Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Yes, you’re, ah, here just a little sooner than I expected. I thought maybe you’d want to go change your clothes or something. I haven’t had a chance to tell Austin about you yet.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, I—” Swallowing hard, I met Austin’s unyielding eyes. “Should I come back later?”
“No, no.” Mabel reached behind her brother and swung the door wider. “Come on in. This is my brother, Austin, and these are his kids, Adelaide and Owen.”
The twins said hello while Austin gave his sister a scorching look and held up the flyer. “Mabel, what is this?”
“It’s an ad for a new nanny,” Mabel said, pointing the spatula at him like a weapon. “And she’s the only applicant we have, so don’t scare her off.”
I glanced around—to my left was a living room, and to my right was a staircase. Shoes were lined up neatly on a rug by the door. Hats and light jackets hung just so on pegs at the bottom of the stairs. The wood floors were spotless, and I saw no clutter anywhere.
“Why don’t we all take a seat in the living room?” Mabel suggested.
“Mabel, could I see you for a moment, please?” Without waiting for his sister to answer, Austin took her by the arm and pulled her up the stairs.
“We’ll be right down,” Mabel called as she disappeared. “Kids, why don’t you introduce yourselves?”
I went into the living room and took a seat on the couch. The kids stood directly in front of me, staring curiously like I was a painting or an animal at the zoo.
“I’m Veronica,” I said. “So you guys are twins, huh?”
“Yes, but I’m older,” Owen told me.
“Only by four minutes!” Adelaide seemed a little miffed at their arrival schedule.
I smiled. “It must be fun being a twin. I don’t have any brothers or sisters. But I always wanted them.”
“Are you going to be our new nanny?” Owen asked.
“I don’t know. I hope so. Got any tips for me?”
They each appeared to think deeply. “Daddy likes it when you make your bed,” Adelaide said. “Tell him you always make your bed.”
“And that you remember to turn off lights,” Owen added. “Because we don’t own the electric company.”
“His favorite food is barbecue,” Adelaide said. “Do you know how to make barbecue? Or cook on the grill?”
“No,” I admitted. “I’ve never had a grill.”
“Do you know how to make anything?”
I chewed my lip—I wasn’t skilled in the kitchen at all. I overcooked chicken and undercooked pasta, and I never seemed to be able to time a meal right. “I know how to make fried bologna sandwiches. And I made a birthday cake once.”
“What kind of birthday cake?” asked Adelaide.
“It was yellow,” I said, neglecting to mention it was from a box. “With chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles.”
“That sounds good,” Owen said generously.
“If I get the job, I’ll make you one,” I promised.
“Can you make two?” Adelaide held up two fingers. “We always have to share a cake because we share a birthday.”
“Absolutely,” I said. “You’ll each get a cake.”
“Daddy is big on organization,” Adelaide went on. “And charts. Do you have any charts?”
“Charts?”
“Yeah. Like chore charts,” said Owen. “We each have one.”
“They’re on the fridge, right by the calendar.” Adelaide pointed in the direction of the kitchen. “The calendar is very important too. If something isn’t on the calendar, Daddy gets grumpy about it.”
“Got it.” I nodded. “So tell me about you two. What grade are you in?”
“We’ll be in second grade this fall,” said Adelaide. “We go to Paddington Elementary.”
“It’s named after a man, not the bear,” Owen added with obvious disappointment.
“Yes, and the man’s family still lives around here. I heard Daddy say they’re a bunch of assholes.” Adelaide grinned. “But I’m not supposed to repeat that word.”
I mimed locking my lips and throwing away the key. “I won’t tell.”
“Your dress is pretty.” Adelaide reached forward and played with the tulle skirt. “Are you getting married or something?”
“I was. But not anymore.”
“How come?”
I hesitated. “The man I was supposed to marry wasn’t being nice to me.”
“Was he bullying you?” Owen asked.
I decided to go with that. “Yes.”
“I hate bullies,” the little boy said seriously. “But we’re not supposed to fight back.”
“Did you fight back?” wondered Adelaide.
I nodded defiantly. “I kicked my bully right in the face.”
The twins exchanged a look of amazement.
“You did?” Owen blinked.
“Totally!” I jumped off the couch. “Here, I’ll show you.”
The twins backed up to give me some room, and I turned to face the fireplace.
“First, I had to get a little running start.” Bunching up my dress in my hands, I drew back in dramatic fashion. “And then . . .” I took a few quick steps forward, added a twirl for flair, and executed a sharp hitch kick while shouting, “Hi-yah! Right in the kisser!”
That’s when I heard a man’s voice behind me. “What is going on here?”