Beach House Reunion (Beach House #5)(22)

“Sorry, I’m not sure I know the difference.”

Julia explained: “A babysitter takes care of your child for a few hours at an hourly rate. You call her when you want to go out to dinner or a movie. More short-term. A nanny, on the other hand, is a full-time caretaker who is more involved with the child, arranges schedules, helps with household chores, prepares meals. She’s almost part of the family.”

Cara said, “I guess what I need is a nanny, then.”

“Well,” Julia said with a grimace, “nannies can be quite expensive. All that time and personal investment . . . Perhaps you just need someone part-time?”

“I’m getting desperate. Where can I find someone to babysit Hope in my home for a few hours every day while I work?”

Across the room, Linnea raised her head toward them. “Aunt Cara, did you say you’re looking for a babysitter?”

Cara turned toward Linnea. “Yes. Do you know someone?”

Linnea rose to her feet. “?’Scuse me a minute, precious,” she said to Little Lovie. She walked over to join Cara and Julia, who watched her daughter over her mug.

“I’m interested.”

Cara blinked, caught off guard. She couldn’t believe she could be so lucky. Still, this was her niece. She wanted Linnea to move forward with her own ambitions, especially at this point in her life.

“But, Linnea, you just graduated from college. Aren’t you looking for something in your field?”

“Yes, but I’ve been searching for weeks,” Linnea explained, a hint of her frustration leaking into her voice. “I’m afraid it’s going to take more time than I had expected. Frankly, I’d like to make some money while I’m looking.”

“I won’t be able to pay you a nanny’s full-time rate,” Cara said honestly. “I need someone who can sit for me during the day. I’m flexible with hours. A routine matters the most to me.” She looked at her niece with affection. “I doubt you’d be interested in what I could afford.”

Linnea was not deterred. “Does the job include room and board?”

“Why, yes. If you’d like. In fact, I’d prefer it.”

“Good. Because I’d really love to stay with you at the beach house this summer. I’m sure we could work out an arrangement we could both afford.”

Cara released a short laugh of surprise. “But are you sure?” she asked, not wanting to get her hopes up. “You’d be Hope’s nanny? Or babysitter, or whatever you wish to be called.”

Before Linnea had a chance to respond, Palmer was at her shoulder, his face scrunched up.

“What’s this I hear? Something about you being a nanny?”

“Yes, Daddy. Cara’s offering me a job!” Her tone implied she expected him to be pleased.

“Hell, girl, I didn’t send you to college for four years to be no nanny!”

Linnea turned away in a show of pique.

Palmer shot out his arm to grab her. “Don’t you walk away from me.”

Linnea jerked back her arm. “Let go!”

“Palmer,” Julia said in horror.

Palmer immediately opened his hand to release her and weaved back two steps, shamefaced.

“Daddy!” Linnea said accusingly, scanning her forearm for marks.

Cara stood in shock as a deep-rooted anger rose up within her and old memories resurfaced. She looked over to see Flo and Emmi watching from the sofa, equally shocked. Flo met Cara’s gaze and signaled her with a quick, stern shake of her head: Stay out of it. Cara clenched her cup and told herself this was between father and daughter. Besides, there was nothing she could say that wouldn’t make her look selfish about getting Linnea’s help.

She was relieved to hear Julia jump in.

“Oh, for pity’s sake, Palmer,” she said with more annoyance than Cara had ever heard from her in public before. “You don’t know your strength when you’ve been drinking. You’ve been after Linnea to get a job. Until she finds one, this makes sense. A job’s a job. And she won’t be lying around the house all summer.”

“If it’s any job she wants, she can work in the office with me,” Palmer said belligerently.

“I’m right here, you know,” Linnea said. “You don’t have to talk about me like I’m out of the room.” She turned to her father. “I don’t want to work in your office. I have no interest in the business and it’d be a waste of my time. I’d much rather be at the beach house with family and take care of Hope, and I’d be helping out Aunt Cara. Plus . . . Daddy, this might be the last time I get to stay at the beach house for a whole summer. You know I love it here. I used to stay here with Grandmama Lovie.”

Palmer shook his head and put his hands on his hips. “I swear, not only does she look like my mother, but she sounds like her too.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Cara asked gently.

At the mention of their mother, the steam of his fury was released in a long sigh. “I suppose not.”

Relieved at the sudden shift in mood, Cara gently bumped his shoulder with hers. “I miss her too.”

She almost told him she’d seen Lovie’s ghost, but held back. He’d been drinking. She didn’t want him to get all emotional. Instead she told him the simple truth.