“I'm afraid so, and she chose a very unfortunate moment to do so,” Aaron said.
At that moment, Matthew began to make the most deafening screeches. Aaron went to him and tried to comfort him. People started to move to another room to protect their ears.
“Hey, Matthew, it's okay,” Aaron said. “I'm here.”
“Sally,” Matthew shouted.
“Sally's leaving us. I told you. We're going to find a new nanny, someone really nice.”
“Want Sally,” he screeched. Aaron took hold of him to prevent him from hurting himself on the wall as he flailed his arms and legs.
“Come on, little chap,” he said. He picked Matthew up and withstood the pounding Matthew's fists and feet were giving him. Eventually, Matthew calmed down, and Aaron was able to put him in his playroom.
“How do I go about getting a good nanny?” he asked Kayla. Kayla had been Lindsey's best friend, and she knew everything about domesticity.
“Where did you get the last one?” Kayla asked.
“An agency.”
“Don't bother with agencies. There is only one place you will find a great nanny, and that's the English Nanny School. I'll text you the number. You need a well-trained nanny who knows about autism, not some bimbo from a local agency.” Kayla had always had a way with words, he thought.
That evening after everyone had gone and Aaron's staff had cleaned up, Aaron went upstairs and took one of Lindsey's nightdresses from the chest of drawers. He lay on the bed and cuddled the material.
*****
Aaron yawned and leaned back in the armchair. “I don't know about you, but I'm really not sure about any of them,” he said.
“No. I must say I was expecting better candidates. Perhaps I was lucky when I got my nanny,” Kayla said.
Aaron usually worked on Saturdays, but he'd taken the day off to interview potential nannies to look after Matthew. The school had sent him six applications, and he'd decided to interview every one of them. Five had been and gone, and none of them had made any impression on him at all. Only one of them had given any details about autistic children, and she'd told him she could only promise to stay a year because she planned to move to the Bahamas to teach diving.
“I really need someone. I can't manage on my own. I can't run a company and look after Matthew twenty-four seven.”
“Don't worry. We'll find someone. Anyhow, there's still another candidate.”
“And she's late, which doesn't bode well. I hate tardy people. If she's not here in ten minutes, she can forget it.”
Fifteen minutes later the doorbell rang. Kayla and Aaron were chatting about what to do next.
“Let her in and give her a chance,” Kayla said.
Aaron went to the door and opened it. He hadn't expected what he saw: a fantastically beautiful woman whose hands were covered in oil and dirt.
“Mr. Fleming, I'm so sorry I'm late. I'm Jodie from the English Nanny School. I got a puncture, and I couldn't get the wheel nuts off until some strongman stopped to help me. My hands are filthy, as you can see.”
Something about her made him smile. She was dressed beautifully in an over-the-knee floral skirt and a cream blouse. She had a tan bag over her shoulder, and her hair was up and neat.
“Well, I'm sorry about your troubles. We'd just about given up on you. Come in. I'll show you to the bathroom, and you can get cleaned up.”
Aaron went back into the lounge and waited until Jodie appeared. Kayla got up and shook her hand.
“Sit down on the sofa,” Aaron said, and then he looked at her critically. She was going to look after his son, and he felt fully justified in doing so. The first thing he noticed was how pretty she was. She was tall and elegant, and she sat upright, her body language indicating her genuine interest in the job. Aaron had interviewed a lot of people in his time, and he knew when they were only there for the money.
“So, Jodie, let me tell you something about me. I'm Aaron, and I own a real estate business that I run out of New York. My wife has just passed away...”
“I'm sorry to hear that,” Jodie said.
“Thank you. My wife passed away, and I need someone reliable to look after my son, Matthew. He's autistic, and he's difficult. His previous nanny was overawed by the task and left me at a very difficult moment.”
“I understand. This is a very interesting position for me. My brother is autistic, and I've always been interested in working with autistic children. I majored in the care of such children. Here are my grades,” she said as she handed Aaron a sheet of paper.
“Very impressive. You say your brother is autistic, so you grew up with the condition?”
She looked at Kayla and then back to Aaron. “Yes. My brother is a year older than me, and I have known nothing else all my life. He's totally closed off from the world. My mother still looks after him. I would help more if I could, but I need to work.”
“Where were you born?” Kayla asked.
Jodie hesitated. “In New York,” she replied.