“Are we going shopping again today?” Emma-Claire asked Karen the next morning at breakfast. Karen had made cheese omelets for everyone and was just putting bacon next to the omelet on Emma-Claire’s plate.
Karen smiled down at the child. “Not today, sweetie. Today your Daddy and I are going to be talking to a lady about coming and staying with you when Daddy’s at work,”
“Where will you be when Daddy’s at work?” Emma-Claire asked, and Karen’s heart sank as she sat down across from her grandchild.
“Oh, honey, I have to go back to Florida. That’s where I live. But I already told Daddy that you are coming out to visit me and your grandfather and your uncle and aunts just as soon as we can get you out there!” Karen tried to be assuring, but Emma-Claire looked forlorn as she took a bite of her piece of bacon. “I’m so sorry, honey. I’m going to stay here until you get settled and I won’t leave until I know it’s time. Okay?”
Emma-Claire only nodded and wrapped both of her tiny hands around her cup of orange juice. It was just one of many dishes that Karen and JC had picked up for her at Target the day before. They’d nearly bought out the store with new clothes and a few toys and Bed, Bath, and Beyond had probably never had such a large sale after they’d left the premises. Emma-Claire’s room would be painted a pale green to match the white comforter and tiny floral print of her new bedspread. They’d also purchased towels, toiletries, a complete pink and green bathroom motif, and at Target, Karen made sure that Emma-Claire had several bottles of bubble bath. Little forks and spoons and knives fit just for Emma-Claire’s little hands, small cups and plates, and then they were off to Trader Joe’s. Karen insisted that JC try and be healthy with his daughter and had filled his refrigerator with a plethora of fresh produce and organic items. He’d never seen his pantry or his kitchen with so much food before.
“Will Daddy come for breakfast?” Emma-Claire asked, wiping her mouth with her arm. Karen reached over and dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
“He should be. He needs to be downstairs before too long,” Karen looked outside of the kitchen into the living room where the stairs led. She knew JC had stayed up later once she’d finally gone to bed. But she also knew that Annie would be arriving within the hour and he needed to be ready for his interview with her. “When you finish, we’ll go upstairs and see if he’s awake. His omelet might get cold.”
At that moment, she heard the stairs creak and in a minute JC walked into the kitchen dressed in jeans and a white undershirt. His hair was still wet from the shower and he was yawning as he reached for a coffee mug.
“Good morning, son,” Karen greeted him.
“Hi,” JC turned and smiled at his mother and then at Emma-Claire. “Hi, Emma-Claire.”
“Hi, Daddy. Look, Mimi made omelets,” Emma-Claire pointed to her now almost empty plate.
JC still wasn’t used to being called “Daddy” but he’d heard it so much yesterday from his mother and now Emma-Claire that he knew it should be something that warmed his heart. It still made him feel somewhat uncomfortable, but he masked it well and only smiled at the girl. His mother had insisted Emma-Claire call her “Mimi” even after JC told her that he would rather wait for the final result. Karen had ignored him and said once more that Emma-Claire needed stability starting now and deep down, JC knew it was true.
“Uh huh,” JC cleared his throat and poured a cup of coffee.
“Your omelet is in the microwave so it won’t get cold,” Karen told him, sipping on her coffee. She looked at Emma-Claire who was watching JC with much awe. Karen already knew the child was in love with her father and was just waiting for him to return his affections. She’d already prayed that it wouldn’t take him much longer. Yesterday he’d at least held her hand in Target and when they’d stood in line at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, she saw Emma-Claire lean against JC’s leg and JC put his hand on top of her head. It was a start, if nothing else.
“Ready for the interview?” Karen asked him, as he sat down next to Emma-Claire in the breakfast nook.
“I guess. I still have no idea how it will all go down,” JC began to dig into his omelet.
“You’ll tell her you work during the day. She gets Saturdays off and one Sunday a month,” Karen told him. “We already worked that out.”
“Yeah, it’s the Saturday off thing I’m a little skeptical about,” he admitted. Giving up his Saturdays wasn’t something he was particularly looking forward to. It had always been his time to chill out and not do anything if he didn’t want to. Saturday night had been his night for going out till the wee hours of the morning and now that was being taken away, too.
Emma-Claire finished her breakfast and asked to go play in her room. Another bedroom was being turned into her playroom in the next few weeks, but for now, all of her toys were in her room and they were all brand new. It had felt like Christmas for her all over again when Karen and JC had set everything up the night before.
Karen looked at her son over her coffee mug and sighed. “Josh, please, honey. This isn’t an ideal situation, I know. Please just try. For Emma-Claire. And if not for her, then at least for me until you decide that you are ready for her to be in your life,” Karen stood and went to the sink to rinse out her mug. “Annie will be here in a half hour. I’m going to finish getting ready.”
JC only nodded and looked down at the plate of food in front of him. He usually loved anything his mother cooked for him, but he was so perplexed and upset that the omelet tasted bland to him. He stood and took his plate, along with Emma-Claire’s, to the sink and then went back upstairs to finish getting ready.
Annie had expected JC Chasez’s house to be something like that of the McGriffin’s. Pristine front yard, exquisite outside décor, columns up and down the front steps. But it wasn’t. It was a contemporary looking gray structure that overlooked West Hollywood. The pool was a regular pool with a diving board. There was an outside grilling area and fire pit next to it. Across from the pool was a smaller structure; Annie assumed it was the pool or guesthouse. Inside, the house was plain and it definitely looked as though a bachelor had decorated it. She already missed the warm wood paneling throughout the McGriffin’s house that always made her feel at home. It wasn’t that JC’s house was ugly. It was quite beautiful, but Annie knew it was missing that special touch that only came when a woman entered the picture. She was quite sure that Corbin would have left the house alone had it not been for Patsy’s interior design friend coming in every two years to redo the rooms. But that was done now. She wasn’t with the McGriffin’s anymore. It panged her to walk into a new house knowing that she could be a nanny for another child other than Ruby and Henry. She also knew that if she did end up getting this job, she would call Patsy first thing and let her know that she would be around and on her weekends off, she’d want to see her old charges.
“Hi, Annie,” an older woman greeted her when she opened the door. “Come on in. I’m Karen. I’m Josh’s mother. I’m here helping him out until he gets a nanny.”
“Hi,” Annie smiled and immediately liked this woman. “I’m Annie Leighton. It’s nice to meet you.” Annie followed Karen into the large living room and sat down on the leather couch.
“Josh should be down any minute and –“ Karen began but was stopped by the sounds of small footsteps on the stairs. She turned to see Emma-Claire standing in the middle of the staircase and smiling shyly at Annie.
Annie grinned at the little girl standing above her. She was dressed in pink overalls with a white shirt underneath. Her brown hair was in a ponytail with a pink ribbon tied through it. In her arms she carried a baby doll and blanket. Annie had always thought Ruby McGriffin was the cutest little girl in the world. She might be mistaken now. This child looked like something out of an ad for Gymboree.
“That’s Emma-Claire,” Karen grinned at her as Emma-Claire began to slowly make her way down the steps. “Emma-Claire, come meet Annie.”
“Hi, Emma-Claire,” Annie greeted the child, who walked over and sat down next to her on the couch. “What is your baby’s name?”
“Shayna,” Emma-Claire answered. “After my mama.”
Annie smiled warmly at her and touched the baby doll’s dress. “She is beautiful. I like her dress!”
“I got it yesterday with Mimi and Daddy,” Emma-Claire replied. “We went shopping all day!”
“I like shopping. We’ll have to go sometime,” Annie already felt bonded to this child and was ready to begin the interview. All thoughts of grad school were long gone, especially after meeting her. On the way to the house, Megan had asked her about it and Annie had told her friend that the interview would seal the deal on whether or not she pursued her Master’s now or later. It was looking like later so far.
At that moment, JC was walking down the stairs. Annie looked up and smiled at him and he returned it with a half-smile, half-grimace. He had aged somewhat since she’d last seen him in those teeny bop magazines years ago. His hair was greying on the sides and a few wrinkles lined his mouth. But, Annie had to admit he could still pull off handsome. There was no doubt. She put that out of her mind and began to prepare herself for the questions she knew were about to come for the interview.
“Emma-Claire, go on upstairs. Mimi and I have to talk to this nice lady,” JC told his daughter, as he walked over to Annie.
“Her name is Annie, Daddy,” Emma-Claire told him matter-of-factly and hopped off the couch. “Bye Annie.”
“Bye, Emma-Claire,” Annie said and then looked up at JC and stood. “I’m Annie Leighton.”
“JC Chasez,” JC shook her hand politely and went over to join his mother on the couch and observed her. She was medium height, curly brown hair, and, he had to admit, a pretty smile. “I don’t know all of what you’ve been told, but Emma-Claire’s mom and I used to date. I only found out about her a few days ago because her mother passed away and that’s how she ended up here. Basically, I’m really busy with this new band I’m trying to produce and I’m not really around to take care of her during the week,” he’d had a hard time getting that last sentence out because he really wanted to say that he wasn’t around at all but he knew it was all about to change. “So, you’d be on pretty much Monday through Friday. I’ll give you every Saturday off and one weekend a month. Can I ask what you were making at the McGriffin’s? I just need to know because I have no idea what nanny’s are even paid.”
Annie paused before she answered. It almost seemed as though he didn’t really want this kid but maybe she was reading him wrong. She shook the thought from her mind and answered the question. “It wasn’t a salaried job. But I made close to $25,000 a year. They gave me room and board and paid for my health insurance and a car that I was able to use.”
JC nearly choked. He figured nanny’s got something like $100 a week or something like that. And a car? Health insurance? He felt his mother boring a hole into him and knew he’d better say something. “Um, wow. Ok.”
“You were thinking it was hourly, right?” Annie had found this assumption to be true from a lot of people who’d never had a nanny or knew anything about them. “The thing with us nanny’s is that we’re taking care of your children around the clock. Parents will pay anything as long as their kids are happy and taken care of. And I can promise you I will do just that with Emma-Claire.”
“Fine,” he was hesitant to agree, but if what she said was true, this was the best he’d get, unless he hired someone illegally and he wasn’t too keen on doing that at all. “So, um, can you tell me about your last job and your other experiences?” He might as well find out. She was the only one in the running so far and he was desperate.
“I worked for the McGriffin’s for four years. I was hands -on all the time with their son and daughter. I helped them get ready for school, picked them up, drove them to activities, made their dinner, and got them ready for bed. Their parents would usually take over and put them to bed or sometimes take over when they got home from school,” Annie replied. “I went on all family vacations and was given three weeks paid vacation throughout the year. Most of my other experiences were babysitting back home and substitute teaching during college. I majored in Education and plan to get my Masters eventually.”
JC sighed and looked at his mother, then back at Annie. “Wow. Okay. That’s good, then. I mean, you obviously know what you’re doing in the aspect of kids,” he looked at his mother, then back at Annie. “When can you start?”
“I’m ready now,” Annie couldn’t help but smile at his offer. “Just have to get my stuff from a friend’s house and I can be ready whenever you need me to be.”
JC smiled back at her and nodded. “Great. I guess I should give you a tour of the house. Oh and you’ll be staying in the pool house out back. It’s not much but I wanted to give you your privacy. You can come back tomorrow and start then if you like,”
“Tomorrow sounds perfect,” Annie watched as JC stood and gestured towards the stairs. She assumed this meant they were going on a tour of the house and followed his lead.
“This is really great, Annie,” Karen told her, as they began to climb the steps. “I think you are going to be just what Emma-Claire needs.”
“I hope so,” Annie said, as they reached the top of the second floor. “It sounds like she’s been through so much.”
The tour didn’t take very long. There were four bedrooms upstairs with bathrooms in each. JC was firm about the fact that he was a private person and his room was off limits to both Annie and Emma-Claire. He said the same about his private office and the recording studio adjacent to the theater room in the basement.
“I am trusting you to not say a word to anyone about who it is you nanny for. Obviously, there are a few people who already know, but those people are close friends of mine. I know your old bosses know and that’s fine, but I would appreciate it until the word gets out about my daughter that you keep quiet,” JC said, once they were finished with the tour. “When you come over tomorrow, you can move in and get settled and then we’ll go look at a car for you.”
Annie was having a hard time trying to decipher whether or not she liked JC Chasez. She understood why they had to keep certain things private and knew that tabloids would be itching to print this story. But, if she was honest with JC, no one really kept up with him anymore. She knew all anyone cared about was Justin Timberlake. Until the reunion a few months ago she’d almost forgotten there were five guys who made up the band ‘Nsync in the first place. It was his business and his life and she knew that. She also knew how nosy Hollywood was and if he wanted this kept secret, she’d keep her mouth shut to anyone who wanted to know what she was up to now.
“It was so good to meet you,” Karen shook her hand as Annie headed towards the door an hour later. “I’ll be helping you out tomorrow and through the weekend. It’s probably obvious that Josh is still trying to figure out fatherhood.” Karen said the last part under her breath and only to Annie. Annie nodded and smiled. It was clear that JC was not so paternal just yet. But hopefully, she’d get to see the turn when he realized just how amazing it was to be the parent of a cute little girl like Emma-Claire.
After Annie had left, JC went and plopped down on the couch, rubbing his face in his hands. It was final. He’d hired a nanny. He was actually going to keep the child, even if those results came back negative. As if on cue, his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Dr. Carnes’ office.
“I bet this is the result,” he told his mother, who had come into the living room from the kitchen, a glass of iced tea in her hand. Karen set the tea on the coffee table and watched as JC answered the phone. He nervously tapped his foot and bit a nail, looking at his mother when he greeted the nurse on the other end.
“Mr. Chasez? Hello. I’m Dr. Carnes’ nurse. I wanted to let you know that the test results are in and the match was 100% positive. In fact, we’ve never seen a match come back so fast,”
JC simply nodded to his mother. Karen let out a sigh of relief, knowing that this was going to make it complete and final. Nothing could change it and Emma-Claire wouldn’t have to be bounced around from foster home to foster home.
“Um, yeah, great. Thanks,” JC hung up and threw the phone on the couch. “Well, I guess it’s all true, then. I’m her dad.”
“Oh, honey. I know it’s not what you expected. But you’re going to make it through this,” Karen went over to comfort him, but JC moved away.
“I need to go clear my head,” and before she could protest, JC bounded down the stairs to his recording studio and shut himself inside for the rest of the day. He pounded out notes on the piano, he strummed harshly on an electric guitar, and he beat the drums so hard that he thought he might stab a hole in the snare drum. He didn’t care. It was his way of releasing stress and his way of trying to cope with what had happened in the last week to rock his world and turn it upside down in a way that could never be turned back.
When he finally emerged, it was close to Emma-Claire’s dinnertime. Karen was in the kitchen making chicken and broccoli with whole -wheat pasta. Emma-Claire was sitting at the breakfast nook playing with her Polly Pocket dolls. She was making up her own little story and talking for each of the dolls while she waited for her dinner. JC watched her from the bar that overlooked the kitchen from the living room. He wanted to look at her and feel something other than resentment, but at that moment, he was suddenly angry. Angry that Shayna never even let him know about a daughter, angry that his mother was all for him being this child’s father, and angry that he would never again have a life of his own. It would always be about Emma-Claire from now on and it infuriated him that he was going to have to suck it up and learn how to deal with it.
Emma-Claire looked up from her dolls and right at JC. She grinned at him when she caught his eye. “Hi, Daddy. Are you eating dinner with me?”
“No,” JC answered shortly, then turned to his mother, who was draining the pasta in the sink. “I’m going out to meet some friends for dinner.” That wasn’t necessarily true. It was pretty early for his friends to go and eat dinner at 6:00. But he’d at least get out of the house and find out what everyone was doing that night.
“Josh-“ Karen started.
“I’ll be back later tonight,” he didn’t let her finish.
“Daddy, are you going to tuck me in tonight?” Emma-Claire’s voice echoed as JC left the kitchen and started for the front door.
“No, Emma-Claire. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he called back and slammed the door on his way out. The evening air was crisp and cool. Just the type of air he needed to let his roof down on the convertible.
Karen heard the engine start and cringed as the brakes screeched when the car pulled out of the driveway. She shook her head and began to put chicken on Emma-Claire’s plate.
“Mimi?” her little voice was almost a whisper.
“What, sweetheart?” Karen turned around to look at Emma-Claire.
“Does Daddy like me?” her chin trembled as she asked the dreaded question.
“Of course he does,” Karen had no idea if she was telling the truth or not. “Daddy’s just got a lot on his mind right now. I bet tomorrow when Annie comes to play with you, he’ll feel a lot better.” She was trying to be convincing, but after what she’d just witnessed, Karen was having a hard time convincing anyone that her son would ever really get used to his own daughter.
