CHAPTER 2

Darlene POV

The new confidence that rose in me from seeing that smile shattered quickly when I looked back at Luca and found him looking at me with a frown on his face. I walked towards his desk and stretched my hand for a handshake.

“Good morning Mr. Parker. My name is Darlene Duncana. I am here to interview for the nanny position. ” I was expecting him to return my handshake, but he was just staring at me without saying anything. After what seemed like an eternity, he went back to looking at his computer.

I retract my hand, wondering if I had made the moment awkward. What is going to happen now? Wouldn't he ask me to sit down?

"May I sit?" I finally asked when it was obvious he was not going to ask me to sit.

"Do you think those chairs are decorative pieces? Or do you just love standing at interviews?" He curtly asked.

I tried not to blink at his cold tone. Hello! What is going on here?

Still, I smiled a bit at him and gingerly sat down on one of the two chairs that were on the other side of the desk.

I am glad that the air conditioner was active so there was no way I could perspire because of nerves. The nerves were drumming hard in me already.

"How old are you?" He asked.

That was so not the question I expected to answer since I had written it on my resume along with my application letter. There were better questions to ask me right? Why start with my age?

"Cat got your tongue?" His brown eyes narrowed at me.

"Oh sorry," I muttered, then increased the volume of my voice. "I am 26 years- "

“What caught your eye about this position?” He cut in before I could finish speaking. I swallowed the rest of my words nervously. Things seem to be going off on a wrong foot, so I thought a joke would help ease the tension.

“It seems like the kind of job I could write a tell-all book about in ten years.” I thought this was hysterical and started laughing but his face didn’t even twitch with the hint of a smile. I guess he didn’t find it entertaining.

Shit.

He continued with his questioning, “I usually give this job to the people who are the most enthusiastic about the position.”

And why I had said the following words to him, only God knows why, “Well, I could start jumping up and down right now if you want.” He still showed no reaction and I could feel myself blushing out of mortification.

“Would your friends say that you are a hard worker?” he continued.

Still in the jocular mood, I said, “Let’s be honest. I would say yes to that even if it wasn’t true.”

I could not believe I was still making lame jokes.

Shut up, Darlene. This is not David.

He raised one of his perfectly trimmed eyebrows, “So you’re saying you would lie to me?” I searched desperately for a sign that he was just messing with me, but no, he seriously seemed offended.

Shit. Oh God! This is the end.

“Yes- I mean no. I was only trying to-“

"What makes you think you can take care of my child?" He cut in rudely once again before I could finish speaking.

Woah. What is up with this guy? Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed.

“I believe I can take care of your child because I had successfully babysat over fifteen children when I was a teenager. The parents trusted me to take care of the children for the day, overnight or even for the weekend because of my empathy and mothering skills-"

Luca scoffed. "Mothering skills? Do you have a child?"

I was puzzled by his attitude. Did he read my application letter at all?

"No. I have never been pregnant and I am—"

"So mothering skills fall out of the sky?"

I willed myself to be patient. I had to remind myself how much I needed the job. How David, my best friend needed a break from my troubles even though he wouldn't say it. How I could finally save to go to college, something I had dreamed of for over six years now. In summary, I had to manage whatever cold attitude Luca Parker throws at me.

What was his deal anyway? Was that how treated anyone who applied to his office? Was that how he treated his workers? But he had smiled at Mrs. Laura some minutes ago, didn't he? Or is it that he didn't just like me? Is this the bad luck that had been plaguing me since I left home coming at me again? Damn it.

"I am the first child of my family" I answered quickly, putting on my best smile, before he would angrily chase me out of his office because I didn't reply on time. With the way his body was rigid as he looked at me with his arms folded on the table, he seemed as if he was capable of doing so.

"I was an only child for twelve years before my parents gave birth to my younger siblings, the twins." I didn't add that it was because they weren't sure they could stay together since my mum had gotten pregnant with me by mistake. That did not stop them from their eventual divorce anyway.

Instead, I let a brief smile play on my lips as I looked at his unreadable expression. I felt that twinge of attraction and I tried to clamp it down. I couldn't afford to be magnetized by this man no matter how powerful his charisma was. Not only was he so powerful and rich and so way out of my league, but he was being an ass. That was something I could not deal with. At all!

When he didn't say anything I continued, "My parents had to struggle to take care of us so most of the time, it was I that was taking care of the twins. From an early age of fourteen, I was already taking care of the twins. I was sorely in charge of their food, hygiene and behavior teaching. When the babysitting jobs began to come, I was already an expert in taking care of —"

"Speaking about hygiene, what is yours like?" Luca cut me yet again while speaking.

Damn him.

My hygiene? Did he think I was dirty? I may not be dripping in designer clothes like him, but I take self-care very seriously and I always make sure to wear at least deodorant when I go out. Does he think I smell?

Before I could answer, he said," I am not just asking because of my son. I am asking because of me too. I cannot live with a woman who cannot take care of herself."

I resisted the urge to sniff myself. I was too confused to even be angry with his words and the cold-clipped way with which he was saying it.

What was he now talking about? Live with a woman who cannot take care of herself?

Wait! Waoh! Was I going to be taking care of his son in his house? He must have said that out of mistake, right?

"Are we going to be living together? I asked with eyes wide as saucers.

"You are asking that in a way that presumes you have been given the job already. Have you?" His voice was still so cold.

"Oh. I am sorry,” I said abashedly. I had it confirmed now that for some reason unknown to me, Luca did not just like me at all. He was not being formal. He was obviously being rude to me.

"I apologize for assuming. What I meant to ask is that the nanny you are looking to take care of your son, is she to administer her duties while living full-time in your house?"

"You didn't know?"

I racked my brain to remember if it had been specified in the ad in the magazine that it was to be a Live-in nanny that had been asked for. But I was sure that there had not been anything like that. In fact, when I had shown David that evening, he talked about the possibility that I would live in the employer's house full time being very slim since rich men like Luca valued their privacy at home very much. Charity had said otherwise could happen. But we were not sure what was going to happen so we decided to wait for the interview to find out. So yes, I was very sure that it was not specified that it was a live-in Nanny needed.

"No, I didn't." I replied.

I felt the nerves increase in my stomach, my foot was beginning to tap against the floor once more. It was obvious from everything so far that this man barely tolerated my presence in his office . And I don’t know why. Maybe it’s something about my appearance, my stance or the words I’ve said since I came into his office, but his attitude towards me made it plain that he didn't approve of me. So he was not going to allow me to live in his house to take care of his child.

I was not going to get this job. I was going to remain a burden on David and the slight hope that I could ever be a college graduate vanished into thin air. Shit.

Never trust a horoscope.

Dejected, I looked at him forlornly. What does he have to say now? Can he let me go now? It was obvious I had wasted my time coming here.

He didn't seem to see that my mood had changed. Instead he said, "You didn't answer my initial question."

Oh yeah. His question about hygiene.

Even though it was obvious what the end result of all this was going to be, I answered with my best smile, "I have been a clean woman all my life. Having taken care of several kids, I have realized how important it is to keep a home and the children clean. My hygiene, I can assure you, is top notch."

Just then the desk telephone rang. Luca removed his hands from the table, glanced at his watch and muttered to himself.

Before picking the call, he looked up and said, "That's all with you. My secretary will get back to you if you pass the interview. Close the door behind you."

Then he turned sideways to answer the call.

Even though I was in a hurry to leave because I already knew this was a dead end, I was still a bit irritated with the abrupt manner with which he had dismissed me. What is it with this man? Is it because he is rich? Are all rich men like him? He wasn't that older than me so why the hell was he acting like such an asshole when he could not even tell me what I had done wrong?

As I stood up, my eyes caught a stack of files on the left corner of the wide desk. I quickly scanned it and saw from the cover page that it was the applications of the women that had come to apply as the nanny of Luca's child. With the way it looked, it was obvious that over twenty people must have applied.

Shit. Had I really spent all that cab fare from the other end of the city, money that I had borrowed from David hoping that it would be the last time, only to come here and waste my time?

Luca looked over his shoulders to find out that I was still there. He raised his brows in askance.

"Sorry." I muttered again, slid my bag over my shoulder, and went to the door feeling like a fool. His voice showed that he had gone back to the conversation on the phone. I felt irritated at myself that despite how he had treated me from the beginning of the meeting, I liked hearing his voice. When he was not using that cold tone that he used to talk to me, his voice was rich and warm, like cappuccino coffee.

Damn him.

I left the office, sniffing myself as I walked down the corridor. I definitely did not smell. I got to the lobby where Mrs. Laura was seated at her desk squinting at her computer screen.

She heard my footsteps and looked up. She smiled that smile at me again.

Maybe it was the smile that emboldened me to ask the question I asked, especially as I didn't see how I was going to get the job. But I smiled back at Mrs. Laura and asked, "How old is Mr. Parker’s son?"

“He’s turning two this year. He is such a lovely boy and I’m sure you would like him if you get the job.”

I almost laughed. “Well, I hope you have a nice day.”