Thank you Akshaya, for almost pestering me to update the book, it gave me inspiration to write :P

The second day of my vacation (yes, I’d begun counting the days down now) started with a bang.

Literally.

Miranda and Matthew Colson entered my room early in the morning, George banging the door behind him.

“Chacha! How’s my girl’s summer kickstarting?!” Miranda jumped onto me and started hugging the crap out of me, right there, on my bed.

Pushing her red locks out of my face, I groggily opened my eyes and adjusted to the light filtering in. Matt had oh so kindly opened up the curtains. He was illuminated from behind, the light filtering through his brown hair, giving it a golden tinge.

If anyone ever had to describe Miranda and Matthew Colson, twins would definitely not be the first word they’d use. As similar as they look (until Miranda dyed her hair red, of course), their personas were anything but.

Miranda was enthusiastic, jolly, bright and fidgety in an almost ADHD way. Matthew was quiet unless he was wisecracking, and kept his hands mostly to himself unless he was with Juliana.

Which brings me to Juliana Hendricks, Matt’s girlfriend, and my closest friend number 3, who was currently walking through the doors of my room.

“When did you get here?” I frowned.

“Ten minutes back. Martha says you’ve got a job?” Matt smirked.

I groaned. I’d forgotten how many things my best friends and my mother shared, apart from the first letter of their names.

Second on the list of things they shared were stories about me.

“Yeah. At the Gardiners.” I muttered. “As a nanny. With Jack fucking Gardiner in the house.”

“Does that mean you have open access to his room for two whole months?!” Miranda’s eyes widened.

She and Julie shared a look which scared me.

I started counting the seconds. I hadn’t even reached three when they both squealed with excitement.

“YOU’RE ACTUALLY ALONE WITH JACK IN A HOUSE!? CHARLICE YOU LUCKY PERSON!” Julie screamed.

“Whose girlfriend are you again?” Matt frowned at Jules.

“Maybe this’ll help you remember.” She winked at him as she walked seductively up to him and kissed him.

“I can’t deal with this so early in the morning.” I shuddered, slipping off the bed and going to the bathroom to wash up.

“Whatever you do, do not go anywhere near my bed in that position!” I shouted out to them before I shut the door.

In vain, they were still kissing.

Sorry, making out now.

Does it count as making out if you kiss longer than 10 seconds, I thought as I brushed.

When I got back, the twins were nowhere to be seen. Then the sounds of Miranda’s infectious laughter reached my ears from downstairs.

Obviously, Mum had made eggs and bacon for breakfast. Miranda, Matt and Mom loved eggs and bacon. That’d be the third thing on the list of similarities.

“So, I see you’ve been attacked.” I grinned at Mum as I came down to see her dishing out strip after strip of friend bacon to the three of them.

“Shush, I love cooking for them.” Mom waved a spoon at me. A little oil flew from it onto my face.

I gave mum a disgusted look as I washed my face at the sink.

“So. First day as a nanny today, huh?” Dad said as he served himself and settled down at the table.

“Can I drop by often while you’re working?” Miranda said with a devious smile. “If you’re not interested in Jack yourself, that is.”

I curled my lip at the mention of The Devil’s Incarnation.

“Yes, you may. And no, I am not.” I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration.

“Yayyyy!” She cheered.

“Why aren’t you interested in Jack, Charlie?” Mum asked me. “He’s a good looking fellow.”

“Mom, you’re married. To a good looking fellow.” I winked and high fived Dad as Mom gave me a deadpan look from across the table.

And that was how breakfast continued, with the occasional question of why I wasn’t interested in Jack Gardiner, and whether I could keep the dog out when Miranda came over to the Gardiners because she was allergic to dogs, especially ones who jumped on her and drooled.

That morning, as I let myself into the Gardiners’ house, Miranda stood right next to me, already putting into action her plan of getting with Jack Gardiner.

“Hello? Jack, Tracy, Bru-“

I only got that far before I was attacked.

A huge mass of hair and drool caught me by surprise, knocking me over in a mad frenzy of licking and slobbering.

Bruno is in the house, people.

I grunted as I pushed him off me and sat up straight, holding him at an arm’s length. He stood panting, waiting to attack me again.

I heard the sound of footsteps down the hallway, followed by a “Were you making out with my dog?”

“No I wasn’t. He came onto me!” I said, putting up my hands in defense.

Jack Gardiner pursed his lips together to keep from laughing, and that’s when I realized what I’d said.

“I didn’t mean it that way! I meant he…jumped onto me and started licking me all over!”

He burst out laughing, color immediately flooding his face.

He jumped onto me and started licking me all over, Cha? REALLY?

“She meant that your extremely enthusiastic dog attacked her and knocked her to the ground.” Miranda came to the rescue, eyeing Bruno like he was a fly she wanted to swat and end the existence of.

“Who’s this lovely creature, Charles?” Jack looked at my best friend appraisingly.

“Miranda Colson. I believe I’m in your grade.” She shook hands with him.

“Are you Matthew’s sister? Aw man, I love that guy! Can I get you something to drink or eat or something?” He asked, as he led Miranda away into the kitchen, leaving me to deal with the house.

I tried not to feel annoyed that he and my best friend had already hit it off so well.

Jack always did that- he could hit it off with anyone. It made me feel stupid, because I didn’t like him and everyone else did.

Whatever, I had a house to deal with.

All I had to do was check up on Tracy, tidy things up a bit, make sure everything was in its place, feed Bruno, tie Bruno up, and ignore the sounds of Miranda and Jack’s laughter as they bonded within three seconds of meeting each other.

In the eight years of knowing her, I learned that Tracy Gardiner was a bundle of sunshine and joy to be with, compared to her brother.

Except of course, when you woke her up.

No eight year old likes to be woken up.

Their dreams are where they can eat all the candy in the world, live with fairies and angels, wear pink dresses with frills and lace, and have their hair look perfect in two pigtails.

When you woke them up, they had to rush to school, have their mother tie their hair in one pigtail instead of two because they were late.

“Trace? Hey Trace, it’s time to wake up.” I said, softly shaking her.

“Mmm?” She asked sleepily.

“Wake up, it’s summer!” I said, brightly smiling.

What happened next was definitely not on the list of reactions I’d thought she’d have.

Because Tracy Gardiner started yelling. Yelling at the top of her voice.

“You’re not my mother! How are you in my room?! Jack! JACCKKKKK THERE’S SOMEONE IN MY ROOM!”

“Trace, it’s just me! Charlice, remember? From next door?”

“JACK! CHARLICE FROM NEXT DOOR IS IN MY ROOM!” She yelled even louder, then stopped.

“Oh. Charlice, from next door.” She suddenly realized, just as Jack burst into the room followed by Miranda.

“What the hell?” He frowned, questioningly looking between me and Tracy.

“Where’s mom?” Tracy asked.

“Mom and Dad are off on their honeymoon, baby. They’ll be back after a while. Charles is going to come in everyday till they’re back, okay?” He said, patting her back.

She hugged him back, and with his arm around her, she looked at me.

“Can I call you Charles too?” She asked, her big blue eyes cautious.

“Provided you’re not yelling it out to the world.” I smiled.

I was surprised to see Jack chuckle at that too. I thought he’d roll his eyes or something.

Jack Gardiner was a constant surprise, I was finding out.

“Will you make me eggs and bacon?” Tracy asked me from her seat on the dining table.

“Sure I will.” I smiled at her and started snooping around for the ingredients.

“Eggs are in the fridge on the side.” Tracy helped out.

“Thanks.” I said as I picked them out for her.

“Bacon’s in the chiller.”

“Thanks again.”

“Stop thanking me and make me nice bacon!” She giggled.

“While you’re at it could you make me mine too?” Jack entered the kitchen. Miranda was missing this time.

“Where’s Miranda?” I frowned, my back turned to him as I started the stove.

“She went back home.” He said. I heard him slide into a chair and high five Tracy as she giggled.

I looked over my back and he was kissing her head and wishing her good morning in the cutest way possible, as her little arms circled his waist, not even reaching halfway.

I turned back to the stove, suddenly feeling like an intruder because I’d seen something I didn’t think Jack showed to most people- his bond with his sister.

Tossing their breakfast into plates, I served it to them and cleaned up as they ate.

“Mmm, Charles, you really can cook great bacon.” Jack said.

Tracy was too busy licking her fingers to say anything, so she just moaned her agreement.

“It’s just bacon. Anyone can make it.” I smiled and got back to my work.

After they were done with breakfast, Jack helped me with the dishes and sat with me and Tracy through a Spongebob rerun.

“So how do you find it?” He asked me as I emptied dog food into Bruno’s dish.

“Find what?”

“This job. I’m currently the eldest in the house, which makes me in charge, which makes me your boss, and as a boss I must ask you how you like it.” He smirked

Did I ever mention, in the duration of this day, how cute and caring Jack Gardiner could be?

If I did, I take it back. He’s still an asshole.

I didn’t answer as he followed me through the corridor outside, where Bruno was sleeping with his head on his paws.

“Come on! I know you’re not excited about being a housekeeper, but you get to spend time with me!” He grinned, his green eyes sparkling.

“I’m not excited about that either.” I said, almost dumping Bruno’s bowl by his head and then going back in.

“Jackie! Alison is calling for you! She’s asking if she can come over. She said something about shaking her pom pom. She said you’d understand.” Tracy yelled, running through the corridor on short legs.

I didn’t understand what Alison meant by shaking her pom pom, until Jack reddened.

“Why is she talking about shaking her pom pom? Are the cheerleaders coming over for practice here?” She said, handing Jack his phone.

“You really shouldn’t answer my phone, you know.” He mumbled, tucking it into his pocket. “Come on, go back to watching Spongebob, I’ll be back in a second.” He shooed her away.

“So, Alison’s coming over to shake her pom pom for you, huh?”

“She is a cheerleader, after all.” He said, still a little red. “Sorry you had to hear that.”

I burst out laughing. “I’m really sorry Tracy had to hear that! That poor child.”

When I was done laughing, he was staring at me.

“What?” I asked him self-consciously.

“Nothing.” He said, hiding a smile.

“What?” I narrowed my eyes. “Jack Gard-“

“It’s just, I’ve never seen you laugh.” He said, leading me to the door.

“Like you ever gave me a reason to.” I rolled my eyes and shut the door behind me.

When I got home, I had a call from an unknown number on my phone. I called back, wondering who it might have been.

It rung for a minute, then a lady picked up.

“Charlice dear, is that you?”

I frowned, because the voice was familiar. Then it struck me.

“Mrs. Gardiner! Are you calling me from Europe? What happened?!”

She laughed. “Nothing, just checking up on you and all. How’s the house? Jack, Tracy, Bruno? He gets really sad when we leave.”

I thought about the way he greeted me that morning.

Looks like he’s holding up pretty well.

“Everything’s fine, the house is fine, I’ve cleared stuff up a bit, fed Bruno, and watched Spongebob with Tracy. Jack’s fine too.” I smiled, thinking about the moment we’d had before I left.

Don’t dwell on it; he’s just an annoying, idiotic, boy.

“Alright, well I just wanted to check up on you. Just make sure they don’t burn the house down.”

“You have my word, they won’t.” I chuckled.

Bidding her goodbye, I flopped back down on the bed.

The second day of summer hadn't been that bad, I thought.

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