Leo woke on Sunday morning earlier than he needed to. He headed downstairs and stopped. He didn't care if Riley saw him in boxers; they were securely closed, but they had a houseguest. Was she a guest or a tenant or an employee? He didn't regret his impromptu invitation, as he slipped on flannel pants. It intrigued him how she appeared far too naïve to live in a shelter. The more she kept her past secret the more curious he became.

In the kitchen, he made a pot of coffee. Since he was decent, he walked out for the paper. He only read it on Sundays and liked to read the book section. He worked in children's literature, but he enjoyed reading adult books, especially nonfiction. Hopefully, he could find some time to work. He hadn't expected Saturday to be so busy with the trip to the warehouse store to stock up the treats for work, and to the supermarket.

He sipped his coffee and read the book reviews. Memories of the past crept in. He could hear Autumn teasing him with the book section. He would grab it and pull her onto his lap with the paper. Frowning, he missed her melodious laugh. Shaking away the past, he smiled when he saw a write up on Matthew Clark's new release. Riley already had a signed copy.

They had gone to Maine for a weekend with Lilli and Zach. Riley was in awe when Lilli took them for a walk on the beach and detoured onto a patio of a beautiful house by the ocean. Lilli opened the slider and hollered "Hello." Matthew appeared, and Lilli introduced him to Riley. The author's wife invited them to have a drink on their patio. The kids played with his black dog, while the adults talked.

He looked up when he heard Isla coming up the steps. "Good morning." He smiled. "Coffee?"

"Please."

She was already dressed in her uniform. Her baggy sweaters varied between grey, navy, and black. Her grey or black skirts were long and black tights covered the rest of leg. He wondered what she wore when the weather got warmer. She definitely didn't have clothes for the change of season in her backpack. Riley loved her, but she wasn't Mary Poppins with a magical bag.

He stood, but she already had a mug in her hand. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Thank you. It was very quiet."

"Was it loud at the shelter?"

She nodded. "It wasn't ideal. Thank you."

"I should thank you. The nanny situation has been stressful for the past year."

"Only a year?" She stood against the counter.

"We moved from California. Riley loved our old nanny. She didn't want to move."

"Why did you?"

If he answered her questions would she answer his. He feared she might run if he pushed. Instead, he gave her the same excuse he told everyone. "My job, but I wanted to get away from the smog, wildfires, and drought."

"So now you have snow."

He smiled and nodded. "I grew up in the Midwest, so I have experience with snow. Did you grow up in Philly?"

"Yes." She turned toward the sink and looked out the window.

He sighed. "I have to wake the kids."

Riley hated to get up on Sunday mornings. He may be a hypocrite, but his children were getting a religious education to make his mother happy. He also liked that their other grandparents disapproved. Autumn's parents were members of a nondenominational Christian church. They held morally conservative beliefs. He and Autumn had rejected both families' organized religion and connected with God through nature. Then everything changed, and he questioned what he believed, so he let the church teach his children the things he lost.

Riley came into the kitchen. "Do we have to go?"

He answered emphatically. "Yes."

"But why?"

To make your grandmother happy. "Because you need to learn about God."

Isla turned her head. "God?"

"Yeah. He makes us go to religion class."

Cody said, "I'm going to have my first communion."

Isla's eyes lit up. "I planned to go to Mass at ten. We can go together."

Before Leo could correct her. Riley said, "Yes, we can. Right, Dad."

"Um, right." He went when his parents visited, Christmas, and Easter. He should have 'hypocrite' tattooed across his forehead.

He dropped the kids at the church before he showered. Sometimes he didn't bother on Sunday mornings, especially if he had yard work to do or if they planned an active outing. Not only did he shower, but he dressed in a nice shirt and pants for church. Maybe the priest's message would answer his burning question. Without the answer, he couldn't forgive God.

Isla was waiting for him. "Ready?" He asked, as she smiled and nodded.

It was easy to see that she was very devoted. His faith was a faint light almost out, and hers was a strong steady candle. She sang without using the hymnal in a beautiful voice. Leo enjoyed the singing. He felt nostalgic to his childhood when he was the devote little altar boy.

A trip to church deserved a stop at Dunkin for donuts. He needed a reward in the form of Boston cream. Father greeted Isla by name, and Leo wanted to thank Riley for asking Isla about it.

"I go to church after I bring you to school."

"Every day?" Cody joined in.

"Yes. It brings me comfort."

Leo wished it brought him comfort. When they returned home, he had a text from the mom of Cody's friend, Ryan, hoping the boys could play. He invited the boy over and encouraged Riley to call her friend, Lucy who lived on their street.

The house was quiet. The boys were in the backyard and Riley went to Lucy's instead. Leo sat reading a submission for a middle-grade fantasy. It offered nothing unique, so he moved on to a YA romance. He looked up when Isla entered the kitchen. She sat down and looked through the paper sections for the word search.

He set his submission aside. "I can show you your phone."

He waited while she circled a word and looked up at him. "Alright."

Slowly she stood and disappeared down the stairs. Leo stood and looked out the window to see Cody running around the yard. What kind of life did she live without a phone?

"Here." Her voice was merely a whisper.

He turned, and her eyes were downcast, but her arm was outstretched holding the phone.

He motioned. "Sit."

She sat next to him which felt close even to him, but he had to share the device with her. Starting at the beginning, he turned it on and told her how to charge it. He called her phone so she could answer and taught her to call him. He didn't answer and showed her the missed call. Text messaging came next.

"It's complicated."

He smiled. "Riley can help you."

"Really?" She made eye contact. He hadn't noticed how green her eyes were before.

"Yes. She plays with mine. She wants one, but she's too young. Those are what you need to communicate with me. You can add your friends and family's numbers here. I'll add contacts for the kids, like Reagan Ryan's mom's number and the number for Lucy's house." He went through the steps so both those numbers were in her phone.

"I'm not sure I'll ever feel comfortable."

He smirked and resisted the urge to reassure her with a pat on her arm. "There is so much more." He downloaded apps for an alarm and weather. "What do you like?"

"Like?" She averted her eyes.

"To do. You can find anything to add. See I like sports so I have some apps to follow my teams. You can find... I don't know recipes, or my assistant reads stories. Maybe they have the bible or something."

"The bible on a phone!"

He laughed at her disbelief. "You'd be surprised. You can google anything."

"Google?"

"Have you been living under a rock? Search the internet. Find answers to anything. Here. See. I can look up this author."

He typed the name of the author for the romance story. She had a social media presence, and some self-published stories. He would need to skim them if he liked her submission. He was very discerning and had a track record to prove it.

Isla had turned to her word search. She was unimpressed with the phone. He stood and checked on Cody again. He could show her the camera another day.

A knock at the door caused him to turn around. Reagan had arrived to pick up her son. She was a divorced woman who didn't hide her interest in Leo. He had been weighing the risk/reward of drinks. The reward would give his hand a vacation, the risk would affect his son's friendship.

She smiled. "I finished shopping. There were some bargains for Ryan. I could have shopped for Cody too. I know you need all the help you can get." She put her perfectly manicured hand on his arm. He could appreciate the potential of a soft hand.

He stepped into the kitchen. "I've got it covered."

Reagan said, "Oh! You have company."

He nodded. "Isla is our new nanny. This is Ryan's mom."

Isla looked up. "Hello."

It was impossible to read Isla's mind. Did she notice the difference between the two women? Reagan was older, but she dressed in skinny jeans and a shirt which hugged her. Her figure was on view and again Leo debated the harm in sampling it.

Isla stood up and went to the stairs with the word search. Leo had liked the chaperone.

"Nanny on the weekend?"

"She's live in. I have to travel for business."

Reagan looked at the door where Isla had disappeared. "She's awfully plain."

Leo shrugged. "Riley likes her, and that's all that matters."

"Good. Now you can take me up on my invitation for drinks."

He shook his head. "I'm not looking for a relationship."

"Don't tell me you are in love with your ex. Did she cheat on you?"

He would always love Autumn, it was her parents he didn't like. "It's just that my life is complicated." And my attraction is purely physical. "I don't want to ruin the boys' friendship."

"I like casual too. Casual sex."

Leo let out a nervous laugh. He felt like a fish with a hook in him. She was trying to reel him in. He teetered between which head would win. She leaned up and brushed his lips.

He might regret his words. "Maybe a casual drink won't hurt."

She smiled like she won the prize. "Ryan's with their father next weekend. Which night?"

"Friday? After work?"

"Sounds good." She sashayed to the door. "Ryan, honey time to go home."

Leo followed her outside. Riley and Lucy appeared with their bikes. "Hi, girls."

"Dad, Lucy wants to meet Isla."

"Knock, but first say hello to Reagan."

Riley looked at the smiling woman and gave a lackluster wave. She had greeted some of the nannies with more enthusiasm. Leo wondered if he made a mistake, because Riley had a knack for summing up people. She liked Zach and Lilli right away. Isla, she took to immediately. It was one date. He wasn't marrying her. Leo didn't think he could marry anyone when he didn't feel divorced.

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