Page 2 of The Scrum-Half (Lincoln Knights #3)

Harper

I pulled my car into the driveway of the address in Lincoln I’d been given by Annabelle at the agency, patting the steering wheel to thank it for another job well done.

I hadn’t been expecting to have an interview for a job today, but when Annabelle had called, she’d made it sound urgent.

There hadn’t been too many details she could give me beyond the job description, but I’d gotten a vague feeling this was a last-chance saloon kind of deal and I wasn’t sure if I should be excited or nervous.

Being a nanny was my dream job and, despite its physical and mental challenges, I loved it.

There was something amazing about working with children, watching them grow and experience the world for the first time.

As an adult, I might have forgotten the first time I did a cartwheel, or painted a picture, or grazed my knee, but getting to help children through those firsts—big, small, sad, and exciting—was a unique kind of magic that couldn’t be matched.

The only issue I’d ever had was the parents, because they could make or break a job.

And there was a funny feeling in my stomach that told me Matthew Graham might be the latter.

“Right,” I said to myself as I took a deep, centring breath. “Big smiles. It’s all going to be okay. Whatever the problem is, we can fix it.”

Grabbing my bag, I climbed out of the car, shaking out my slightly stiff joints from the drive, and took another look at the house.

In the early evening light, it had a cosy feel, with warm brickwork on the ground floor and textured cream masonry paint on the second.

The window frames were all painted a soft sage green and as I walked along the wide flagstone path towards the front door, I noticed it was the same colour with a stained glass panel in the top.

There were plenty of flowers in the beds on either side of the path, with two lines of little solar-powered mushroom lights illuminating the way, and they were so cute I had to stop for a second to look at them properly.

If the job didn’t work out, I was going to have to ask where the lights were from so I could get some for myself even if I didn’t currently have a garden to put them in.

A security light above the door flicked on as I stepped in front of it and rang the bell, and as I glanced around I realised the line of trees and shrubs on this side of the front fence meant the road was nearly invisible. Clearly, Matthew wanted privacy.

Footsteps sounded on the other side, and I took another deep breath. I’d only had the briefest amount of time to read the details Annabelle had sent me, so I wasn’t completely sure what to expect.

But when the door swung open, all my half-assembled expectations vanished.

Standing in front of me was a man who simultaneously reminded me of both a pirate and Gimli from The Lord of the Rings , and neither of those was a bad thing.

His dark red hair had been scraped up into a messy bun, which appeared to have a teaspoon sticking out of it, and he had a rather lush red beard to match.

There was a scar on his nose, and I noticed at least one of his ears was swollen at the top, which had to be from some kind of injury.

I was pretty sure Annabelle’s email had mentioned something about sport… rugby maybe?

He was younger than I’d imagined and looking at me with a pair of appraising hazel eyes and a set mouth, so I smiled brightly and stuck out my hand.

“Hi, I’m Harper Cohen,” I said as Matthew took my hand and shook it, and I tried not to focus on the strength of his grip. Oh my days, it was strong. “I’m from The Midlands Nanny Agency. I believe you’re expecting me.”

“Hi, yeah, come in,” he said. His voice was softer than I’d imagined and I swallowed.

First rule of nannying was do not get a crush on a parent.

It always led to disaster, not to mention I could lose my entire career.

“I’m Matty and this is…” There was the soft thump of feet and a toddler appeared from a nearby doorway, dragging a cuddly toy giraffe and wearing a pair of Halloween pyjamas that had pumpkins all over them.

He had red hair and freckles across his nose, and Matthew…

Matty… scooped him into his arms as soon as he appeared. “This is Jack.”

“Hi, Jack,” I said, giving him a little wave as he looked at me appraisingly. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Harper.”

“’Ello,” he said as he leant against Matty’s shoulder, burying his face in his neck. I suddenly wondered if I’d come at a bad time because he looked about ready for bed, but this was the time Annabelle had given me.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Is this a bad time? Annabelle said six but…”

“You’re fine,” Matty said as he stepped back to let me in, waiting as I slipped my shoes off. “We just had an early bath today because we got wet and sandy at nursery.”

“Oh dear, was it a fun wet and sandy? Or a not so fun?”

“I assume fun,” Matty said. “Apparently, a few of them decided to take sand out of the sandpit and mix it with water from the water tray on the grass to make a swamp. Something about dinosaurs?” He shook his head and gestured for me to follow him into the room nearest the door.

The one Jack had appeared from. “Anyway, we can chat in here if that’s okay? ”

“Of course.”

The room in question was a gorgeous playroom with sunshine yellow walls and polished wooden floors covered with an enormous brightly patterned rug.

The curtains were closed, making the room feel soft and welcoming but not overstimulating.

There was a low sky-blue sofa on one side, which was the perfect height for Jack to climb on and off, that was decorated with animal cushions.

On the far wall there was floor-to-ceiling white shelving with books, toys, and colourful baskets that I assumed were full of more toys and craft supplies, given the low children’s table and chairs near it.

The ceiling was strung with fairy lights, and in the middle of the room was a castle-style tent, which had a couple of stuffed animals discarded inside and a few DUPLO blocks spread out around it along with what looked like some stray Cheerios.

“Wow, this is gorgeous,” I said as I followed Matty over to the sofa, watching as Jack slid out of his arms and pottered over to the castle with his giraffe in tow.

“Thanks. I thought it might be a bit bright, but I didn’t want it to be boring. Not a big fan of beige.”

“Well, yellow is my favourite colour.”

Matty gave me a small smile as I sat down next to him. “So,” he said. “Tell me about yourself. Why do you like being a nanny?”

“It’s magical,” I said, beaming at him. “Getting to help children learn and grow, watching them explore the world, seeing them experience things for the first time and supporting them, nothing could be better. I’ve been nannying professionally for five years, mostly for children aged six months to seven years, and I’ve wanted to be a nanny since I was fourteen and started babysitting for my neighbours.

In terms of qualifications, I have a degree in early years education and then post-graduate certifications in child development, educational play, and nutrition as well as food safety, safeguarding, and first aid certificates.

At some point I’d like to also do my master’s degree, most likely focusing on the role of imagination and play in development. ”

Matty nodded, but his mouth was pinched and I felt something knot in my chest. Did he not think I was qualified enough?

Should I not have mentioned wanting to do my master’s?

It was the standard answer I gave every parent, and I’d never had anyone disapprove before. “Why did you leave your last position?”

“Oh, er, well, the family were moving to Germany and going with them wasn’t the right choice for me.”

“And before that?”

“Excuse me?”

“And your job before that, why did you leave there?”

“Um, the children got to the age where they were in school full-time, and the eldest was even looking at weekly boarding, and so having a live-in nanny wasn’t really going to fit their needs anymore, so we decided it would be for the best if we parted ways,” I said slowly.

“They were great, though. I’m sure their reference would be in any details the agency provided. ”

“It was but I wanted to hear it from your side. Do you usually leave if children get too old?”

I let myself take a beat before I answered.

I wasn’t sure if he was wilfully misunderstanding what I’d said or if he was looking for reassurance that I wouldn’t suddenly up and leave.

If he’d had an issue with nannies in the past, which was the vibe I’d gotten from Annabelle, it would make sense for him to want stability, even if he’d been at fault.

Still, it wasn’t what I’d expected, especially as one of his first questions.

Usually, people wanted to ask about routines, activities, or how I’d handled difficult situations and emergencies. Not about when I was planning to leave.

“It really depends on the needs of the child and the family,” I said, reminding myself to smile so he didn’t know he’d thrown me.

“Every situation is different, and before any changes are made, I’d always ask that it gets discussed in depth and that we come up with a plan for talking things through with the child or children affected.

Just so they don’t think I’m abandoning them or think that they’ve done something wrong to make me leave.

It’s really important that children don’t feel any responsibility for the change, like it’s their fault.

But I have some guidance I can offer parents, including some suggested templates for the conversation. ”

“Cool, cool, thanks.” He nodded. “Sorry, I know it’s a strange place to start but we’ve, er, we’ve not had much luck with nannies. I think I’m a bit… particular.”

“That’s okay. Leaving your child with someone can be scary and difficult, even if you have experience with nurseries.

If it helps, I’m sure the agency can provide you with details for my previous employers so you can talk to them yourself.

And I’m happy to work with you on routines, schedules, activities, all that good stuff.

Our goal is the same: to make sure Jack is happy, healthy, and well taken care of. ”

He chuckled wryly. “You seem surprisingly okay with the fact I might be a complete dick to work for.”

I bit back a snort. I hadn’t actually expected him to come out and admit it. Usually, parents who were difficult to work with had no self-awareness when it came to these things. “You might be, but I have found that people who are complete… er, well, they don’t usually admit it.”

“I suppose I’ve got that going for me,” he said, and gosh, his smile was pretty.

Rough but soft, and I had to squash the feeling arising in my stomach immediately.

No, Harper! Bad Harper! We were not going to find the gruff, bearded single dad sexy.

Absolutely not! “But I don’t know if I’ll admit it when it’s actually happening. ”

He looked over at Jack, who was playing with a DUPLO zebra and completely ignoring us. “He’s my world, and I just want him to be happy. And to be a good person.”

How could I not want to work for someone who cared like that?

And even if he was difficult, he couldn’t be any worse than some of the parents I’d dealt with before.

“Right, so…” He shook his head. “Let’s talk about routines and schedule, and then I can show you around.

There’s a whole top floor you can have—you’re fine to live in, right?

Anyway, there’s a bedroom, en-suite, kitchenette, and sitting room up there.

And you’re welcome to use the main kitchen whenever you want.

Does that work? Oh, and I’ve got a draft contract and salary details. ”

He stood and walked over to the bookcase, grabbing an iPad off one of the shelves and tapping the screen.

“I can send you a copy but you can look over it now. I’m sure it’s probably similar to what you’ve had before, but there’s a few details about weekend work because I play professional rugby and need someone to watch Jack on match days. ”

It sounded like I’d already got the job, which was a little unusual since it seemed like he’d been ready to hire me before I even stepped foot in the house.

“That’s absolutely fine,” I said. I knew I’d have more questions but my mind had been temporarily wiped by the salary offer on the top of the page. It was more than I’d ever been offered before, almost double my last job and that had been generous.

I wasn’t in this for the money, but I couldn’t deny it helped, especially because I was saving for tickets to go to Tomorrowland in the Netherlands as well as putting money aside for a deposit on a little house of my own when I finally stopped living in.

“I’ll look over it in a minute,” I said, putting the iPad down before I got distracted.

I wanted to talk to him more before I accepted anything because my mum had always said if an offer seemed too good to be true, then it probably was.

And I wasn’t going to let myself get sucked into a bad situation just because the man involved was my literal walking fantasy.

“Let’s talk about you and Jack first. And then I’d love that tour.”