Bare Bones

David pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation; how could Clive convincingly have him interview nannies for his baby girl? It is beyond him how he did so. The nannies so far were horrendous and not to sound harsh, but they were not up to par with his expectations.

Those expectations are really high for his baby girl and when one nanny had the nerve to have the weekends off, he showed her the door without batting an eye. The woman that is going to help take care of his girl is going to be there all the time; he needed an extra hand and if she is not accessible what is the point of having a nanny?

It is still taking him some time to finally come to terms that he needs help.

Staring at the empty seat in front of him where the previous girl was far too young to even babysit and clearly is a Doctor Who fan, he didn’t even give her a chance. With the loss of his wife, his gaze is cold and calculated giving the young girl shivers down her spine.

David easily saw the TARDIS silver pendant dangling from her neck that is discreetly hidden underneath her scarf, but one clumsy movement revealed the small piece of jewelry for a second. When Clive expressed that some of the nannies are potential candidates for Vienna, all he did was glare.

“What makes you possibly think I want any of these women near my daughter? They are irresponsible, selfish and completely mad!”

“Alright! Alright! Give it time; I’ll look at some agencies that specialize in this sort of thing. Any specific requirements they must have?”

David scoffed, he had so many requirements and he happily listed them all including, knowing CPR, changing a nappie and actually wants to take care of a child than only taking the job to ogle him all day. His best mate only grinned, cheekily answering, “Is that all?”

“For the time being, yes.”

Saluting David, he perched himself on the couch as he promised to select a few agencies by the end of the night. No time should be waste as he needed a nanny as soon as possible, nerves of actually going back to work is overwhelming. When news hit that Miranda passed, the media went into immediate overload.

They followed him everywhere and tried to catch a glimpse of Vienna which he rarely took out with him and for the funeral he had to be as discreet as possible. He still couldn’t stomach the images that are seared into his mind and with his weak state he refused to watch them lower his deceased wife into the ground. He can’t possibly imagine any of it.

“Also someone that will protect my child from the paparazzi at all cost.” David piped in.

Clive’s effortless typing ceased for a second before jumpstarting again, he mumbled, “Someone who’s feisty.”

Rolling his eyes at his mate’s remark, not thoroughly believing in the process that he will ever find the perfect nanny for his little girl; he wanted nothing, but the best for her. He isn’t demanding much…that’s a lie. David knew he is demanding this woman to be a super-nanny when it came to looking out for Vienna. Was it so horrible that he is picky in choosing the best sitter?

David needed to dive back into work as quickly as possible; he felt like it is the best way of mending his broken heart or at least helping him forget the loss just for a little while. It might have been too soon giving that Vienna is six months old, but he couldn’t take it anymore.

By the end of the night Clive found a few agencies that are probably up to par with David’s expectations and giving a few promises he came back the next day with only a few agencies he narrowed down personally. “Each agency is going to send down a few of their best girls with your requirements; it should let you have a better idea what you want.”

“I just want a bloody nanny, Clive.”

“My, David. I didn’t know you were that type of man.” A sly grin appeared on his lips as an irritated expression crossed David’s.

_ _ _
David tried to maintain a look of professionalism as he listened to each sitter. Is he just daft to possibly think that the sitters he is interviewing today fall in the same category as the ones yesterday? They were bland, boring and just greedy. He could see the dollar signs sparkling in their eyes when they realize who he was.

He felt like he was in some dating service than actually looking for a babysitter. Huffing in frustration, a small headache came to the for front of his mind irritating him greatly. He leaned his head against his hand tapping his pen against his lap reading all the resumes that were presented to him recently. Rereading one of the applicants that is possibly the closest thing he wanted to a sitter he didn’t pay attention to the person that walked into his home.

“Dave? David.” Clive nudged him harshly when he didn’t get his attention the first time.

The said man peered up to see a young woman, short stature from what he can see, brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and a face filled with innocence. She gave them a sparkling smile, cautiously stepping forward when David threw out his hand for her to hand him her resume. The girl looked frightened when he snatched it roughly from her hands, his eyes dissecting every recommendation, work ethics and talents that she had written.

Tension grew among the three of them, she shifted in her blazer before taking a seat as far away as possible a respectable amount, he might add. “What’s your name, love?” Clive, the ever smooth talker broke the ice as he gave her one of his sly smirks.

A friendly smile brightened her face as she answered with enthusiasm, “Teddy. My name is Teddy.”

“Says here that your name is Edwynne, not Teddy.” David brought down the sense of comfort with ease and her smile faltered before it built itself back up again.

“Well, yes, but everyone calls me Teddy.”

“Even your employers?”

“Most of them, yes and the little ones that I have worked with usually call me Teddy Bear. I think it’s the cutest thing taking care of children. They have the most beautiful minds on the planet and they are underes-”

“I asked you a simple question that implies a simple answer. No need to go on a rant.” David cut in with a slight edge in his voice; he disliked ramblers. Ramblers consisted of people that let their anxiety get the better of them and quite frankly most ramblers cannot deal with people around them.

Teddy didn’t look in the bit discouraged by his demeanor giving him warm kind eyes and a smile that told him that she understood. The bloody hell she does. The nerve of the girl, the gall that she actually thinks she knows what he has been through the last six months. Just looking at her struck a nerve and not in a good way.

“No need to be rash. My apologies for him, he had a rough morning.” Clive offered her a smile before giving David a look to not fuck this one up.

“Qualifications, looks to me that you travel a lot.” He gave her enough room to ramble if needed and he is going to listen carefully as she said it. David though the worst thinking she left a job once someone is willing to give her higher pay given to the amount of traveling she has been doing since she started this business.

Teddy nodded, “Yes, I do. I go where the work takes me. Friends recommend me to others and it leads me to go all over the place. I’ve been blessed to have done so much in a little amount of time and I even traveled with the family internationally when they need me. Same goes for you, if you ever needed me to go with you, all you have to do is tell me.”

“Why you look at that, you have a degree in child development.” Clive mused, only giving subtle points to David that he should hire her right on the spot.

Before she could even respond, David quickly asked, “Do you have certification for CPR? Or any training for when an issue arises?” He could care less if Teddy has a degree in child development, this woman needs to meet his requirements and each question thrown at her she has given him the right answers.

So he started looking elsewhere, any indication that she is a fan of his or only wants to get close to him and wants nothing to do with his child. There is nothing; nothing he can say to convince himself that she cannot have the job. When the interview was over, Clive shook hands with her as he vocalized how much of an honor it was to meet her.

Once the door closed, Clive’s eyes narrowed, “You are so daft! How could you possibly be fighting this? She’s perfect!”

“I’m not comfortable with her around Vienna.”

“Oh bloody hell; no parent is comfortable at first! It takes time. At least give her a chance to prove herself! She has taken care of a load of kids, one she can handle better than what the other sitters couldn’t do.”

“And what’s that? Not undress me with her eyes?”

Clive rolled his eyes, “Other than that. She talked about how she loves kids. You can tell that she enjoys what she does so reconsider. Your options aren’t the best right now and you did tell me that you are in dire need to start working again.” A flash of kindness crossed his face as he muttered, “Give her a trial run. I know it’s been hard for you-”

“Enough. Stop talking.”

The two men stayed silent as David mulled over what his mate has said and glancing at the resume in his hand, he might give her a chance.

Maybe.