“Have it looked at” was James’s only response.

BETWEEN THE WEALTH AND LONNIE’S CRITICISMS I’D EXPECTED her father to be a large villainous man. I pictured him, bearded, behind a huge oak desk in a bow tie. The man who answered the door in Southampton wasn’t anything like that.

Robert was small and thin, bordering on delicate. It was as if all his virility had gone into producing his daughter, as if she had sucked the life out of him. Lonnie kissed him on each cheek, her face betraying no sign of emotion. “What are you doing here?” she said. “You didn’t tell us you were coming.”

“You definitely picked a rough time for me to make it out.” His voice was soft and sweet. “I’m trying to imagine you didn’t do that on purpose.”

“Daddy,” Lonnie said, her voice stern despite the childish nickname.

I couldn’t help thinking, What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in the water?

“You’re here now anyway,” Lonnie said. “How long can you stay?”

“Through next Monday.”

“You’ll be here for the Labor Day party!” James said.

“I just want to see my grandson. Where’s William?”

I carried him over. Robert was shorter than me by a few inches and leaned in close enough that I could smell the mothy old-man scent coming off his skin. William regarded him curiously, his hand on my breast.

“This is Elle,” Lonnie said. “Our nanny.”

“Hi,” I said.

Robert didn’t look at me. He was studying William’s face, furrowing his brows. He didn’t touch the baby or speak to him, he only looked and then, turning toward Lonnie, said, “More and more like a Thomas,” declarative, approving. I guessed that was Lonnie’s maiden name.

“Now,” he said, turning his attention to me. Our faces were practically touching. “Tell me about yourself.”

I laughed nervously, unsure what to say. The sentences that flashed through my mind had no business being related to this man. I didn’t like being put on the spot, but I did like the way his attention moved from one thing to the next purposefully—the way he directed his focus entirely.

“I’m from Oregon,” I managed.

“You are taking care of our most prized possession,” he said, ignoring the information I’d offered.

“Yes.” I tried to use my voice to convey an understanding, but it was hard, with only that one word. And equally hard to come up with anything to say after.

“I received nearly two hundred résumés when I posted about needing a nanny on that website,” Lonnie said. “I can’t believe I found her.”

“I didn’t know that,” I said, caught off-guard by the confession.

“It was fate,” Lonnie replied, smiling.