softer and more timid than I intended.

The only person whose mood did not change with my arrival was Lexi. She turned to grin at me.

“Tell them, Brie, tell them about the food pyramid. It has all the food we should eat to be healthy, even sweets,” she said definitively.

“Well, not exactly,” I laughed awkwardly. “You can have sweets, but in moderation. Everything in moderation.”

The cabin fell silent again, all but the sound of eggs sizzling in the pan, the oil hissing.

“Are you going to show me how things work in the city again today?” Lexi asked. There was less joy in this question.

“No,” I said. I walked over to smooth her hair. “Today, you can show me how you do things here.”

Lexi looked up at me, smiling her approval, “Good. Gunner says you’re a city girl, and he doesn’t think you’ll survive a week out here.”

I saw Gunner blush, expecting him to turn away from me and find a spot to stare at on the floor, but he looked straight at me and winked.

It was so unexpected that it sent a flush across my cheeks, too.

He passed me a plate of hot eggs and pointed to the toast on the table for me to help myself. I sat at the kitchen island and ate, watching the men move between the kitchen and the living room. They tidied the living areas while Lexi read the newspaper aloud.

She stumbled on the word ‘disparity’ in a business article, and without turning to read it himself, Tobias said the word slowly, explaining gently to Lexi that it was just a fancy way to say ‘unfairness’. Lexi continued reading the whole article fluently until the end before turning to ask what ‘wage disparity’ meant.

“How are people being paid unfairly?” she asked.

I was about to answer when Tobias explained it. “It means people aren’t being paid what they deserve.”

It seemed natural to him; he answered her questions without blinking. It was simplified, but not in a patronizing way.

Everything that had happened the night before had seemingly been swept under the rug. I felt stuck. I didn’t know whether to bring it up, apologize and try to make it right, or just let things be. There was definitely tension. Tobias wouldn’t look at me, not even when I spoke. Even if he did look my way, I doubted I would be able to read him.

“There’s a plow truck that needs servicing,” Gunner said, strapping on his tool belt and heading for the door. “Are you old men coming?”

“Who are you calling old?” Tobias laughed, standing up to grab the toolbox.

Lexi stood up quickly, looking for something small enough for her to carry, then turned to look at me. “Come on, Brie, we’re going outside.”

She sounded serious, taking to her role as teacher for the day in a way that made it impossible not to stand up and obey. I stood up to take my plate to the sink, but Gideon saved me the effort.

“I’ve got it. I’ll be out in a minute,” he said as if he thought I might wait for him.

*

Outside, the morning sun felt weak. Its warmth barely reached me through my sweater. I walked in long, fast strides to catch up to Lexi as she trotted behind Tobias and Gunner, carrying a water bottle that sloshed with every step.

“Brie, do you know there are mushrooms that grow here in the woods?” Lexi asked.

“Really?” I asked, encouraging her to go on. “Are they poisonous?”

“Only some of them,” she said, “I can show you how to pick the good ones. Gunner can cook them into a wild mushroom stew.”