"Oh, wow." My eyes must have been the size of saucers. "That's amazing. Mind-boggling."
"You think that's amazing, beneath our feet is the site of a Roman graveyard."
I took a quick swallow of beer. "Oh, my word, that's fantastic." The sheer volume of history was unbelievable.
"Fantastic? I think you're the first person who's ever said that."
"Me and some archaeologists, I'd bet," I said with a grin.
"That's true." He clinked his glass against mine. "A toast."
"To what?"
"How about… new friends and new experiences."
"I'll drink to that." But my heart sank a little. I knew he had a girlfriend, but I could admit, at least to myself, that I'd hoped he felt more than friendship toward me. I told myself I was being an idiot. A man like Evander would never be interested in a simple nanny. I gave a mental shrug. His loss. At least he'd bought me an ale.
# # #
When I returned home that night, I was still on a high. Spending the entire day sightseeing with Evander had been one of the best days of my life. I honestly couldn't say which I'd enjoyed more, the adventure or the company. The minute I walked into the house, I came crashing down.
The place was a disaster. Toys, art supplies, and decorative pillows were flung everywhere. A rather nice vase that I remembered sitting on the mantle was nothing but a pile of tiny pieces on the hearth. The large abstract painting above the fireplace hung askew, the corner of the frame badly chipped, and there was a scrawl of purple crayon along the white walls of the foyer.
The kitchen was even worse. Dishes were piled in the sink and had spilled over onto the counters, the bottoms of the pans scorched and the plates crusted with something that looked vaguely inedible. There was a puddle of milk on the floor in front of the fridge and something sticky next to the kitchen island. I didn't even want to ask what the red handprints on the white fridge were. Viola was going to have a fit.
I went upstairs to the second floor and paused at Bella's door. I heard sobbing, and my heart broke a little for her. Clearly things had not gone well.
I rapped softly on the door. "Bella? Bella, it's Anna. Can I come in?"
She didn't answer, so I took that as a yes. Inside I found Bella huddled in the middle of her enormous king-sized bed, the gray and pink silk duvet pulled over her head.
I sank down next to her. "What happened?" I asked softly.
"It was terrible!" she wailed. "Everything went wrong. They hate me."
"I doubt that."
She sat up abruptly. Her eyes were red and puffy, mascara trailing down her cheeks. Her hair stuck up in several directions, and I was pretty sure there was ketchup in it. She looked dreadful. "Oh, they do," she insisted. "They were… monsters!"
Well, that was a little dramatic. "They're good boys, just… exuberant."
She smiled a little tightly. "That's an understatement.
"They're not used to you, Bella. They were testing their limits."
"And I failed!" she wailed.
I patted her hand. "Hey, everyone messes up. Believe me. I've spent years studying and working with children, and I mess up frequently. Believe me. It takes time and a lot of patience. Rome wasn't built in a day."
"I know. I just…I've never been very comfortable around children. I'm used to my life being a certain way. And while change in my job is a must, change in my home is…."
"Uncomfortable?"
She attempted to straighten her burgundy blouse, but it was useless. Not only was it badly rumpled, there were brightly colored splotches of paint on it. "Rather. I really appreciate you being here, Anna. The twins have really taken to you, and I feel more, ah, relaxed about it all."
I studied her for a moment. She did not look relaxed.
"I think I should stick to what I do best and let you keep taking care of the children."
"Really? Because I think you did a great job for your first time out."
Bella blinked raccoon eyes. "Are you mad?"
I grinned. "Maybe. But tell me, where are the boys?"
She frowned. "In bed, of course. You always have them in bed by seven. I made sure to follow suit. I understand schedules are important for children."
My grin widened. "See. You got them to bed."
"I don't understand."
"Do you have any idea how many parents would pay a fortune and then some to be able to get their kids to go to bed on time? And those boys? Bella, that's a minor miracle. No, scratch that. It's a major one."
Bella straightened her shoulders, suddenly looking a little less devastated. "Really?"
"Truly."
She eyed me carefully. "You're not just saying that."
"No way. Believe me, everything else can be worked on and improved. You have conquered bedtime. That's like winning the Pulitzer right there."
She laughed, and this time there was no strain. "Viola is going to quit when she sees that mess."
"We'll clean it up. She'll never know. It'll be our little secret."
Bella suddenly reached out and gave me an impulsive hug before drawing back, clearly embarrassed. "Thank you Anna."
"For what?"
"For not judging me or making fun of me."
"I would never do that, Bella. I'm too far from perfect myself to ever laugh at someone else's screw-ups." I stood up and started for the door. There was a huge mess to clean up before I could relax for the evening.
We began in the kitchen. I started with the spilled milk. "Can I say something that might come off a little personal?"
She paused in the middle of stacking dirty dishes and cleared her throat. "Very well." She seemed to brace herself for some kind of attack. I kept cleaning up the kitchen, nice and slow and easy.
"Sometimes it almost seems like you think the twins are some kind of alien life form. They're not. They're little boys w grieving their parents and trying to figure out their place in this world."
She swallowed. "I understand that, of course.
