Page 1 of At Her Service (Club Velvet #2)

CHAPTER 1

“A bby.” Erin’s expression grew serious on the phone screen. “I say this with love. You need to quit your job.”

“Not this again.” Abby propped her phone against her bag on the picnic table in front of her. “I can’t quit. Do you know how hard it is to find a stable nannying gig in LA? Or anywhere? Unless you want to pay my half of the rent.” Her job barely even covered that, let alone anything else.

“Okay, maybe not. But this job of yours is ridiculous. You’re always working. I hardly get to see you, and we live together.”

“Yeah, because you’re always at your boyfriend’s place,” Abby murmured.

“But seriously, when was the last time you had a day off?”

“I don’t know, last month maybe?”

“ Last month? That family is turning you into their servant.”

“Maybe. But the Hendersons need me. The boys, they have no one.”

Abby looked across the park to where the two boys were kicking around a soccer ball. At 12 and 13, Connor and Owen barely needed watching. They barely needed a nanny at all. But their mom and dad were rarely around, so Abby was their only source of adult supervision. They were lucky if they saw their parents for more than a couple of hours a week.

But that was the reality of being a nanny in Los Angeles. The only people who could afford nannies in such an expensive city were outrageously wealthy types who had better things to do with their time than look after their kids. And it was always the wealthiest parents who tried to stiff her on pay or treated her like a maid, despite living in multimillion-dollar mansions and driving cars that were worth more than Abby’s salary.

“If they need you so badly, they can afford to give you a day off now and then,” Erin said. “I don’t know why you care so much about them in the first place. You’re always saying that the parents are a nightmare and the kids are brats.”

Abby crossed her arms. “I never said that. I was just venting about my job, that’s all. They’re good kids.” Sure, they misbehaved sometimes. But that was only because their parents threw money and expensive toys at them instead of giving them the love and attention they needed. “I can’t just abandon them. Yeah, their parents are awful, but that’s all the more reason they need someone looking out for them.” Abby knew what it was like to have no one. No kid deserved that.

“Look, I get it,” Erin said. “And I understand why that’s important to you?—”

“Then you understand why I can’t quit. So can we just drop this?”

“Sure. I’m sorry, I just miss getting to hang out with you.”

“I do too,” Abby said. “But hey, I’ll see you for your birthday thing next week. I’ve already told the Hendersons I need the night off.”

“Good, because I have a big night planned. And guess who’s going to be there?”

Abby sighed. “Who are you trying to set me up with this time?”

Erin crossed her arms. “I’m not trying to set you up with anyone. I’m just letting you know that Amanda is coming. You know, the new girl from work? We were talking, and the reason she moved to LA is because she broke up with her girlfriend. And she keeps going on and on about how hard it is to meet women in LA. The two of you should talk.”

“Uh-huh.”

“She’s not the only one who’s single. There are a few single guys coming too.”

“I don’t think so.” While Abby dated men sometimes, Erin’s frat bro friends were not her type. She had a very specific type, one that had nothing to do with looks or gender.

“I just don’t get it. You have twice the options, but you’re chronically single.”

Abby resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “That’s not how it works. And it’s still not funny.” It wasn’t the first time her friend had made that joke.

Erin shrugged. “I’m just saying, I don’t get it.”

“I know you’ve been with Dan since we were in middle school, but being single isn’t the worst thing in the world. I’m just waiting for the right person.”

And if the right person would hurry up, that would be great.

“Well, if you change your mind, I’m here to help. I have tons of single friends. Or I could help you set up a profile on the apps. A hottie like you will get so many matches.”

Abby murmured noncommittally, glancing up from her screen to check on the boys. They’d stopped kicking the ball around and were now throwing it at each other as hard as they could. Erin was right. They were brats.

But it was hard to look at them and not see her younger brothers. They were around the same age as Connor and Owen. It had been years since she saw them in person, but her mom and stepdad posted photos with them on social media every day. They were the picture-perfect family. Minus Abby.

She gazed around the park. Nearby, a mom pushed her daughter on the swing set, the young girl screaming with glee. Abby felt a pang of envy. Her mom had only ever taken her to the park to get her off her back for a few?—

Huh?

Abby zeroed in on the path nearby, where a girl around 2 or 3 years old sat clutching her knee, silent tears streaking down her cheeks. There were no other adults nearby. She was all alone.

“Hello?” Erin said. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Yeah, sorry.” Abby glanced at the phone again. “Look, I have to go. Talk to you later.”

She ended the call and looked around the park. None of the adults nearby resembled the bronze-skinned, curly-haired girl, but not all children looked like their parents. And in a well-off neighborhood like this, half the kids were at the park with nannies and babysitters.

Keeping Connor and Owen in her eyeline, Abby got up from the picnic table and walked over to the little girl.

“Hey,” she said softly, crouching down in front of her. “Are you all right?”

The girl sniffled and shook her head, her tiny ringlets bouncing.

“Is it your knee?”

The girl nodded, shifting her hands from her leg to rub her eyes. She had a nasty graze on her knee, and it was oozing blood.

“Ouch, that must hurt,” Abby said. “How about I fix that up for you and we go find your mommy or daddy? Is that okay?”

The girl looked up at her, her doe-brown eyes wide. “I want Mommy,” she said quietly.

“Okay, I’ll help you find her. Can you tell me your name?”

The girl’s lip trembled, but she managed to whisper her name. “Hazel.”

“Okay, Hazel. I’ll fix your knee right up, and then we’ll go find your mom.” With luck, her mom would come to them. The toddler couldn’t have gotten far.

Abby took Hazel’s hand and led her over to the picnic table where she’d left her bag, then began pulling things out of it until she found the first aid kit right at the bottom. Kneeling on the grass in front of her, Abby set about cleaning Hazel’s knee, distracting her with soothing words and questions. How old are you? What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite animal? It was easy to make kids forget they were hurt if their attention was elsewhere.

Hazel’s tears were soon replaced by chatter. By the time Abby stuck a bright green band-aid on Hazel’s knee, the toddler was babbling animatedly.

“All done,” Abby said. “Now, let’s see if we can find your mommy.”

She looked around the park with narrowed eyes.

Where was this kid’s mom?