“Drinks? It’s barely lunch time.” I laugh awkwardly.
“Who cares! We need to celebrate your new job, babe.” He squeezes my arm as we head to the small parking lot on the side of the school. I’m not sure if he even notices all the not-so-innocent touches, but I sure do. I thought I was crazy for this guy not so long ago, but right now, his touch just makes my skin crawl.
When I spot my rusty ride sandwiched between two shiny SUVs in the visitor parking lot, a tiny smile sneaks across my lips. This morning, I woke up at the crack of dawn, knowing that my car was out of order and that I’d have to call my dad to give me a lift. But right as I was struggling to pop a bagel into the toaster, stir cream into my coffee and balance my phone against my ear, Eli crept into the kitchen and announced that he’d managed to get the vehicle working yesterday. It was insanely sweet of him to spend his time fixing my car. Not to mention, sexy. I’m trying not to read too much into it.
I turn and find Michael beside me, still waiting for my response to his invitation. “So, what do ya say? Drinks?” He sniffles and rubs his nose.
My smile turns to concrete. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I don’t have the job yet.” I turn, backing my way to my driver’s side door, squeezing between the parking spaces where he can’t follow me. “How about I take a raincheck on the celebratory drinks? I’m actually running late on getting back to work.”
“I’m holding you to it. Call me as soon as you get the offer.” He points at me, sending a wink in my direction.
“Yeah, of course.” I can’t pull out of the parking lot fast enough.
On my drive back to Eli’s place, my warm and fuzzies slowly grow cold. The thought of leaving Callie—and her moody father—twists my stomach into knots. I’m slammed with guilt. I feel so bad about looking for a new job. I feel like a traitor. It’s just that, Callie has had so much inconsistency in her life and, since I’ve started working with her, I’ve been a constant in her world, someone she can rely on. I don’t want her to think I’m abandoning her, too. I love that sweet girl.
I shake my head, taking a deep cleansing breath and pushing that thought aside. No. I can’t be a nanny forever. I need to put my own interests first—for once in my life. Besides, Callie’s getting older and soon, she’ll be starting kindergarten anyway. She won’t need me much longer. So really, I’m doing everyone a favor by cutting ties a little early.
I need to remember that being Callie’s nanny is just a job. Even though, deep down, I can’t help but feel like we’re a family. Unconventional. Quirky. A little off-beat. But a family nonetheless. It’s hard not to catch feelings when I’m living in their home. Eating together with them at their dinner table. Sleeping under their roof.
Good lord. Why can’t I be the tough, no-nonsense kind of nanny that doesn’t get involved emotionally?
I park next to Eli’s car in the driveway, my heart clenching. Forcing myself to shake off my thoughts, I walk inside the house. What I see in the living room makes me stop in my tracks.
Eli and Callie are cuddled up under a blanket, watching cartoons on the couch. Callie is covered all over in bright red, oozy-looking dots. Meanwhile, Eli’s got a pained grimace on his face and an icepack on his shoulder.
This is not the condition I left them in.
Eli looks up at my expression with a boyish grin. “Y’see, what happened was…”
27 Eli
Chicken pox. Callie has chicken pox.
I’m sure she picked it up from one of those snot-faced kids at that play group my parents took her to the other day. Dammit. But at least, that explains her cranky mood last night.
Her head is drooping, resting against my shoulder as Jessa examines her from head to toe. “Oh, poor baby,” the nanny coos softly from where she’s crouched down next to the sofa. “My sweet girl.”
Callie groans and scratches her belly. “It’s so itchy, Jessa.”
When my eyes meet the nanny’s, she offers me a pained smile. “I should give her a bath.” The woman looks at my daughter. “Come on, sweetie.”
Callie peels herself off of me. I stand, too. “D’you need some help?”
Jessa’s smile widens the faintest touch. “There should be some oatmeal in the pantry. Grab that, and meet us in the bathroom.”
My head bobs like an idiot. Standing this close, her scent fills my head. She smells like cake and I want to eat her down to the last crumb. She’s still in the prim and proper dress that she wore to her interview but she’s a tiny bit disheveled after a long morning. Her hair is a little messy, her lipstick is faded and I can see the lacy trim of her bra peeking out at the neckline of her dress. I want to shred her out of it. With my teeth.
Thankfully, Jessa breaks her gaze away from mine. She and Callie disappear into the bathroom. I go off in search of the oatmeal, fumbling around and clumsily knocking shit over until I find an unopened container in the back of the pantry. When I get to the bathroom, I find the tub water running and Jessa carefully peeling off Callie’s pajamas.
“Now what?” I ask.
Jessa peers up at me from where she’s perched on the floor. Those big, pretty eyes. Dammit, they’re starting to grow on me. “Grab a large handful of oatmeal and toss it under the running water. Can you double check the temperature, too? Make sure it’s not too hot?”
I continue to take orders from the nanny, and then we get Callie into the
