Page 11 of That First Night

“You know I will make it for you anytime, dear.”

“Once I get all settled here, I will come by and see you this week,” I tell her.

“I would love that,” she sounds delighted through the phone. “I miss you, sweetheart.”

“I miss you too, Gigi.”

“But back to the question you’re avoiding. Have you gotten any hits on your hot nanny ad?” She laughs.

“No hits just yet.” I shake my head as if she can see me through the phone. “But I am hopeful because I have experience with kids and I’m sure someone is in desperate need for some help.”

“You’re so good with kids. Anyone would be stupid not to hire you for the job.”

“Thank you, Gigi. You don’t have to tell me all those things.”

“I do. And I always will. I am always so proud of you and whatever you choose to do,” she says. “Your parents would be so proud of you.”

I don’t respond because it’s hard to hear that. I want them to be proud of me. I hope they are looking down on me and knowing I made the right decisions in life.

“Listen, sweetheart,” she says, knowing that I can’t respond to that. She knows me better than anyone else. “I have to go because Lee is coming over and we’re going to go to the farmers’ market.”

“No flirting with the men, Gigi.” I burst into laughter.

“Don’t tell her what to do,” Avery cuts in. “You go get 'em, Esther!”

“I make no promises, sweetheart.” She chuckles with us.

“I will call you later tonight, okay?”

“Okay, Peyton. I love you to the moon, stars, Jupiter and back.”

“I love you too.” I smile into the phone before I hang up.

“God, I love that woman. She’s like my spirit animal,” Avery says. She and Gigi really are so much alike. If I knew my grandma when she was Avery’s age, I would bet that she was just as wild as Avery is now.

I move to open up the box of picture frames and place them on my little end table next to my bed. I put the photo of Gigi and I down first. It’s from New Year’s Eve one year; she’s double fisting with a beer and a bottle of champagne and she has the cheesiest smile on her face. I reach for the second photo, a picture of me and the girls. It was a trip to New York City a few years back and we’re standing on a balcony. Our hair was blowing wildly in the wind, and we were laughing so hard. It was truly one of the best nights of our lives. The last picture I pull out is a picture of my Mom and Dad one summer on the beach. I miss them so much.

Pictures are a funny thing. Sometimes when we’re caught up in the moment, we forget to take the pictures to remember the memories. But when we do, we’re so happy to have that memory to look back on.

We’re sitting in silence right now because Avery can tell my mood after unpacking this box. It holds a lot of weight in memories for me, both happy and sad. But our silence is broken when my phone starts ringing from across the room. I assume that it’s Gigi calling me back because she does that. We hang up the phone and she calls me back to tell me about something good she made for lunch.

I get to my phone and notice that it’s an unknown number. I look up to Avery sitting next to me who also takes note of the unknown number.

“Answer it! Maybe it’s someone calling about your flaming hot nanny for hire ad!”

I shoot her a quickshut upglare before answering the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Peyton Kelly?” the voice on the other end says. She sounds young, so I don’t think this is regarding the ad.

“Y-Yes.” My voice breaks and I swallow the lump in my throat. “Yes, it is. May I ask who’s calling?”

“Oh yes!” I can hear her voice perk up with excitement. “This is Emiline Ford! I am calling regarding your nanny for hire ad.”

Placing my hand over the speaker, I whisper to Avery, “It’s for the ad.”

Avery throws herself on the bed, letting out a small squeal of excitement and starts kicking her legs up and down like a dead bug stuck on its back trying to flip around.