The Nanny with the Skull Tattoos

Chapter 1

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The icy scent of frost floated in through the window, cracked open an inch to let the blazing hot air from the furnace out. Max paused the composition he was mixing on his laptop and inhaled. The air smelled like snow—a clean, cold smell that burned his nostrils. Glancing at the calendar above his desk, Max counted the days until the end of the fall semester. Little more than two weeks remained. He needed to hurry up and finish his final projects.

Leaning back in the squeaky desk chair he had owned since he was twelve, Max stretched his arms toward the drop ceiling. He lowered his arms, then moved his neck from side to side, stretching the tense muscles. Mixing was his least favorite thing to do. He'd always loved music—until he started majoring in it. He had the state of Connecticut to thank for that—all elementary education students were required to double major.

A cry from the top of the stairs interrupted his stretching routine: "Daddy," his daughter Chloe wailed.

Max chuckled. He almost wanted to ignore her; he already knew what she wanted. Ignoring her would be mean, though. She was only two. "Yes?" he called, his voice echoing to the floor above him.

For a moment, she said nothing. Shaking his head, Max turned back to his desk. Just as he slipped his earbuds back in, she called out again. "I wanna watch George," she said.

He glanced at the digital display of the alarm clock next to his bed. Exactly twenty minutes had passed since she last came to the top of the stairs. He needed to buy some longer DVDs.

"Coming," he said. He yawned, wondering where his mother was. Betty Batista usually watched his daughter all day, even if he was off from work and spent the day doing homework. She had said she was going out grocery shopping, but that had been three hours earlier.

Sighing, he jumped to his feet. The chair rolled away, smacking into the desk. He shook his head. Whoever had finished the basement hadn't really known what they were doing.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he stretched his arms out toward his daughter. Despite the dark circles under his eyes and his messy hair, she squealed with laughter and darted back into the kitchen. "I'm gonna tickle you," he roared. Chloe raced into the living room, her bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor. She dived onto the couch, tucking herself into a ball, her face buried in the cushions.

Max smirked. He scooped her up from the couch, tossing her into the air. When he caught her, he wiggled his fingers against her belly. She howled with laughter. Spinning her around, he plopped her down on the couch. She giggled, kicking her legs.

"Tickle me!" she said. Two tiny brown ponytails danced on the top of her head. Her blue eyes sparkled. For a moment, she looked just like her mother. Max turned away and knelt in front of the family DVD player, restarting the pair of Curious George episodes. "Tickle me," Chloe said again. He turned around. She watched him with her head cocked to the side. "Daddy?"

He gave her a smile, stifling a yawn. "Sorry, baby. Daddy's gotta work. You watch George, okay?" He stood and kissed her soft cheek.

Chloe frowned. "I want you to watch it with me." Her lower lip quivered.

Max glanced out the window into the still empty driveway. "Where's Grandma?" He took a step away from the couch.

Chloe shrieked, the sound piercing his ears and echoing off the walls of the house.

Grimacing, Max stared at his daughter. "Where did you come from?" he asked, more to himself than to her. She continued screaming. Pain exploded in his temple. Wincing, he rubbed at his head. "Look, George is starting." He pointed to the television and took a step back. Chloe only glanced at the screen, her shrieking reaching another octave. "Knock it off!" he yelled, but the volume of her wailing only got louder. Gritting his teeth, Max turned and left the living room. As he entered the kitchen, he heard something hard clatter onto the coffee table. He froze in his tracks and pivoted on the balls of his feet. "If you break that, Grandma's gonna be mad at you."