The Kid, the Boss, and the Incorrigible Nanny

how things started

Eleven months earlier...

Adrian chewed on his unlit cigarette. What a terrible day.

Things were not going well at the hospital. Several of his father's constituents weren't taking well to having a twenty-eight year old as their boss. He could still hear their whispers now, standing in the parking lot at Aiden's daycare. 

"I'm not answering to a kid."

"Just because he's got a business degree, that makes him qualified to lead a company?"

"... life handed to him on a silver spoon."

It hadn't mattered that he had put in sixty hours every week since his father's will had been read and he had been announced the sole heir of the company. It hadn't mattered that he'd been working there through college and had interned during high school. Nobody out of that group of overpaid jerks had even given him a chance before he'd heard the rumors of their plots to undermine him. 

"Why don't you delegate to the board?" He could hear his aunt asking. "You're so young. Don't you want to live a little before you take on such a big job?"

She had meant well, he knew. And she had offered to do everything for him: to cover the press after the accident, to arrange the joint funeral, to take Aiden in and raise him, and even to take over at work. 

It had been tempting. He hadn't expected to take on any role at the company this soon. He had planned on backpacking across Europe after grad school, maybe dabbling in a lower-level position for a few years, then working his way up the ladder. He hadn't expected to take over the company for decades. Yes, it had always been part of the plan, but that was supposed to be on the back burner. It would have been much simpler to take his aunt up on her offer.

But every morning when he woke his little brother, he knew that this was something he couldn't possibly ask someone else to do. The company had been in the family for generations. Adrian couldn't just refuse the responsibility because he wanted to take things easy. He couldn't ask someone else to raise his brother. They were all each other had.

The memory of John's voice echoed in his head. "If you ever need anything — anything — I'm there."

It was an idea. John lived and worked halfway across the country. He was on his way to selling his last start-up and moving into politics. Adrian had often wondered in college if he shouldn't have invested in his roommate's bizarre business ideas. Each one had been hair-brained and most of them sank. But some of them had worked. He sighed, pulling his phone out of his pocket. 

Hey, man. I need a favor.

He locked the screen and tossed the phone into his truck. 

It was an idea. That's all he needed. He could do this thing with the right team behind him. He had to. 

He was musing about the possibilities as he tossed his chewed-up, unlit cigarette into the trash can near the front door. He thought of what a catastrophe work would be the next day when he started moving people around. I guess that's part of it.

He hadn't noticed the girl until he had slammed into her at full force, his frustration having been the motivation for his pace.

"Oof!" She had lost her balance, and she was starting to buckle when he caught her, trying to keep both of them from tumbling down.

They froze, him standing above her and holding her up. Her eyes were wide as she gazed up at him and shining in a particularly well-placed light above her. Her mouth was formed into a soft little circle. Something flipped in his stomach. 

Soft oohs from a group of children reminded him where he was. He stood, righting them both.

"Uh. Sorry. I guess I wasn't watching where I was going." The girl laughed. It was a musical sound. After a moment of stunned silence and children whispering, her eyes widened. "You must be here for Aiden. Gosh, you two look just alike. He's in the class just down the hall from mine. Although," she continued, a smile on her face. "This fall, he'll be moving up to my class."

He cleared his throat and took off down the hall, barely taking the time to spout a "Have a nice day," as he went. 

She and her class were gone when he came back through with his brother in tow. It was all for the better. He didn't have time to think about... whatever that was.

...

A/N 09. 26. 19:

Surprise! Here's another brief chapter. 

See y'all next time!

-j