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As the jumbo jet made a smooth take-off, Luis leaned back in his seat and looked across the aisle at the new nanny. She was bent close to Juan, listening as his son regaled her with some tale. For a moment he wished he could capture the sight in a photograph. His boys were special. He wished they’d forever be as happy as Juan looked right now. He didn’t often see that expression.
It was at special moments like this he missed Melissa with an ache that seemed destined to never fade. She had missed every moment of their lives, dying of an aneurism before delivering Pablo. She’d never even held her sons. At every milestone, he offered up the hope that Melissa knew, somewhere, somehow.
Stacey enjoyed sitting by Juan, happy he was so easy to travel with. He talked her ear off non-stop from the time the doors closed until the flight was airborne. He’d loved looking out the window until land was left behind. He thought the ocean was boring. Once or twice she glanced over at Luis and Pablo. That twin was quieter. He seemed intent on coloring in pages his father produced from the packet Hannah had sent. Her own contributions to keep the children entertained had yet to be opened. Hannah had packed small toys they could play with in the confined space of their seats.
Luis settled Pablo then opened his laptop and seemed totally engrossed with whatever he was reading, his expression thoughtful, his eyes focused on the screen. His hair was a bit mussed. Had he run his fingers through when she’d not been looking?
And why was she looking? She was here for the children, not to watch the father. Had it been just over twenty-four hours ago that she had met him for the first time? She’d returned to her office after meeting the boys and studied the interview sheets with more intensity than normal. He was widowed. He was head of a very successful software development firm. And he was so good looking he should carry a warning label.
When she’d gone home, she’d looked him up on the internet, and found the article Stephanie had mentioned that listed him as one of New York’s most eligible bachelors. No mention of his kids. Several tremendous photographs, however, would have everyone in New York recognizing him if they met him on the street.
She turned back to Juan. How lucky Luis was to have his twins. She hoped they were making family memories for the boys to cherish in the future. She only had vague memories of her own mother and father. She’d been six when delivered to Grams, her sister Savannah only four. And her mother’s mother had been arthritic and grumpy and already in her mid-sixties. If Stacey hadn’t had her sister, she didn’t know what she would have done. Savannah and she had made the most of whatever Grams had offered, but they hadn’t had much materially or done much outside the home. No travel, no vacations. When she’d turned eighteen, she’d deliberately set out to change her future for the better.
Stretching slightly, she acknowledged her own good luck to spend the next three weeks at some Spanish villa by the sea. When growing up in Palmerville, West Virginia, she’d dreamed about the sea. Now her best assignments were the ones at the beach. Thankfully the rich and famous liked the beach as much as she did.
During the meal service, she assisted Juan in cutting his meat and helping with his beverage. Once the meal service ended, she asked if Luis wanted to switch boys. Juan protested about going to sit by his dad, he wanted to stay with Stacey. Since the seats were large, she agreed and Pablo joined them. Soon the three of them were engrossed in putting together a puzzle she’d brought. The boys had never done a jigsaw puzzle before and vied with each other to match pieces to the spaces, often trying to force them in until Stacey explained they needed to reconstruct the picture and pieces in wrong places simply would not do!
She glanced again at her new employer. He was still working on the laptop, but she knew the battery would be dying soon. Then what would he do?
Her years working in this job had convinced her business tycoons didn’t have a family gene. They might want a family, but it was mainly for show or to leave the family fortune to. Children were nice to have brought out to meet associates and then shunted off in the care of someone else.
Her grandmother had been sickly, but she’d done her best for Stacey and her sister. She’d read to them, and taught them how to keep house, cook, mend clothes. All of it accompanied with family stories about relatives who had died without Stacey ever meeting them. Still, those were her family memories of growing up. Poor, deprived of bicycles and other toys her schoolmates had enjoyed, she still had those cherished memories. She missed her grandmother.
Growing up poor, however, had fostered the desire to enjoy luxury, hence the idea of being a temporary nanny, where she got to travel to exotic locations. While not participating in the activities of the parents, the children still had wonderful amenities that she would have loved as a child and she did her best to give each child a wonderful memory of the vacation, whether spending time with their parents or not.
She wondered about her current boss. He’d mentioned spending summers in Spain. With his parents? Or had he been shuffled off to get out of the way for their own lifestyles? She doubted she’d ever find out. Curiosity had her wondering about him while his children played quietly. Soon she’d try to get them to sleep a bit. It was already dark outside. They’d be landing in Madrid early in the morning. Sleep was required!
Midway through the flight the boys gave up and she reclined the seat they shared, covered them with a blanket and gave them each a pillow. In only seconds they were both fast asleep.
Which gave Stacey plenty of time to think. Her eyes were drawn to Luis Aldivista. His concentration seemed complete, which enabled her to study him without him being aware of it. He was better looking than the photographs she’d seen on the internet. What were his expectations for the trip?
“Mr. Aldivista,” she said softly. The jet was so quiet she knew he could hear her and she didn’t want to wake the boys.
He looked over. “Yes?” It took him a moment to focus. What was he thinking? she wondered.
“I thought maybe we should talk a bit more about what you expect from the trip. Will I be taking the boys around sightseeing, or will we be primarily at your grandmother’s place?”
“At Abuela Maria’s, I imagine,” he said, frowning slightly. “I don’t have any expectations. Just watch them. Keep them out of mischief. Try to have them behave.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” she asked, wondering if there was more to this assignment than she knew about.
“They’re a handful. If one wants to do one thing, the other wants to do the opposite.” He shook his head. “Hannah limits what they do because they’re so much trouble.”
Stacey glanced at the sleeping boys. They looked angelic to her.
“I think I can manage,” she replied dryly. How hard could they be?
“See that you do. I don’t want them disrupting my grandmother’s home.”
“I’ve never been to Spain, neither have they. I hope we see some of it while here. I’m sure the boys would love to see some of the old forts or castles.”
He looked at his computer, sighed and closed it. “Battery’s dead,” he said. Then he looked back at Stacey. “My grandmother’s home is right on the sea. The boys will find enough to do, playing on the beach. Easier to keep them corralled that way.”
She tilted her head slightly. “Will you be spending much time with them?”
“No promises. I’ll have to see how thing go at work.”
She wanted him to say he’d already planned on spending time with Juan and Pablo every day, but she was tilting at windmills. Die-hard business tycoons like Luis Aldivista never put anything before business.
“They don’t speak Spanish, do they?”
He shook his head.
“But you do?”
“Of course. I spent every summer in Spain from the time I was younger than the boys until I went to college and had to work summers.”
“Don’t you think they’ll have an easier time if you were with them some part of the day?”
“That’s why I hired you, Ms. Williams. Are you not up to the task? If so, I wished you’d spoken up before we left New York.”
“I’m more than capable of taking care of your children. I just thought—”
“I don’t pay you to think. Please just do the job for which you were hired.”
Stacey nodded, her enthusiasm dimming slightly. She gave him a polite smile when what she really wanted to do was bop him on the head. Turning away, she studied the sleeping boys for a moment. They looked angelic. And while their spirits had been high at the airport, she didn’t sense any malice or mischief in either.
Knowing they would land very early in the morning in Madrid, she leaned back and tried to sleep. She’d made transatlantic crossings before, and knew the first day or so in Europe was tiring due to the time change and lack of sleep. Not that these little guys would have that. They’d be wired with excitement. She’d better catch some sleep while she could.
Before drifting to sleep, Stacey imagined Luis having a change of heart and wanting to spend time with his sons. Thinking back over all the families she’d worked for over the years, only one or two came to mind who actually put their children and family fun above all else on a vacation. She really wished that would change.
When they landed in Madrid, the boys were cranky. That set the mood for the next stage of the journey. The connection to their next flight was tight and going through customs wasn’t as fast as Stacey wished. Still, they made the next plane and were soon airborne again on the one-hour flight to the coast. Once they landed in Alicante, Luis had Stacey watch the boys while he went to get their luggage and pick up the rental car he’d had reserved.
Tired from their flight, a bit scared with all the commotion at the foreign airport and not understanding the language around them, the boys clung to Stacey and said they wanted to go home. She explained everything around them, and then asked about their great-grandmother, trying to divert them from focusing on what they didn’t like.
“Have you ever met her?” she asked.
“She came to visit when we were little,” Juan said.
She smiled. To her these boys were still little.
“She always smelled nice,” Pablo added.
“So visiting her at her house will be fun, right?” she asked cheerfully.
“I want to go home,” Pablo said yet again.
“You’ll have fun this vacation, we’ll make sure of that. Then when you go home you can tell Hannah all about your trip!” she said, trying to keep him from dwelling on his wish to return home.
Once in the rental car, Stacey sat in the front beside Luis and the boys sat together in the back.
“It’s still about an hour’s drive,” Luis said, pulling out of the airport and getting on the highway. The traffic was heavy as people made their way to work. Soon, however, Alicante was left behind them as the car headed north.
Stacey gazed out the window as he drove. She saw glimpses of the sea from time to time. Anticipation rose. She hoped the weather would be good for the children’s sake. It was so much easier to play by the water than inside a strange place in inclement weather. She was prepared for either eventuality, however.
Luis drove on autopilot. He was tired, not having slept long on the plane. But as soon as he could get an internet connection, he’d send the office the work he’d done and then catch a nap.
He glanced at Stacey. She was restful to be around and didn’t talk needlessly. Didn’t flirt, didn’t try to charm him. He frowned. Where had that thought come from? He was immune to women who were looking for a relationship, as his sister often said. Maybe he was, but he’d been in love with Melissa and when she’d died, a part of him had died as well.
Besides, if he ever did become interested in another woman, it wouldn’t be someone like Stacey Williams. Melissa had been tall, blonde, a bit reserved and definitely sophisticated. While the coloring wasn’t too different, Stacey was totally the opposite of Melissa.
Sophisticated wasn’t the word he’d use for her. She bubbled with life. Everything seemed like an adventure. Though she had connected instantly with his sons.
His wife had been a real asset when he’d been courting investors for the new firm he was starting. She’d known how to entertain all levels of society. She’d always had the right word, the right clothes. Not that he was thinking about marriage or a new wife. He’d had his shot. Now he had his company—and his boys.
Still, Stacey was young, carefree and fun—just what his sons needed. He looked at her again. She turned and met his gaze, her eyes alight with delight.
“It’s beautiful along here. I can’t wait to see where we’ll be staying.”
“The villa’s larger than most. My grandmother had six children. My father is third from the oldest. There’s a guest cottage that sleeps ten as well. Plenty of room for all.”
He wondered where his grandmother would put them. Would she get servant quarters? He hadn’t thought about that. He hoped she wouldn’t get all upset if that was the case.
He drove through the small village of Alta Parisa, the place he’d known so well from his childhood visits. They were almost at his grandmother’s. Soon he turned into the familiar drive, curving around until the villa came into view. He was surprised by the feeling of homecoming. He’d spent many summers here with his sister while his parents had been off doing their own thing and he’d wondered as a teenager why they’d had two children if they didn’t want to spend time with them.
The villa was surrounded by flowering plants. Purple bougainvillea trailed from the upper balcony down the columns surrounding the ground-level veranda. Gardenias scented the air with their sweet fragrance. Dahlias and zinnias and roses were artfully arranged to offer contrasting colors and textures against the cream color of the walls.
The tall windows on each floor were flanked by dark shutters that were rarely closed. The stucco gleamed in the sunshine. Beyond he saw the guest cottage a short walk from the main house through the gardens. To his right was the sea.
The boys were straining to see everything, curiosity finally erasing crankiness and homesickness. They’d be ready for a nap in the early afternoon, but Luis hoped they’d greet his grandmother without any attitude.
“We’re here,” Luis said needlessly. He glanced at his new nanny, wondering what she thought of the place. Melissa had only come once and had been out of her element not speaking the language and not knowing anyone. That had been the only time she hadn’t fit in perfectly, whatever the circumstances.
How would Stacey fare? Not that it mattered that much, she was only a temporary nanny after all. She’d be perfect for the boys, which would leave him free to spend time with his grandmother, cousins, and parents when they arrived. And to work.
“It’s lovely,” she said, still taking in everything.
He looked at the villa again, remembering racing around the upper balcony, chasing Isabella. They were only two years apart and except when the cousins had come to visit had had only themselves to play with those summers. There’d been no other children living close by. They’d had the run of the place and known every nook and cranny.
He hoped his sons would have happy memories of this visit. He glanced again at Stacey. She’d proved competent on the trip, keeping the boys entertained and under control. She’d been especially helpful at the airport in Madrid. She looked as fresh as she had when he’d first seen her at JFK. She turned to look at him and he was struck anew by how blue her eyes were. He stared a moment, time suspended. He could feel his interest intensify. If he let himself forget for a second she was in his employ, that she was there for his kids, would he do something foolish?
“Welcome to my grandmother’s home,” he said in Spanish.
“Thank you. I can’t wait to see everything,” she replied in the same language.
“I’ll be happy to show you around. Come meet my grandmother.” A cordial offer. He would make sure she was satisfied without giving in to the need he suddenly felt to learn more about her. To get to know her. She was beautiful, no doubt, but he’d seen beautiful women before.
Stacey helped get the boys from the car and the four of them went to the huge double front doors, carved of dark wood, gleaming with a rich, dark finish. Knocking brought a maid in no time, who obviously knew Luis as she broke into rapid Spanish words of welcome. Hugging him, she looked at Stacey and the boys. Quickly she spoke again.
“Sorry, Camilla, they don’t speak Spanish yet. Juan and Pablo, this is Camilla, she works for your great-grandmother and can always find a snack for a hungry boy,” Luis said with a grin.
She beamed at the boys and spoke again.
“She says come visit with her when you get settled,” Stacey translated.
The maid looked at her. “You speak Spanish,” she said in that language.
“Sí. I’m Stacey, nanny to the boys. Perhaps you can show me where I should go?”
“Oh, la señora wishes to see all of you as soon as you arrive. Come in. What am I doing, talking when she awaits? Come, come. She’s on the terrace by the sea. It’s warm this morning, she’s enjoying her chocolate there. Come, come.”
Following her as she walked quickly through the villa, they soon came to a lovely terrace that was surrounded by flowers and straight ahead a view of the Med. The sea sparkled in the sunshine, reflecting the light like diamonds on the waves. The blue of the water was deeper than that of the clear sky.
An elderly woman sat at a table with another, enjoying their hot beverages.
“Ah, Luis, you have arrived!” The older of the two jumped up and rushed to greet him. She was dressed in black, her silvery hair fashioned in a short style suited to an active life.
Stacey watched as the petite woman embraced her much taller grandson, tears of happiness in her eyes. She then looked at the boys and hugged each of them, exclaiming on how big they’d gotten, how happy she was to have them visit, how she’d missed them. When she got to Stacey she smiled. “I’m Marie Aldivista. Welcome to my home.”
“Stacey Williams, nanny for the boys,” Stacey replied.
She frowned and looked at Luis. “I thought their nanny was older.”
“Stacey is a vacation nanny only. Hannah’s the boys’ regular nanny and she is older, but she couldn’t accompany us. Stacey’s just for the trip.” He spoke in Spanish.
Maria Aldivista looked at her again and smiled, a hint of speculation in her eyes. “So, welcome to España and to my house. May I call you Stacey?” She also spoke in her native tongue.
“I wish you would. I’m so pleased I could come to watch the boys. What I’ve seen so far is lovely. I can’t wait to see more of the gardens and the beach.”
“You must have spent time in Spain, your Spanish is excellent.”
“I had a great teacher, but this is my first time in Spain,” Stacey said, pleased with the compliment.
Maria looked at Luis. “You must show her the village and take her and the boys to some of the sights. This is the best part of Spain.”
“So says a woman who has lived here all her life,” he said with a smile of affection.
“So I should know, right? Come, sit. Have something to eat or drink. Sophia, welcome Luis and his boys and Stacey. You are all the first to arrive after my dear cousin.”
Introductions were made to Sophia who, as far as Stacey could determine, was a distant cousin to Maria. They’d been girls together and Sophia had come for the birthday celebration. She remarked to Luis that his sons reminded her of him when he was young and came to visit his abuela.
Hot chocolate and fresh coffee were soon served and Luis’s grandmother asked him about his work, the trip over and what he wanted to do while visiting.
Stacey listened, keeping an eye on the boys. They were growing bored and she thought it best if they went to their rooms, changed clothes and maybe took a short nap.
“Ah, the boys are growing restless,” Maria said a moment later. She smiled at them. “Luis, show them the room you had as a boy. I’ve put you on the second floor in the room you used when you brought Melissa. I thought they’d be more comfortable on the third floor next to the playroom.”
“You’ve kept the playroom?” he asked.
“Of course. Each generation has children. I want them all to love coming here as much as you did.” She looked at Sophia. “I think I’ll put Stacey in the rose room, what do you think?”
“She would do well there,” Sophia said with a nod.
“Wherever you wish,” Stacey said. “Is that next to the boys’ room.”
“No, it’s on the floor below. There will be other children on the third floor. The twins won’t feel lonely. Luis, your cousins Sebastian and Theresa will be here tomorrow afternoon with their families. And the day after Miguel and Pedro and their families. I love it when the house is full of children. I’m sorry Isabella can’t come until next week.”
Luis looked thoughtfully at his grandmother. “And where is this rose room?” His grandmother looked at him. “It’s on the second floor—right next to yours.”
CHAPTER TWO
LUIS kept his composure but he was not pleased with the obvious ploy on his grandmother’s part. He knew she fervently believed men should have a wife to help in life’s journey. She’d been very happy with his grandfather and wanted all her grandchildren married and as happy.
His sister Isabella and his cousin Sabrina were the only other unmarried members of the family. Did grandmother have plans for them as well?
He looked at Stacey. She glanced at him, a hint of amusement in her eyes. She’d definitely picked up on his grandmother’s machinations. Would it give her ideas? He didn’t kid himself, the money he had was sufficient appeal to anyone. He’d known Melissa had married him for love as he hadn’t had two cents back then. Yet she’d never complained. She’d delighted in their good fortune when the software had begun to take off. Now he was too cynical to believe in love with money and fame so enticingly included.
“Come on, Juan and Pablo, let’s go find your rooms. You might want to take a short nap, too,” Stacey said, heading for the door.
“I don’t want to take a nap,” Juan said, racing after her. Pablo lagged behind a little, looking over his shoulder at his father in appeal.
“I’ll come up with you,” Luis said. Pablo clearly needed some extra encouragement in the strange setting.
Juan was already racing up the stairs when Luis and Pablo caught up with Stacey.
“These stairs are so wide. The extravagance of space is not what I’m used to in New York,” she said, admiring the staircase.
“This was built in the 1920s when lavish styles were the rage. It’s a solid house.”
“Lovely.” She didn’t say anything else. Or try to flirt or make mention of his grandmother’s room assignments. Her serenity fascinated him. So far he’d never seen her flustered.
The third floor held several bedrooms and a large playroom. Memories crowded in as he surveyed the old toys and games and books. The chairs were way too small for him now, but once upon a time they’d been perfect.
“What fun we’ll have here if it rains,” Stacey said to the boys as she wandered to the shelves and looked at the books. Most were in Spanish, but there were a few English versions. Board games were neatly boxed. There were blocks, and puzzles, and trucks and dolls. It was perfect for children of various ages.
“Their room will be next door,” Luis said. He felt awkward. She should be staying near the children. His grandmother knew that. He didn’t want to give Stacey any false impressions or ideas. She was a temporary nanny for his children, nothing more. If she read anything into Abuela Marie’s room assignment, he’d have to set her straight.