Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
“Daddy! I forgot Ajax and couldn’t sleep, so even though it’s late Grammy brought me back to…” She trails off only to continue with an even bigger smile as Tatum gets out of the car. “Tatum!” She throws herself at Tatum’s waist, giving her a tight squeeze. “Grammy, this is Tatum! My nanny!”
“So, I see,” my mother says through the open driver’s side window. She casts a judgmental look up and down Tatum’s frame, making me suddenly keenly aware of how little clothing she’s wearing. A miniskirt with fishnets and a tank top under a big fluffy coat is perfectly appropriate attire for a dance club, but probably not the best for meeting the parents.
And it’s obviously giving my old-fashioned mother the wrong idea.
“I was just giving Tatum a ride home,” I lie. “She was out dancing with friends, and I wanted to make sure she got home safe. But then I saw your car in the drive on the way to her place and decided I should check in and make sure everything was okay.”
“Right,” Tatum says, tugging the hem of her skirt down with a nervous laugh. “So nice to meet you Mrs. McGuire. Sarah Beth has told me great things about you and how much fun she has at Grammy’s house.”
“Same.” My mother emerges from the car in her long, black wool coat, looking like a case worker coming to break the news that I’m an unfit parent. “Sarah Beth hasn’t stopped talking about you all night. I was expecting Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, complete with guitar and puppet show.”
Tatum laughs again. “Nope, no musical skills here. But we have a lot of fun playing pretend and doing craft projects.”
“And hunting for fairies,” Sarah Beth agrees, taking Tatum’s hand and giving it a little tug. “Grammy has a forest behind her house, Tatum. I bet there are tons of fairies there. Want to come look for them with me? We can go first thing in the morning after breakfast. Can Tatum spend the night at your house, too, Grammy? I promise I’ll be really good and go right to sleep as soon as we get back.”
“I think Tatum has other overnight plans,” my mother says, her disapproval thick in the air. She takes Sarah Beth by the shoulders, gently detangling her from Tatum and maneuvering her back toward her car. “We’ll chat tomorrow, Drew. Nice to meet you, Tatum.”
But it wasn’t nice. Not nice at all.
By the time she pulls out, my stomach is on the concrete.
“Shit,” Tatum hisses as Mom disappears down the street. “That didn’t go well, did it?”
“No,” I admit, forcing a smile. “But it’s okay. I’ll talk to her tomorrow and explain.”
“Explain that you’re banging the nanny who is actually a great childcare provider even though she looked like a street walker last night?”
“You don’t look like a street walker,” I say, pulling her into my arms.
“To your mother, I did,” she says with a wince. “Ugh. I could tell by the way she looked at me. I felt like I was back in Catholic school, getting in trouble with the nuns for rolling my skirt up to make it shorter, except a hundred times worse. She hates me, Drew. I could tell.”
“She doesn’t even know you.”
“And now she won’t want to,” she continues, her voice rising. “Because I’m the shameless hussy who’s seducing my boss, who also happens to be her vulnerable son who’s desperate for companionship after raising his daughter alone for so many years and is easy prey for a gold-digging ho like me.”
I hug her closer. “Stop. It wasn’t that bad.”
“I can’t stop,” she says. “It was that bad. And maybe she’s right. Maybe I am taking advantage of you.”
I frown. “I’m your boss, established in this community, and several years older than you are, Tatum. If anyone is taking advantage of this situation, it’s me. You’re all alone, new in town, and could be in a bind if you lose this job. Knowing you as well as I do now, I’m sure you’d land on your feet, because you’re incredible at what you do, but it wouldn’t be easy or fun. And if I didn’t give you a good reference, it would be hard to explain why you only lasted a week at your first nanny gig.”
Her brows shoot up. “But you would give me a good reference. Right?”
“Of course, I would. How can you even ask a question like that?”
“Because you brought it up,” she says, moving out of my arms. “And you’re right. It would be hard. Wren said she had a couple leads for me, but I don’t know if I’d be a good fit for those jobs or if they’d pay enough for me to afford to stay here. The only way I could survive on a daycare worker’s salary back home was to live with my parents. For such a vital, important job, taking care of little kids doesn’t pay very much, you know.”