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I gasped and then looked down at Milo in a panic but he didn’t budge. He’d really worn himself out crying it seemed. “Mom. I’m twenty-six.”
“Your birthday was last month.”
I thought back to the night I’d come home from work to find my parents waiting outside of the apartment to take me out to dinner. They’d tried calling Camden a dozen times to plan a surprise for me but he’d never answered. “Oh. Yeah. So, I’m twenty-seven. That’s still not thirty, Mom.”
“Yeah, leave her alone, Mandy.” Dad grunted. “Women have a harder time getting pregnant when they’re stressed. That’s what Dr. Wallace said.”
“Dr. Wallace?” I felt a chill go down my spine. “Why were you talking to Dr. Wallace about getting pregnant?”
Mom made a shushing sound. “We weren’t. Your Dad’s mistaken.”
I held the phone between my ear and shoulder and rubbed my forehead. “Please don’t tell me you’ve been talking to our family doctor about me getting pregnant.”
“We’re getting away from the topic at hand, honey.” Mom’s voice took on the determined quality it always did when she was getting down to business. “You need to call that nanny service and tell them not to send the real nanny. If she shows up tomorrow, you’re done. You need to make sure they have your account information to pay you. If not, they’re probably going to send your pay to the nanny service.”
My eyebrows crawled up my forehead. “Mom? How the hell are you so prepared for this? Were you a criminal in a past life?”
She giggled. “I’ll never tell.”
Dad laughed but it sounded secretive and I got the impression they were sharing an inside joke that would traumatize me to learn about. I made a face and ignored their flirty banter while thinking about what I needed to do to make my case of mistaken identity permanent, at least for the summer.
“What about your stuff, Ada?”
I tuned back in and frowned at Dad’s question. “I packed a bag this morning. The rest… I don’t know. I have no desire to ever see Camden again.”
“We’ll pick your stuff up.” He cleared his throat again and then there was a commotion on their end of the line and he went quiet. My heart shot into my throat at the idea of what could have happened. Having spent half a decade with him going between sick and okay at times almost daily had left me anxious about his health.
“Dad?”
“He’s fine. I just shoved cough syrup down his throat and now he’s stomping around like a big angry bear. If he didn’t want me doing it, he should’ve just taken his medicine.” She raised her voice. “Like an adult!”
I breathed out a sigh and froze when I heard someone approaching. “I’ve gotta go. Someone’s coming. I love you, Mom. Tell Dad I love him, too. And be nice.”
I hung up just as an older woman stalked into the room. She shot an exasperated look at me and planted her hands on her hips. Dressed in a stiff dress with a high collar, she looked much older than she probably was. “Why are you hiding in here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I’m Sara Walsh, the housekeeper. Mr. Collin asked me to show you to your room.”
I swallowed down a wave of nerves and stood up with Milo still snoozing away in my arms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know where I was supposed to go.”
She sighed. “I shouldn’t be surprised that Mr. Collin didn’t tell you where to go. He can be a bit scattered when he’s working. Well, come on. I’ll give you a tour.”
5
***Ada***
Therewasamagicto the Carrington Mansion. Dark academia met log cabin and it made my heart beat a little faster. I felt like I’d fallen down a rabbit hole and landed in the Beast’s mansion, complete with the giant library. The first floor boasted a grand staircase, a grand piano that overlooked the lake in a room full of windows, and a kitchen that was bigger than the entire diner I’d just been fired from. It was amazing. There was a pool, a basketball court, and an entire wing of offices that were off limits during the day when the brothers were working.
I hadn’t really known what to expect when Collin had mentioned amenities. The amenities at the apartment I’d left that morning were a laundry room that held four washers and three dryers, two if the third was having a bad day, and a pool that was usually dark green. At the Carrington Estate, the amenities were never-ending. The theater room, the pool, the basketball court, the chef, the scent of expensive wood and leather that hung in the air, the two-story library… There was a moment when Sara was showing me into my private suite that I worried I’d have to find a way to get rid of the real nanny if she showed up.
My suite- the real nanny’s suite- was massive with a king-size bed and floor to ceiling windows that showed me the entire lake. Thick curtains, plush bedding, and layered rugs made the space feel soft and cozy. An en-suite bathroom was just as stunning with features that made me want to strip naked and dive into the massive bathtub in front of Sara. I’d never been anywhere as nice. I couldn’t wait to take pictures and send them to my parents. Mom was going to have a heart attack.
If I’d been on the cusp about what I should or shouldn’t do with the nanny position, the suite pushed me over the edge. I was staying. In one morning, I’d gone from broke, homeless, and jobless to living in a home I’d dreamt of as a kid. Part of me wanted to call Camden and thank him.
I was still carrying Milo around asleep on my chest because I wasn’t exactly sure what else to do with him. Sara had shown me around the second floor of the house, where the family lived and I’d seen the closed bedroom doors of the other kids I’d be caring for, but I’d seen no sign of them. I was feeling lost about what to do after Sara left me standing in my suite with a thick binder of rules . I’d never been a nanny and I didn’t know a thing about it. If the binder didn’t help me, I was considering googling what a nanny does when a deep voice filled my room.
“Please come to my office to fill out your paperwork.”
I jumped and looked around, expecting to see Collin standing next to me but he was nowhere to be found. Then I noticed the square box on the wall. There was an intercom system. That was mind boggling. I bit my lip and raised my eyebrows at the box. “Okay…?”
There was no indication that he heard me. I blew out a breath and hurried downstairs to the hallway of offices. One of the doors was open where it hadn’t been earlier so I slowly moved into the doorway and peeked inside.
