Three

James waited impatiently for his coffee while flipping through some gossip magazine on the coffee table. He had managed to get away from work for a little while and traveled quickly in his private jet. The trip had taken about three hours and he had arrived right on time.

Last Tuesday he had sent several emails, until two days later he decided to fly to Seattle. After catching the flight, he sent a few more emails quoting Luna at the agency and when she responded, he was already in town.

The clock had him too desperate. He was already getting nervous, though he tried not to show it.

"Um, excuse me?," a young woman asked, standing in front of him. A young woman asked, standing in front of him. She sat down across from him. He looked up, "Are you James?," he nodded, "Oh, nice to meet you, I'm Luna"

"A pleasure, Miss Scaloni" he said with a gentile smile on his face.

"Have you come all the way from New York?" She asked shyly.

"Yes." He adjusted his tie. "I'm sorry I sounded so...pressured, I just don't have a lot of time".

"That's okay, it's understandable. Had you heard of the agency before?" She smiled. James sighed nervously. He was anxious.

"I heard about Gold Nest from a friend. I know it's a reliable site, I took the trouble to check out the website and you caught my eye. I don't want to beat around the bush with this, I'll tell you what I want. I need help with my daughter Portia, and I want to make sure I hire a good person."

"How old is Portia?"

"She just turned 5 years old. She's very young, and let's just say, because of my job, I haven't been able to spend a lot of time with her."

"Well, I've babysat quite a few children that age, or thereabouts. Have you read my references? You can check them if you need to."

"I already have." James said quickly. Luna smiled

"Oh, cautious."

"I need someone who cares about her. In a real way. We lost her mother when she was too little and even though I know it's not possible to replace her, but she needs, even if it is, a companion." he exclaimed.

"Have you had other nannies?"

"Yes, but they weren't compatible. I just...want her to feel accompanied. My daughter is not in very stable health, she's very weak. And with you by her side, she might be better off. I'll try to spend more time with her, if it's necessary to help."

"Well... I have no problem with that. I like children. I really think it could work. If you wish, I could start next week."

"Could it be tomorrow?" he asked quickly. Luna was a little surprised by the hasty proposal.

"I'm sorry, I don't think tomorrow will be possible, if we arrange for...."

"Please, Miss Scaloni, if it's for the salary or the instance of the month, we can arrange it. I don't want to sound suspicious or strange but I need help."

"It's not about the money, Mr. Bexell..."

"James, call me James."

"Well, it's not about the money, James. It's... It's just, don't you think it would be a bit drastic to introduce a nanny to your daughter overnight? If I go in two days, maybe you can get her ready. Tell her I'm coming to see her."

"No, I know she'll be fine now. Portia is already prepared. She's spent the last two months asking for a babysitter," he finished.

Luna thought about it. She replied,

"Well, I...I could go. I just need some time to organize a few things."

"Perfect, I have no problem. We can do something. A week," he whispered, "you can take a week to get to know Portia. She won't see you as anything special yet, I'll just introduce you to her as a new friend, then, maybe, if she likes you and everything goes as I hope, we could talk to her. Do you think so?" he waved his hands firmly.

"That would be..." James's plan was quite clear, he was desperate, "Fine, I'll do it. But I need to know a few things first, it's part of the job, just basic data."

"God," he sighed relieved: "You don't know how grateful I am."

"I need to prepare some papers... and some other things."

James nodded.

The large, white office was quiet compared to other days. Jamie Steel, the agency owner, was rereading the contract. She liked to make sure everything was correct.

It didn't take long to finalize and close the deal, and based on the paperwork and everything that went with it, she could safely say it was a sure thing and reliable.

It was also a good contract for Luna, with good pay and security. She had worked for wealthy people before, and the agency was mostly dedicated to helping them. Many were cold-hearted and left their children alone without caring too much and few were really interested in giving them anything other than material things. She hoped this would be different.