long-term nanny had accompanied them.
Stacey spotted him and smiled. He nodded in acknowledgment. He had to give her points for already controlling those hellion boys of his. He wished he knew her secret. Even Hannah had trouble with them, but for once it seemed they were not getting into mischief.
“Everything okay at your office?” she asked.
He shrugged. “This is not the best time to be taking a vacation. I’m needed here.”
Although he was taking both his phone and his laptop and expected to work from his grandmother’s home, making this very much a working holiday.
“But what a great opportunity for you and the boys. I think traveling is so educational,” she said.
“They’re a little young to be viewing the trip as educational. It would have suited me more to wait a few years.”
Luis knew the company would be in good hands while he was gone. He paid high wages to keep the best in the business. His general manager was more than competent in running things. Still, it felt odd to be taking off at such a crucial time—and for three weeks. He hadn’t taken a real vacation since selling that first version of the software to the doctors’ consortium in Boston. It was actually pushing six years.
“Go now and again in a few years as well,” she said with a smile.
Stacey turned her attention to Juan, who was complaining again. Luis knew his sons—they’d get worse and worse until he’d have to send them to their rooms. Impossible now they were about to board a plane! He hoped they slept through the flight. How did other parents have perfectly behaved children when his acted like hellions most of the time?
He took the seat on the far side of Pablo, glad the nanny had saved it for him. Stacey continued to talk to them about airplanes and the boys seemed enthralled. He still thought the woman looked little older than a teen ager, but so far she’d shown she had a knack with kids. He couldn’t remember the last time the twins had sat so still or been so attentive.
Maybe they just like looking at her? He had to admit, she was pretty.
He frowned. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. Her bright blue eyes drew his attention again and again. She had a light tan but, if he had to describe her, he would call her complexion peaches and cream.
Looking away, he checked his watch again. He wasn’t interested in his nanny as a person, only as someone who would take care of his children. They’d begin boarding soon, and he had more important things to concentrate on than how pretty the temporary nanny was, though she definitely spiked his interest. It had been a long time since he’d had any interest in the opposite sex. But this was not a complication he wanted. He was confusing awareness with gratitude. That was it. He was grateful she had taken Hannah’s place on such short notice, they couldn’t have made the trip otherwise. He didn’t want to take the boys to his grandmother’s without someone to watch them. He’d be too busy himself. And there was no guarantee a nanny in Spain would speak English.
Stacey glanced at Luis, noting the frown. Did he never smile? The boys wanted to go to the large windows to look at planes, so she took each by the hand and soon all three were watching planes take off and absorbing the size of the one they’d be on, which was already parked at the gate.
She recalled what Stephanie had told her just before she’d set out for the Aldivista residence to interview and be interviewed. Luis Aldivista had been on New York’s top ten most eligible bachelors list the last couple of years. He’d invented some kind of medical software that most of the private doctors’ offices in the country used. Stephanie hadn’t dealt with details. All that had been important to her was that his software had made him fabulously wealthy. But Luis was so good looking he might have made the list without the money behind him.
Stacey wasn’t sure of her friend’s assessment. So far the man looked grumpy. And so focused on business he couldn’t share his children’s delight with airplanes. He needed to lighten up if they were all to enjoy this trip.
“What’s that one, Stacey?” one of the twins asked.
Stacey stooped down to be at eye level with the little boy. He was adorable—blond curls that went every which way, bright blue eyes that seem to sparkle from inside. “That’s called a jumbo jet. Because it’s a jumbo size. I’m not sure who makes it. We can look that up when we get to Spain if you like.”
She looked at their father. He was totally involved in whomever he was talking to on the phone. She wanted to snatch it away and tell him to enjoy the excitement of a first flight with his sons. He should be the one explaining how planes flew and where in the world they could all be going. But she was used to fathers who put work ahead of children. They did what they did. A mere nanny wasn’t going to change that.
Turning back to the planes, she wondered why men married and had families if they didn’t want to spend time with them. If she ever got married and had her family, she’d insist her husband spend time with her and their children.
If ever. She sighed. Her job didn’t give her much chance to meet eligible bachelors.
She looked at the boys. The twins must take after their mother. Luis had brown hair and hazel eyes. Not that she should be noticing that.
“Cute children you have.” A woman had brought her daughter to the window to look out. “They look just like you. Their first plane ride?”
Stacey was taken aback by the comment, but then smiled and responded with, “Yes. We’re flying to Spain.” No need to say more, she’d never see the woman again.
“Ah, have a great time. We’re on our way to Italy. My husband’s there on business and we’re joining him for a short vacation.”
Juan looked up at Stacey and tugged on her hand. “When do we get to go inside the plane?” he asked. “I want to see inside the plane,” he went on, pressing his face against the glass.
“You’ll see it from the inside once we get on board. Look, there’s one taking off,” she said, pointing. They watched the planes for a minute, then Stacey felt Pablo tugging on her shirt.
“I want to see inside, too,” he said.
“We will, sweetie. Just be patient. Look at that big one coming in to land. I wonder where it’s flying in from?”
“Maybe Spain,” Juan said.
“Maybe Ohio,” Pablo said.
“Ohio?” Stacey was surprised he knew about other states.
“Hannah’s going on vacation to Ohio. I miss her.”
Stacey stooped down and hugged him. “Of course you do. And I know she misses you. So we’ll write her a letter when we get to Spain. You can keep a journal of all your adventures to share with her when you return home.”
“What’s a journal?” Juan asked. “Can I keep one too?”
“A journal is writing down what happens each day to help you remember.”
“I can write my name,” Juan said proudly.
“I’ll help with the writing, you two can tell me what to write and then Hannah can read it when you get home.”
“Can we write about the big planes?” Pablo asked.
“Sure, that would be a great start. We’ll get a notebook as soon as we get to your grandmother’s. And I have my camera with me. We’ll take pictures so you can remember.” She pulled out a digital camera and snapped a few shots of the planes they could see, and also took a couple of the boys in the busy terminal. She loved keeping journals of the trips, both for herself and the children she watched.
“I can’t wait to go on the plane,” Juan said.
Before she could say more the first boarding announcement sounded and she smiled at him. “We get to get on it now.”
She