Nanny Dearest (4 page)

Terry looked up. "There, that should do it."

Their eyes met.

Hunter gulped. "That sure did do it."

Terry looked away quickly, straightened his stance and groaned. "I better be going," he said. "I need to study." He made a dash out of the kitchen, leaving Hunter staring blankly behind him.

Chase started to cry when he didn't see Terry in the room. The front door opened and closed then a car started up and sped down the street.

"Ma-ma" Chase said crying and wiping his eyes.

"Terry is gone, sport," Hunter said. "I forgot to pay him." He'd put a check in the mail to him tomorrow. No, Terry might not have a bank account or maybe he might need the cash for food or something. Hunter walked out of the kitchen with Chase still crying in his arms. He searched for the business card to see if there was a street address. Damn, the card only had the university's name.

Chapter Three

"What's eating you, man?" Joel Chevron, his roommate of four years, asked Terry the next day. Joel had just returned to the room after class. He was also a senior, majoring in Fine Arts and had aspirations of being an actor. Terry looked him over. Joel definitely had possibilities of being discovered… tall, handsome with thick blond hair and green eyes. They were about the same height and build but Joel's chest was a little broader and he had more muscles.

"Nothing. I think I just need to get out and get some air. I've been cooped up in this room all day."

Joel looked at him like he didn't believe him. "Do you feel like going to McDonald's?"

There was an independently owned one on the campus. Normally Terry shied away from fast food but today he needed to let loose. "Yes," he replied. "Maybe I need to add a little salt to my diet."

Joel headed for the door. Terry grabbed his jacket and followed.

"I know something must be wrong any time you're agreeing to eat junk food. Why don't you get it off your chest?"

The two of them had grown pretty close over the last four years but he didn't know if he could tell him the truth.

"Come on. I'm not going to tease you or spread your business around the campus."

Terry pushed his hands into his pants pockets but wouldn't answer.

"Let me see, you were doing okay when you left to go babysit Mr Monroe's kid. And then you came home later, pretty much not yourself. Did something happen?"

"You've known me for a while. Have you ever considered me cute?"

"That depends," Joel replied, looking over at him. "You do have some very nice features, and gorgeous eyes, but why am I saying this? What happened?"

"Chase keeps calling me mama."

"I'm hoping Chase is the baby."

Terry nodded. "Do you think I look like a girl? Should I cut my hair?"

"Only if you want to, man," Joel replied. "But I kind of dig the long hair. It makes you look like a rocker."

Terry chuckled. Joel always knew the right things to say.

"So a kid mistook you for a girl. It could be worse, it could be the father."

Terry lowered his head and kept walking. "No, Mr Monroe wants me to consider being a model for his company."

"What? That's great news."

"No, it isn't," Terry replied. "He owns a cosmetic company. I would be working for him and I would have to wear makeup."

"So? Plenty of men wear makeup. Most of the male actors in Hollywood wear makeup. That doesn't make them less of a man. It's no big deal." He paused. "What does Mr Monroe look like?"

They passed a group of students out playing football. Terry and Joel waved at them and kept walking. He knew makeup wasn't the true issue behind his mood. Getting an erection just because a handsome man stared into his eyes was the real issue.

"I don't know. He's big, but not fat. He's tall, about six feet one or two and muscular. He has wide shoulders, you know, like he could have played football in college. He has short curly brown hair and brown eyes. He's a great dresser. Suits appear tailor-made to fit because there's no way in the world he would buy anything off the rack."

"Anything else?" Joel asked as they walked.

"And he's not what you imagine when you hear the word cosmetician."

"What's a cosmetician supposed to look like?" Joel asked.

"Kind of like me," Terry answered.

Joel chuckled. "You mean geeky?"

"No, you know, not very masculine."

"Stereotype."

"Sorry, yes, I know."

"What's Chase like?"

"Chase is a beautiful child. He reminds me a lot of Hunter. They share the same hair and eye color and he's quite the handful."

They arrived at McDonald's and walked inside. The place wasn't as busy as usual. Terry and Joel got in line. Joel ordered a Big Mac meal, while Terry ordered a salad and a small order of fries. Terry entertained the idea of getting a sundae but nixed the idea. He had enough problems without worrying about acne.

Joel didn't have such worries. After wolfing down his burger and large fries he went back up to the counter and ordered a butterscotch sundae. "When are you going to tell me the rest?" he asked.

"The rest of what?" Terry asked as he watched him swirl the creamy dessert around on his spoon.

"I know there's something else bothering you and I'm convinced it has something to do with Hunter Monroe. I heard he used to have a bad reputation when he was younger and making his mark on Malibu."

"We all have done things in our past we're not proud of," Terry said coming to Hunter's defense.

"Uh, huh," Joel replied.

"Uh, huh what?"

"Oh, nothing." Joel went back to his dessert.

What is Joel trying not to say
?

The cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Terry answered his phone. "Hello."

"Terry, this is Hunter. You hurried out of here last night before I had a chance to pay you."

Why did the sound of the man's voice excite a fire in his chest and make it hard for him to breathe?

"I can't leave at the moment to bring the money to you because I'm waiting on a nanny candidate to arrive."

"You're hiring a nanny?" Terry asked.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? Chase's previous nanny quit. She got married and I had to put him into the local daycare center until I found a replacement. I've had a few people come in for interviews but so far no one I'd trust my son's life with."

"What time is the next applicant scheduled to arrive?" Terry asked looking down at his watch.

"In about an hour."

"I'll try to stop by later." Terry disconnected the call.

"Was that Hunter?" Joel asked him suspiciously from across the table.

Terry nodded. "He forgot to pay me last night."

"How do you forget to pay someone?"

"I left in kind of a hurry," Terry replied.

Joel leaned forward. "Did something happen?"

"No," Terry answered quickly. "I needed to get home to study. He wanted to bring the money over to me today but he's about to interview someone as a nanny for Chase."

"So you're going over there just to pick up your money?"

Terry nodded, rising. He had to go home and change and get to Hunter as soon as possible.

Joel rose and grabbed both their trays to dump the trash. He followed Terry out of the restaurant. "Why do I feel like you're about to do something monumentally out of character?"

"More out of character than eating French fries?"

Joel nodded.

"Sometimes one has to seize the moment," Terry replied as they quickly walked back to their dorm room.

* * * *

The doorbell rang in the middle of the interview. Chase was throwing a first class tantrum and refusing to go anywhere near the very pretty nanny. The woman was about his age with impressive credentials and a good grasp of the English language.

"I'll hold him while you answer the door," Irene Fuller told him.

Hunter handed her the squalling child.
This is as good a time as any to see how she handles emergencies and a crisis
. He walked toward the front door, opened it and blinked in surprise. Terry stood on the other side dressed professionally in a dark black business suit, black tie, and a white dress shirt. Even his hair looked neat pulled back in a long ponytail. In his hand he carried a briefcase instead of his book bag.

Hunter leaned in the doorjamb staring down at him, taking in his wholesome good looks and lithe build. "Come in. You're right on time." He stepped aside.

A baby screamed.

"Is that Chase?"

"Who else?" Hunter replied. "He's with the nanny candidate."

"It does not sound like she's handling the situation well."

"I didn't know you wore glasses?" Hunter looked at him and his body stirred below the belt.

"I had to take my contacts out and put them in solution," Terry explained.

The glasses made him look older and like a school teacher.

They entered the living room. Irene Fuller was walking the floor with Chase, trying to quiet him but Chase wasn't having any of it.

"Someone is being a naughty boy," Terry said firmly.

Chase stopped crying instantly, looked around and spotted Terry. The smile appeared next. "Ma-ma." Chase reached out for Terry.

Terry walked over and took the child from the nanny candidate.

Chase giggled and cooed.

"What the heck?" Irene asked. "He stopped crying."

"I'll take him into the den," Terry said. "So you can finish your interview." He carried Chase in one arm and carried his briefcase in the opposite hand. Chase giggled and hugged Terry's neck tightly.

Irene put her attention back on him. "Are my ears deceiving me or did your son just call him mama?" Irene asked as she settled back down in her seat.

Hunter sat back down on the sofa across from her. "You heard right. Don't ask me to explain it."

"Do you mind me asking who he is?"

"A student from the university. He babysits Chase from time to time."

"Is he single?"

"Who?" Hunter asked.

Irene nodded toward the den.

"As far as I know."
Sheesh. She is interested in Terry
.

"And does well with kids. How old is he?"

"Twenty-three or twenty-four. Can we get back to the interview?"

"Yes, sir," Irene said, still looking toward the den.

Hunter finished the interview and got her out of the door quickly. If she couldn't get Chase to stop crying, there was no way he could leave him with her. He walked into the den and found Terry and Chase seated on the sofa watching Sesame Street with Terry singing the Elmo's World song. Chase giggled, tickled pink at the sight of the red puppet on the television screen.

Terry stopped singing as soon as he noticed him enter the room. "Well, how did it go?"

Hunter made the thumbs down gesture. "She was more interested in you than in Chase."

Terry raised an eyebrow. "Really? What is she, forty?"

Hunter sat down next to him on the sofa. "What? You don't like older women?"

"No, gross."

"They can be a lot of fun and they're experienced…"

"No thanks," Terry said.

Hunter touched the lapel of Terry's jacket with his finger. "Are you going somewhere?" Hunter asked, taking his finger off the jacket and pulling his wallet out to pay Terry.

Terry nodded. "Yes, a job interview."

Hunter sniffed the air. The kid smelt heavenly. "Really? What position are you applying for?"

"Nanny," Terry replied. "I have excellent credentials and kids love me."

"Are you serious?" Hunter asked. "I thought you wanted to be a nutritionist?"

"I do, but in this wacky world, I can do both. You need a nanny for Chase, and from the looks of things, you're not having any luck."

"But you're a young man. Nannies are supposed to be…"

"Ma-ma," Chase said, finishing the sentence.

"I think that's your answer," Terry replied with a smile. "Chase doesn't know the difference and doesn't care."

Hunter thought about it. "He does adore you. But I was looking for someone to move in here within the next two weeks and be there for him twenty-four hours a day."

"I can," Terry replied. "My classes are online so I don't have to be physically in class. And my roommate could possibly use the alone time to study for his finals and eat whatever he wants without me complaining about the lack of nutritional value."

Hunter turned to Chase. "He has the last word. What do you think, sport? Do you want Terry as a nanny?"

"Ma-ma," Chase corrected him, hugging Terry to death.

Hunter giggled. "It sound like he said he wanted you as a mama."

Terry shook his head.

"Maybe you can find out why he thinks you're a chick."

That brought a blush to Terry's cheeks.

Oh my god
, Hunter thought as his body heated below the belt to the sight of Terry's pink cheeks. He lowered his eyes.
Is that an erection
?

Terry turned his head. "Does this mean I have the job?"

"Yes, if you want the job."

Terry nodded, not looking him directly in the eyes. "What about Chase's grandparents? Will they object to you hiring a male nanny?"

"I don't know why they should. Don't worry about them. We'll work on a schedule for Chase and a salary for you tomorrow."

Chase had maneuvered himself up and was busy being mischievous. He snatched the band from Terry's hair and it spilled into Terry's face.

"Maybe I should consider getting a haircut," Terry replied when he got his hair from in front of his glasses. "Chase seems drawn to it."

Hunter stared at him. "It does seem like he's drawn to silky black hair. Don't be so hasty." He liked the sight of all that hair too.

Terry's eyes shifted. "I think it's getting a bit warm in here."

"Obviously there are some things we need to work out if this is going to happen."

Terry nodded, sending the hair back into his face.

Hunter groaned loudly.
I think I need a very cold shower.