A/N: Hi all! So,itâs been a while. I have been in a real nostalgic mood lately and totally binged âThe Nannyâ. Annnd then all I wanted to was write a story about it. So Iâve been writing a multi-chapter story with Y/N as Fran and Gwil as Maxwell. I hope you all enjoy this prologue. Any feed back would be appreciated! And if youâd like to be tagged, please let me know! Love you!
Pairing: Producer!Gwilym Lee x fem!Reader
Summary: You need a job after you walk out of your last one. Your friend sends you to an interview and itâŚdoesnât quite go as planned. Â
Warnings: Cursing, some angst, and cheating
 You leaned over the counter, trying to make out what your boyfriend had written down for the specials for the night. Why couldnât the man learn to write like an actual grown-up?
âOooh, Y/N,â one of your best friends, Mel, came in. âHave you heard?â
âHeard what?â You replied, not looking up.
âJ.C. and Erika? They just got engaged.â
That got you attention. You looked up at her. âAre you serious? Theyâve been dating for what? Three seconds?â
Melanie laughed, taking her coat off. âI think closer to three weeks, but yeah. Isnât that crazy?â
You sighed, looking back down at the notes. âTo each their own, I guess.â
You were happy for them, on some level, but it was a bit hard when two people that you considered ridiculously obnoxious were engaged in less than a month but you and your boyfriend had been dating for almost four years and were still not living together.
âThink thatâll make Kurt move any faster?â
You shook your head. âNo, thereâs nothing that will make him move any faster. Weâve talked about it countless times. Heâs just happy right where we are.â
âYeah, but youâre not.â
You huffed, not disagreeing. You had wanted to at least living together by now. Maybe not married (you still werenât even sure if you wanted to get married), but at least the notion that the relationship was going somewhere.
âMaybe you should bring it up to him again,â Mel suggested as she tied on her apron.
You thought about it. Maybe you should. It had been a few months since the two of you had had any kind of conversation about it. Every year when your lease was up for renewal, you brought it up just to see if you should renew. And Kurt always told you âyesâ.
âYeah, maybe. But for now, Iâve got to figure out these damn specials heâs decided to jot down like a first grader after a lunch of cake and ice cream.â You grabbed the paper and then knocked on the door to his office. âKurt!â
âYeah, babe?â
You went into the office to see him staring at his phone. He glanced up at you for a second before going back to his phone.
âHi, sweetie, can you decipher this chicken scratch for me?â You walked over and sat up on his desk.
Kurt sat his phone down, face up, and took the paper and squinted at it himself. âUhâŚIâŚhuh. Ribs of some kind. Iâll have to go look in the fridge quick. Be right back.â He pressed a kiss to your temple before getting up and leaving the office.
You swung your legs, waiting for him to come back, thinking about the dinner rush on the Friday night that was going to hit. But hey, at least the tips would be good.
And then you saw something light up on the desk.
You glanced down to see Kurtâs phone on full brightness. With a notification from Tinder. Saying Kurt had 3 new messages waiting for him.
You picked up the phone and stared at it, fighting back tears. Youâd had a feeling something like this had been going on, but it was a totally different story when it was staring you in the face.
âBeef ribs are the special tonight.â
You stood up and shoved Kurtâs phone at him. âGreat. Maybe whoever these 3 can serve it!â You stormed out.
âWait! Y/N!â Kurt chased after you. âThis isnât how I wanted you to find out!â
âOh, fuck off!â You yelled at him, turning on your heel to yell at him. âThis isnât how you wanted me to find out!? What the hell kind of excuse is that?!â
âCan we discuss this back in the office?â Kurt offered quietly.
âNo, because thereâs nothing to discuss.â You untied your apron and threw it at him. âI quit and I am DONE with you! FOUR YEARS! Iâve wasted four years of my life on you in this stupid dying restaurant!â
âItâs not dying!â
You stared at him stunned. âThatâs all you have to say? Four years down the drain and all you care about is this damn rat trap?!â
âItâs not aâŚ!â Kurt took a deep breath. âYou know what? Fine. Go ahead. We donât need you around here!â Â
âObviously!â You screamed before grabbing your coat and stomping out.
You walked all the out to the street, hailed a cab, and got in the back. You gave the driver your address and then fell apart.
âUmâŚaâŚare you alright, dear?â The cab driver asked you, glancing in their review window.
You could only shake your head. âOkay, well, there should be a box of tissues under my seat. Help yourself.â
You reached down and grabbed the box, pulling out tissues. You blew your nose and wiped your eyes.
âJust put them in the trash when youâre done.â
You nodded your thanks, making a mental note to give them a big tip.
The rest of the time the two of you were silent as you tried to make yourself somewhat presentable so your roommate wouldnât ask what happened. You were not in the mood to talk about it.
The driver pulled up to your building and told you the total. You paid and started to make your way out before they called to you.
âWhatever it was, I hope it gets better.â
You gave them a smile and wave before you shut the door and started to into your building. You ran up the stairs instead of taking the risk of running into a nosy neighbor on the elevator. You got into your apartment and collapsed on the couch. You started sobbing into your pillow.
How on Earth could he do that to you? Sure, the two of you hadnât gone beyond dating but four years?! You had given four years of your life! Not just romantically but youâd worked your ass off to help with his restaurant. Youâd hired nearly all of the servers! And three of the cooks! Who the hell was he to kick YOU out?
You woke up to your roommate, Olivia, coming home, not sure how long later.
âY/N? What are you doing home? Arenât you supposed to be at work?â
You sat up, your entire face felt swollen.
âOh, Y/N,â Olivia sat next to you and wrapped an arm around you. âDid something happen at the restaurant?â
You tried to explain what happened, but you couldnât get the whole story out without bursting into tears.
âOh sh, sh, honey,â she rubbed your shoulder. âI know. Heâs a scumbag. Iâm so sorry.â
You just nodded, crying into her shoulder.
âDo you want me to call Rosie and see if sheâll let some the dogs loose in the kitchen?â
You chuckled for a moment. âThink she would? I know sheâs very attached to them.â
âWell, they are shelter dogs. They deserve a good meal.â
You pulled your head up and gave her a semi-smile. âYou are the best person I know.â
âIf only I was available to you.â
âI can love you better than Rosie can.â
âYeah, but can you afford an apartment in Hellâs Kitchen like she can?â
You sighed, pretending to be defeated. âI guess not. I give you my blessing then.â
âI can run down to the bodega and get some wine and ice cream. I donât have to work tomorrow.â
âOh good, then get something for yourself.â
Olivia pressed a kiss to your forehead. âGreat, Iâll be right back.â
You laid back down when Olivia stood up.
You and Olivia spent the rest of the night drinking, eating ice cream, and complaining about Kurt. It made you feel a little better.
At nearly one in the morning, you finally stumbled to your bed, hoping that you wouldnât dream of Kurt, the restaurant, or anything to do with your love life.
THREE WEEKS LATER
âY/N!â Olivia announced as she came home.
âWhaaaat?â you called back to her from the couch. Youâd barely left it in the past couple weeks. Youâd barely even left your apartment, if you were being honest.
âI think Iâve got you a job!â
You sat up and looked at her, somewhat skeptical. âWhere?â
âManhattan.â
âOh,â you were surprised. Olivia had been trying to get you jobs, but this was the one that sounded like it might actually be promising. âWhat is it?â
âRosieâs brother has a catering gig and needs a good waitress, but the homeowners want to interview everyone individually. They want you there at 3:30 for your interview.â
You jumped up. âAre you serious?!â
âOne hundred percent!â
You threw your arms around Oliviaâs neck and pulled her in for a hug. âOh thank you thank you, Ollie!â
âOoof. You better stop thanking me and get in the shower.â
You got on the subway to make your way up to Manhattan a couple hours later. You hadnât been there since last year when a friend of yours had their 30th birthday party at some pretentious hipster bar.Â
You kept glancing at the passing stations, hoping that this was going to work out. You could still hear your motherâs voice in your head telling you that you shouldâve known better than to take a job at the man that you were datingâs place of work.Â
The past few weeks, youâd been miserable. You had barely left the apartment besides your runs down to the bodega to get alcohol, ice cream, or the minimal amount of groceries that you could afford and actually wanted. Your bank account was screaming at you before youâd left the restaurant, so as much as youâd wanted to just wallow in your self-pity on the past four years of your life that you had wasted, you needed to get a new job.Â
You got off at the correct station and walked up the stairs, stepping onto the streets of Manhattan. This part of the city always seemed different to you. Sure, youâd grown up in New York City, but it had been in Queens.Â
You walked to the correct block and took in all the gorgeous buildings that were there. It sort of took your breath away, the way the trees were just starting to bud in the spring air.Â
You nearly ran into somebody on the street and apologized, hoping they couldnât tell how out of place you were.Â
This was insane. Who in their right mind would hire YOU to work some cocktail party that was going to have people there that blew what you paid in rent on a quick trip to Macyâs? You thought about turning around and just heading home, but then you remembered that your bank account had about $15 in it.
As you walked down the street, you were hit with a strong smell of rose, jasmine, and vanilla. It was comforting and made you a bit more confident in yourself. Like everything was going to work out, regardless of how the interview went.
You glanced down at your phone, making sure that it was the right address before taking a deep breath and walking up the stairs to the front door. You knocked and then waited.
A man in a suit opened the door. He had black hair and kind brown eyes. He seemed unsurprised to see you standing there.
âHello, are you here about the position?â
âI am.â
âWell come in, come in, Mr. Lee should be ready for you soon.â He ushered you inside, taking your coat for you. âWould you like me to drop off your resume to him?â
You hadnât thought about bringing that.
âOh, umâŚno, thatâs okay. Iâll justâŚget it to him if he asks for it.â
The man raised his eyebrows but didnât say anything before he lead you to the couch and gestured for you to sit down.
You sat down and waited for him to return. Or for this mysterious âMr. Leeâ to appear. You looked around, amazed at how high the ceilings were.
Suddenly, there was a scream from upstairs and the pounding of footsteps coming down.
âHelp! Help! Iâm hurt!â A little boy with dark, curly hair came running into the room. He collapsed right in front of you, his eyes closed and his tongue sticking out.
You looked down at him, trying not to laugh. âYa okay, hun?â
The boy opened one eye, quickly shut it again, but didnât say anything.
âAh, Master Aled, I believe this is the third time today youâve passed on. Iâll make sure your father and sister mourn the proper amount,â the man appeared again, stepping over the child and coming to stand in front of you. âMiss, Mr. Lee will see you in his office. If youâll just follow me and please donât trip over the expired, younger Master Lee. Heâll need to get up for his Little League practice in about thirty minutes.â
âJames!â The boy, Aled apparently, sat up and glared at the man, James. âYou ruined my plan!â
You stood up and the two of you walked into an office. Â It was decorated with different awards, pieces of art. The hardwood on the floor matched the desk that was in the middle of the room. Sitting at the desk was a man writing something.
He had a dark, thick head of hair. He stood up, a pair of piercing blue eyes behind a black, horn-rimmed glasses. He was wearing a black turtleneck, gray suit jacket, and black pants.
âHello, Iâm Gwilym Lee,â he offered you his hand.
âIâŚumâŚhi,â you smiled and shook his hand. âIâm Y/N Y/L/N.â
âThank you, James,â Mr. Lee told him. James nodded and started to leave the room. âNow, do you have your resume?â
James sent you a pointed smirk, before leaving the room all together and shutting the door behind him.
âUmâŚno, I donât. Sorry, Mr. Lee.â
He frowned at you. âAlright, Miss Y/L/N. Well, tell me about your work history then.â
You cleared your throat. Rosie had neglected to tell you that the man you were going to work for was this handsome. âWell, Iâve worked in multiple, high class restaurants over the past ten years. I was working at my last job for nearly three years.â
Mr. Lee squinted at you, but you kept talking.
âAnd Iâve been a server, a hostess, and a bartender. I could work anywhere that youâd need me tonight.â
Mr. Lee took off his glasses and continued to stare at you.
âSâŚso, umâŚI can give you references if you need,â you finished lamely.
âUmâŚMiss Y/L/N, I believe thereâs been a bit of a mix up.â
âOh,â you replied, totally defeated. âI understand.â
âItâs justâŚthis job is far too difficult to do without any experience and I thinkâŚâ
âI mean, IâŚI have SOME experience.  I once served at the River Cafe,â you tried to argue.
âOh no, donât get me wrongâŚâ
âDaddy!â A little girl came running into the room, seemingly in tears, and hugged Mr. Leeâs arm. âAled said that thereâs a monster in my closet and then he took and threw her in the closet to the monster!â
Mr. Lee picked up the girl and placed her in his lap. âOooh Afon, sweetheart, Iâm sure he didnât mean toâŚâ
âYes, he did!â
âI did not!â Aled came running in too.
Mr. Lee sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. âAled, please just go get the bunny out of the closet. I am in the middle of a meeting.â
âFine, letâs go, Afon. Daddy is a veeeery busy man,â Aled grabbed his sisterâs hand and took her out.
Mr. Lee just watched them leave, a somewhat longing look on his face before meeting your eyes again.
âMiss Y/L/N, this interview was for a nanny position for my children. You see, our last one just quit and IâŚIâve been interviewing people for nearly a week now andâŚâ Mr. Lee shook his head.  âIâm sorry, you donât need to hear all my woes. Iâll have James see you out.â
Why had Rosie sent you here? If this was an interview for a nanny position you were WAY out of the running. You barely even liked the younger cousins that you had. Maybe youâd gotten the time wrong and they had meant to have the caterer interviews earlier in the afternoon?
You jumped up, an idea coming to your mind. âYa know, Mr. Lee, I actually do have some nannying experience. I was a nanny for a family on my block every summer while I was in high school.â
It technically wasnât a lie. Youâd babysat for your neighbors. Once a week. When their mom had her PTA meetings. For about two hours.
Mr. Lee was shaking his head and standing up. âNo, I couldnât subject you to this. Iâm very sorry. But if we ever need a caterer, Iâll keep you in mind.â He gave you a smile, coming around the front of his desk.
You sighed and stood up. âWell, thank you for taking this interview with me anyway,â you offered your hand again and Mr. Lee shook it.
âOf course, now could I escort you to the door?â
âI suppose so,â you told him.
Mr. Lee gestured for you to go through the door and followed you out of the room.
You were halfway through the living room when the phone rang. James, who had been wiping down the coffee table, quickly grabbed the phone off the hook. âLee residenceâŚyesâŚyesâŚoh how unfortunateâŚI will let him knowâŚyes, thank you, goodbye.â James hung up the phone and looked at Mr, Lee. âThat was the service. They wonât be able to send anybody tonight. They are booked solid.âÂ
âOh no,â Mr. Lee rubbed his temples. âThatâs totally unacceptable. What happened to that woman that we used last weekend?âÂ
âSheâs refusing to come back. Something about a near death experience,â James looked over at Aled who sunk down behind the couch to hide.Â
You hesitated at the door. Maybe this could be your chance. Even if he just used you tonight, as long as you didnât kill the kids, you would get paid. And probably pretty well guessing on the house. You could at least offer, you supposed.Â
âUm...Mr. Lee. If you need somebody for tonight, Iâd be available.â
Everybodyâs heads whipped around to you, all eyes wide, surprised.Â
âWell,â Mr. Lee ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. âI donât know. James, couldnât youâŚ?âÂ
âItâs my night off, sir. Remember? Iâve got my nieceâs dance recital.âÂ
âOh right, of course,â Mr. Lee looked you over, seemingly arguing within himself about what to do. âLook, Miss Y/L/N, I...I usually donât do things like this, especially where my children are concerned, but I am...desperate. Iâve got a meeting with one of my biggest potential backers this evening and I need someone to watch my children. So, if you couldâŚâ
âOh thank you! Thank you!â You pulled  Mr. Lee into a hug before you knew what you were doing. âYou wonât regret this! What time should I be back here?â
âBefore I change my mind,â Mr. Lee muttered.
You pulled away, laughing a bit, before you heard James say something about six-thirty. You then quickly left before Mr. Lee couldâve said anything else.
You practically ran to the subway, nearly giddy. You had a job. You FINALLY had a job! You were walking down the stairs when you pulled your phone out. You had four missed calls and fifteen text messages. Just when you were going to read some of them, it started to ring. You saw it was Rosie.
âHey, Rose, whatâsâŚ?â
âOh, thank GOD! Ollie, sheâs okay. Where theâŚ?â
âWHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!â Olivia yelled in the phone.
âIn Manhattan at the interview your girlfriend sent me!â
âNooo, you never showed up to the interview! Weâve been calling you for almost an hour now!â
You frowned at that. Why were they so upset? Rosie had sent you to the interview, how was she so confused?
âWhat house did you go to?â
âThe one Rosie sent me to,â you told her slowly, hoping she would calm down. â1781.â
âShe says she went to 1781,â Olivia mustâve relayed to Rosie. âThatâs what you told me!âŚSoooo, funny story. You were supposed to go to 1871. Thatâs where the catering job was.â
âItâs fine! I got a job anyway! Iâll explain when I get home, but Iâve got a job tonight!â
âWhat?...She got a job by going to the wrong houseâŚ.I donât know! She said she would explain it when she got homeâŚWhen will you get home?â
âAs soon as the subway will let me.â
The whole way home you felt like you were floating. You were hoping that you would at least get paid enough to buy some groceries.
How were you going to take care of two kids tonight though? They didnât look that old. The boy, Aled?, seemed like he was about nine or ten. The girl, in the brief moment that you had seen her, seemed to only be about five or six. You supposed you could entertain them for a couple hours. Hopefully they had all the streaming services. Just stick them in front of the TV and wait it out.
You walked into your apartment and got tackled into the wall by Olivia.
âI WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!â
You laughed and gave her a hug back. âIâm fine! You leave me here all the time to go to your girlfriendâs house, but me going into Manhattan scares you.â
Olivia pulled back and glared at you. âWhatever. Tell us what happened!â Olivia started to pull you towards the living room where Rosie was sitting on the couch. âRonnie told us you never made it to the house and then you werenât picking up.â
You went into the whole story of what happened. Explaining the kids, the mansion, the butler, and finally, the man that hired you.
ââŚnameâs Gwilym Lee.â
âWait,â Rosie sat up a bit straighter. âGwilym Lee? The producer?â
You exchanged confused looks with Olivia.
âOh, come on, neither of you know Gwilym Lee? He was like this huge producer at Disney. Heâs been involved in all the Marvel movies.â
Your eyebrows shot up. âAre you serious?â
âYeeeeeah, did you not see anything in his house that gave it away?â
âNo,â you answered honestly. You hadnât. You were sure that there was something that you had missed, but you were too worried about the interview and trying to get a job that you werenât paying that much attention.
âAnd heâs going to trust you with his kids?â
You slowly nodded, suddenly much more nervous about tonight than you originally were.