He had some thinking to do.
***
Libby took her time getting ready. She'd done it now. She'd offered to care for Kate and now she had to wait for Adrian to decide. She wasn't sure what would be worse – if he agreed or if he refused.
She fired up her laptop before she headed to the shower and afterward she checked the rest of her emails. The one from the realtor hadn't magically disappeared as she'd hoped. She flagged it and ran through the rest. At the bottom there was one from George with the tour itinerary and the contract.
Her heart jolted. Did that mean Adrian had agreed?
She checked the time it was sent. He'd sent it this morning, before she'd seen Adrian, like he said he would.
She opened the contract first and worked through the legal speak. When she got to the part about remuneration, her jaw dropped. Even though she had a new deadline, being Kate's nanny definitely made financial sense. She'd be able to afford the bond on a new place and replace her fridge if it died. She wouldn't have to go to her parents for help. She just hoped the hours would work in her favor.
Mentally crossing her fingers, she opened up the itinerary and scanned it. Adrian had four concerts in Melbourne, four in Sydney and three in Brisbane before heading west to her home state for two concerts in Perth. Every couple of nights he had a break and between cities there were several days free.
Most of his media appointments were on the day of his first concert and of course he had sound checks to sort out as well. Kate only needed care on concert nights and the media day. There would be lots of free time for Libby to meet her writing commitments. She calculated her daily word count and winced slightly. It was still doable.
The breath she'd been holding whooshed out of her. Her impulsive offer wouldn't jeopardize her career.
Besides, she had to wait and see if Adrian and Kate wanted her, and they probably wouldn't. She shrugged away the thought.
Now that she'd offered to be Kate's nanny she realized she didn't really know anything about Adrian or Kent. Giving in to impulse she did an internet search. Scrolling through several gossip websites, she learned that he was either reported as a recluse or a party animal. One site had been created by a group of concerned parents rallying to stop his music being played on the radio. They thought it was a bad influence on children. Libby found some of his music videos and watched a couple. She didn't understand what his fans' parents were so concerned about. The lyrics were meaningful, all about not giving up, fighting for what you believe in and trusting yourself. Libby thought they were inspirational.
Checking the time, she flagged the emails she had to reply to, then packed up her things and went back upstairs to look after Kate.
***
Adrian let her in. "Kate's having a shower." He was slightly tense and his fingers drummed against the door as he held it open.
Was he regretting his decision?
Libby walked through and placed her laptop case next to the couch. She had to be professional and allay his concerns. He didn't need to be worrying about Kate while he was at work. "What does she have for dinner?" she asked.
"The nanny usually cooks but I promised Kate she could order room service tonight. She's not allergic to anything and she can have whatever she wants." He paused. "There's nothing too unhealthy on the menu."
"What time is bedtime?"
"Eight thirty. She's still recovering from the late night yesterday and we're going out exploring tomorrow so I want to make sure she's not too tired." His tone was slightly defensive, as if he was expecting her to disagree.
"Good thinking." Libby kept her tone light. "Anything else I need to know?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "Sometimes Kate sleeps with her stars on. It's a night-light that revolves and projects the night sky on the ceiling. It's in her room and she knows how to use it. I leave it on all night for her."
Kate came out of the bathroom dressed in green flannelette pajamas covered in blue stars and with her hair wrapped up in a turban. "Hi, Libby. Can we do some more writing tonight?"
"Of course." Libby was surprised at how keen Kate was. Other children she knew would have lost interest when they realized how much work it was.
Adrian's cell rang and he answered it. He listened to the speaker and then said, "Be right down." He hung up and turned to Kate.
"I've got to go, kiddo." He shuffled as if he wasn't sure about leaving.
"Have fun." She gave him a hug.
"You too." He turned to Libby and handed her a business card. "If you need anything, this is George's cell phone number."
Libby reached for it, but she sensed he was still reluctant. "I'll take good care of her. I promise."
Their eyes met and Libby saw the love and concern he had for his niece. She'd never seen that kind of concern on her parents' faces. Her insides melted.
"Hurry up, Uncle Ade. George hates to be kept waiting and Libby and I have work to do." Kate grabbed her uncle's hand and dragged him toward the door.
He grinned. "Okay, okay, I'm going." He swiped his bag and let his niece pull him out of the room. He glanced back at Libby.
She smiled and waved, not at all worried about his reluctance. It was only to be expected. Kate skipped back into the room. "Ready?"
"Yep. Let's get set up." Libby placed her laptop on the dining table. "What time do you want to order dinner?" she asked. It was still early and Libby was full from her double choc, whipped cream, marshmallow delight, but Kate might be hungry.
"We could order now for six. Then we don't have to worry about it." Kate jumped up and snatched the room service menu from the sideboard. Bringing it to the table, she opened it and put it between them so Libby could read it as well.
"I'm going to try the Aussie burger. It's got beetroot in it – that's so weird."
Libby smiled. "Tasty, though. I'll get a salad." At Kate's incredulous look she added, "I had a big lunch. Do you want dessert?"
Kate flipped to the desserts. "Banana sundae."
Libby stood and went to the phone to order. Afterward she turned to Kate. "Let's get to work."
For the next few hours they worked on their stories, stopping only to eat dinner when it arrived. They started with a brainstorming session that had them in fits of giggles, but then there was silence, broken by the clack of keys as they wrote.
Checking the time, Libby sighed. "Time for bed, Kate."
"No, I just have to finish this bit." Kate didn't look up from her typing.
Was Kate going to be difficult? "Five minutes."
She knew how long ‘just finishing a bit' could take.
Kate grimaced but continued to peck out the words.
Libby stood and tidied up the dinner dishes, putting the tray outside to be collected by hotel staff.
She stretched, reaching her hands above her head and standing on tiptoes. Writing was such a sedentary job – she felt stiff if she sat for any length of time without getting up.
"Time's up," she said.
"Finished!" Kate said with a flourish.
Libby was surprised. She'd expected to have a fight on her hands. "Make sure you save it."
A few minutes later, Libby tucked Kate into bed.
"Thanks for your help today, Libby."
"It was my pleasure." And it had been. She'd really enjoyed watching Kate's mind work as she plotted and discarded ideas and then wrote down the story. "Will you come and say goodbye before you leave tomorrow?" Kate asked.
Libby's heart compressed at the hope in Kate's eyes. "Of course. You still have my card, don't you?"
"Yep."
"Then it's not goodbye. It's until we meet again."
"Or until we write again." Kate giggled.
"That's right." She gave the girl a hug. "Good night. I'll be right outside if you need anything."
"Night, Libby."
Libby left the room, leaving the door open but turning off the lights in the main room so only the light over the dining table was on. She sat down at her laptop and stared at the screen.
She'd had fun tonight. Kate was easy to be around and Libby had to admit encouraging her to write was a joy.
For someone who had been orphaned, Kate was coping well. Libby put it down to how well Adrian cared for her. For a single man in his early thirties, he was a fantastic guardian.
Libby really wanted to spend some more time with them. Both of them.
And wasn't that a problem? The last time she'd spent any length of time with a man, was when she'd still been with her ex, Clint, and she'd almost lost her book contract. It had doubly hurt when she realized her loss had been pointless – that he had only been using her. She'd never fall for that again.