Composing a Family Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

  Composing a Family

  Copyright 2017 by Sean Michael

  All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address Sean Michael, 2515 Bank St., P.O. Box 40001, Ottawa, ON, K1V 0W8.

  Cover by Kris Norris

  Printed in Canada.

  ISBN: 978-1-988377-68-1

  1st Electronic Edition December 2017

  Composing a Family,

  a Mannies Incorporated novel

  By Sean Michael

  Chapter One

  Tenor Abriole hadn’t had any intention of going through a nanny service to get a new job, but when he started having trouble finding something, he signed up with Mannies Incorporated. That way the people interviewing him would already know he was a man, he was gay, and he’d been with his former family for twenty-one years, so he was no longer a spring chicken.

  That any of those things had people turning him away made him extra growly. He was a damn good nanny. He had a glowing reference from the Wilsons and thirty-nine was in no way too old to take care of children. Hell, lots of people these days were waiting for their early forties to start having kids.

  Thanks to Mannies Inc., he was on his way to see Daniel Thorpe. Single dad-to-be, expecting triplets and, apparently, very picky. The guy at Mannies had warned him that Thorpe had already interviewed a half-dozen mannies and not been happy with any of them. Ten could only hope that the fact he was more mature would actually work in his favor this time. More mature. Christ, he wasn’t even forty yet, and he had tons of experience.

  The alarm on his watch went off, warning him that he was two minutes from his scheduled appointment. Perfect. He got out of his car, crossed the street to Thorpe’s house, and rang the bell.

  It was a lovely place—large and well-appointed with grounds that weren’t too fancy for children to play in. It looked like a wonderful home for a child—or children, in this case—to grow up.

  He couldn’t see the backyard, but he knew the houses in this area had fairly big ones so there would be room for a play set and maybe even a sandbox. He smoothed down his hair, wondering if he should have gotten it cut. It wasn’t terribly long, but did it look too casual? He was too old to be this nervous, but he wanted to make a great first impression. He really didn’t want another rejection.

  Hell, he couldn’t afford one. He rang the bell, a ringing musical tone filling the air. Oh, that was going to wake babies up. They’d have to find something softer.

  As he waited, he glanced at his watch again. He was right on time, so Thorpe should be expecting him. Of course, with a big house like this one, it could take a while to get to the door if you were at the other end of the house or upstairs.

  The door opened, an elderly man answering. “Good afternoon.”

  Oh. Dear. This guy was having triplets? He was going to need more than one nanny, at the start at least.

  Ten held out his hand. “Good afternoon, I’m Tenor Abriole.”

  “Ah, yes. You’re here to see Mr. Daniel. Please come to the sitting room, and I’ll let him know you’ve arrived.”

  Ah. Now that made more sense. And wow. Fancy. “Thanks.”

  “Of course. I’m Matt. I’m Daniel’s personal assistant.”

  “Nice to meet you, Matt. Hopefully we’ll be working together.” Might as well put it out there in the universe, right?

  “That would be grand. I know he wants to have someone in place in plenty of time.”

  Ten wasn’t sure what exactly that entailed, but he just smiled and looked around as Matt left. The place looked like it had been put together by a designer. Very elegant, but the couch he sat on was comfortable enough. There was going to have to be a fair bit of childproofing once the kids were mobile.

  There was lots of art around and tons of books—it looked like someone enjoyed sci-fi and horror, but most of the books seemed to be about music. He wondered if Thorpe played an instrument. There wasn’t one here in the living room, but that didn’t mean much.

  Ten resisted the urge to get up and pace.

  “Sorry, I had an unexpected conference call.” A lovely man came through the door, long black hair swinging, bright blue eyes sparkling behind wire-rimmed glasses. “I’m Daniel. Pleased to meet you.”

  Standing, he took Daniel’s hand. Warm, firm, and a shock of static, making them both break apart unexpectedly. Ten chuckled. “Tenor. Nice to meet you too.”

  “Tenor? Seriously? Great name.”

  “Thanks. Most people call me Ten.” His mom had been into the Four Tenors big-time when she’d been pregnant with him.

  “Have a seat, please. Let me grab my notes.”

  Notes. That was nice and organized.

  “Sure thing. The agency said they would send you my resume, but I brought a copy for you just in case.”

  “Thank you, but I do have it.” A neat stack of paperwork with a clipboard and a checklist on top appeared from a cubby in the bookcase. “You were with a single family a long time.”

  “I was, yes. Five kids all told. I joined the family just after the second child was born.” He’d been eighteen, newly kicked out of the house for being gay, and a job where room and board were included was a godsend. The Wilsons had had four girls and one boy at the end. It had been a very sad day for him when the family didn’t need him anymore.

  “Goodness. Any multiples?”

  “No, but one, two, and three were close enough together they almost count. At one point all three were in diapers.” That hadn’t been the case for long, but it had been fairly intense. “I hope that doesn’t put me out of the running. I’m confident that I can handle three at once, given there’s no other children.”

  “I’m looking for someone specific, I admit, but no, that’s not a deal breaker. Talk to me about your philosophies, about how you deal with children.”

  “I think the most important thing with kids is being there for them. Loving them. Rules and discipline are important too. Being consistent, but also knowing when to leave the rules behind. And I think it’s important to remember, too, that not all kids are the same. Your three triplets are each going to be completely different kids.” He smiled just thinking about it. It was going to be amazing, discovering their samenesses and differences. Maybe he’d have that chance.

  “They’re girls. Three girls.” For a moment, Mr. Thorpe looked completely lost. “Are you looking for another long-term assignment?”

  He dealt with the first part of that first. “Three girls? That’s great. Girls are wonderful, amazing creatures, and you’re going to love them so much.” He resisted reaching out and giving Thorpe’s arm a comforting squeeze. “And yes, I’m hoping for another long-term assignment. I won’t refuse a shorter term job, but I love watching my charges grow up.”

  He waited for the inevitable question about his age, about whether he could keep up, but it didn’t come. It surprised and pleased him. Not getting a job because of his age just made him angry. It was a stupid objection.

  “I feel that consistency is very important—both for me and for the children. I am trying very hard to plan how to give them what they’ll need.”

  “As long as you leave room for a lot of su
rprises, that’s a great thing. You seem very organized.” He had a feeling it wasn’t going take long for three baby girls to turn Thorpe upside down. “How long until they get here?”

  “They’re due in four months, but the doctor says it could be as soon as two.” Thorpe shrugged. “I know it’s early, but I need help with the details, and I need everything prepared.”

  “Being prepared is a good thing.” Four months ahead was possibly more prepared than needed, but it wasn’t a bad thing. “I certainly have the experience you’re looking for. And I know everything you’ll need to get as ready as you can be for your girls.”

  “I called your references. You went to school while you worked. I like that—it shows initiative.” Thorpe looked at him over his glasses. “What would you do if one of your former wards asked you to come raise their children in a year or two?”

  “I’d tell them I already have a job.” He was confident he was going to like the triplets and would want to see them through their formative years. He loved kids. “Now, I’d want to meet their children—I love those kids like they’re my own. But if I find a new long-term family, I’ll stay with them until they don’t need me anymore.” It probably would be weird, anyway, looking after the kids of the kids he’d helped bring up.

  Thorpe nodded as if he’d passed some test. “Do you have questions for me?”

  “I do, actually. Is it going to be just you and the nanny? Or you, the nanny, and Matt? What about grandparents? I’m just trying to suss out how many people will be involved in the day-to-day.” He liked to know where he was in the pecking order.

  “My parents died when I was four. Matt was my nanny my whole life, and when I graduated from college, I hired him to be my assistant. He’s semi-retired now. There’s no one else. Matt will, of course, be here, but he isn’t up to raising more children, and I’d like him to be able to enjoy them, spoil them. He’s the only grandparent they’ll have.”

  “I’m glad you had someone. And I’m glad the kids will have a grandparent. That’s important. My other questions are would I be living in and would you treat me as a co-parent—by which I mean that you wouldn’t contradict me in front of the kids, but if you had a problem with anything I was doing, you’d take me aside, talk to me about it.” No matter how good kids were, they’d try and do an end run around their caregivers at some point.

  “There’s a bedroom and a small sitting room available. Days off are Monday and Tuesday. I travel for work sometimes, and that is almost always on the weekends. I haven’t ever been a parent, so I can’t promise not to argue, but I can try.”

  “I don’t have a problem with arguing—or rather discussing—things. I just don’t think it helps anyone, especially the kids, if every time they don’t like a decision I make, they go running to their parent hoping for a different answer, you know?”

  “No, I’m afraid I don’t, but I’m willing to learn.”

  Suddenly Ten understood. This little boy was raised by a nanny. There were no parents, no one. Just a man and a little boy.

  “Then I think we could work together. I’m dedicated to my charges. I wind up loving them like my own. And I believe I can help you get ready for the babies, and take care of them with you.” This guy truly needed help, and that was what told him this was the job for him.

  “Do you enjoy music?” Thorpe’s question came out of nowhere.

  He blinked but nodded. He enjoyed a number of styles. “I do.”

  “Good. That’s what I do. I’m a composer. Music is the most important thing in my life. I have the surrogate playing music for the girls often.”

  “That’s really neat. Truly. What do you compose? Is there anything I might have heard of?”

  “Movie and TV scores, mostly. I won a bunch of accolades for the Firelight movies.”

  “Oh, I love those movies. I can see why the music won you stuff—it really makes the movies. They wouldn’t be the same without it.”

  “Thank you. It’s my life. Would you like to see the house?”

  “I’d love to. What I’ve seen so far is beautiful.” He was taking it as a good sign that he’d gotten as far as being shown the house.

  “It’s important that you like it should we come to an agreement. You’ll be here for a while.”

  “So what happens if I don’t like something?” He was honestly curious.

  “Well, that depends, I suppose. If you want to paint or redecorate, I’m fine with that. If you want me to move, you’re out of luck. This house is paid for.”

  “Fair enough.” He followed Thorpe, noting how the man’s shoulders tapered down into a fine waist and a lovely ass. He shook his head at himself. He was too old to be mooning over his boss.

  Even though Thorpe wasn’t a kid. The man was fully grown, totally adult. In fact, Ten probably wasn’t that much older than him.

  “The house has six bedrooms, six baths. There’s a media room, a conservatory, a recording studio, a living room and a den. The kitchen has an eat-in space, but there’s a formal dining as well.”

  This was not a kid-friendly house…

  Luckily, they had four months to get the place baby-friendly and then at least nine months, possibly more, to get it totally kid-friendly. Of course, with three babies to keep them busy, the more that gone done before the kids were born, the better.

  “It’s a huge place. Kind of needs the pitter-patter of little feet, eh?” Ten was a firm believer in kids making a house a home.

  “I think so. I’ve always wanted to be a father.”

  They walked through a fancy formal dining room, then into a, warm, gigantic kitchen.

  “Oh, this is lovely.” He could see it as the heart of the house, kids working at the table doing homework while he made dinner, them helping when they got older.

  “Yeah. It’s a comfortable spot. We eat in here a lot. The pantry is through there, as is the laundry room. Matt’s office is through that door.”

  “Matt lives here as well?” It would be great for the kids to have a grandfather figure on hand.

  “He does. He lost his partner about three years ago. I worry about him, being lonely.”

  “He won’t be lonely with three kiddies on hand. Neither will you.”

  “No, no, I hope not.”

  “If nothing else, there won’t be time to be lonely.” He went to the window and looked out the back at the huge yard.

  Oh, that was perfect. Fenced in, with grass and a simple deck with soft furniture. There’d be plenty of room for a play structure of some sort without dwarfing the yard. He nodded, pleased.

  “This is great. Are all the bedrooms upstairs?”

  “Matt’s bedroom is on the first floor. There are four bedrooms and the media room on the second. My rooms are on the third. The basement has the studio.”

  “I assume the nursery and nanny bedroom are a part of those four. Do you plan to give each girl their own room when they get older?” They’d want to be together at the start, but he’d be surprised if they didn’t each want their own space once they reached their teenage years.

  “That’s the intention, yes, but until then there could be a playroom and whatever the girls need.”

  “It’s a great place, Mr. Thorpe. Still needs some work in the babyproofing arena, but it definitely makes an amazing beginning.”

  “Thank you. I assume you’ll help with that. I… I like things to be where they belong. It comforts me.”

  Ten got that. A lot of people found comfort in order. “If you’re going to be hiring me before the kids are born, there will have to be something for me to do and I’m more than happy to spend my time getting everything in order, teaching you what to expect, etc.”

  Thorpe nodded. “Yes. Yes, that’s why I want to do this now. To be prepared for everything. Come upstairs to see your quarters.”

  Your quarters.


  That sounded very promising.

  He followed Thorpe up eagerly. He could totally do this job. And it would be easy until the triplets came. Then it would be a challenge, but in a good way.

  The upstairs was… very white. Very white. Oh dear. White carpets, white walls, white glass on spindly tables…

  “There is basic furniture in what will be the girls’ rooms. Matt made sure that your rooms have a bed and dresser, a loveseat and television, but I wanted there to be room to put personal touches.”

  “That sounds great. I have a few little things to bring with me.” The Wilsons had been very generous making sure his room had everything he needed, so he had no actual furniture of his own, just trinkets and his computer, his gaming system, things like that. “I’ve never had two rooms to myself.”

  “The sitting room isn’t huge, but the bedroom is lovely. There’s an en suite. We have a housekeeper that comes in three days a week and a personal chef that comes in twice a week and leaves meals.” Thorpe took him to the end of the hall and opened the door to another white room with a leather loveseat, a door leading obviously to a bedroom. “Have a look.”

  The sitting room wasn’t huge, but there would be room enough for him to add an easy chair and the TV was a great size. He could totally hook up his Xbox and PS4. With a sitting room, when the kids got older, if they needed a private conversation, he could bring them here instead of his bedroom. Hell, with a sitting room, he wouldn’t necessarily have to keep his room spotless all the time.

  He went into the bedroom, and it was big enough that the king-size bed against the side wall didn’t dwarf the room. There were two sets of windows, both with window seats. And the dresser had four double sets of drawers. There was a small walk-in closet, and the en suite boasted separate tub and shower. It was bright, the frosted window letting in the sunshine.

  He went back out to the hall where Thorpe was waiting for him. “It’s a lovely nanny suite.” It desperately needed some personality, but a bit of paint and some personal touches would totally do it. “Is the nursery close by?”

  “Well, there’s the three bedrooms here. I thought maybe they could stay in the biggest one, but it’s the farthest away from you and closest to the stairs…”